D&D Still Satanic? "So my mom threw away all my D&D books..."

[NewJeffCT]

Whatever.

Harry Potter is WAAAY more satanic than D&D.


Harry Potter.. A new twist to Witchcraft



BAN HARRY POTTER!

If anything, Harry Potter is very evocative of Christian mythology. Of course, some may consider it blasphemous that Rowling uses Christian themes in books that feature magic, wizards, dementors, giants, dragons, etc.

(I won't list them out in case somebody hasn't read the books, as some of them are spoilers...)

'Harry Potter' Author J.K. Rowling Opens Up About Books' Christian Imagery - Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV

25 Essays on Christian Themes in Harry Potter

 

[Mercurius]

Sounds like his mom killed him and took his stuff.

 

[Stoat]

I can't help but notice a fishy smell to this report.

The guy's supposedly 17 years old and lives in Canada. He joined RPG.net some two years ago and has written several hundred posts on that board. There were other RPG books lying around and he was very open to mention his new books.

So with 17 years of experience with his mother and two years of experience as a roleplayer living in this house his mother flips out without any warning signs?

Not that I wouldn't expect strange behaviour from religious fundamentalists, but this I find really hard to believe.

I gotta agree. I saw the OP on RPG.net yesterday, and it looked like a Troll/Hoax to me. I can't say why, except that the tone is off. The story felt too convenient.

 

[NewJeffCT]

I gotta agree. I saw the OP on RPG.net yesterday, and it looked like a Troll/Hoax to me. I can't say why, except that the tone is off. The story felt too convenient.

I didn't look at the OP, but somebody earlier in this thread had noted the same poster did have quite a few previous posts on RPG.net. Also, you almost never get the whole story on the internets.

It could very well be a hoax, but it's an interesting issue to discuss if you give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

[jimmifett]

Do keep in mind it's not the ultra religious or religious conservatives that are the problem.

The problem is the under educated masses that rely on others to do thier thinking and research for them and tell them what to think, so they have less to worry about. Any religion, sect, cult, or societal ideology is rife with abuse where the individual does not take the responsibility of forming thier own opinions based on research or what they know to be true or beliefs they hold dear, and instead submitting thier opinions to the direction of someone else with a high Charisma score or the mob mentality (or combination thereof) even when it contradicts thier core knowledge and beliefs.

 

[RedTonic]

I don't find the kid's report to be fishy at all. Speaking for myself and from memories of other young friends' experiences, sometimes your parent goes a little odd for a while, usually the result of temporary religious fervor arising from something else, and then your previously tolerated hobbies become evil influences. Also, people lie. Parents are people. Hence, parents lie (at least sometimes). I also had young friends whose parents were afraid of D&D, but those families played videogame RPGs and platformers like Legend of Zelda. They also played MUDs based on Deku's build, which is fundamentally AD&D if I remember correctly (haven't played that in years). Sometimes those friends would get a little... weird... And swear off the MUD because your PCs could "cast spells" and "pray for miracles," and of course, this is blasphemous fiction. But they'd be back....! They'd also temporarily quit because there were evil PCs and NPCs in the game.

All this to say... People are strange, and you shouldn't be too surprised by their sudden changes in heart. At least one of those friends remains a devout Christian and has a D&D gaming group now. I've never been, since we live far apart now, but things change.

Meanwhile, my father has been playing since high school and his parents not only didn't care about him playing, but his group often played in their home and my grandmother really enjoys having them over for dinner.

 

[Darrell]

Do keep in mind it's not the ultra religious or religious conservatives that are the problem.

Yep. I started playing using the old digest-sized OD&D booklets, and my (Southern Baptist) Mom and two of my brothers were some of my first players. In fact, my Mom and Dad gave me the Moldvay/Cook 'B/X' boxed sets for Christmas, and Mom continued to play in my games until I went away to college.

The reason she stopped playing was really an issue of increased complexity; I got into 2e in college, and she tried sitting in on a few games, but keeping track of the increased amount of numbers made it no longer fun for her. Not long ago (back around Christmas of 2009), I introduced her to Microlite20, and she was as enthusiastic about the game as she had been way back when.

Fundamentalist anti-D&D fervor isn't a religious thing. It's an idiot thing.

Regards,
Darrell King

 

[pawsplay]

From the things that you post I would probably bet my life on it and say that you aren't a parent.

I have five children.

 

[pawsplay]

Pawsplay, for the most part I agree with you. What I think the other poster is saying is a right is a social convention and their conception of ethical right and wrong is different than yours in terms of children's relationship to their parents.

When you talk about how parent's subjective preferences do not supersede a child's rights, but then they can and should act on behalf of the child's well-being, I have to ask, "how do you know the difference?"

For the sake of discussion, I imagine the parents would say they are acting on behalf of the child's well-being. That this action is, from their perspective, protecting the child from what they are too young to judge for themselves.

Assuming they were acting from such a belief, that would justify their actions. Of course, since their belief is illogical and they are actually incorrect, that justifies a young person, living dependently on their parents, to take whatever practical course they need to in order to preserve their emotional life. So to answer your question, we cannot know the difference, and so it behooves parents to be cautious when making decisions against a child's stated wishes.

 

[pawsplay]

Already done by Green Ronin in the form of Testament*.


*Technically its a book that uses the biblical era as its setting..

It's a really slick book, by the way. I would totally play it.