Say your virtual prayers(2)

Dangerous legality

There is also the issue of whether these temples are breaking the law.

Qiu Baochang, president of the legal panel of the China Consumers' Association, told the Global Times that the website founders should not receive donations. He pointed out that even if they were using the money to print scripture, if they had not received approval from the authorities then what they are doing is illegal.

"Even if these online temples are just spreading the religion, they should receive approval from religious departments, otherwise it's breaking the law," Qiu said.

A 2005 regulation on religious affairs stipulates that religious activities must be conducted by organizations registered with local administrations of religious affairs.

Beyond whether or not these temples are properly registered, there is also the question of whether asking for donations constitutes fraud.

While Yihong said he didn't add a donation option to his website because he felt it was inappropriate, other websites do not have these compunctions.

Certain privately-owned online temples even advertise their temples as the most "efficacious," stressing the fact that wishes can be granted by merely clicking a mouse. When the Global Times contacted an online temple called the "Tongling Buddhist Website," the proprietor, who goes by the monastic name "Tongling," told the reporter that clicking a mouse would make dreams come true, but hung up when asked further questions.

Master Hengyu, from the Hebei Buddhism Association, told the Global Times that there are risks associated with these websites. "If real offerings are involved in online prayers, these people should be very careful as it's hard to identify where the money is going, given the fact these places were not set up by real temples."

Hengyu added that some form of sacrifice should be involved in prayer, but he said that it didn't necessarily need to be financial. He said that this "sacrifice" could even be the effort in traveling to real temples, or taking the time to burn incense.

Fraud at these temples can also potentially come in other forms. The Global Times earlier reported that temples in different provinces have started selling animal "mercy release" services via Taobao, a popular e-commerce platform, but the report also mentioned that fake temples had been known to swindle Net users.

The owner of another online temple contacted by the Global Times, which receives donations to conduct mercy releases and print scripture, claimed that donations were used for these things, but when asked how she could prove it, she just reiterated that this was how it was used.

Qingjing Suiyuan said he felt that money should only be given to websites if they have been properly investigated, as fraud is often committed under the guise of Buddhism.

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