Finding God on Your iPhone

Our roundup of the best and strangest religious apps available on the iPhone.

Author:
Seth Fiegerman
Publish date:
Apr 2, 2010 7:00 AM EDT

Our roundup of the best and strangest religious apps available on the iPhone.

The iPhone (Stock Quote: APPL) is loaded with every possible app you could need (and a bunch that you definitely don’t) so it shouldn’t be too surprising that there are a few apps designed to help you in your spiritual life. We’ll skip over the whole debate about whether you should really be using your phone to get your religion on-the-go, and just let you judge how useful these apps really are. Photo Credit: theopie

The iPhone (Stock Quote: APPL) is loaded with every possible app you could need (and a bunch that you definitely don’t) so it shouldn’t be too surprising that there are a few apps designed to help you in your spiritual life. We’ll skip over the whole debate about whether you should really be using your phone to get your religion on-the-go, and just let you judge how useful these apps really are. Photo Credit: theopie

It may be one of the simplest religious apps out there, but it probably has a wide appeal because of its simplicity. When you press the “Hallelujah” button (or just shake the phone), it exclaims “Hallelujah” in song form. According to the app’s description, you can use this not just on religious occasions, but when you fall in love or even “when a business deal works out.” Cost: 99 cents Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

If you are Jewish and observe the Sabbath, the Shabbat Clock may actually prove essential for you. Basically, it allows you to pre-program it to ring at different points during Shabbat, and even to pre-schedule a phone call to a friend or relative, so that you don’t have to touch anything electronic the day of Shabbat. This might sound useless to some, but part of the Sabbath requires that you do no work, and for some that includes programming electronics or even flipping a light switch. Of course, the app does come with a warning that you consult your rabbi to make sure he thinks the app is kosher. Cost: 99 cents Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

This app prompts you to choose a category (anger, baptism, etc.) and then displays a random bit of scripture that relates. I wonder if they have a category for pick-up lines… Cost: 99 cents Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

I have to admit my bias here: I think this app sounds terrible. Basically it combines Dance Dance Revolution with Christian Music. As the music plays, you have to tap various arrow keys representing different dance moves. The app itself is kind of pricey, but I suppose it could be enjoyable if you’re into that scene… the religious-music-dancing-video-game scene, that is. Cost: $4.99 Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

iPray is a great tool for Muslims, helping them keep track of when they need to pray (a big task considering observant Muslims pray five times a day). It also provides you with a calendar of religious holidays. Cost: Free Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

iQuran is another useful Islamic app that features a full English translation of the religious text along with the ability to search for specific sections or hear verses recited aloud. Cost: Free Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

This app provides one simple but important function for practicing Jews: finding the location of the nearest synagogue. It’s essentially just Google Maps for temples. Cost: 99 cents Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

The Gita is one of the oldest and for many, among the most profound religious texts, so it only makes sense that there would be app to allow observant Hindus (and curious people of other faiths) to experience it. The text itself is structured as a conversation between Krishna, a deity, and Arjuna, a soldier on a battlefield. Now you can experience that conversation on your phone. Cost: 99 cents Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

Mantras are an essential part of several religions, including Buddhism and Hinduism. Essentially, the worshipper repeats a phrase or verse many times over in order to achieve a kind of spiritual transformation. So it's only sensible that someone has made an iPhone app that features dozens of well-known mantras and keeps track of how many mantras you've said.Cost: Free Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

This app is less about being religious and more about just being Jewish, but it’s too funny not to include on this list. Download this app and you will get a Jewish grandmother in your pocket. She complains, utters catch phrases and apparently even raps. Cost: 99 cents Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

While most users might see this app as more shopping-driven than religious, we’d like to think it can be used for both. The Christmas Countdown app tells you exactly how many days, hours, minutes and seconds are left until Christmas. You can use this to keep your shopping procrastination in check or to remind you when the in-laws are coming over. Cost: Free Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

Even pagans have iPhone apps. The Wicca essentially practice a kind of mdoern-day witchcraft and one of their beliefs is that each month has a unique moon with a special name, so this app helps followers keep track of which moon is coming up next. Cost: 99 cents Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

This app literally lets you find Jesus. From the description: “Simply touch or shake your iPhone or iPod touch to get started. Truly inspirational music begins and a strange image is presented. After a short time the screen transitions to pure white and you will see Jesus Christ. If you continue to blink you will see Him for quite some time all around. It is astonishing.” Astonishing, maybe, but it kind of sounds more like those Magic Eye posters I used to stare at as a kid. Cost: 99 cents Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

Kosher is basically a Zagat guide specifically for religious Jews. The app provides a directory of kosher restaurants and sorts them by how close they are and how good they are. It even includes a list of the specific blessings that have been said on the food. The app is not cheap, but if you follow strict religious dietary laws, it’s certainly useful. Cost: $4.99 Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

If you want to have an app that covers every religion, this is it. The Interfaith Calendar keeps track of important days for Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs and many more, plus it keeps track of birthdays and anniversary. After all, not everything has to be about religion. Cost: 99 cents Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

This app actually got rejected from the Apple store, but it’s entertaining enough to include here. According to ABC News, the app would have let users “superimpose their own faces on religious figures, including Jesus and photos of nuns.” Useless? Yes. Sacrilegious? Maybe. Funny? Probably. Photo Credit: goldberg

Now that you know how to find religion on the iPhone, why not check out some of the best travel apps to make sure you don’t get lost on your next trip. Photo Credit: iPhone App Store

Religious iPhone Apps

The iPhone (Stock Quote: APPL) is loaded with every possible app you could need (and a bunch that you definitely don’t) so it shouldn’t be too surprising that there are a few apps designed to help you in your spiritual life. We’ll skip over the whole debate about whether you should really be using your phone to get your religion on-the-go, and just let you judge how useful these apps really are. Photo Credit: theopie

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