double standards? fun murderous video games ...
I want to play this game.I saw a few news articles when Grand Theft Auto first made it big, about how horrible it was, but it died down relatively soon, and I certainly never saw it on the front page of any newspaper
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I read the video game article, and it actually doesn't sound that bad. They repeatedly talk about how much you lose morale for combat and that the message isn't "kill the Other" but rather "here's some spiritual things to consider." I don't see any harm in that, especially given the violent nature of most games these days anyway.
I say if there's going to be a "Kill Bush" game-- (Did you read that part? That's ridiculous. Maybe some consider him a terrible president, but is there a need to kill him and make a game of it??)-- there can be a "Left Behind" game. It's all fair in the gaming world, as in life.
But this just goes back to the constant double standard between followers of Christ and the rest of the world (oh no, I used the implied 'Other'). Everyone can say or do anything as long as it isn't Christian, and anybody looking in on Christianity can quote--incorrectly-- Bible passages telling us how we should be behaving as a Christian.
It's all a giant double-standard, and it's nothing new.
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Hm, the purpose of playing GTA? To pretend you're a criminal. Playing it certainly gives you savage satisfaction when you shoot a cop (or anyone) in the head, with pools of blood collecting as you take the money they drop, or stealing someone's car and then running them over with it -- and no one can deny that is the message, or the point, of the game.
I've not played this "Christian" game -- as the game makers say, it's not specifically Christian, as you can play it without knowing it's Christian -- but, according to the game makers, the intent of the game is not to kill. (As the article says, killing hurts your character or whatever.) Thus, it cannot be warfare; by the physical definition warfare means physical death and destruction.
> Different purposes.
Obviously. GTA is about murdering and stealing, whereas this game is about... fighting demons? Oh noes.
> Mr Clarkson is particularly concerned that the $39.95 (£20) game - which is rated for teenagers due to violence - is being marketed through churches. "Pastors and youth leaders recommend the game to their parishioners," he says, giving its message the stamp of authority.
How is this any worse than (or really, much different from) gaming websites praising GTA? Heavy gamers play heavy games, religious people play religious games...
> My personal opinion is that the game is creepy
How is it creepy? Have you ever played Diablo II? There are many games where you kill demons. This one just happens to be set in every day situations, it seems. (And, from a spiritual standpoint, that makes sense.)
> Maybe some consider [Bush] a terrible president, but is there a need to kill him and make a game of it??
It's from "The Global Islamic Media Front", released for download on a website -- not specifically for USA; rather, for those who don't like us (as the article says, propaganda.) That's nothing new; like half a year ago (at least) someone modded some war game, changing it into Middle East vs. USA or something. (Although as it turned out, it was an American or something, who did it just for fun, and it leaked over there.) D'you remember that news coverage? I was just talking about games marketed to USA.
More germane, I suppose, is that game released about the JFK assassination -- they put all the info they had about his assassination into a simulation; the bullet angles and everything, and you can replay the scenario in different speeds, fast and slow, and change various things (the speed of the car, for example) and watch the aftermath. Seems like it'd be fun to mess with; if you make the car drive fast enough Harvey shoots the driver and they crash and JFK's wife flies out into a motorcycle policeman, or something. I think they recalled it because everyone still luvs JFK...
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It's the point of the game to pretend you are, yes, but I don't think the games-makers have the intention of making the players into real criminals. Not that I'm equating criminality with Christianity, I'm just saying that GTA does not present itself in the same way. The stated purpose of this game is to evangelise. I wouldn't say GTA really has a "message" - it's just mindless violence.
I would contest that you could play it without knowing it's a Christian game - perhaps you could if you had no knowledge of Christianity, or just the type of Christianity that believes in the Rapture, but if you did know then the Christianity would be fairly obvious, I'd think.
I already addressed your point about different purposes above - Left Behind is putting forward a religious/moral/philosophical message, whereas GTA is just mindless violence. Oh, and I don't think people were calling LB worse than GTA, and I think the objections were for different reasons - GTA because it is just hyper-violent rubbish, LB because it is evangelising.
I've not played Diablo II, but I wasn't referring to its containing demons. The reason I find Left Begind creepy is that it's evangelical. My personal reaction to evangelism is that it's creepy. I'm sorry. Especially when it's to do with the Rapture... I don't want to offend you or your friend, but I think the Rapture is a strange and incongruous idea, and I don't understand why people believe in it.
I'm not even going to touch that comment about double-standards, because I don't feel like getting flamed.
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I say bravo for evangelism, but I guess you could figure that.
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I don't know how I feel about evangelism. Whenever I see someone doing something I consider sinful... For example, this guy I know, he's talked about all the men he's slept with, and then he jokes about screwing the Pope -- he partly does it (I mean I think he makes up some of it) because he knows I'm Christian and he, Christian-hater that he is, tries to upset me. I really think he is a whore, though.
Rather than try to talk with him, I reason my way out of it with A) who am I to push my ideals onto others? it doesn't seem to be my place to tell others what to do; and B) it's America, he can do what he wants and can make his own decisions. As shown through history, religion is a wonderful thing until you try to force someone else to follow yours ... I suppose the keyword there is "force" -- but really, look at Trinidad. When you try to just show it to them, they adopt it into their pre-existing ways, and thus will worship Jesus *in addition* to their other gods ... etc ... (So my question is, can evangelism really work without a method of force? It works on a percentage of the population, but only a percentage. Like 98% of Japan, for example, is not Christian.)
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"Thus, it cannot be warfare; by the physical definition warfare means physical death and destruction."
Well, yes... and by the psychological definition warfare means psychological destruction. The word warfare can be used in a variety of ways.
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I understand from the perspective of Christianity, that every other path that doesn't jive with it is from Satan and therefore involved in the battle between archangels and demons and so forth, but I mean from the confines of that religion itself.
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That in itself says much of the human character. We aren't capable of true peace and goodness; it's only by way of God (if you--in the general sense-- don't believe in God, then obviously my arguments are false to you) that we have any hope at all.
See what I did? I made the statement evangelical without saying "burn, you heathen" but it still sounds like I'm condemning everyone who doesn't believe what I believe to hell.
So while ideals are great and wonderful (like communism or socialism on paper), they simply cannot be enacted by the human race. We're just too selfish.
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But, from a different angle:
1) Everything God creates is good.
2) God created humans, thus, humans are good. (This implies that they will not inherently conflict with each other.)
3) Sin enters the world.
4) Sin, by definition, is that which seperates you from God.
5) We are affected by sin, because we are incapable of avoiding it -- incapable of being with God -- due to the natural constraint of our reality.
6) Through His teachings, however, we can get as close to Him as possible within the constraints of our reality.
7) Getting to that proximity, getting as close to Him as possible within the constraints of our reality, is what I define to be living up to ideals. (To state that you will never reach that proximity due to a constant failing of the being is to create a disharmony -- a 'flaw in the system' -- without justification -- without a clear reason to do so. [This would be better written except it's 11:52 PM and I'm about to go to bed.])
8) Some religions teach that these ideals are living in harmony with every living being.
... I want to take some Philosophy courses. And that Bible course. :)
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