Faithful build a Second Life for religion online

By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY

Now is the holy season for the world's Christians and Jews — on Earth and
in the parallel cyberuniverse, Second Life.

...Second Life was created by Linden Lab in San Francisco in 2003; its
founders imagined a social platform for an idealized online society.
Membership has soared to 5 million; it has established a thriving economy
and become a popular venue for politics and education.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2007-04-01-second-life-religion_N.htm