Metaverse church is now how the faithful roll during a pandemic.
Religious organizations in the United States have surrendered to the metaverse and virtual reality. This is so they can still carry out masses, services and even baptisms while their flock can’t leave home.
One of the biggest challenges for the faithful during the pandemic was attending churches and religious temples. The gatherings were a nightmare for Covid-19 officials, due to large numbers of people that attended in close proximity. But for those who had faith, they knew they would find a way to maintain their religious routine. That was the case with the ever-faithful Garret Bernal. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Bernal had doubts as he strapped on a VR headset and experienced worship in the metaverse. But, for Bernal, the experience was much better than if it were live and in color. Without leaving his home in Richmond, Virginia, Bernal felt like he was floating in 3D wonderland.
Metaverse church: Better than reality
Bernal reported that he found himself amidst the rocky cliffs and rivers. A shepherd avatar guided him through computer-generated illustrations of biblical passages, which looked very real.
“I could not have had such an immersive church experience sitting in my pew. I was able to see the scriptures in a new way,” Bernal said.
The VR church service Bernal attended was organized by DJ Soto, a former high school teacher and pastor of a physical church. Soto is a veteran of using the metaverse in religious temples. Since discovering the social VR platform AltSpaceVR, he has fallen in love with virtual reality.
Here’s the hard sell.
Soto decided that he would bring the news to his church. He says attendance was sparse during the first year, but over time his congregation grew to around 200 people. Soto then proceeded to ordain other ministers remotely from his home in Virginia. He even baptized believers using virtual reality.
Soto says the future of the church is in the metaverse. “It’s not an anti-physical thing. I don’t think physical meetings should go away. But in the church of 2030, the main focus will be its metaverse campus.”
Loved by the faithful
Bernal is no exception in the metaverse of faith. Other religious Americans have discovered VR is a way to stay connected to their religion.
The faithful report that in the metaverse, it still feels like Sunday mass. People can meditate in the late afternoon, experience a host taking, as if it were a real moment. Bernal says, “The most important aspect for me, which was very real, was the closer connection with God that I felt in my short time there.”
Oh my God, even God likes the metaverse.
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