Judaism on the Web

In class today, the topic of having a virtual minyan came up and whether or not it was acceptable according to Jewish practice.  I thought the whole idea was very fascinating.  Has our generation reached the point that they will use the internet as a way to practice ritual and prayer?  This boggles my mind that people would take such extreme measures to observe a daily ritual.

I assumed minyans were still formed in traditional ways - with 10 men.  However, it struck me to be interesting when a fellow peer of mine, in class today, described how at his synagogue, people are able to "call-in" to participate in a minyan.  Should be this allowed?  Personally, I do not think so.  According to Jewish law, using forms of technology is not an acceptable way of prayer since the internet and technology does not have a soul, hence taking away from the spirituality of the minyan.

In my personal opinion, there are certain aspects of Judaism that are getting lost through the internet; however, I do believe most people still treat Judaism with respect and value its meaning and celebrate Judaism in the appropriate manner.  I do not agree that creating virtual minyans accomplish anything religious-wise, but in fact it tears the community apart.  That is not what Judaism wants out of its community.  Hopefully one day people will realize that meaning is being lost, and go back to more traditional roots to fulfill the words of the Torah.