Aargh! Religion’s poison is even in virtual reality!
28 July 2007 by Naomi
Jesuits say, “Take word of Gord to Second Life”
Catholic missionaries have always trekked to dangerous parts of the Earth to spread the word of God — now they are being encouraged to go into the virtual realm of Second Life to save virtual souls.
In an article in Rome-based Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica, academic Antonio Spadaro urged fellow Catholics not to be scared of entering the virtual world which may be fertile ground for new converts wishing to better themselves.
“It’s not possible to close our eyes to this phenomenon or rush to judge it,” Spadaro said. “Instead it needs to be understood … the best way to understand it is to enter it.”Second Life is a simulation game where players can create a virtual version of themselves — an avatar — and interact with other people in the three-dimensional world. According to its Web site, it has a population of more than 8 million residents and millions of dollars change hands there every month.
“Is there (cyber) space for God?” Spadaro aaka [sic] in his article which says there are already virtual churches and temples serving countless religions. He quotes a Swedish Muslim who says his avatar prays regularly as he prays in real life.
Spadaro warns the uninitiated that “the erotic dimension is very present” in Second Life, that people can buy genitalia for their avatars in a world that is “open to any form of erotic stimulation from prostitution to pedophilia.” [They should feel right at home; do you wonder when the first priest will be caught diddling a child?]
While the virtual world might be a refuge for some people seeking to flee the real one, it is also full of people seeking something more from life, including, possibly, religious enlightenment, he said.
“Deep down, the digital world can be considered, in its way, mission territory,” he said. “Second Life is somewhere where the opportunity to meet people and to grow should not be missed, therefore, any initiative that can inspire the residents in a positive way should be considered opportune.”
(*retching*) They find a way to ruin everything they touch! They’ve taken over pagan festivals and made them their own “holy days”.
Now they want to proselytize to virtual people? How much crazier can they get?
Wait! Maybe this IS the end. What if we encourage them to go off-planet and then we slam the door? Could it really work?
28 July 2007, on 9:41 pm
Catholic missionaries have always trekked to dangerous parts of the Earth to spread the word of God — now they are being encouraged to go into the virtual realm of Second Life to save virtual souls.
Good, I can’t wait to nail their virtual asses to a virtual cross.
28 July 2007, on 10:14 pm
OK Naomi…lemme get this straight…
(What!…my huge, avatar, virtual penis?…Roit!)…WTF!!!
So, there are virtual churches and temples being constructed…right?
(I’m ’sensing’ a lot of GifS minds going in the same direction here?)
Does that mean the Catlick missionaries are looking to recruit virtual altar boys, as well?
Questions…questions…always questions!
It isn’t fucked up enough in this real nut-case world…brain twisted assholes have to go seeking out a virtual world to fuck up, and get fucked up in!
I suppose there’s a virtual Repiglican, asshole president there two, huh?…holding hands (or virtual penises?) with virtual Sheiks…ready to start a war with the virtual Muslims, and avatar terrorists. And of course…
a virtual Dork Cheney, Rove, and all virtual minions, fucking over a virtual Constitution! Whilst the various virtual Xtian fuckheads, join together to jump up and down…waving their virtual arms in the virtual air…falling backwards after being touched by a virtual avatar Hinn(?).
Now, I wonder…is there any evidence of a virtual Gord in that, totally addictive, fucked up digital world?
Of course…as is my wont…a little scene…
[Avatar Hinn (with avatar Dobson, Robertson...Haggard...and virtual yada, yadas)]:
“Oh look, everybody…Halloweenja!…The Lawd’s been digitally manifested…
HOLY FUCK!…He certainly DOES have the most humongous penis…just look at that girth!!!
But let us not forget, everyone…Yayass!…He STILL needs huge amounts of virtual cash to fill those, gigantic, virtual avatar collection dumpsters!”
All the while…of course…the avatar gals are playing with their huge virtual avatar dildoes…?
Well…maybe not!
I’ll leave that particular fantasy portion to all you female virtual avatar(esses) like Naomi, Stardust, Eve, Karen, etc.?
Yeah…Just what we need…
MORE “Total, Virtual, Bonkerdom”!
29 July 2007, on 12:12 am
On the plus side, we could design a virtual gawd and tell them to go fuck themselves.
29 July 2007, on 12:23 am
Bruce, ChuckA and Chaoswes: most excellent!
Maybe the possibilities ARE endless! Did I just overreact somewhat, thinking that we couldn’t find a silver lining in a Jesuit-clusterfuck?
Think of all those female avatars (especially those who invested in genitalia!) just waiting to corrupt a “holy father”. SL exists to fulfill all fantasies! (That was never my fantasy; I, at times, wanted the Harley-dude - when I wasn’t wanting to corrupt a BillGates-type…)
This might just be perfect! Remember the news reports of GOP-vandals trashing Edwards campaign offices? Let’s keep our eyes open for lust-crazed dudes in real dog-collars…
29 July 2007, on 12:38 am
I just thought it would also be fun to sin like mad in front of them.
Stuff like -
1. Gay pride parades in fronts of their churches. Imagine all of the leather chap possibilities.
2. I’m sure hermaphrodites would piss them off.
3. Dress up like a nun and masturbate while in the confessional. This is for the males. Priests for the females. Cross dressing pisses them off.
4. How about a gay couple having a picnic w/ their kids across the street?
5. The GW in effigy possibilities are endless.
Sorry! The system threw you in the spam - and that’s a nasty place! Mods
29 July 2007, on 4:18 am
No, Don’t convince them to go offworld. Can you imagine humanity coming together as one, building its great ships and heading off towards the stars….only to find them full of evangelicals?
And the aliens! Wont someone please think of the aliens!
29 July 2007, on 11:50 am
I wonder if virtual violence would count as a hate crime..
29 July 2007, on 12:12 pm
And speaking of violence…”Huh”?
[Off topic; but I think it might be something that deserves our 'World Weary'(?) attention...]
So this is the kind of military we’re developing, as a sidelight to the Bush regime’s insane allowance to lowering the bar of competency for desperately needed recruits.
Case in point: “Moral Waivers”, ala 125,000 recruits with criminal histories, resulting in “Gang Warfare in the Military”! [I'm skipping the CBS video...my point of departure...trouble loading!]
Check out some YouTube videos; starting with (part 1 of 2)
“Gangs in Military part 1 training Killas 4 Da Hoods”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkoo5jK3yuc
Hmmm…”Semper Fidelis”…gone wild…or totally amuck?…or maybe…
“Anchors away…
muthafuckas!…
YO!!!
30 July 2007, on 12:10 am
Chaoswes, lemme know if you really want to do that. I’ll happily go with you. I have no problems wearing a dress for a good cause.
Probably they’ll eject and ban us, and wouldn’t that just break your heart?
30 July 2007, on 12:24 am
My theory is that if you don’t get banned your not trying.
1 August 2007, on 7:56 pm
I wonder how long until the first “virtual” AUTO DA FE in 2nd Life?
1 August 2007, on 8:00 pm
I wonder if the Mormon Church will start crediting for “virtual Mission” trips into Second Life for the über-tech geeks of their flock, giving them time off from having to do the real-life kind of work?
2 August 2007, on 2:38 pm
^ # 11: “Nobody expects the virtual Spanish Inquisition!”