Religion claims that God can reach you anywhere but can He enter The Metaverse? Apparently, yes, as Hong Kong now has a metaverse church for Christians who might not be comfortable with going to real-life church due to the pandemic.
Take me to (metaverse) church
Reverend Enoch Lam Yee-Lok has opened Me Church, a metaverse platform where Christians can go via their avatars. While participating in Me Church, Christians will be able to sing along as their avatars and listen to Reverend Enoch Lam Yee-Lok preach about the word of the lord.
All of this will be done virtually so that anyone uncomfortable won’t have to go outside the house to sing their praises to the Lord. Whether they’re worried about the pandemic or think that church itself is just boring, people now have an online option that’s actually interactive.
Compared to the masses that take place on television or YouTube and this is easily the more tantalizing medium due to the interactivity. Maybe this could make all those bible stories a lot more interesting and we’re sure that Christians might enjoy being able to participate.
“They will not just sit still and listen to you,” he said. “They’ll want to jump in and build Noah’s Ark themselves.”
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Metaverse churches won’t replace real churches
Hong Kong actually has two metaverse churches right now and it looks like more are coming. SCMP reports that while this is a great option for Christians, the reverend feels that it’s the personal connection with your fellow believer that makes church what it is.
“There is a difference between real and virtual pastoral care,” he said. “Believers live together in the physical world. A committed believer will be seen by others, but in the virtual world, it could all be lip service only.”
It will be interesting to see if a lot of believers end up flocking to more metaverse churches or if the real church is still the real deal. Stay tuned as we wait for more news about other metaverse churches.