As a gamer and a strong Christian, I have come across such opposition before. My response to those that wonder what its all about? I say...it depends on the game. For the most part, the games I have participated in are fun, wholesome entertainment designed to tell a good story and have fun doing it. They weave a world and a tale more complex than most summer blockbusters and the player gets to be involved! However, I have also been in one game that I felt spiritually VERY uncomfortable (it was a D&D type world altered significantly by the GM) so I made the rational and spiritual choice to leave the game. When faced with such a situation, don't you think the nay-sayers would trust us to remove ourselves? One would hope so...in a perfect world. Alas.
Mary
"Stryfe Mac.com"
Heya'll...
I was searching around a few sites, and a stray click brought me to this
site:
http://www.chick.com/bc/2002/dnd.asp
People who enjoy low comedy know this is Jack Chick's site... He writes
Christian tracts, those small pamphlets that people give out in an attempt
to convert other people to their faiths.
This little column - called "Battle Cry" - speaks about how DnD, and thus
role-playing games, are a "...kind of spiritual lust...It is, however
subtle, an itch for power."
The line in this piece that truly sets me off is "This is not just chess,
football or bridge. This is a game that envelops the player in an entirely
different fantasy world in which the power of magic and violence is
pervasive."
In a world of Religious Violence, where groups kill others because of words
in a book (and I note the bottom, where it calls Wicca "Satan's Little White
Lie"), where Christians kill Muslims, Muslims kill Jews, Jews kill Muslims,
Christians kill other Christians, that we are called the ones with a world
where violence is pervasive.
This problem shows badly on all of us. We all, as gamers, look like we're
part of a cult or conspiracy when these kinds of lies are shot at us by
people who can't see the stick in their eye.
Someone pointed to me why I got so wound-up by this... I'm the president of
a Role-playing club on my College Campus. When I have to go to the College
Panel, what's the first question I get?
"Are you a Satanist Organization?"
I quickly dismissed all points to this...
What do we do? I don't know. But this infuriated me enough that I felt it
was worth mentioning. The people on this list are intelligent, and care for
their games. I think, as people who enjoy this activity, it's our job to
speak up and break the ring of ignorance which makes these misconceptions
reoccur.
Thanks for listening,
Stryfe.
--
___
/ *| Plattsburgh, NY - College
/ | Bobby Hansen
____/ | http://student.plattsburgh.edu/hans5846
/ Albany + | hans5846@mail.plattsburgh.edu
|______ | saintstryfe@mac.com
\ * | Ulster Park, NY - Home
\___|___
+ \__\ New York, NY
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