calls to prayer...

[Desdichado]

Actually, most of the posters were airing the sentiment that it's great that the community pulls together for someone in a tight spot. edit: looking over it, a lot of them were also about how they knew Christians who gamed. Either way it's not a religious sentiment. But feel free to play the "persecuted victim" card all you want. No skin off my back.

 

[Pielorinho]

Now what was this thread about?

Before we got sidetracked, it was about Alsi's observation that a lot of us ENBoarders are religious, I think. It's an interesting observation, and while it can lead to shut-downable detours, it don't gotta.

In my experience, gaming draws folks from a lot of different perspectives. I've played with Protestants, Catholics, Unitarians, Jews, Atheists, Agnostics, Wiccans, Druids, Pagans, Buddhists, and Logical Positivists.

I think that a few religions are *excluded* from the D&D community -- I'd be very surprised to find a Jehovah's Witness at my table, because I don't think JWs are supposed to engage in even fantasy-play about magic. If one showed up at my table, of course, I'd be fascinated, and probably ask all sorts of nosy questions.

But barring a few exceptions, I think that gamers come from a very wide array of spiritual experiences.

Daniel

 

[Darraketh]

Actually, most of the posters were airing the sentiment that it's great that the community pulls together for someone in a tight spot. edit: looking over it, a lot of them were also about how they knew Christians who gamed. Either way it's not a religious sentiment. But feel free to play the "persecuted victim" card all you want. No skin off my back.

True but some started with I'm a <blank> as did I. Perhaps I should have left it at that and went on to say that I was raised as a Christian and D&D was another sin and there was no other way to look at it. Having left the fold, the christian view point is of no real consequence to me anymore.

Now what is crazy is that my mother gave me D&D for christmas in the late '70s. It was only after the game began getting popular that they wanted me to burn it.

We were sitting in church and the pastor was delivering a sermon on secret sins or those littles things you do that you think are unimportant. Things that allow the devil to get inside you. Like listening to rock & roll, reading those sinful books and magazines and (the sin of the day) playing that game D&D.

As for being persecuted, I confess I hid my lack of faith for that very fear. IMO It's impossible to tell someone that you do not share the same religious beliefs with them and not appear insulting. How can you both be right?

It's just something, which I forgot, you don't discuss in polite company.

 

[alsih2o]

Before we got sidetracked, it was about Alsi's observation that a lot of us ENBoarders are religious, I think.

bingo.... my whole point(i think) was that my biggest experience with christians and gaming had been negative UNTIL i met some cool and tolerant believers on the boards here.

my intent was not to cause controversy, but to point out the sense of tolerance here on the boards and wonder how it could be carried over.....so much for intent

seems from nearly the start noone took my statements how they were intended, which was basically to wonder how CLOSE MINDED religious people would view the wonderful sense of support expressed here on the boards.

alas...

 

[Furn_Darkside]

seems from nearly the start noone took my statements how they were intended, which was basically to wonder how CLOSE MINDED religious people would view the wonderful sense of support expressed here on the boards.

I got ya from the beginning, clayface, and- as I said, people who have closed their mind to d&d are not going to open it due to any behavior from d&d players.

It is the nature of faith- that, usually, it is an internal factor which changes minds on a subject regarding that faith.

External factors, especially ones perceived as negative, will usually not be considered.

FD

 

[alsih2o]

nice to know someone got it there frond..(and sorry if i offended with my pottymouth) frond knows what i mean

i just find it to be a humorous image, a mother walks in a room, her kid is on a d+d site, she starts hollering -

mom-"what are you doing on some site like that? finding plans to worship with the minions of evil?"

kid-"just answering a prayer request ma, seems (insert poster) has experienced (insert trauma) and has asked for support"



it works better if you imagine it with Simpsons-esque voices

 

[Pielorinho]

bingo.... my whole point(i think) was that my biggest experience with christians and gaming had been negative UNTIL i met some cool and tolerant believers on the boards here.

It's interesting -- I've had a similar experience. On this and other message boards, I've had much more positive encounters with folks of other religious persuasions than I've generally had in real life.

Of course, I think that's because most folks don't spend lots of time discussing their religions in mixed company in real life; those that do tend not to be very graceful about it.

But on a message board, there's a different climate, and as long as the discussion doesn't focus on religion itself, folks from different backgrounds seem to have an easier time mentioning their religion in passing.

I think that's a great thing.

Daniel

 

[Darraketh]

...But on a message board, there's a different climate, and as long as the discussion doesn't focus on religion itself, folks from different backgrounds seem to have an easier time mentioning their religion in passing.

I think that's a great thing.

Daniel

Well I sincerely apologize for taking my personal views a step too far here. And I'd like to thank Furn for pointing it out even when I felt I hadn't. Given a brief passage of time , I can see now how I was offensive in my initial post.

*Must remember, "think then write."*

I do enjoy the greater spirit of general tolerance as expressed on these boards and in the gamer community as a whole.

I just hope that tolerance extends to being able to make an occasional mistake here in this community.

Again to anyone I may have offended I apologize and I will say no more on the subject.

 

[alsih2o]

Well, there wasn't any reason to do so until you posted.

actually, harassment is a reason to shut a thread, and you started that vain way back with the comments about worshipping me.....the thread started with a message about tolerance, and you started with the mocking.....talk about throwing the first stone

 

[I'm A Banana]

EVERYBODY HUG NOW!

But, yeah, I will defend the right of people to believe D&D is evil, even if I don't think it is, personally. I'll even defend beliefs I view as morally very wrong (I personally loathe the philosophy of the KKK, but I do respect their right to believe it).

In fact, I remember a post once where I basically spelt out *why* the conservatively religious types may have a problem with D&D -- human beings are rational creatures, and there is a logic in it, even if it is, IMHO, a flawed logic.

I was introduced to D&D through my first year in the local Catholic school, so you can see how universal this is (e.g.: not very)

In my experience, most people are fairly rational. If you explain to them what D&D is and why it isn't that dangerous for morality, they don't hold anything against it.

There are a few that won't really listen and who think they're being rational when they're really just spouting what they've been told. These guys, *nothin'* will really force them to think otherwise, unless the person telling them how to think begins to think otherwise. Not even an outpouring of care and prayer by the corrupted ones. After all, we're not the epitome of evil, we're just misled.

And as for this being religion's best exposure...I'd say that's pretty true. From what I've seen on here and Nutkinland, the Christians have come accross as kind and not too preachy, and the pagans/athiests/etc. have actually come accross as occasional preachy-reactionary yahoos.

I think it's because by playing D&D, they've already sort of "weeded out" the wrong sort of folk. These guys know that D&D isn't evil, and don't assume that those playing are being misled (well, not by D&D, anyway. ) They know that the likes of Jack Chick give them bad names. And it probably grates on them every time a post like this comes up.

--Jacob Driscoll, Gentle Agnostic who think Mr. Jesus probably had a few good ideas, regardless of actual divinity or not. Y'know, ideas like acceptance and not passing judgement.