"For years, people in my business talked about how the Internet was going to revolutionize religion the way the printing press helped create Protestantism, but it didn't happen," Steve Waldman, founder of the multi-faith website Beliefnet, told the Time magazine in its October 6 edition.

But now with YouTube, Waldman thinks that online religion clips "could be the beginning of that kind of transformation."

A diverse collection of pastors, rabbis, imams, gurus, and pious laypeople are using the video-sharing site to celebrate and explain their religions.

In his posts, Pastor Harold, the head of Get Ready Ministries in Phoenix, delivers the services and sermons of his evangelical doctrine, known as the pre-millennial dispensationalist.

In the unpolished 49 videos he posted so far, he explains how the seven-year Tribulation, complete with blood, fire and antichrist, is about to begin.

He advices Christians from around the world to prepare for the Second Coming, which he says is "right at the doorstep."

Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg, senior rabbi of the Niles Township Jewish Congregation in Skokie Illinois, has been doing a weekly video series on YouTube.

Since he began posting, thousands have viewed his clips which explain everything from Jewish funeral practices to Jewish holy days.

The San Bruno-based YouTube, created in February 2005 by three Americans, is a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips.

It uses Adobe Flash Video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips and music videos.

Platform  

Laura, an American Muslim convert from Virginia, uses YouTube to wash away misconceptions about her new faith.

YouTube offers a worldwide platform to spread their message with the advantages of low cost and infinite range.

"I have always wanted to reach the world inclusively so that people don't have to pay to listen to me and I don't have to pay a lot of money," says Dattatreya Siva Baba, a Hindu guru originally from India and currently living in the US.

Since he began posting on YouTube 15 months ago, some 3 million people have watched his clips on his Hindu teachings.

Each clip usually pulls in 6,000 viewers the day he posts them.

Mike Bowen, a youth pastor at a church in North Carolina, recalls the first video he posted on the famous website.

"I had about 1,000 emails in my inbox from all over the world," he says.

Since the video was posted, it was viewed more than 229,000 times, a number that struck Bowen and encouraged him to continue.

"I'm glad be part of this."

Laura, a 33-year-old American Muslim convert from Virginia, uses YouTube to wash away misconceptions about her new faith.

She has posted over 23 videos over the past few months under the nickname AdvocateIslam.

In her videos, hijab-clad, plain-spoken Laura appears sitting in a home office, with a computer, some shelves of books and a small American flag as she addresses and corrects some of the common Western misconceptions on Islam.

Whenever she needs to read from the Noble Qur'an to explain tenets of her faith, Laura refers to a copy of the Muslim holy book on her laptop.

"I hope to do whatever I can to promote Islam for the sake of Allah."