LEADER 04275nam 22005175 450 001 9911018651003321 005 20250729130305.0 010 $a9783031930461 024 7 $a10.1007/978-3-031-93046-1 035 $a(CKB)39767184100041 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC32250993 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL32250993 035 $a(DE-He213)978-3-031-93046-1 035 $a(EXLCZ)9939767184100041 100 $a20250729d2025 u| 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur||||||||||| 181 $ctxt$2rdacontent 182 $cc$2rdamedia 183 $acr$2rdacarrier 200 10$aSacred Reality, Digital Simulation $eRitual Form in Virtual Spaces /$fby Enrico Beltramini 205 $a1st ed. 2025. 210 1$aCham :$cSpringer Nature Switzerland :$cImprint: Springer,$d2025. 215 $a1 online resource (245 pages) 225 1 $aNew Approaches to the Scientific Study of Religion,$x2367-3508 ;$v19 311 08$a9783031930454 327 $aChapter 1 ? Framing the Problem -- Chapter 2 ? This Book -- Chapter 3 ? Theological Intent -- Chapter 4 ? Participation and Rite -- Chapter 5 ? VR -- Chapter 6 ? Virtual Immersion -- Chapter 7 ? The Sacred: Preliminary Review -- Chapter 8 ? The Sacred in the Judeo-Christian Tradition -- Chapter 9 ? The Sacred: Final Remarks -- Chapter 10 ? The Sacred and the Virtual -- Chapter 11 ? Masters behind the Machine -- Chapter 12 ? Total Immanence -- Chapter 13. Conclusion. 330 $aThe book is skillfully articulated, engaging the complex interplay between faith, sacrament, and technology in an age of digital simulation. It clarifies the reality-virtuality continuum and explores the ontological nature of virtual space in relation to the sacred. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in conceptual clarity around the coexistence of faith and digital technology, as well as the hermeneutical categories and virtualization of the sacred. ? Paul S. Chung, Distinguished Full Professor of International Public Theology and Director, Forum Center, Berkeley, CA This study explores the relationship between the sacred and the virtual, emphasizing the sacred as a divinely dependent, consecrated space activated through ritual, mediating between the profane and the holy. The central argument is that the virtual is fundamentally incompatible with the ritual form?a concept developed by Romano Guardini and others, including Joseph Ratzinger?which holds that the sacred is not merely acknowledged but made present through ritualized actions that require tangible, participatory engagement. Even if the virtual realm were acknowledged as real and retained both the bodily presence of the faithful and the Divine Presence, the rite would still be ineffective. Virtuality prevents the proper enactment of the rite, rendering it ineffective. At its core, the ritual form is performative, embodied, and consecratory. It requires physical presence, material elements, and a structured sequence of gestures, symbols, and words that together make the divine encounter possible. Their absence in virtual spaces disrupts ritual form, compromising its sacramental function. Enrico Beltramini is specializing in the theology of technology, drawing on the resources of Roman Catholicism. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and is the author of five monographs. His work has appeared in leading academic journals, including Theology and Science, European Journal of Science and Theology, Theology, AI and Society, and Philosophy and Technology. He serves on the faculty of Notre Dame de Namur University in California. 410 0$aNew Approaches to the Scientific Study of Religion,$x2367-3508 ;$v19 606 $aReligion and science 606 $aReligion and sociology 606 $aReligion and Sciences 606 $aSociology of Religion 615 0$aReligion and science. 615 0$aReligion and sociology. 615 14$aReligion and Sciences. 615 24$aSociology of Religion. 676 $a201.65 700 $aBeltramini$b Enrico$0115598 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9911018651003321 996 $aSacred Reality, Digital Simulation$94415135 997 $aUNINA