Thursday, April 28, 2005
Anti Gaming Propaganda
General Stories
You’ve got to see this to believe it: A “christian” group apparently has comics to distribute condemning gaming as Satanic.
***BEGIN RANT****
Gee whiz. In my humble opinion, these people need help.
I’m not being anti Christian here. In fact, I am a practicing Christian—and an ordained Deacon in the Presybterian Church. But these people are giving Christianity a bad name.
I’ve been playing “adventure games”—RPGs, board wargames and miniatures—since 1971, and in that time, I have NEVER run across anything even vaguely Satanic. Sure, D&D has wizards and spells, but its NOT REAL. (Really).
Now, that’s not to say that there aren’t gamers out there who are wiccans, satanists, athiests and what have you. I know more than a few. One of them also is a dentist. But does that mean that getting dental work is satanistic (Stop smiling. I know what you’re thinking. I, too, can’t think of dentists without thinking of “Little Shop of Horrors.")? Are we going to see a comic condemning dentistry? The guy that cuts my hair is gay. Am I in danger of becoming gay? Should I, in the fashion of Sampson, not get it cut anymore?
I think that these people have strayed about as far from the spirit of Jesus’ teachings as you can go.
***RANT OVER****
Entry Permalink and Comments | Email this entry | List All Posts By Category
Didn't find what you wanted? Try our exclusive Miniature Wargaming Search Engine.
Jack Chick and those comics have been around since 1984. There is no need to think they affect the state of gaming or the state of Christianity pro or con. Atheist, Agnostic, Christian, Buddist, Muslim, Jew, other - all are welcome to my gaming table.
Posted by on 04/28 at 04:52 PM | #
Posted by designmeme on 04/28 at 07:54 PM | #
Jack Chick is an anti-Catholic hate-monger. He can kiss my Irish a**.
Posted by on 04/28 at 08:49 PM | #
That drivel has been around for years. The only people who look at it is other than poorly-done satire are those incapable of rational literary discrimination. It’s to games what “Reefer Madness” was to marijuana.
While those particular publications are a laughing-stock, we do have to be mindful of the reality that there are religious people who have been bamboozled into believing some of those ideas. Even people who have been involved in gaming, who absolutely know what it is we do, will turn against it if they become involved in some organized religious movement which uses games as one of its targets. The people are so desperate for faith/absolution/direction that whatever snake oil is being peddled they’re buying even though they have to know it’s snake oil.
Posted by on 04/29 at 09:20 AM | #
I remember someone in our barracks passing out Chick comics (or something like them). That was `72 or `73. They are no different than other hate literature. Be the context racial, ethnic, political or religious, it all has the same stench. And if you ask me, the real evil in this day and age is hate. Be thankful to whatever deity, deities, or lack of dieties that you worship, that you are not party to such hatred.
Posted by Thor on 05/03 at 11:18 AM | #
Does anyone remember when Dungeons and Dragons was blamed for all the ills of youth ? There were incidences in the Shenandoah sometime in the late 70’s when misguided persons were caught up in some type of Vampiric cult, and much was made of the fact that they played D & D. Other factors such as antisocial behavior as well as a poor family life were minimalized.
Using the same logic as these shameless idiots, the scandal of corporate greed of recent times can be blamed on the fact that sometimn in their youth, the misguided CEOs must have played MONOPOLY. Therefore, throwing aside all their own personal flaws, MONOPOLY made them do it. Right.
Posted by on 07/14 at 08:53 PM | #