Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 25, 2008 12:09:33 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Real Priest Urges Virtual Soul-Searching

Posted Jul 29, 07 4:20 PM CDT in World,  Technology 

(Newser) – A Jesuit academic is encouraging fellow believers to take the word of God to a new world—virtual reality. In a Roman Jesuit journal, Father Antonio Spadaro urges missionaries to preach the good life in Second Life, describing the online simulation game as packed with real souls to save, Reuters reports.

Spadaro says the game, which boats more than 8 million “residents” is full of people seeking more from life, including perhaps spiritual enlightenment: Second Life is already home to virtual churches and temples of various religions. But the academic is careful to it is also careful to warn of the wages of virtual sin: The online community teems with avatars who seek “erotic stimulation from prostitution to pedophilia.”

Source Reuters

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Obama's Unique Road to Faith

    Jul 13, 08 3:19 PM CDT
    Obama's Unique Road to Faith As a young man, Barack Obama experienced a lonely, drawn-out crisis of faith—and now finds himself churchless as the whole world watches, Newsweek reports. His father was an atheist Muslim, his mother a Christian who turned secular, and Obama eventually embraced Chicago's Trinity United after years of church-based activism. His conversion wasn't "a bolt of lightning," he said. "It was more a gradual process." More »

  • For Internet Ministers, a Lark Becomes a Passion

    May 26, 08 9:02 AM CDT
    For Internet Ministers, a Lark Becomes a Passion It starts when friends asks you to officiate at their wedding, but it often doesn't end there. Many who become ministers with the click of a mouse—through the Universal Life Church or the Church of Spiritual Humanism—find themselves staying in the marriage business, the Chicago Tribune reports. Forging bonds becomes a pleasurable sideline—almost a ministry. More »

  • Spain Opens Second Life Clinic for Teens

    May 10, 08 5:54 PM CDT
    Spain Opens Second Life Clinic for Teens Spanish health officials are opening a virtual clinic in the popular online world Second Life, where they plan to advise teens who are too shy to consult flesh-and-blood doctors, the Guardian reports. It will appear as a consultation room for now, but officials hope to expand the service and eventually “deal with problems of dermatology and psychology through a webcam," one doctor said. More »

  • Growing Pains Yield Virtual Reality Check

    Feb 1, 08 3:18 PM CST
    Growing Pains Yield Virtual Reality Check The paparazzi have left, but the party isn't over for Second Life, the virtual world's founder says in a combative interview with Der Spiegel. Philip Rosedale acknowledges that the media hype has all but dried up but says he hopes new voice and education tools will turn the spotlight back on. Making the system crash less, however, is his "number one mission." More »

  • Ghosts and Ghouls Invade Virtual Worlds

    Oct 30, 07 12:26 PM CDT
    Ghosts and Ghouls Invade Virtual Worlds Take a break from scarfing candy to join in silly spookiness online. Wired gives you the inside scoop on special events and areas in your favorite virtual worlds dedicated to the holiday:

    1. Halo 3: A seasonal addition to the matchmaking playlist should keep players entertained for the 27 hours surrounding Halloween.
    2. Lord of the Rings Online:  Until November 11, you can compete in horseraces, bob for apples, pick geodes, or dance the night away at the Harvest Festival.
    More »

A look at Comcastic Island in Second Life, a new destination opened by the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. The island features a series of...   (Associated Press)
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a Mass in memory of the late Pope John Paul II on the second anniversary of his death, at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, April 2, 2007. Roman Catholics marked...   (Associated Press)
Faithful and pilgrims attend a ceremony in St. John Basilica in Rome, Monday April 2, 2007, for the closure of the investigation into the life of Pope John Paul II, to make him a saint. Roman Catholic...   (Associated Press)
IMG_1779.JPG   ((c) vlidi)
july20_009   ((c) cambodia4kidsorg)
july20_003   ((c) cambodia4kidsorg)
july20_016   ((c) cambodia4kidsorg)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 2)

Tags

Internet  • religion  • Second Life  • virtual reality  • spirituality


Loading...

Loading...

Today's Most Popular


Other Home Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »