When Robin Stein's son Morris was struggling through his bar mitzvah preparation, the North Miami Beach woman began thinking about fashion. Not the kind she would wear to the coming-of-age event, but the type of clothing that would deliver a message.

Stein developed a line of T-shirts with four inspirational sayings from Jewish teachings. One T says, ''We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are. The Talmud.'' Another proclaims, ''True power is in the power over oneself. Perek Shirah.'' A third, with contrasting neck and sleeves, simply states: ''I am Grateful / Modeh Ani.'' And the last: ''613 Mitzvot'' -- the number 613 representing the number of commandments in the Torah.

''The shirts have a little grain of truth people can grab onto,'' says Stein, who selected the messages herself after studying ancient texts. ``You don't have to be Jewish to appreciate them, and if you are Jewish, it's a way to connect with your heritage.''

Stein, 45, sells the ''Talmudic Tee-Chings'' on her website www.accentriciTEES.com and at two stores in Hollywood. Encouraged by the reaction, she's going to add five additional sayings to her upcoming line.

''People are searching,'' she adds, ``and wearing something like this makes them feel good. It's uplifting.''

Stein's T's are part of a growing trend that stitches together faith and fashion. Even the trendiest stores -- from Urban Outfitters to Coconut Grove boutiques -- carry religiously inspired clothing. Shirts with such messages as ''Jesus is my Homeboy'' or ''Yo Semite'' across the chest are becoming increasingly popular among young people.

''From apparel to jewelry to music to movies, religion is the hot new trend,'' says Cynthia Cohen, president of Strategic Mindshare, a forecasting company, ``and people are wearing it for a variety of reasons. Somebody might wear it because it's cute and kitschy, and someone else might do it because they're truly putting their faith out there.''

Two years ago, in her annual forecasting press release, Cohen predicted that consumers would be proud to show off their Christianity. ''Consumers have taken to more open displays of these Christian products in their homes, offices, cars and on themselves,'' she wrote. Apparently other religions have followed.

Religion, however, hasn't always been so public. A generation ago, says Linda Boynton Arthur, an expert on religion and culture at Washington State University, faith stayed at home. On occasion, religious jewelry -- a cross, say, or a Star of David -- was worn discreetly and sold mostly in specialty shops.

No more. Religion has sauntered out of its place of worship and onto Main Street -- and Hollywood. Celebrities wear everything from Christian T-shirts to Kabbalah bracelets. So do their fans.

OLD RULES FADE

''All the old meanings and old rules don't belong anymore,'' Arthur says. ``It's no longer taboo to discuss religion or to talk about what it means in your life. It's in your face now.''

What's more, wearing our beliefs on our sleeves -- and our chests -- is part of a larger movement within society. People want to express themselves in any way they can, and more and more of that communication is nonverbal. Shirts that proclaim ''Heeb'' or ''Jesus: Don't leave home without Him'' are ''all about identity, about expressing our identity instantly in a secular world,'' Arthur adds.

Sarah Lefton, president and founder of jewishfashionconspiracy.com, agrees. In 2002, as a marketing director for a Jewish camp in Yosemite National Park, she made up a T that played off the park's name. When everyone began asking her where she had bought ''Yo Semite,'' she decided to launch a limited line. Now she also markets ''Jews for Jeter'' (Derek Jeter is the New York Yankees' star shortstop.)

Her customers: college students and a smattering of young urban professionals.

''It's a bonding thing,'' Lefton explains. 'It helps you stick out in the crowd. Every other Jew in the room comes over and says `hi' to you. You're connecting with the tribe.''

FASHION SPEAKS

As religious fashion becomes more popular, choices -- in quality and in price -- also have become more abundant. The year-old Vox Sacra is a high-end Christian apparel Brand. The company's target market is men and women 25 to 54 with incomes of $75,000 and up. Its version of religious apparel is more upscale -- a silk-chiffon scarf sells for $75 and a long-sleeved shirt with silk appliqués and elegant renderings of a Bible verse goes for $120.

''There is a new movement of modern believers who are more in touch with pop culture and more willing to profess their faith through fashion, music and entertainment,'' writes Vox Sacra founder Shawn McNally in an e-mail. ``The fashion industry is on the cusp of merging with faith. This merging of fashion and faith is a mass response to a frenetic electronic world where people are exploring their belief systems.''

But has that exploration gone too far? It depends whom you ask. Some see the religious messages, even the cheeky ones, as a good thing, an antidote to the degrading messages of ''Ho'' and ''Bitch.'' They believe it's a hip way of communicating with a younger generation.

''How would Jesus speak to urban youth?'' asks Joshua Estrin, president/CEO of Concepts in Success, a marketing firm. ''Perhaps he would dress and speak in a language that connected him to the people.'' Hence, the common T-shirt.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT?

Yet, has business edged into blasphemy? Has the pursuit of fashion trivialized the sacred?

Sometimes yes, says Stan Hixson. He and wife Alice have been running TheMustard.com since 2001, after their foray with ''Grace Happens'' T's introduced the Christian booksellers into the world of Christian apparel. Their webstore looks for ''creative ways to share the love of Jesus Christ with others through these awesome witness wear designs.'' Which is to say that they are selective in the Christian manufacturers they carry. For them, the message is more important than the medium.

''Some [shirts], we believe, trivialize faith and disrespect Jesus,'' he explains. ``Our customers do not want that.''

The Hixsons' customers are motivated by faith, not the fact that Madonna was photographed wearing something. ''Of course they want it to be fashionable, but it's the message that compels people to purchase,'' he adds.

Stein agrees. When she began designing her T-shirts, she knew other manufacturers had already cornered the market with such cute sayings as ''Jewcy'' and ''Meshuggenah'' and ''Shiksa.'' She wanted something more substantial, clothing that expressed a way of looking at the world.

''Initially I thought they [the T's] would be great for the Jewish community,'' she says, ``but I think they go beyond that. It's about feeling good and doing good. It's about truth, and all religions can understand that.''