VR Church Bible study is one of the many developing spiritual spaces of metaverse. It has seen its size and popularity increase during the pandemic. COVID-19.
Founded in the United States of America 2016 through DJ Sotoa pastor based in FredericksburgVirginia, VR Church Bible has seen the number of participants steadily increase each year.
“Some religious people said “Hey! I want to help and volunteer” and so there was like an epiphany and I think we started a new kind of church“, said DJ Soto.
“We have all the functions of a physical church, or what you define as a physical church and we express it here in the metaverse.“.
If they increase the number of services every week, DJ Soto said it will be like a psychological change.
“We are no different from any other church, either physically or in the metaverse,” he said, explaining that they “now joining hundreds of people in lively worship. Our influence truly reaches thousands“.
“Making Manuscripts More Meaningful”
Garrett Bernalwho attended the event for the first time and introduced himself as a member of the Chruch of Latter Day Saints, praised and praised the construction of the church in virtual reality.
“They have 3d artwork so they put verses all over the place and they put 3d artwork for that“, he said.
“I read the verses, especially in these buildings, and I saw a translation of the verse I read, which made the manuscripts more meaningful to me.“.
Mr. Soto believes that the future of church attendance is in the metaverse, because “it makes it possible to reach people who cannot physically go to church“, he declared.
Alina Delp is one of the people. on 2010he was diagnosed with a disease neurovascular who locked him in his house.
“When you have a chronic illness and can no longer participate in what others are doing, people slowly but surely drift away. So it’s just me, my husband and our cats“, he said.
The VR Church has changed everything, he believes.
“Suddenly, you have power again. Suddenly, we are important again. Suddenly you are human again“, he cried.
“Suddenly you feel like you can do anything in the world, when you keep saying you can’t..”
RV is better than a physical church?
Delp ordained priest at VR Church and one of the many baptized there. However, some question the validity of virtual sacraments, such as baptism, performed in the Metaverse.
“Theological reflections are similar to our bodies and things in part because God came in human form and showed great compassion and empathy for people.“, said Paul Raushenbush of the Interfaith Youth Core.
“So, as more and more of us meet in digital spaces, what are the consequences?“.
“Christian theologians have yet to think about what it means when they come together in digital spaces“, he added.
But while some wonder if a church can exist in virtual reality, others find that the experience can be equal to, and sometimes better than, a physical church.
“Many congregations – and this includes all denominations, all religions – think that building is important“, said Jeremy Nickelfounder from Evolvra meditation space in the Metaverse.
“They think that the church is the building, or the mosque is the building, or the temple is the building. The church, the temple, the mosque or the synagogue, it’s the people, it’s the things you do together, it’s how you change the world together. And so we don’t have this illusion“.
Soto explained that it is not about avataror what they choose to look like, but in reality the mind-to-mind connection that occurs in the metaverse and in spiritual spaces such as VR Church.
“All we can do now is madness. I can’t imagine what it will look like in eight years“, he declared.
Article translated from English