Second Life: The virtual cathedral on Epiphany Island

A group called the Epiphany Island on Second Life purchased an island and erected a full medieval styled cathedral on it. While this may not surprise some of the more jaded gamers on this MMORPG, it might be good to hear a little backstory on why and how this came to be.

The Epiphany Island’s leader and Bible Society CEO in New Zealand Mark Brown was interviewed by Wyrdstuff and he gave quite a few facts on the appeal of the structure. He noted that people are attracted to tradition, and a cathedral gives off that vibe. To support this theory, he cited the renewed interest in the Christian practices of the middle ages.

The cathedral has definitely drawn a lot of attention, both in and out of the game, which further supports his theory. Of course this falls in line with the main reason for putting up the cathedral itself which Brown explained.

To create interest within the SL community. To do this you have to create something special, something unusualÂ… The second reason was the desire to create something clearly Christian rather than something that looks like a meeting hall.

The original cathedrals were built in actual medieval times and their main intent was to create something special. These structures were considered a tribute to the glory of God. This erection of a virtual cathedral is very groundbreaking in lieu of the more aggressive tactics some in-game religions have adopted. How the community will take to this is yet unknown, we can only hope that it does not become a high-profile target for vandals and terrorists.

Via Wyrdstuff

A group called the Epiphany Island on Second Life purchased an island and erected a full medieval styled cathedral on it. While this may not surprise some of the more jaded gamers on this MMORPG, it might be good to hear a little backstory on why and how this came to be.

The Epiphany Island’s leader and Bible Society CEO in New Zealand Mark Brown was interviewed by Wyrdstuff and he gave quite a few facts on the appeal of the structure. He noted that people are attracted to tradition, and a cathedral gives off that vibe. To support this theory, he cited the renewed interest in the Christian practices of the middle ages.

The cathedral has definitely drawn a lot of attention, both in and out of the game, which further supports his theory. Of course this falls in line with the main reason for putting up the cathedral itself which Brown explained.

To create interest within the SL community. To do this you have to create something special, something unusualÂ… The second reason was the desire to create something clearly Christian rather than something that looks like a meeting hall.

The original cathedrals were built in actual medieval times and their main intent was to create something special. These structures were considered a tribute to the glory of God. This erection of a virtual cathedral is very groundbreaking in lieu of the more aggressive tactics some in-game religions have adopted. How the community will take to this is yet unknown, we can only hope that it does not become a high-profile target for vandals and terrorists.

Via Wyrdstuff