@book {253,
	title = {Friending: Real relationships in a virtual world},
	year = {2011},
	publisher = {InterVarsity Press},
	organization = {InterVarsity Press},
	address = {Downer Gove, IL},
	abstract = {The notion of friendship is under broad review. A highly mobile and increasingly busy society--rootless, some might argue--means that most of our relationships can{\textquoteright}t depend solely on face-to-face contact to flourish. The increasing prominence of the virtual landscape--where the language of friendship has been co-opted to describe relationships ranging from intimate to meaningless--requires that we become fluent in ever-expanding relational technologies. It{\textquoteright}s never been easy to be a friend, but it seems to be getting tougher by the nanosecond.In Friending, Lynne Baab collects the insights, hopes and regrets of people from across the spectrum of age and life circumstance and syncs them with the wisdom of the Bible. Using Colossians 3 and 1 Corinthians 13 as touchpoints, Lynne shows us how we can celebrate and strengthen our relational ties while continuing to practice the timeless discipline of friending in our time.},
	keywords = {Facebook, Friending, relationships, Virtual},
	url = {http://books.google.com/books?id=GMgoD2xrM5EC\&printsec=frontcover$\#$v=onepage\&q\&f=false},
	author = {Baab, Lynn}
}
@inbook {175,
	title = {The Internet as Virtual Spiritual Community: Teen Witches in the United States and Australia},
	booktitle = {Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet},
	year = {2004},
	pages = {175-188},
	publisher = {Routledge},
	organization = {Routledge},
	address = {New York},
	abstract = {After sex, religion is one of the most popular and pervasive topics of interest online, with over three million Americans turning to the internet each day for religious information and spiritual guidance. Tens of thousands of elaborate websites are dedicated to every manner of expression.Religion Onlineprovides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to this burgeoning new religious reality, from cyberpilgrimages to neo-pagan chatroom communities. A substantial introduction by the editors presenting the main themes and issues is followed by sixteen chapters addressing core issues of concern such as youth, religion and the internet, new religious movements and recruitment, propaganda and the countercult, and religious tradition and innovation. The volume also includes thePew Internet and American Life ProjectExecutiveSummary, the most comprehensive and widely cited study on how Americans pursue religion online, and Steven O{\textquoteright}Leary{\textquoteright}s field-definingCyberspace as SacredSpace.},
	keywords = {Australia, neo-pagan, religion, United State, Virtual, witches},
	url = {http://books.google.com/books?id=xy0PJrrWXH4C\&pg=PA163\&lpg=PA163\&dq=The+Internet+as+Virtual+Spiritual+Community:+Teen+Witches+in+the+United+States+and+Australia.+In+Religion+Online:+Finding+Faith+on+the+Internet\&source=bl\&ots=ahRdNXH5kL\&sig=0e7v2M0VD1breU},
	author = {Berger, Helen and Douglas, Ezzy}
}
@book {396,
	title = {Coming of Age in Second Life. An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human},
	year = {2008},
	publisher = {Princeton University Press},
	organization = {Princeton University Press},
	address = {Princeton, NJ},
	abstract = {Millions of people around the world today spend portions of their lives in online virtual worlds. Second Life is one of the largest of these virtual worlds. The residents of Second Life create communities, buy property and build homes, go to concerts, meet in bars, attend weddings and religious services, buy and sell virtual goods and services, find friendship, fall in love--the possibilities are endless, and all encountered through a computer screen. Coming of Age in Second Life is the first book of anthropology to examine this thriving alternate universe. Tom Boellstorff conducted more than two years of fieldwork in Second Life, living among and observing its residents in exactly the same way anthropologists traditionally have done to learn about cultures and social groups in the so-called real world. He conducted his research as the avatar "Tom Bukowski," and applied the rigorous methods of anthropology to study many facets of this new frontier of human life, including issues of gender, race, sex, money, conflict and antisocial behavior, the construction of place and time, and the interplay of self and group.Coming of Age in Second Life shows how virtual worlds can change ideas about identity and society. Bringing anthropology into territory never before studied, this book demonstrates that in some ways humans have always been virtual, and that virtual worlds in all their rich complexity build upon a human capacity for culture that is as old as humanity itself.},
	keywords = {anthropology, Second Life, Virtual},
	url = {http://books.google.com/books?id=wjGYLP02cXUC\&printsec=frontcover$\#$v=onepage\&q\&f=false},
	author = {Boellstorff, T.}
}
@book {109,
	title = {Virtual Gods},
	year = {1997},
	publisher = {Harvest House.},
	organization = {Harvest House.},
	address = {Eugene, Oregon},
	abstract = {Millions of computer users have discovered that cyberspace allows them to leap over barriers of time, place, and social status to connect with people from all over the world. Long after this book was written it foresaw alienation in cyberspace. Now a Harvard dropout named Mark Zuckerberg has given the world Facebook, becoming a billionaire in his twenties. Facebook has shown how untold numbers crave social connection so desperately -- even people they have never met -- that they will divulge anything to drive their ratings up. 
There are other doorways in this rapidly expanding digital universe. Virtual reality and holograms are poised to explode. Digital special effects in movies such as James Cameron{\textquoteright}s groundbreaking film Avatar -- shown in 3D on IMAX with scenes of computer generated synthetic reality -- have shown where this technology can take us. Audiences are craving the next leap beyond Avatar.Virtual Gods is a book written before its time. It explores technological doorways still ahead that could open the way to a future only partially glimpsed by such writers as Aldous Huxley, who showed us so much in his prescient Brave New World. Ahead  are invasive aspects to this emerging technology--the ability to spy on subjects, inject microchips, etc -- that would have given George Orwell chills. It is worth a deeper look, which this book provides.},
	keywords = {Gods, Virtual},
	author = {Brooke, Tal}
}
@article {48,
	title = {Communicating Jesus in a virtual world},
	volume = {54},
	year = {2009},
	month = {Summer 2009},
	pages = {12-15},
	abstract = {This article suggests various strategies for and advantages of using various communication technologies{\textemdash}texting, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, online chatting{\textemdash}to evangelize in New Zealand, particularly to a younger generation. Drawing on various Scriptural references and Christian theological arguments, Carswell explains how such online technologies can help those attempting to share the Gospel of Christ with others.},
	keywords = {Communication, Jesus, Virtual},
	url = {http://www.tscf.org.nz/uploads/publications/canvas_summer_web.pdf},
	author = {Ben Carswell}
}
@inbook {2159,
	title = {Virtual Buddhism: Online Communities, Sacred Places and Objects},
	booktitle = {The Changing World Religion Map},
	year = {2015},
	pages = {3869-3882},
	publisher = {Springer },
	organization = {Springer },
	address = {Dordrecht},
	abstract = {Until recently, there has been a dearth of research which focuses on Buddhism online. This chapter contributes to our understanding of the relationships between media, religion and culture and specifically explores the themes of authority, community, identity and ritual. Examining Buddhism on the internet helps us to identify the position of Buddhism in society, the possible implications both online and offline and how people engage and communicate in a place (cyberspace) not constrained by geographic boundaries. An interdisciplinary approach, drawing from material culture, anthropology and religious studies examines how Buddhists, primarily in the U.S. and U.K., use the internet in daily life. This includes how they express their belief, practice Buddhist rituals, develop communities and communicate with others. {\textquotedblleft}Virtual Buddhism{\textquotedblright} is illustrated by examples of virtual places, ritual and religious artefacts found in the online world of Second Life and how social media (Facebook and blogs) are used by Buddhists and non-Buddhists. This chapter provides an introduction to some Buddhist groups and individuals who use the internet and mobile technologies to engage with Buddhism. The discourse raises a number of questions, for example, why Buddhist communities are evolving online and the blurring of boundaries between offline and online environments which could challenge traditional concepts of Buddhist authority. Understanding how the internet is being used in the 21st century, is a huge undertaking. The examples presented provide insights into how some individuals are using mobile technologies, social media, and virtual worlds to establish Buddhism online, offline, and negotiate both spheres simultaneously.},
	keywords = {Buddhism, online communities, sacred place, Virtual},
	issn = {978-94-017-9375-9},
	url = {https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-017-9376-6_204$\#$citeas},
	author = {Connelly, L}
}
@inbook {673,
	title = {Virtual Buddhism: Buddhist Ritual in Second Life},
	booktitle = {Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in New Media Worlds},
	year = {2012},
	publisher = {Routledge},
	organization = {Routledge},
	address = {2012},
	abstract = {Digital Religion offers a critical and systematic survey of the study of religion and new media. It covers religious engagement with a wide range of new media forms and highlights examples of new media engagement in all five of the major world religions. From cell phones and video games to blogs and Second Life, the book:

    provides a detailed review of major topics
    includes a series of case studies to illustrate and elucidate the thematic explorations
    considers the theoretical, ethical and theological issues raised.

Drawing together the work of experts from key disciplinary perspectives, Digital Religion is invaluable for students wanting to develop a deeper understanding of the field.},
	keywords = {App, Buddhism, religion, Second Life, technology, Virtual},
	issn = {9780415676106 },
	author = {Connelly, L},
	editor = {Campbell, H.}
}
@mastersthesis {384,
	title = {Emerging church bloggers in Australia: Prophets, priests and rulers in God{\textquoteright}s virtual world},
	volume = {Doctor of Philosophy},
	year = {2010},
	keywords = {Australia, Blogging, Christianity, Church, Virtual},
	url = {http://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/eserv/rmit:6138/EmersonTeusner.pdf},
	author = {Emerson Teusner, P}
}
@book {256,
	title = {SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World},
	year = {2009},
	publisher = {Zondervan},
	organization = {Zondervan},
	address = {Grand Rapids, MI},
	abstract = {The meeting place for the church of tomorrow will be a computer screen. Don{\textquoteright}t laugh, and don{\textquoteright}t feel alarmed. The real-world church isn{\textquoteright}t going anywhere until Jesus returns. But the virtual church is already here, and it{\textquoteright}s poised for explosive growth. SimChurch invites you to explore the vision, the concerns, the challenges, and the remarkable possibilities of building Christ{\textquoteright}s kingdom online. What is the virtual church, and what different forms might it take? Will it be an extension of a real-world church, or a separate entity? How will it encourage families to worship together? Is it even possible or healthy to {\textquoteright}be{\textquoteright} the church in the virtual world? If you{\textquoteright}re passionate about the church and evangelism, and if you feel both excitement and concern over the new virtual world the internet is creating, then these are just some of the vital issues you and other postmillennial followers of Jesus must grapple with. Rich in both biblical and current insight, combining exploration and critique, SimChurch opens a long-overdue discussion you can{\textquoteright}t afford to miss.},
	keywords = {Christianity, Church, Virtual},
	url = {http://books.google.com/books?id=a9-1bdvTXiUC\&printsec=frontcover$\#$v=onepage\&q\&f=false},
	author = {Estes, Douglas}
}
@article {2099,
	title = {The Virtual Construction of the sacred{\textendash}Representation and Fantasy in the Architecture of Second Life Churches},
	journal = {Nordic Journal of Religion and Society},
	volume = {27},
	year = {2014},
	pages = {59{\textendash}73},
	abstract = {This study aims to construct a typology of the visual style of Christian spaces in the online virtual world of Second Life (SL). Virtual worlds offer diverse new possibilities for architectural style, unrestricted by gravity, weather or scarcity of materials. These new regions also operate largely beyond the control and indeed awareness of established religious authorities, so they can also offer users new opportunities to reconsider the social structure of their communities. This research project aims to survey religious responses to these new potential freedoms. Research to date on religion in SL has focused on small samples of spaces or activity, but we found 114 Christian spaces. An overwhelming number of the locations we visited featured a Christian church building. 81 of 114 included a church building that reproduced a recognizable offline architectural style, and only 9 included a church with an entirely different style. Only 15 Christian locations had buildings that cannot be characterised as churches. 
},
	keywords = {Church, Sacred, Second Life Churches, Virtual},
	url = {https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279318282_The_virtual_construction_of_the_sacred_-_Representation_and_fantasy_in_the_architecture_of_second_life_churches},
	author = {Gelfgren, S and Hutchings, T}
}
@article {302,
	title = {Imagining a Virtual Religious Community: Neo-pagans on The Internet},
	journal = {Chicago Anthropology Exchange },
	volume = {7},
	year = {1995},
	edition = {98-132},
	keywords = {community, internet, neo-pagan, religion, Virtual},
	author = {Grieve, Gregory}
}
@inbook {397,
	title = {Performing Rituals in Virtual Worlds {\textendash} A Contested Field},
	booktitle = {RItual, Media, and Conflict},
	year = {2011},
	abstract = {Rituals can provoke or escalate conflict, but they can also mediate it and although conflict is a normal aspect of human life, mass media technologies are changing the dynamics of conflict and shaping strategies for deploying rituals. This collection of essays emerged from a two-year project based on collaboration between the Faculty of Religious Studies at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands and the Ritual Dynamics Collaborative Research Center at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. An interdisciplinary team of twenty-four scholars locates, describes, and explores cases in which media-driven rituals or ritually saturated media instigate, disseminate, or escalate conflict. Each multi-authored chapter is built around global and local examples of ritualized, mediatized conflict. The book{\textquoteright}s central question is: "When ritual and media interact (either by the mediatizing of ritual or by the ritualizing of media), how do the patterns of conflict change?"},
	keywords = {ritualized media, Rituals, Virtual},
	url = {http://books.google.com/books?id=JX_IhpLDygQC\&pg=PA3\&lpg=PA3\&dq=Ritual,+Media+and+Conflict\&source=bl\&ots=1iFZveKmse\&sig=kQO2xAWWQ6CEGp-UvMpqfAgypnc\&hl=en\&sa=X\&ei=-lksT9GkHeLE2wWojMiJDw\&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBA$\#$v=onepage\&q=Ritual\%2C\%20Media\%20and\%20Conflict\&f=false},
	author = {Heidbrink , S and Radde-Antweiler, K. and Miczek, N}
}
@inbook {1270,
	title = {The Immanent Internet Redux},
	booktitle = {Digital religion, social media and culture: Perspectives, Practices and Futures},
	year = {2012},
	publisher = {Peter Lang Publishing},
	organization = {Peter Lang Publishing},
	chapter = {3},
	address = {New York},
	keywords = {cyber, distopia, fantasy, internet, Networked individualism, transcendence, utopia, Virtual},
	url = {http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detailseiten\&seitentyp=produkt\&pk=60410\&concordeid=311474},
	author = {Bernie Hogan and Barry Wellman}
}
@article {149,
	title = {Rituals and Pixels. Experiments in Online Church},
	journal = {Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet},
	year = {2008},
	abstract = {Simon Jenkins, the founder of the famous {\textquotedblleft}Church of Fools{\textquotedblright}, writes about his experiences of turning Christian rituals into virtual reality. In his article {\textquotedblleft}Rituals and Pixels. Experiments in Online Church{\textquotedblright} he describes from an emic perspective the beginnings and the formation of the {\textquotedblright}Church of Fools{\textquotedblright} as an experiment of a 3D-Faith-Environment, its development and his latest project, {\textquotedblleft}St Pixels".},
	keywords = {Reality, Ritual, Virtual},
	url = {http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/volltexte/2008/8291/pdf/jenkins.pdf},
	author = {Jenkins, Simone}
}
@article {515,
	title = {Virtual Religion in Context},
	journal = {Religion},
	volume = {32},
	year = {2002},
	pages = {343-354},
	abstract = {This article explores the notion of {\textquoteleft}virtual religion{\textquoteright} in various ways. In part, it is a response to a number of ideas found in the articles by Philip P. Arnold, Shawn Arthur, Christopher Helland, Anastasia Karaflogka and Mark MacWilliams which appear in this issue of Religion, but it also discusses religion in online contexts in relation to various important themes such as the character of cyberspace both present and future, the multimedia Web and its alleged postmodern orientations, virtual identity, the dynamics of virtual community, and the controversies concerning the positive and negative ramifications of online life and experience, as discussed by technomystics, technophobes and others who hold more moderate views. The article ends by raising some questions about the future character of religion and spirituality in cyberspace.
},
	keywords = {Context, religion, Virtual},
	url = {http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1006/reli.2002.0410$\#$preview},
	author = {Maxwell, P}
}
@article {328,
	title = {Virtual Religion in Context},
	journal = {Religion},
	volume = {32},
	year = {2002},
	pages = {343-354},
	abstract = {This article explores the notion of {\textquoteright}virtual religion{\textquoteright} in various ways. In part, it is a response to a number of ideas found in the articles by Philip P. Arnold, Shawn Arthur, Christopher Helland, Anastasia Karaflogka and Mark MacWilliams which appear in this issue of Religion, but it also discusses religion in online contexts in relation to various important themes such as the character of cyberspace both present and future, the multimedia Web and its alleged postmodern orientations, virtual identity, the dynamics of virtual community, and the controversies concerning the positive and negative ramifications of online life and experience, as discussed by technomystics, technophobes and others who hold more moderate views. The article ends by raising some questions about the future character of religion and spirituality in cyberspace},
	keywords = {community, Context, religion, Spirituality, Virtual},
	url = {http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1006/reli.2002.0410},
	author = {Maxwell, P}
}
@article {334,
	title = {Online Rituals in Virtual Worlds: Christian Online Services between Dynamix and Stability},
	journal = {Online-Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet},
	volume = {3},
	year = {2008},
	keywords = {Christianity, Online, Ritual, Virtual},
	url = {http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/volltexte/2008/8293/pdf/nadja.pdf},
	author = {Miczek, N}
}
@book {658,
	title = {The Virtual Community},
	year = {1993},
	publisher = {Harper Perennial},
	organization = {Harper Perennial},
	address = {New York},
	abstract = {"When you think of a title for a book, you are forced to think of something short and evocative, like, well, {\textquoteright}The Virtual Community,{\textquoteright} even though a more accurate title might be: {\textquoteright}People who use computers to communicate, form friendships that sometimes form the basis of communities, but you have to be careful to not mistake the tool for the task and think that just writing words on a screen is the same thing as real community.{\textquoteright}" - HLR },
	keywords = {community, Computer, culture, internet, media, Virtual},
	issn = {0262681218},
	url = {http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/intro.html},
	author = {Rheingold, H.}
}
@article {205,
	title = {The Sacred and the Virtual: Religion in Multi-User Virtual Reality},
	journal = {Journal of Computer Mediated Communication },
	volume = {4},
	year = {1994},
	abstract = {This paper explores the social interaction among participants in a church service in an online multi-user virtual reality (VR) environment. It examines some of the main features of prayer meetings in a religiously-oriented virtual world and also what sets this world apart from other virtual worlds. Next, it examines some of the issues of research ethics and methods that are raised in the study of online behavior in virtual worlds. The paper then analyzes the text exchanges between participants in a virtual church service and some of the ways in which these compare with the content of a conventional church service. Finally, the paper draws out some implications for our understanding of the relation between interaction in the virtual and in the {\textquotedblleft}real{\textquotedblright} world.},
	keywords = {Church, Interaction, Sacred, Virtual},
	url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1083-6101.1998.tb00092.x/full},
	author = {Schroeder, Ralph and Heather, Noel and Lee, Raymond M.}
}
