ARG! Why do people insist of chewing me out over roleplaying?

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Its not evil, its not satanic, it does not corrupt minds, it does not make people into satanists. What it is, is a good, creative game that lets people express themselves in a highly imaginative way. I just don't get it, I've gotten in a couple of arguements over the last few weeks over it. Its only Christians, its never any other religion. Aren't they secure with themselves? I am not a devout relgious person, but are they afraid they are going to lose worshippers to a game?!

I love to play D&D, I love the thrill and the challenge of creating world populated by realistic people. Sometimes I wish I was in that world, but I understand that its just fiction, its just a game.

Where some of these religious nuts get off calling D&D satanic is beyond me. I often play as a Paladin of Torm, the God of Duty. I was chewed out because of this, apparently my character paying homage to the God of Duty (who is a goodly god btw) is evil. Is it because I can really get into the game, I act like I am my character, exactly as I see him being. Whats wrong with being creative?

I know you people (you know who are) have better things to do that attack a harmless game. Go do something useful with your time.

Ok, I am done venting now.

 

I am a Christian and I don't bash the game. It isn't an issue as long as one can seperate roleplaying from reality, and most everyone can. Just like a few psychos that take D&D too far contributes to the stereotype that all D&D players are "satanic", so the same happens to contribute towards the stereotype that all Christians are "nuts" or fanatical just because a few Christians speak out harshly against it. Both sides easily view each other as wrong just because of the exreme actions of a select few from both parties. Who is right? Nobody.

"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and render unto God what is God's"

I see nothing wrong with imagining and being creative, even if that means having a character that pays homage to another god. It's fantasy for crying out loud, and that is fine, as long as it stays that way - fantasy. But in real life, the Christian commandment from God is "Thou shall not have any gods before me." Because from Christian point of view, all other "gods" are rip-offs, creations from a jealous punk called Satan. (Punk is my terminology)

I don't know if I can defend the fanatics because I don't understand them. The other day I passed a guy who often preaches too students as they pass for class. But his manner is so harsh, he invokes conflict all the time, and does nothing but drive people further away from Christianity. I just don't understand this. If you're going to preach you've got to do so tactfully and sincerely, else no one is going to listen to you. If you are being sincere, than the very last thing you want to do is drive people further away from Christianity, this is eternity we are talking about here after all.

I mean I would halfway understand if these fanatical preachers were truly being sincere, but after repeated conflicts, I would think they would wake up and re-evaluate their preaching style. Unless they are just doing it to get people riled up and gain attention- in other words, preaching for all the wrong reasons.

But just as it is ignorant for Christians to label all D&D players as satanic, it is ignorant for D&D players to label all Christians as fanatics.

Labeling is Satan's game, strategy: divide and conquer

God's approach is far greater: we're all His children, but who will accept this, and who won't, that is the question

 

To be fair, there are Satanic elements to a number of RPGs. I remember being freaked out by a system I ran across in college that used actual Satanic rituals and symbols for summoning demons. It was a major system, too. Palladium, maybe?

 

Here's a link to a Christian site that has done some study on this matter. ( I don't agree with it all, but it might aid in understanding why people disapprove of it).
http://logosresourcepages.org/idx_occult.htm

There are 3 separate sections on D&D.

 

What a fantastic website! splendid stuff!

"Harry Potter wisdom is the wisdom from beneath spoken of in James 3:15 "This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish."

"Like Star Wars, the Harry Potter books promote the unscriptural doctrine of the devil, dualism. Some protest when I say that. They claim that the struggle between good wizard Harry Potter and evil wizard Voldemort is just like the classic struggle between good and evil that we have in the Bible! It is NOT so!"

 

And more:

Neither fantasy or fantasy role-playing is wrong in and of itself. When carried out with in the context of the Christian world view, it can serve as a useful and creative activity.

Well it's nice to know they're keeping an open mind! But I can't make fun of websites like this - it's like shooting whales in a glass of water.

 

Pokemon is evil? And so is Star Wars and Sailor Moon?! WTF?!

I am a Catholic and I say that most of this is BS. The reason that many people find problems with DnD or Magic: TG is that they both involve magic, the practice of which is banned by most (if not all, I really don't know) Christian religions. Also, many of these games involve other "gods".

Personnally, I think that roleplaying a Priest of Ilmater or playing Magic: TG is just as "evil" as reading about Greek Mythology or watching the Lion King (where animals talk and there is a lust for power! Oh no!). Whatever.

 

I feel the same way sometimes...why do some people accuse D&D (or most fantasy subjects) of being evil? I don't know, and I'm a Christian all the way. I believe in Christ and God with all my heart, but I can't understand why people could bash fantasy. It's probably just a modern version of the Spanish Inquisition (though a little less violent). A bunch of insecure Christians who think that everything that doesn't include God, is blasphemy.

 

I don't get it either. I'm not particularly "religious", but I have come to realize that I have been in an insular society for some time (academic philosophy) where the kind of thinking on that website just doesn't fly too well. Now I'm in law school, and some of my classmates are hard-core about this view of christianity I have never seen apart from late-nite TV evangelism, and make claims similar to those on that site. They're also those people who hate abortion but want to execute everyone. Anyone who thinks D&D is evil has obviously never encountered the limits true human evil is capable of reaching. What are you going to do?

 

Look at the website. A person doesn't have to agree with it to understand it.

 

Where's Mathetais when a good DnD vs. Christianity debate starts to rage?

I love reading pronouncements by narrow minded people who take one sentence out of context, then surround that sentence with their own skewed version of it. However, if I were a sheep blindly following behind whatever religious leader I happened to affiliate with - this type of propaganda would be very effective.

Bottom line - Whoever wrote this website has no idea whatsoever about the games or philosophies they choose to attack. Make no mistake, it is an attack. DnD may be a violent game - but unless you're a low IQ/poor self esteem twit, no REAL people get hurt. Can you say that for the Crusade's, Inquisition, or the Holocaust?

Oh by the way - You're going to HELL

 

Sadly, it's an old story. I think there was more resistance to D&D (and roleplaying in general) about 15 years ago - at least, I remember there being more then. That website is somewhat 'illuminating' however. But, I think it's important to keep in mind that there are those individuals, and groups, who make an effort to 'look' for 'ungodly' activities. And they will make what seem to be, at least to them, rational arguments against such activities. And honestly, if they want to believe that, then fine for them. As long as they confine their belief to themselves. It becomes a problem when it is taken a step further from 'I don't want those games in my house' to 'I don't want those games in my neighbourhood, library, local store, city', etc. That's when it becomes a problem.

I've had discussions (and arguments) with various people who hold these beliefs over the years. In fact, I had a friend in high-school who was a firm believer in Creationism, right down to the Earth being only a few thousand years old (and he wasn't some ultra-Christian fanatic, but a well-informed, well-educated, devout Christian). While he never claimed that the group of us who played D&D regularly (friends of his) were Satanists, or that we were being corrupted by the games, he never had any desire to play them either, and did see them as somewhat 'ungodly'. We understood his view, he understood ours, and we were all still friends, no problems. But, I've also run into people that get all 'hysterical' about it - 'you're a devil worshipper', 'a satanist', etc, etc. I'm perfectly willing to have a discussion with someone (like my friend in high-school) who, for their own reasons, won't play the game. For those who want to ban D&D and similar games, and who take it to the extreme, well, I just don't have time for them; you'll never change their minds, and they will only get more and more vehement in their dislike of you, and of your belief.

Shralp: I know the Palladium game you're talking about. There are (were?) a few particularly evil classes in the game: calling for sacrifices to practice certain types of magic, runes written in blood, etc. (Not sure if they were actual satanic rituals, or just made up). Of course, it's the same in any medium: plays, movies, books, music, etc, that describe or even promote 'evil' or horror. Guess that's the price for free speech. At least as consumers we have the ability to choose *not* to further such things.