“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 … “

Second LifeCatholic missionaries … 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.”

… “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.”

[Link @ FOXNews.com]

Via Thinking Machine.

See also Preaching to the Perverted in Second Life by Lore Sjöberg @ Wired.com.