The Metaverse: A Study of the Virtual and the Sacred (original) (raw)
Theology of Virtual Realism: Metaverse, VR Church, and Real Experience
Global Network for Digital Theology, 2022
On October 28, 2021, Mark Zuckerberg officially revealed the rebranding of Facebook to Meta. This publicity later launched Meta’s virtual reality world called Horizon Worlds. Virtual reality (VR) worlds have been a prominent movie genre ever since the trilogy of The Matrix (1999-2003)—plus, the latest The Matrix Resurrections (2021). To mention more, Ready Player One (2018), Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010), and recently, Free Guy (2021). The prominence of the VR/AR genre is also evident in Japanese Anime novel series like Sword Art Online (VRMMORPG) and Log Horizon (MMORPG). The idea of VR is a leap of vision from the physical world to a computer-generated world—an immersive and expansive simulated reality. Nowadays, several churches—even before the COVID pandemic—are already engaging in VR worlds. However, many are still cynical about the rationality of the “reality” of VR. Questions like, does being an avatar reduce the real experience of a person? Is VR community a class-A imitation of a face-to-face/on-site gathering? Is VR church, or doing VR ministry, partial Gnosticism—sometimes called excarnation or discarnation—as opposed to Christ’s incarnational act? These concerns need to be addressed. Consequently, the paper contends for a theological perspective of virtual realism for optimal church engagement. This theology of virtual realism is explored through philosophical investigations (mostly coming from David Chalmers’ view) of metaphysics, ontology, and psychology in the light of biblical principles. Moreover, the historical snapshot of VR and succinct definition are necessary for contextual clarity. Having a proper lens of a theology of virtual realism shapes a more intentional and purposeful engagement and involvement in the digital culture—specifically—the metaverse.
2024_Cyber-Theo: Reflections on the Theological Roots of Contemporary Digital Technologies
Proceedings of the Paris Institute for Advanced Study (Vol. 21), 2024
Digital technologies that permeate our everyday lives are primarily introduced to us as "new." The advancements in Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality open fresh avenues of human experience. However, the promises of digital technologies, the desires we aim to satisfy through them, the powerful imagery they cultivate, and the narratives surrounding them are far from new. In fact, they are deeply rooted in foundations shaped by religions over millennia, experienced concretely by human communities, and articulated into concepts and dogmas through theological reflection. This article aims to outline a research program to illuminate this intricate and often controversial background, and to understand how concepts and ideas from theological traditions transform throughout contemporary technological evolution, ultimately shaping the discourses and metaphors we use to describe our experiences with new technologies today. Firstly, a methodological introduction will address conceptual pairs such as continuity/discontinuity, disenchantment/re-enchantment, new/archaic. Secondly, key issues such as haptic icons, representation and presence, bilocation, resurrection, divine vision, free will, creation out of nothing, will be examined in the mirror of exemplary case studies selected from the contemporary technoscape.
MDPI eBooks, 2019
In this editorial, guest editor Frank Bosman introduces the theme of the special issue on critical depictions of religion in video games. He does so by giving a tentative oversight of the academic field of religion and video game research up until present day, and by presenting different ways in which game developers critically approach (institutionalized, fictional and non-fictional) religions in-game, of which many are discussed by individual authors later in the special issue. In this editorial, Bosman will also introduce all articles of the special issue at hand.
Transformation / SAGE Journal, 2020
The combination of COVID-19 and the Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought an unprecedented new normal, which has affected all aspects of human life, including religious activities. As a consequence, church mission and different ministries have found themselves more dependent on media. Furthermore, the convergent digital technology continually develops augmented reality and virtual reality, in which churches are planted and continue to carry out their mission and ministries. Although virtual reality churches are new mission frontiers in the digital age, there are several theological issues from the conventional perspective of church ministry and mission. This paper aims to address the controversial theological issues and reflect on them from an ecclesiological perspective to explore a theological possibility to overcome the issues and to justify their mission and ministries in virtual reality. Keywords Church 4.0, Church and media, Mission for digital natives, Virtual reality church, Church's mission in the metaverse, Ecclesial nature of virtual reality church, Ecclesiastical practices of virtual reality church, Future mission of the church in the digital age, Cybersociality and future church
Cyberreligion: The Spiritual Paradox of Digital Technology
2023
The existence of cyberspace has not only changed human views on spirituality, religion, rituals, houses of worship, scriptures, spiritual teachers, beliefs, divinity, and even the view of god itself. Cyberspace opens up the possibility to carry out various religious activities in a new way that is artificial or virtual. Literature review, as part of the scientific approach, focuses on the literature of journal articles, books, monographs that discuss themes based on keywords related to the research conducted. A new cyber vision of God is developing, which is now seen as a projection or incarnation of humanity (mind, intelligence, power) in the form of computer simulations that are considered to have power close to god's power. This is the vision of man as his own god developed by cyberists, a man who is no longer willing to submit to the authority of power beyond his own power -god man.
The Digital and the Spiritual: Validating Religious Experience Through Virtual Reality
Lexia, 2020
This article aims at proposing Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, seen as modes to connect with spiritual objectives, represented as valid instruments to perform acts of religion. Rather than a simple migration from of-fline to online contexts, they might also represent a different environment, with different conditions to allow and develop spiritual acts by themselves, with their own meaning-making processes. Virtual worlds or, more specifically , spiritual virtual spaces are not necessarily less real than any other sacred space; and with this premise they are not less material. The fluid and flexible nature dynamic of computational media has facilitated a reconceptualization of the study of digital religion towards examining systems of beliefs, not only as they are performed and articulated in cyberspace, but also by inquiring on how digital media and cyberspaces are being shaped by religious practice.
RELIGIOUS VIRTUAL LIVING AND METAVERSE ON THE REAL WORLD
Afro Eurasian Studies, 2022
According to the religions and lots of beliefs, the world that is lived on it is a place the test of humanity and all believers desire to show their servitude to the transcendent being here. Therefore, people built various temples, altar place and spaces etc. So, they try to give their all the various rituals and worship in such places as per their beliefs. The human being has to act according to the determined procedures and rules while tehy are performing all these rituals. The internet, which is described as the network of networks at the present time and simply entered the life of humanity, has religious, social, economic and etc. People have carried many of their applications in the physical world to the virtual world by way of the internet due to the obstacles caused by various factors such as space and time. In this way, the communicaitons of the coreligionists became so easier with each other and it became possible to carry out many religious activities with the fast communication. Although it is not possible to come together in a place, it has become possible for them to come together in virtual environments from one end of the world to the other by way of the internet. Beside, it has become possible to perform their rituals in the digital field, which they could not perform due to spatial factors by way of the internet. People worship accordinly their beliefs, the same action is done in virtual life. İn various geographies, especially this matter is emphasized. The associated with the Metaverse, which is designed as the shaping of all networks on a platform is performing rituals and making people experience various feelings here is an important matter with regards to attracting the attention of many religious people. The Metaverse, which is defined as a twin universe and an unlimited world that has not yet completed its formation, and that has a young population, is a platform that should not be ignored by religious people and organizations.
Editorial: Christianity as Material and Virtual Reality (2011)
Studies in World Christianity, 2011
There is an inescapable tension at the heart of Christianity, as there is in all religions, between the refined and abstract idealism -the virtual realities -of its theology, aspirations and religious vision; and the messy Studies in World Christianity 17.2 (2011): ix-xvi