Is God going to hook me up online?

Has God taken an interest in the computer dating business? Does he (or she) have a username and password?

You might think so, if you've seen TV ads for the subscription-based dating website christianmingle.com.

The announcer says confidently: "Find God's match for you."

Really? Is God going to hook you up online? Cue the blogospheric debate.

"That's awfully bold to presume they already know who God wants you to marry," tweeted @Jessie_luvJesus recently.

"... SMH [shaking my head] these folks should be ashamed," wrote @EWebb424.

The tagline has been creating a "misconception" that God works exclusively through Christian Mingle, says spokeswoman Ashley Reccord.

Launched in 2001, Christian Mingle now boasts more than 5 million members, 40% of whom joined within the past year, according to the site (Full disclosure: Christian Mingle advertises on CNN.)

Members can register free and are asked to answer several questions based on religious background and personal preferences. Based on those answers, the website offers profiles of potential matches.

A search on the site for "soul mate" among women age 18-80 came up with 1,000 profiles, including one from Carabelli358 in Port Charlotte, Florida.

"I'm in search of the man God has for me," writes the 35-year-old woman. "I'm looking for my best friend, my soul mate, and someone to share life's greatest moments with."

Cardinalwinks, a 39-year-old woman in Colorado Springs, Colorado, wrote, "I still believe in true love ... a soul mate. I am reasonable. I understand that there is not a perfect man out there ... but one who is perfect for me."

Says Reccord, the Christian Mingle spokeswoman: "God can orchestrate and use the medium of Christian Mingle to allow people to find their match for one another on the site. He may or may not use that means, but he can use that means."

So does that mean the cliché is true, that some matches really are "made in heaven?" Does God, if you believe there is one, pre-select us to pair up as life partners, as "soul mates?"

The Bible has little if anything to say about the matter, according to many religious writers and leaders. But several high-profile religious commentators have strong opinions about the idea:

--Soul mates do exist, according to some religious voices who cite the Jewish Talmud.

--Many Christians believe God helps people create their own kind of soul mates.

--Some say the Bible's "language of sexuality" supports the concept.

--Islam rejects the notion of soul mates, according to Muslim leaders.

--Many say belief in soul mates has negative consequences and can even be harmful.

Some of those warning about the dangers of the soul mate idea are Christians.

"If I get to heaven and I hear God say he had someone picked out for me, I'll believe him," says Lisa Anderson, host of "The Boundless Show," the evangelical Christian group Focus on the Family's podcast for young adults.

"But it seems that this soul mate idea is really breaking up a lot of marriages and it's keeping a lot of young adults single."

Anderson says that believing in soul mates sets up two possible worst-case scenarios: a revolving door of marriages or a lifetime of being single.

Many young adults, she says, make this mistake: They think if they marry their "soul mate" then the marriage will be easy and wonderful. Then if the marriage turns rocky, game over; they suddenly decide they've picked the wrong mate. The marriage ends and they return to square one, searching for someone else to fill the soul mate role.