Twisted Christian

In response to selfrequiem's comments on "Christian vs. Christian's", I have written my thoughts on the post condemning World of Warcraft as evil. At the time I was just too pissed off and wouldn't have written anything of worth. I respect what she has written, I just wish it wasn't how people were introduced to the game, or that it is an all encompassing Christian view of the game.

You should write more about this... You say she represents the game incorrectly, but what about her "biblical" evaluation of it? Is there anything wrong with her "Christian" argument? You say it is well researched, but you don't agree with it. Where does it fall apart?

What should she say? What about her criticism bothers you exactly (other than an incorrect depiction of the game itself)? What would make her argument more "Christian?"

I think you should get more technical and explicit with your criticism. I want to hear what the twisted christian thinks.

Alright, the problems I have with her criticism and a Christian's view of WoW...

So she uses these "red-flag" icons as bullets for her various points. It doesn't necessarily mean what she mentions is a "red flag" issue, and that's my first problem with her article, it is misleading and immediately indicates that everything about the game raises red flags.

Her post starts off with a bit of a summary of the game. It states the facts plainly, though with a strong negative overtone. And then it goes into "A Christian View." (which, if you've read my previous post, you'll understand I'd rather it was "A Christian's View." It is a well done summary of the game, she goes over the main premise of the game and gives the reader enough of an understanding to know what the game is if brought up in conversation, but hardly scratched the surface of what the game really is.

So this "Christian View" starts off with quoting Galatians 5:20-21 saying, "Those who practice witchcraft (sorcery) will not inherit the kingdom of God...These practices are anti-God and are in rebellion against Him."
Now my first problem is that this verse is of the old covenant, so it can't be used to condemn someone as we are all saved by the blood of Christ. My chief complaint is that she is comparing practicing witchcraft to pressing buttons to cast a spell; there is no comparison. What the bible verse is talking about is the practicing of witchcraft, the mindset and beliefs, not sitting at home on a computer mashing keys.

She proactively attempts to counter my previous argument with the following, "Adultery is a sin, is it OK to pretend to practice adultery (virtual sex)? Homosexuality is a sin, is it OK to pretend to practice homosexuality (virtual sex)? Murder is a sin, is it OK to pretend to practice murder (video games)?"
This idea comes from Matthew 5:27-30, where Jesus is talking about how lustfully looking at a woman is the same as committing the act of adultery; a story that can be applied to all sin. Fair enough, but again it comes down to the player's mindset. They aren't thinking about killing someone, they are thinking about killing this fictional monster, it is NOT the same thing. It is similar to reading a fantasy novel where the hero is slaying dragons or villains. Or a group of kids that get together to pretend that they are various heroes on an epic journey in a game of Dungeons and Dragons.

The next issue she brings up is the addictive nature of the game, and how "Anything we spend time doing to the point of putting aside Bible study and prayer should be a signal to us that there is a problem."

I will not refute the point that the game is addicting, I have experienced that myself, but it is only a problem if you allow it to control your life, something that is entirely dependent on the individual. Some people can sit down and play for a couple of hours and get up and do other things, there is nothing wrong with this. Others will sit down and play for hours on end, neglecting to eat, sleep, or take care of themselves, this is a problem. If it a player isn't able to control the amount of time they play the game, then they must make the choice to stop. The fact that it is addicting to some people does not make it a problem for everyone. There are a number of other MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing games) that are apparently just as addictive, but when I played them I didn't find them to be addictive in the least.

She also goes on to say that we need to be careful of our thoughts as they control our lives and to, "to press toward the goal, to live a life that would honor God and kept his focus on eternity, not the things that this earth can give." This is all well and good, and something we should strive towards, but it isn't something that is going to, nor should it have to, fill our every thought all day long. You may as well say we should think on nothing but God, and our relationship with Him, and how we should tell others about him and so on. A great idea in theory, but it isn't going to happen. While we should strive to be like Him, we are still human and will never attain that level. We should live our lives the best we can, but understand that we are still human.

She concludes with words of advice on "How do we set the captives free?" And what are her words? To turn to Jesus of course, because, "God can set the captives free, once a captive turns their eyes toward Jesus. The way back from any captivity is first acknowledging that one is a captive and seeking God." What great words of advice, and she even includes some relevant Bible verses, all which would be great if you were talking about something that makes people captive and takes them away from God. She says, "World of Warcraft is one of the many tools used to captivate and desensitize many concerning the Occult and divination." I don't understand how she is coming to this conclusion. It is a game and it isn't desensitizing people to the Occult and divination. It is a game that has magic use in it. A game where you mash buttons to make fire or ice or whatever come from your character to kill something. There is nothing occultish about it.

For me, MMORPG's started out as a game, but quickly turned into an escape. An escape from this world, from my worries and my cares. When I was running around as one of the many toons I had, I didn't have a care in the world (other than the in-game ones). I gave me some time to leave the cares of this world behind, and immerse myself in this fun little world. It is a high-tech version of what I used to do as a kid when I'd immerse myself in books for hours on end. If you are condemning games like WoW, or Everquest or any of the other MMORPG's, then you may as well condemn all fantasy books and games like Dungeons and Dragons (which unfortunately a great many do as you can read from the comments on her post, and that makes me even more sad than her post on WoW does). The game never took me away from God though, for as God is in the world around me, He is also in the game. He is brought in through other players, and through the designers themselves. There is religion in the game, and it is quite easy to see a Christian influence in various aspects of it.

She received over 100 responses to her post, with a good mix coming from both sides, though I was appalled by the number of people writing and saying this was the first they'd heard of the game and were so glad to get a "Christian view" of the game. I think that is what pissed me off the most when I first read it. It was that she was plying it off as though this is what all Christian's should think of the game. What I have written above are my views as a Christian on the game, as well as a former player of the game.

I follow @heartofworship (the author of the post I'm writing about) on twitter, along with a number of other people who's views I don't always agree with. I believe by reading what other people are talking about, and attacking, and defending, then I can learn how to respond, and what needs responding to. I can learn about all of the things that people have issue with when it comes to the Church and Christianity, and decide where I sit on the issue. How can I converse with someone about my faith if I don't know what people find wrong with it? I respect their opinions, I just don't share them. And if I think they are hurting the Christian reputation then I will take steps in my life to show people otherwise.