all ghost no shell

It should surprise no one that spiritual and religious groups are beginning to use Second Life as a place of worship. Coming together around a set of beliefs is as old as, well... Adam, or Wountie the hopi warrior, or Lucy the fossil.

People are beginning to create Synagogues and Churches, preachers are beginning to lash out against e-sin and e-xcesses and their consequences. These groups are beginning to tackle ethical issues from virtual affairs to what your avatar wears.

Now back to the title, is a virtual life the closest we can come to having a literal "spiritual" experience? What I mean is that in the virtual world you are transported into another being a ghost with no physical form. That is probably too much of a stretch (although isn't spirituality all about stretching?), still I wonder how our spiritual life will change as it becomes further digitized. Also, I think I find the prospect of designing a place for spiritual epiphany exciting.


image from The Decatur Daily