Church of Fools cuttings
The launch of Church of Fools on 11 May 2004 generated a blizzard of media interest around the world, and especially in the UK, US, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia.
For a sample of press cuttings, see below.
United Methodist Church, USA
Cyberspace Church Experiment Ends After Four Months
4 Nov 2004 – CHURCH OF FOOLS began as a three-month experiment. Would Internet-savvy Christians and non-Christians embrace a three-dimensional, virtual reality church?
Reader's Digest
Divine Online
August 2004 – TRADITIONAL church-going Christianity might be losing its popularity, but a British-designed Internet church is attracting visitors in biblical proportions.
Kansas City Star, USA
10 July 2004 (requires registration) – CONTROLLED by unseen hands, the three-dimensional cartoon surrogates act like sinners, saints and skeptics in an unusual cyber-church that is stretching reality.
BBC North Yorks, UK
The Church of Fools 3 June 2004 – CHURCH OF FOOLS is a project from irreverent website Ship Of Fools that aims to create some 'sacred space' on the net. Matt Seymour paid a visit to the virtual church to find out more about the project
The Guardian, UK
The URL of the beast 20 May 2004 – IT'S NOT every day you encounter Satan in the pulpit of a church. But this wasn't any old church. My face-off with the Prince of Darkness took place last week at the opening of the world's first web-based 3D church.
KATC3, Acadiana, USA
Virtual Devils Curse Internet Church 19 May 2004 – THE WORLD'S first Internet church has fallen victim to a plague of virtual demons, some of whom have been logging on as Satan and unleashing strings of expletives during sermons.
The Register
Online church smites sinners 19 May 2004 – ONLINE CHAPEL the Church of Fools, stay with us here, has been forced to excommunicate some members of its congregation. The Internet church launched last week and has already been overrun with worshippers. But some have behaved so badly that church wardens have been forced to "use the Smiting button" or instantly log-out some members.
Liverpool Daily Post, UK
Ship of Fools site rocked by rowdy parishioners 18 May 2004 – ORGANISERS of the world's first virtual church have been forced to make emergency adjustments after rowdy cyber parishioners shouted profanities from the pews.
New York Times
The First Church of Cyberspace: Services Tomorrow 15 May 2004 (requires registration) – RICHARD CHARTRES, Anglican Bishop of London, is not used to having congregants wandering around in front of him swearing as he preaches. Then again, he does not normally transform himself into a three-dimensional computer image in an imaginary sanctuary as he did Tuesday to deliver a sermon to animated representations of churchgoers.
CNN, London
Cyber church: now God goes online 12 May 2004– LEADERS of the the Christian church in Britain fear an age old message is falling on deaf ears. But a "new means of communication" may just help them reach out and touch someone.
BBC, London
In cyberspace, can anyone hear you pray? 12 May 2004 – CHURCHES are having to use their imagination to attract new members. The 3D virtual-reality Church of Fools is just one idea, but does it have any chance of building a congregation?
