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Religion Meets Virtual Reality: Christianity-Themed VR Demo Scheduled For Easter (nbcnews.com)

"Anyone looking to experience God in a brand new way will soon have his or her chance -- virtually," writes NBC News, reporting on "a new immersive faith-based virtual reality experience...part of a larger project created by L. Michelle Media called Mission VR." An anonymous reader writes: The company was founded "to create a signature virtual reality environment -- a faith world of sorts -- where dynamic, never before seen, Christian lifestyle stories and experiences could have a home." Demos have been timed to coincide with this weekend's Easter celebration, while the official launch happens later this spring. Viewers will apparently experience biographical stories combining VR applications and YouTube videos to showcase the power of belief. "Up until now, we've only been able to watch Christianity from a third person perspective -- preached sermons, music videos, interviews, even reality shows..." says the founder of Mission VR. "This is the future of Christian programming."
But one reverend told NBC that VR worlds could be dangerous because they "may take people from community and from the incarnational aspects of Christian life... [W]e always run a very serious risk that the medium overtakes the message... What we must do is guard against the use of technology through market logic where people become brands and all things spiritual become commoditized."

4 of 90 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Google God No Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I guess it's comforting when your boy is raped because at least it was done by the member of a community.

  2. Could help religion or be its enemy by swb · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In one way, this could help religion by providing people with a religious experience or even a very realistic recreation of religious events, connecting people to the origins and mythology.

    In another way, religions could view it as a threat. I've read several times that psychedelic drugs were often suppressed by religions because they provided people with a transcendental experience not controlled by the religion. I can see someone producing a slick VR religion program that's not endorsed or controlled by mainstream religions being seen as a big threat.

  3. Re:Prayers don't work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    >Most people do not pray for these benefits, so for most people, prayer does not work.
    You're a special kind of stupid, aren't you?
    Atheism is the fastest dying religion in the world right now. Belief in nothing is a self destructive philosophy that weakens and destroys those who follow it. Does that worry you at all? Does it make you feel a little bit uncertain about the future. Maybe you should try praying.

  4. Re:Christianity gets too much hate by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1, Interesting

    As Richard Dawkins has said, compared to “certain” relgions, Christianity is relatively benign.

    Very relatively benign. Nowadays, that the savage fundamentalists are kept in check. You do not have to go so far into the past to see how extremely deleterious Christianity has been, and can still be. People like Ted Cruz in power would strive to bring back such times.