Professions of faith are never not a big deal. Even preachers and imams and rabbis, who get paid to talk about God, share something intensely personal when they talk about their religious beliefs. Most faith traditions have rituals dedicated to declaring, this is what I believe: Catholics repeat the Nicene creed; Muslims recite the shahadah; Jews say the sh'ma.

All of which feel very different, of course, from #godtweets.

It's so casual: With 140 characters and the click of a button, anyone can declare their fundamental beliefs about the metaphysical nature of the universe. It's a little disorienting to think of any tweet in the same category as a formal religious ritual—being in church feels very different from scrolling through a newsfeed full of selfies and emojis.

But really, faith-related tweets and Facebook and Instagram posts are just a tech-y form of witnessing: When people share their beliefs publicly, they're affirming their own faith and offering it up to their community. Every part of life has its echo in social media; why should religion be any different? Just as some people choose to trumpet their baby announcements or relationship status on Facebook, so some choose to tweet their daily thanks to God.

Thank you #God for another beautiful day! I am thankful to be alive and the life you have given me. #Amen — Heather Habura (@HeatherHabura) November 5, 2014

But according to a new report from Pew, the way people talk about their faith online actually is different from how they talk about it in real life. In a nationally representative survey of more than 3,200 Americans, only 20 percent said they had "shared something about [their] religious faith on social networking websites/apps" in the past week. Twice as many said they had talked about faith in person within the same period.