I personally don't have an issue with making game stats for deities, RL or otherwise. I mean have fictionalized version of God and the Devil in movies and literature all the time. We all accept that those accounts are not an indictment of the religions they are based on. We should be able to the same for a game version.
You are correct that the Christian God (
and the Devil, other devils, the angels, the saints . . .) has been fictionalized often, sometimes in a flattering light, sometimes rather less so. And the deities and religious figures of other faiths as well, of course, especially the Nordic deities. Who is everyone's favorite Avenger?
When is it okay? When is it not okay?
There are no clear lines, no easy answers. Using real-world religious figures in your stories or games is not inherently wrong or disrespectful . . . but it is easy, even unintentionally, to put out something negative. Just as it is easy to unintentionally further societal racism and sexism in our stories and games. Audience, context, and community are important factors.
I believe
@Obly99 that he has no ill intent in sharing his Yahweh write-up here. But this, to me, crosses the line. "
It's just a game" isn't a valid excuse. "
This is the old version of Yahweh, not the modern Christian concept" also is not a valid excuse. IMO, of course. Some Christians and Jews will see this and NOT be offended in any way. But others will, especially if they see the unintentional anti-Semitism in the write-up. Is it okay to take someone's religion and turn it into an evil deity for our fantasy elf games?
