6 Ways for Finding and Sharing Reliable Religious Information Online

Facts are the most precious and contested commodity online. As interfaith leaders, we believe that it is necessary to have our traditions and communities, and those of others, accurately represented. Learning how to navigate facts versus falsehoods online is one of the most important skills we need to develop.

Here are six ways to make sure that the religious information you are receiving and sharing online is reliable:

1. Check your sources. It’s important to listen and learn from communities telling their own stories.

2. Make sure the religion websites you are using are provided by the tradition itself. For instance, for information about Roman Catholics, make sure the site/source is connected with an actual Roman Catholic church or organization. Other good sources of information about religion can come from websites sponsored by reputable universities and libraries.

3. If you are following a person talking about religion whom you do not know, feel free to do a search on them to see what comes up. It is good to know the biases that the people you follow hold (we all have them) so you are aware of how to evaluate their posts. Beware of anyone reaching out with agendas so aggressive that you don’t have space to think and have your own opinion.

4. Take a moment before passing along a social media post about religion. Sometimes misinformation is passed through seemingly innocuous memes. Dr. Heidi Campbell, a professor of communications at Texas A&M University, has done some important research on memes and stereotypes.