Pastor baptises a virtual reality anime character in an effort to redefine faith

Because the internet is a weird and wonderful place, it only makes sense that there’s a virtual reality church that performs virtual baptisms.

YouTube influencer Syrmor has made a name for himself by covering the best and brightest things in the world of virtual reality, chronicling what goes on in the massively multiplayer online (MMO) social platform, VRChat. His recent adventures led him to DJ Soto, a real-life Christian pastor who will baptise your avatar.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_88DBmdnNA[/embed]

DJ Soto’s mission is to bring faith to those who can’t make it to church, including the disabled, people confined to their homes, and people who don’t feel welcome in their congregations. He’s been doing the lord’s work in this way for about a year. The pastor chatted with Syrmor amid a backdrop of ethereal, sunset-tinged clouds, with a (why not?) Winnie the Pooh avatar hanging out for good measure.

 

In the video, DJ Soto likens the role of apostles to that of “pioneers”, drawing parallels to World of Warcraft. “The apostles are like your tank,” he says, referring to the core role-playing game responsibility of being a meat-shield that draws the most fire and absorbs the most damage, protecting the rest of your party.

On the receiving end of the baptism was Drumsy, an influential YouTube reporter who covers video games.

To get the baptismal ball rolling, Drumsy was asked to fill out an online form disclosing his relationship with religion. The baptism itself took place in a chill, zen-themed bathhouse pool with cherry blossoms, creating nice, peaceful vibes to get back in touch with one’s spiritual side. The water “submersion” only took 30 seconds, during which Drumsy squatted on the ground in real life to mimic being underwater.

This is definitely one of those “see it to believe it” situations, so check out the video.

alexisong@asiaone.com