Could you make a Christian-oriented RPG?

[WizarDru]

There's a fascinating treatise on the different ranks of angels that just got posted on the the Straight Dope - ironically enough, by the father of one of our members.


http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mangels.html

Here's a great quote from same:

"Other later, more poetic mentions of angels, for example in some of the books of Prophets, offer very different descriptions. Isaiah 6:2 describes angels with six wings, each pair having its own function--two to cover his face, two to cover his feet (read: genitals) and two to fly. Ezekiel has a vision of angels with six wings and multiple faces (1:6ff), and also of angels as fiery wheels, or thrones, with many eyes (1:15ff).
...
These are the seven angels (although one Jewish legend says there are 70) who stand before the heavenly throne. They are derived from Ezekiel 1:15ff, a vision of angels as wheels with many eyes, hovering around the fixed point of God. They have four faces (lion, ox, eagle, and man) and four wings, and horses' hooves, and they sparkle like brass. I've always wondered what Ezekiel was smoking."

That's some great stuff, right there.

 

[mythago]

I'd tend to go towards the "witch" translation, becasue oodles of the Bible are aimed at getting people to turn their backs on the Goddess religions practiced in the Near East and Mediterranean.

No, oodles of the Old Testament are aimed at getting the Hebrews to avoid the religions of their neighbors--which ranged from cults of Astarte to tedious, orderly obedience to the Babylonian gods. The stuff about patriarchal vs. matriarchal religions is hooey.

As for "Judeo-Christian," you might as well say "Judeo-Christo-Islamic" if you're covering all faiths that consider the OT important. Judaism and Christianity have different interpretations, translations, and even ordering of the Bible.

Of course, as a lawyer, I can't actually touch a Bible without the horrible pain...

You must be a legal aid lawyer or something. Once your Dark Powers are strong, you will be able to touch a holy book without pain!

Ahem.

The alignment of a Christian campaign, IMO, would depend on your viewpoint of the Church and its place in the world; I'd pick LN or LG, depending on whether you had a secular, power-oriented church vs. a more spiritual one (respectively).