Notes on “The Sacred and the Profane”
In his blog about Second Life, “Hamlet Linden” is discussing matters of sacred space in Second Life. The conversation actually takes place in-game, and there are antics of female avatars that Linden refers to throughout the blog. Apparently, Grimm, the person Linden is talking to created a church in Second Life, but had since deconstructed it. Grimm said that he initial reason for building the church was to have a place to pray, and also to provide a place for others of a similar creed to pray. He then said that while the church did enjoy a brief stint in Second Life, its purpose was somehow profaned over time. People went there no to pray, and use it for the purpose of a church, but rather used it as a place to debate about issues of Christianity, and organized religion on the whole. Grimm eventually saw that the church was a lost cause and took it down.
The issue of sacred space is a complicated one. What is it that makes some spaces holy, and others not? Why are churches where they are in RL? I think that there is something to the theory that traditionally people thought that certain areas where holy because of events or situations of great religious significance that happened at them.
Before I really thought about the issue, I really did not think about sacred space in the virtual realm. Sure, I’ve played games where there at churches, but I never really gave any serious thought to them, because they were more often than not just background in the game I was playing. Now that I have a better understanding, and a more open mind when considering the virtual realm, I know that there are certain types of game that people take veryseriously, and to some extent consider an actual second life.
That being said, I can understand the desire of Mr. Grimm to construct a church in the Second Life game. When I read that many people saw it as a stage for debate rather than a place of worship, I got back to thinking about the idea of sacred space, and how it applies to the virtual realm. I found that I was unsure how to handle this problem.
The point of Second Life is to provide a way for people to express themselves in ways that they could not in reality. If limitations are put on that freedom then certain individuals would most certainly consider that an undermining of the game’s intentions. With that in play, where is the answer about how to deal with people not repecting the sacred space in the virtual world? Does it mean that the virtual real estate is less capable of being holy than real life real estate?
I don’t think that this problem has a solution in sight (if there is a solution to be had at all) for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that the virtual realm, while we are able to manipulate it, and twist it to our fantasisies and dreams, we still, seemingly have very little notions about its true nature. Does it have the capacity to hold sacred space, or is it by definition sacred space? Questions like these will provide fuel to a better understanding of the creature, but I don’t think it will provide a solution to the behavior of individuals in that space.
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