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Saturday, November 20, 2010

Are SL Churches Legitimate?


Recently, I was interviewed by a post-graduate student of sociology from the UK.  His university-sponsored research focuses on how and why Christians are using online environments like Second Life for faith-focused purposes. “The available literature on religious practices within virtual spaces is currently very limited,” his introductory research material says.  “As these environments become increasingly popular and more sophisticated there is a growing need for us to better understand how they are similar to, and different from, the ‘real’ world.”

I thought it might be informative to share my responses to his interview questions.  I’ve withheld his name, although I confirmed his identity and the university’s sponsorship of the research project.  You probably know as well as I … there are a lot of people out there in Second Life who use the line, “I’m doing some research I’d like you to help me with …”  It’s always good to check that people are legit.  One hint: NO university allows human subject researchers to remain anonymous or hidden behind an avatar name.  Always keep your guard up, kids J


Researcher: Okay, Cosmic, so let’s start with how you first came to use SL for religious purposes.

I've used SL for a couple years now, and Christian communities were among the first sims I sought out.  I was a Christian before I came here, and knew I would like to find Bible studies or discussion groups.  I had no idea when I came here that there would be whole sims dedicated to services and Christian activities.  Once I knew that, I began to attend the services and the Bible studies, participating to the extent I could, and enjoying the sermons, music, and groups.

Researcher: So the wide range of activities is something which you like about Christian worship in SL.

Yes -- some sims have more than others, of course, but I like to track down Bible studies and different praise and worship services here.  Those don't replace the same activities in real life for me, although I know that for some SL users, this is the only place they have their worship and studies of the faith.

Researcher: Do you feel that the search function within SL has enabled you to come into contact with a wider range of Christians from various denominations than in RL?

Yes, it certainly has.  For example, I had never met a Calvinist in real life.  My first exposure to that form of theology was here in Second Life, and I doubt I would have found them without using the search capabilities of SL.  Simple terms like "Bible" or "Christian" or "church" can lead to entirely new experiences, and exposure to ideas and lifestyles I'd never known existed.

Researcher: So do you feel that SL has enabled you to view Christianity in a different way than you did before using Second Life?

Yes.  Meeting the Calvinists turned out to be a rather negative experience.  But on the other end of the spectrum, I had my first encounter with a sim for the United Church of Christ.  It sounds naive of me, but before going there, I had no idea that Christians could be social liberals.  I had always felt uncomfortable in real life about the harsh, unwavering approach my congregations took to homosexuality, single motherhood, diversity of families, things of that sort.  When I began visiting SL prayer services with UCC Christians, I began to realize there were people out there who shared my less-than-conservative social views in some areas that (at least in the US) are unwaveringly conservative among evangelical Christians.  So ... it would appear that SL didn't exactly change my ideas (in that case), but at least allowed me the vision to see that I was not alone, having unprecedentedly crazy thoughts like compassion and voting Democrat.

Researcher: On the conservative scale of Christian services, you attend ALM services fairly regularly.  From my own perspective this is a very conservative strain of Christianity.

Yes, and I also attend House of Prayer, also conservative and more Pentecostal.  I'm a Latina, and in that immediate cultural setting, you're often limited to seeing two strains of Christianity -- Roman Catholicism, and Pentecostalism.  When I frequent the more charismatic sims, it's a reflection of my comfort with old habits (although there are things about me that group wouldn't like if I were too open about them).  When I frequent other denominations, it's an expression of my curiosity, and my desire to use SL to learn things I couldn't learn quickly in RL.

Researcher: From my own Christian background, I'm Anglican.  For me ALM is a hard line of Christianity that I had never encountered before.

I have comments on that, but they may not pertain to your research.

Researcher: I am mostly interested in the technological use of SL for fellowship and worship, but feel free to put opinions forward if you wish to.

In fact, this does have a technological element.  I see ALM's pastoral team as an odd mix of conservative ideology, improbably blended with New Age and Conspiracy theory type ideas that are pervasive throughout the Internet.  To explain: the pastor is part of this technological generation.  He sounds older, but he is only my age.  He is a devoted follower of Internet-distributed ideas -- conspiracy theories, alternative medicine ideas, health food crazes. 
You can see this by viewing his personal Web sites, and you come to realize that rather than being trained in a seminary, he is training himself via the Internet.

Researcher: Yes, I know. I've looked at his website and had a good few chats with him

He's completely Net-based.  It is where his "pastor" certificate comes from.  And it's where his ideas come from.  I can guess what his sermons will be about weekly ... I simply go to his personal Web site and see what product or service, often with a New Age bent, he is currently trying to push online.  If he's going through an organic food craze, his sermons will link spirituality to organic food.  If he's been reading about 2012 and Planet X ..... suddenly, his sermons will spiritualize those ideas.

Researcher: I didn't know about his ordination credentials.  All I know is that he works solely online.

He seems to be, frankly, the first full manifestation of an online pastor I've ever met ... online trained, online ordained, online practicing.

Researcher: You appear to view this kind of ministering in a negative light.  Do you therefore feel that SL ministering needs to be linked to an RL, bricks and mortar church?

The negativity you sensed from me was more directed at the specific topics covered by ALM sermons.  But I also have some issues with those who run churches in SL without having any RL affirmation of their roles as pastors or faith leaders.  Likewise, I get a bit nervous about those who entirely replace their Christian lives in the physical world with digital relationships and spirituality.  At one time, I did an informal poll of those I knew in Christian churches here in SL, and found that a full two-thirds of my Christian acquaintances had no RL church.  For disabled shut-ins, I can understand that.  For most people, though, it makes me wonder what they're avoiding.

Researcher: In your opinion, can a spiritual, or reverential atmosphere be created in SL services?

In my opinion, yes.

Researcher: How do you think it compares to a service in RL?  Do you prefer it over RL?

I see SL worship as positioned between my RL worship with my church community, and my private worship and prayer time at home.  I prefer an RL congregation above all else ... those are my immediate brothers and sisters in Christ, and it would be spiritual suicide to forsake coming together with them, and ministering both with and to them.  On the other hand -- in my SL services, I am, essentially, alone.  In that way, it is like my private devotional time.  The big difference is that I'm aware of being in a network of individuals who have all chosen to join in loosely knit private worship.  Is it as communal as real life worship services?   For me, no ... I can't hug a sister in Christ over SL; I can’t put a hand on a brother’s shoulder when I know he's feeling down.  And it is for that reason that I equate SL more with private prayer than with communal worship.

Researcher: So the physicality is important for you in worship. Within SL you don't feel present?

Interestingly put.  J  I do feel more present in SL than when I am, say, in a text-only chat room.  But that presence is an illusion ... and the illusion is shattered when in the midst of a moving service, I realize a sister or brother is in need, and I can't support them with my physical presence.  Sometimes it's the very illusion of presence in SL that makes the realization you're NOT present so upsetting.  You suddenly realize you're only with others as much as you would be over a long-distance phone call.

Researcher: What are your thoughts on the use of avatars within worship?  Do you feel SL is more, shall we say, intimate and engaging than text-only chat rooms?

Yes.

Researcher: In what ways do you think this feature of Second Life enhances worship and fellowship?

In a chat room, the text I toss out is just my on-the-fly opinion.  In SL, the avatar I've built and tweaked and dressed and keep trying to perfect is really "me," at least to the emotional part of my brain.  It may not be Actual Me, but it is Analog Me, and there are many, many people who will only know me through that representation.  I imbue my avatar (unconsciously at first, but consciously, too) with a portion of my spirit.  I'm not being literal here.  I look on the screen, though, and when my avatar walks across a sim, in my mind it is me taking that walk.  When I am in a service and have my avatar raise her hands, it is me, in my mind, raising my hands.  Because I have a visual (rather than text-only) representation of myself ... and because that representation becomes more lifelike with each SL generation ... I am willing to suspend disbelief and consider myself to BE the worshipper in there, in the SL world.  In fact, even thinking of it as "in there" is a betrayal that I think there's a "there" there.

Researcher: You see it as a representation of yourself.  What are your thoughts on avatar representations of children and furries in a religious context?

My visceral reaction is that it creeps me out a little.  But apparently, I'm not so dogmatic about it, since one of my friends on SL is a married man from Mexico in his 30s who comes on SL as a little white girl.  I've taken a little time to think about it in his case, and I've concluded that there is something in his self-expression that makes him need to present himself that way ... vulnerable, requiring care and a gentler touch.  I know that some people use child avatars on SL for pretty disturbing purposes, but my friend isn't like that.  He is a Christian, and I realize, I speak to him very gently and carefully due to that avatar.  Not because I'm swayed by what the avi looks like, but because I sense what it represents.  Furries on the other hand ... I've never had any issue with them.  They're probably more accepted by congregations because they're so removed from reality.  No one thinks of them as anything but costumed people.  Child avis are approached with much more caution, due to our natural fear for the safety of children.

Researcher: Perhaps you're right.  One of my respondents who presents themselves as a child mentioned some issues along those lines at one of the churches he attends.  But do you feel the role playing element detracts from the reverential atmosphere?

Yes, sometimes.  When my avatar is being human in its expression, and suddenly the Green Lantern or a bipedal wolf is praying beside me in the pews, I find I move my camera to keep from losing the sense of worship.

Researcher: So in regards to SL congregations, what are your thoughts on the permanency or fluidity of membership?

There is high fluidity at this time.  I say that with confidence because I've been watching numerous SL congregations for a couple years now.  Church sims come and go, and lead players are the only ones who stay the same.

Researcher: So you've seen churches disband?

Yes.  In fact, I've seen one disband twice already, and it is on its third incarnation, having reformed under a third name just a few months ago. 

Researcher: lol … I've got this mental image of a vicar in robes running away from worshippers.

Not a bad image, that.  Although, more of a suited preacher :)

Researcher: Do you see the same people popping up at different churches and ministries within SL?

Two answers: (1) yes, and (2) how would I know?  To the first ... I see a core of people who move through, going from church to church, many hoping for leadership positions, others, more like me, wanting a variety to the styles of preaching.  The first group is like a cadre of wannabes.  The second is a sad collection of channel surfers.  J  Just kidding, but only a little.  On the other hand -- as to (2) above, I would say that there are new people I've met in churches here who turn out to be people I already knew before -- except they are in new avatars, with new names, trying again.

Researcher: Sure, I can appreciate your second point.  I've noticed in my own research that when I church hop, I find quite a few people appear at other services, too.

There is something quintessentially Christian about the idea of ditching an avatar for a new avatar.  It’s a variation on the traditional "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who lives." Shedding the old self to put on a new one -- it's odd how the virtual world has made that a bit more real.

Researcher: I agree, like rebirth.

And more than rebirth -- have you seen churches in reality where some people go up for altar calls every other week to give their lives to Christ?  It's almost a reflection of that kind of mentality ... looking for that initial high all over again, wanting to return to the start and feel it all fresh.  Once again, Born Again again. J  You're an Anglican, so you'll understand when I say this: If you have a faith with no sacramental framework ... where the only sacrament is called "the altar call" .... then that's the only sacrament people will participate in, over and over again.

Researcher: Yeah, I can definitely see your point.  For me personally, one thing I find attractive about SL in regards to worship is the possibility for spontaneity.  Trudging up to the altar on a Sunday can make people seem somehow like automatons, a distinct lack of thought.  I've done it myself. which is partly why I find SL intriguing.

Agreed.  It's interesting how we mix the old and the new here.  I once saw a pastor in an SL church ask an avatar to take his cartoon hat off while in the church, to show respect.  Meanwhile there was a wolf avi in the front row, and the wolf was a deacon at the church.  No cartoon hats, gentlemen, but furry deacons are okay.  Talk about old realities meeting new.

Researcher: Finally, I'd like to ask you about 'griefing' in services.  What are your thoughts on purposeful disruptions of services?

I don't see it as any different from the vitriol one finds everywhere on the Internet.  The anonymity of the medium attracts those who would behave in ways and say things that they'd never say in real life.  It's not a church thing, it's not an SL thing ... it's a Web thing.  And what a better way to see the reality of human nature, than to strip away accountability for one's actions and thoughts?  The real human ... Man, the unregenerate man, fallen man ... comes to the forefront.  And while griefers can, of course, disrupt an SL service in ways no one would disrupt them in reality, the digital world also has a benefit the real world doesn't -- those in need of Christ come right to us.  They aren't merely griefers.  Like my friend who dresses in the avi of a little girl, they are people who behave in ways driven by internal needs and impulses.  In a very real way, griefers are the SL mission field for believers.  Griefers are the unbelievers who showed up.  Most never do.

Researcher: So you see them as potential converts?

Yes, I do.  Christ would.

Researcher: That’s an interesting way to look at it, and agreed on Jesus’ point of view, but if you look at the 'banned' list of ALM, as an example, that’s a lot of people who won't be listening to sermons any time soon.

True.  Two points toward that: (1) I've looked at that list, and have seen the same people banned under 5 or 6 different avatar names.  So it isn't as long a list as it seems.  And (2), there does come a point when the needs of the congregation outweigh the needs of a single griefer.  Christ instructed the disciples to shake the dust from their feet when certain conditions of rejection have been met.  So shaking the pixels from one's feet is also part of keeping the Gospel spreading.

Researcher: Good analogy.  Well, that about wraps it up for my research questions …

Thursday, November 11, 2010

IS IT REALLY IN THE BIBLE?

A Quick Scripture Quiz

Christmas will be here in no time!  I love the old carol “We Three Kings,” but I also enjoy pointing out that there were, in fact, no kings in the collection of wise men who made their way to pay homage to young Jesus … and that three was the number of the major gifts they brought, not the number of magi in the group.  Check Matthew 2: they weren’t kings, and there weren’t three of them.  I’m such a spoilsport.

Can you pick out the real Bible verse from the imposters?  Below I have groups of three verses, sayings, or stories.  For each, only ONE in the group is actually found in the Scriptures.  Give it a try!  Some you may know easily.  Others might stump you or call your attention to something new.

The answers are at the end, with exactly where to find the correct verses in the Bible.  Good luck!


ONLY ONE IS IN THE BIBLE

1.         a) "Live and let live."
            b) "I escaped with the skin of my teeth."
            c) "God helps those who help themselves."

2.         a) "Do not boil a goat in its mother's milk."
            b) "Do not boil water for washing your enemy's clothing."
            c) "Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble."

3.         a) Noah puts seven pairs of each clean animal on the ark.
            b) Moses plays a miraculous harp to part the waters of the sea.
            c) Solomon cuts a baby in half when two women argue about whose it is.

4.         a) Children mock the King of Israel and are then drowned in warm oil.
            b) A man is told by his father's ghost to avenge his murder by his uncle.
            c) Children mock a prophet of Israel and get slaughtered by bears

5.         a) A talking donkey saves a man's life.
            b) A bird swoops into the palace and steals the queen's necklace.
            c) A flying pig lands on Peter's dinner table and begs to be eaten.

6.         a) A ghostly woman predicts the fall of the Roman empire.
            b) A ghostly hand writes scary words on the Babylonian palace wall.
            c) A ghostly voice declares only beautiful women in Israel will be saved.

7.         a) God sends lions to scare a bad queen.
            b) God sends monkeys to mock a bad queen.
            c) God sends dogs to eat a bad queen.

8.         a) The Israelites make a calf out of gold.
            b) The Israelites make a unicorn out of silver.
            c) The Israelites make a platypus out of bronze.

9.         a) A tough guy throws a hundred enemies into a deep, deadly chasm.
            b) A tough guy knocks down the walls of Jericho with a chariot.
            c) A tough guy kills a thousand enemies with a donkey’s jawbone.

10.       a) King David, Saint Paul, and Moses are all murderers.
            b) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are all gluttons.
            c) Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are all chased by devils.

11.       a) There are 613 commandments in the Hebrew Scriptures.
            b) There are 61 books in the Bible.
            c) There are 14 apostles in Jesus' inner circle.

12.       a) Moses and Abraham meet to trade wives, but they refuse to be traded.
            b) Jacob works 7 years to earn his wife, but gets the wrong girl.
            c) Paul sends his wife to hear Jesus on her own, but she leaves him.

13.       a) Hezekiah is a book of the Bible.
            b) Amos is a book of the Bible.
            c) Koran is a book of the Bible.

14.       a) Mentions mummies, trolls, and crystal balls.
            b) Mentions fairies, unicorns, and centaurs
            c) Mentions sea dragons, unicorns, witches.

NOTE: Number 14 above is ONLY true in the King James Version ... thank you Sonshine Christian of Second Life for catching that!  You may have inspired a whole new future blog on Bible versions.

15.       a) A prophet lives off of only honey and yummy insect bodies.
            b) A prophet is ordered by God to marry a prostitute.
            c) A prophet burns 950 other prophets to a toasty crisp.




ANSWERS and where to find them in the Bible:

1. b) "I escaped with the skin of my teeth." (Job 19:20)
2. a) "Do not boil a goat in its mother's milk." (Exodus 23:19)
3. a) Noah puts seven or more of each clean animal on the ark. (Genesis 7:2)
4. c) Children get slaughtered by bears. (2 King 2:23)
5. a) A talking donkey saves a man's life. (Numbers 22:22)
6. b) A ghostly hand writes scary words on the Babylonian palace wall. (Daniel 5)
7. c) God sends dogs to eat a bad queen. (1 Kings 21:23)
8. a) The Israelites make a calf out of gold. (Exodus 32)
9. c) A tough guy kills a thousand enemies with a donkey’s jawbone. (Judges 15)
10. a) David, Paul, and Moses are all murderers. (Exodus 2, 2 Samuel 11, Acts 7)
11. a) There are 613 commandments in the Hebrew Scriptures. (The Torah)
12. b) Jacob works 7 years to earn his wife, but gets the wrong girl. (Genesis 29)
13. b) Amos is a book of the Bible. (Amos)
14. c) Mentions sea dragons, unicorns, witches. (Exodus 22, Job 41, Job 39 KJV)
15. I wanted everybody to get at least one right, so all items in 15 are true. 
      a) A prophet lives off of only honey and yummy insect bodies.(Matthew 3)
      b) A prophet is ordered by God to marry a prostitute. (Hosea)
      c) A prophet burns 950 other prophets to a toasty crisp. (1 Kings 18)



Thursday, November 4, 2010

God, Law, and Public Schools: Are You Smarter Than 11th Graders?


Every day, I meet new people online.  Many are born again Christians, and many ask what I do for a living.  When I share that I’m a teacher in a public high school, I inevitably find some who cautiously ask how I feel about God being kicked out of public schools in the United States.

I used to dive right into a discussion about whether U.S. laws regarding religion in the public sphere are "right" or "wrong."  Nowadays, I don't do that.  You see, I often found I was talking oranges, while my discussion partner thought we were talking apples.  So now, I check to see whether the person I'm speaking with even knows what the actual laws are.

Care to test yourself?  Below is a survey about public expressions of religion that I give in my 11th and 12th grade Humanities classes.  This year, my students averaged 9 right out of 12.  How do you do compared to them?  Jot down your responses, and then check below for the right answers.



THE SELF-TEST
Decide whether each of the following situations is LEGAL or ILLEGAL.

1. A public school principal opens the school day by making the children stand for a school prayer.
2. The U.S. Congress opens its sessions with a Congressional prayer.
3. The U.S. Congress pays the salary of a Congressional Chaplain who's Muslim.
4. An actor thanks God when he wins an Oscar -- on public television, broadcast live.
5. A public school science teacher teaches creationism in a biology class.
6. A public school literature teacher teaches about creationism in a humanities class.
7. A public school English teacher requires students to read the Book of Job from the Bible.
8. A public school math teacher prevents a student from reading the Bible during a math lesson.
9. A public school teacher's aide prevents a student from reading the Bible during lunch.
10. A public school coach leads the basketball team in a short prayer before a tough game.
11. The student captain of the public school basketball team leads a team prayer when Coach isn't looking.
12. A student decides to start a Bible Reading Club as one of his public school's many student-led clubs.



ANSWERS

Remember, you’re going for 9 out of 12 to be as smart as an 11th grader …

1. ILLEGAL: Every public school principal, teacher, and employee is a representative of their state’s government.  Current U.S. law requires strict religious neutrality from representatives who have responsibility over children.  “ Neutrality” means the state representative cannot use the powerful influence they have over children to subject them to a religious exercise.  Therefore, no public school principal can force Evangelical students to stand during the recitation of the Roman Catholic “Hail Mary” … the Evangelical students are protected from that undue coercion by numerous Supreme Court decisions.

2. legal: Both houses of the U.S. Congress open all but their pro forma sessions with prayer.  To date, that practice has withstood all court tests, because the prayer is considered ceremonial and not at all spiritual or religious in nature.

3. legal: The prayer mentioned in the above legal act is led by the Congressional Chaplains of the U.S. Congress, who are paid with taxpayer dollars.  No law prohibits that position from being given to a Muslim, although most sessions of Congress have hired Christians.  The Senate has a historical preference for Episcopalians and Methodists; the House has favored Methodists and Presbyterians.

4. legal: An actor can thank anyone he wants for his Oscar.  When appreciation is given, the actor's mom is usually the top contender, but God often gets His nod, too.  This is one of the most basic examples of the Free Expression principle in the U.S. Constitution.

5. ILLEGAL: Courts at all levels of the nation have regularly upheld that public schools may not teach creationism in biology classes.  Creationism and its offshoot, Intelligent Design, have been declared by both liberal and conservative judges to be thinly veiled expressions of sectarian belief systems, and not science at all.

6. legal: On the other hand, English, Social Studies, and Humanities teachers are free to teach about creationism and Intelligent design as both literature-based ideas and social movements in the U.S.  How is that different from the above prohibition?  In science class, the instructor would be TEACHING a religious idea; in non-science courses, the instructors TEACH ABOUT the ideas.  There is a world of difference between those two approaches, and the non-science teachers must always be careful to maintain the religious neutrality mentioned in the answer to 1. above.

7. legal: Despite widespread Evangelical belief to the contrary, the Bible is not prohibited literature in public schools.  A recent Pew Forum survey (Sep. 2010) found that less than a quarter of U.S. Evangelicals knew that it was legal to use the Bible as a textbook in public schools.  Twice as many atheists knew the correct answer.  I myself teach a course that utilizes the Book of Job as a text for one unit.

8. legal: Any activity by a student that interferes with the educational process can be stopped by a teacher, including personal Bible reading that takes place during a mathematics lesson.  The instructional process takes priority over personal pursuits.

9. ILLEGAL: The above answer notwithstanding, no public school employee can stop a student from reading Scripture during non-instructional time.  Again, many Evangelicals have a misconception that Bible reading at school is illegal.  It isn't; quite the contrary, it's a protected activity, and any teacher or principal who tries to halt it during non-instructional time is breaking the law.

10. ILLEGAL: The coach is a paid employee of the school district, and is therefore bound by the principle of neutrality I mentioned several times already.  He cannot lead student groups in prayers of any sort, a prohibition which protects children from having specific belief systems imposed on them by someone with undue influence.  Even parents who would support a coach leading prayers would back away from that position if the coach began to offer prayers to gods the parents don't believe in.

11. legal: Students, on the other hand, can pray together voluntarily as much as they want.  If the coach isn’t directly supervising the effort, students can make their own decisions about praying before games.  But beware, coaches: If you encourage them to do that without your being present, you are again using undue influence and violating the principle of neutrality.  They have to come up with the idea on their own and be self-driven.

12. legal: Not only can students read the Bible in school – they can start a club of Bible readers, as long as the school permits any other type of student-led clubs outside of instructional time.  Teachers can be present at the meeting to act as behavior monitors, but they cannot participate in the proceedings or serve as group advisors.  One note: If the school never allows student-led club activities, then it is within its rights to not allow Bible Clubs either.

So, how did you do?  I promised my students I would tell them what other people scored on this survey.  Please leave me a note here or email me any results or insights you have about this column!  And as always,

Maran Atha,

Cosmic