Faith in the metaverse: A VR quest for community, fellowship

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO
Associated Press

Many Americans — some traditionally religious, some religiously unaffiliated — are increasingly finding a sense of community through virtual reality. It comes at a time when religions worldwide face the challenge of keeping physical buildings open while the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated a shift to online services. Some of the gatherings are traditional Christian worship services, sometimes including virtual sacraments in hyperrealistic, churchlike environments. Others are spiritual meditations in fantasy worlds. One worshipper in Virginia described floating in a 3D outer-space wonderland of pastures, rocky cliffs and rivers, as the avatar of a pastor guided him through computer-generated illustrations of Biblical passages.