Christians and DnD

[adriayna]

I had a writer tackle the topic a while back. He looked at the history of christianity and D&D, as well as possible implications of this whole issue:

http://www.silven.com/articles.asp?case=show&id=70

Having firsthand experience with the subject, I'd have to say that these people aren't going to listen to anything we may say here on the boards. Its fun to talk about it and know that we think they are wrong, but when it really comes down to it, their minds are already made up. Any evidence we can present them of the contrary is not ever going to change those minds.

 

[LeifVignirsson]

My grandfather (May his spirit fester in the bowels of the mighty Fenrir wolf for all eternity) used D&D as bait for children so he could sexually molest them. He was pure evil, and yet I still play in spite of him. I am not a molester, nor are the other people that I play with. There are evil people who do evil things, but that is a VERY SMALL cross section of anything in the world today.

I took an issue for myself personally that was associated with something VERY bad and at least turned it into something I enjoy.

Yeah, when I first started, it was automatically as a rebellion thing because my church kicked my butt out for asking questions, but now I thank them all the time because it is one of the few things that has given joy in my life... That and sweaty men in spandex smashing each other in the head with a steel chair... But I am over THAT phase of my life.

Just remember, even if this troll is completely off with his statements and observations, there is still the golden rule for the PR department..." There is no such thing as bad publicity." He is loving all of this, even if he DOES know that he pulled most of his opinions from his God fearing bee-hind!

This is why I am glad I went Odinist... No worries my way

 

[Pielorinho]

I'm sorry if I went over any religious lines

It did--wayyyy over . Being a Christian doesn't give you free rein to insult Christians. But I conditionally accept your apology: the condition is that you go back toot sweet and edit your post, removing all generalizations about Christians from it.

Daniel

 

[Myrddin ap Taliesen]

i play most of my games in the steam tunnels beneath MSU.

I actually got to MSU as well... how do you get down there?

On the topic of Tyr, I'm part of the SCA (medieval reenactment society) and my persona there is a viking warrior who follows Tyr. That Tyr and the D&D Tyr are almost identical personality wise, differing only in the deeds they've done (due to the difference in mythos).

Onto the original topic, I am a Christian who plays D&D. And Kalendraf, I agree whole heartedly. I believe a lot of people (at least in my experience) use religion as a front for their own personal beliefs and biases, which takes away from the credence of religion as a whole.

 

[JDJarvis]

As a nodenomiantional christian I get really offended when i see folks throw about Jesus references and use sexism,racism and other "subtle' methods to get a message across. in that classical chick D&D rant - Notethe DM is a woman: women who are not loyal christians are corrupt witches who want to despoil inocents don't ya know. The main character in the strip is a female because at one moment a female can be both innocent and more prone to sin then a man.

I recall another online comic against porn and there are two households in question one where they think porn in an acceptable recreation for minors and the other where they disregard all porn; of course the pro porn household is headed by a noncaucasian single father booze hound, subtle.

Hate messages going alongside message of faith are just plain disgusting.

 

[Mercule]

Unfortunately, christians are some of the least tolerant people around.

Actually, people are simply intorant. Whether it is (some) Christians, (some) Muslims, (some) secular humanists, or (some) white folk, (some) black folk, etc.

I don't think it's any more common to use Christianity as an excuse. Christianity just has the added annoyance of being able to say, "Not only do you such now, but you're going fry for all eternity."

And, FWIW, I think the people who elevate themselves above others by using Christianity are missing the point, but that gets way over the line.

 

[Turanil]

First, read this comic:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.asp

Funny, right? Now read this follow-up:

http://www.chick.com/articles/frpg.asp

How many gamers here are Christian (you don't have to be devout, but you at least must believe the basic principles)? What do you think of this?

The guy who wrote this article has no credibility whatsoever, and it is clear in his biased articles. I found it insulting to read even from an intellectual standpoint, much less a gamer.

I did read this crap of a comics, and had really a great (fun) time. I just did laugh all the way, until the moral conclusion which wasn't fun at all.

Well, now I am serious: this comic is certainly NOT about the Chrisitan religion. And the author is certainly NOT so much an idiot (in fact he is, but) than a psychotic. I am not kidding or insulting here, this author suffers from a (grave) mental illness.
In fact, besides my passion for rpg, I have an interest in psychology. I can tell you (not as a professional, but as an enlightened amateur) that this guy suffers from a form of paranoia. Essentially he has to project on something (in his case it happens to be rpg, but it could have been many other things or groups of people) the intolerable fears and feelings of being persecuted that are in his subconscious, upon something / someone else. In short, he tells rpg are "a thing of the devil", because he is himself a thing of the devil (i.e.: the devil being of course the hideous fears deep in himself, that he could not tolerate to be aware of).

This to say that you should remain aware that this is not a typical Christian Fundamentalist persecution, but the doing of someone affected with mental illness. Remember that those telling such things are not ignorant or stupid, but mentally ill.

It's not Jesus who will save this guy, but a psychiatrist!

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Sigh, it is generalizations like this that show tht Christians aren't the only ones to suffer from intolerance. You might say 'many Christians', or even 'some Christians' and be more accurate. Christians are people, I have run into intolerant Jews, Muslims, Athiests, Christians, Agnostics, and Pagans. (So far very few intolerant Unitarians... but give me time.) And gamers, lots of intolerant gamers. (I have been at a LARP that was held at the same time as a Christian conference, guess which group had members who were screaming epithets at the other...)

Nor are all branches of Christianity intolerant of each other. Even the ones that are sometimes work toward a common goal. Heck for centuries it was relatively common for Lutherans to send a possessed person to the Catholics for exorcism. (Whether you believe in demonic possession or not is a completely seperate issue...)

I will grant you that some of the loudest Christians are intolerant, but I would say thet it is the loud people who tend to be that way regardless of religion. And because they are the ones who make the papers and the news they are the ones who form people's opinions of their culture.

It is an example of 'normalization of the exceptional'. The process that leads people to think that airplanes are dangerous because of the plane crash that makes it to the paper, rather than the thousands that don't.

The Auld Grump, only nominally a Christian, but still...

[edited by Pielorinho, to reflect the fact that Lamoni edited his original post]

 

[WizarDru]

I like Lasagna.

It's really quite yummy.

Some folks like it with Eggplant, but I prefer ground beef. The amount of Ricotta to be used is a point of debate, of course, and whether to use those precooked noodles or not.

Some folks prefere Manicotti, and don't even like Lasagna.

Heck, some folks doen't even like pasta.

Me, I really like Lasagna.

Like I said: it's yummy.

 

[Lamoni]

It did--wayyyy over . Being a Christian doesn't give you free rein to insult Christians. But I conditionally accept your apology: the condition is that you go back toot sweet and edit your post, removing all generalizations about Christians from it.

Daniel

Done. Sorry about that. I wasn't trying to insult Christians. Each of those cases historically was caused by a fanatic that wasn't very representative of any particular belief. And since fanaticism isn't related to Christianity in any way, I changed it to basic references to people. Hopefully all people won't be insulted by my remarks now.