By: Sue Armstrong Re: Fundy silliness [1/3] Jason Harmon had a good giggle with a couple o

By: Sue Armstrong Re: Fundy silliness [1/3] Jason Harmon had a good giggle with a couple of tidbits I sent him, so I thought I'd share it all with the general echo. This first one is a tirade against a popular card game, in which you play the part of a wizard casting spells and summoning beasties through the power of various types of land. The second is an oldie-but-goodie sermon against AD&D. My own comments are interspersed within. <----------------------------------------------------------------------------> BEWARE of MAGIC: The Gathering™ Report by David L. Brown, Th.M. © August 1995 _________________________________________________________________ May only be reproduced in full and must include this notice. May not be reproduced for resale. May be carried on other non-commercial web sights provided the Logos web address is included -- http://www.execpc.com/~dlbrown/Logos/ _________________________________________________________________ GenCon is the annual gaming convention, sponsored by TSR™ (Tactical Studies Research) of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. TSR, Inc. is the originator of the original Fantasy Role Playing Game, Dungeons & Dragons™. The GenCon Convention is the place to introduce new products to the FRP (Fantasy Role Playing) crowd because 15,000 to 25,000 people attend GenCon annually. In 1993, when I walked into the convention hall where vendors have their booths, a crowd caught my eye. There was a group of people sitting around a line of tables playing cards and the crowd was intently watching. I had never heard of or seen a "fantasy" card game before, so I asked about it. As it turned out, Peter Adkison and his "basement" company, Wizards of the Coast, had driven all the way from Renton, Washington to introduce Magic: The Gathering™. I had no idea at that point that I was video taping Gaming History. At the 95 convention there were so many people packed around The Wizards of The Coast mega-booth that it was hard to get a decent picture. People were buying, selling and trading Magic cards. It was easy to see why "Adkison's basement operation...has mushroomed from 6 to 250 employees, with operations in Glasgow, Scotland, and Antwerp, Belgium, in addition to Renton, Washington." (3). A press release entitled Growing Globally tells of their international success. I was startled to read that there are more than 1/2 Billion Magic cards in circulation around the world with more to come. The company cannot keep up with the demand for the cards. There is such a demand for the cards that they are bought, sold, traded and even auctioned over the InterNet. Now, lest you think we are talking pennies, I have seen bids on cards from $50 to $100. I have heard report of cards bringing $200 and more. For $1500 you can buy the Unlimited Series set and for $1000 the Legends series. Need I say more? "Magic continues to grow and is quickly becoming recognized as one of the most elaborate strategy games in history."(1/5) THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GAME The root idea for the game came from Peter Adkison. You might say Adkison is a preacher's kid because his father was an Army chaplin. But his mind was not on the things of the Lord. "While in high school he developed a fascination with role-playing games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, and began developing his own games." (3) He organized a small gaming company that he ran out of his basement called Wizards of the Coast and he began marketing fantasy role playing games. That's where Dr. Richard Garfield, professor of combinational math comes in. He too was a fantasy role-playing enthusiast. He met with Peter over a pizza in Portland, Oregon, to try to get him to produce the fantasy role playing game, RoboRally. Peter was not interested but said, "he really saw a need for a game that could be played quickly with minimal equipment, a game that would go over well at conventions." (2/4) He suggested the concept for a fantasy card game and asked Garfield if he thought he could develop the game. The rest is gaming history. THE EVIL OF MAGIC: THE GATHERING I see at least four major problems with this game. These conspicuous problems cause me to urge people neither to collect these cards nor play the game -- 1) The primary focus on the occult 2) The violent nature of the game 3) The addictive nature of the game 4) The identification of the players with evil characters. The Occult Focus & Violence Of The Game The Bible makes it clear in both the Old and New Testaments that occult practices are an abomination to the Lord. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 There shall not be found among you any... that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: Another scripture passage that points out just how seriously God views the occult and wizardry is Acts 13:10. The Apostle Paul indicts Elymas the sorcerer with these words -- O full of all subtlety (deceit) and all mischief (maliciousness), thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? The fact is, we should not mimic things that are an abomination to the Lord. No one should even pretend to be a child of the devil, an enemy of righteousness. When they do, they pervert the acceptable ways of the Lord! Perhaps you are wondering, are Magic cards really occult oriented? Read this quote carefully -- "Unlike Dungeons and Dragons, which became an infamous tool for occultists, Magic has not developed an outside mythology. 'This draws on the milieu, the fantasy of Dungeons and Dragons' says Richard Garfield, the creative impetus behind Magic..." 4 Garfield, the developer of Magic cards, pulls no punches when he says unequivocally that Dungeons and Dragons was an "infamous tool for occultist." (More like an infamous tool for fundies seeking "occultists" under every stone. - Wolfie) Why? Because D&D got its story line, symbols and characters from the occult and Pagan mythology. (And from Christian sword and sorcery stories. The tale of King Arthur is full of "magic" and dragons; and what of St George with his dragon? - Wolfie) But he does not think his game has that problem. Why? Because he has gone to D&D for his story line, symbols and characters but not the "real" occult. What is he thinking? Though he has a Ph.D. in combinational math, his reasoning is flawed. Since D&D is based on the occult and is a tool of occultist, then Magic cards will be equally a tool for occultists because they are based on the occult also, the second generation occult data of D&D. After reading two books about the game, watching the game being played, reading numerous news articles and reading scores of Internet E-Mail messages on the game, there is no doubt in my mind that Magic cards promote the occult and violence. Just a word about God's view of violence -- GOD HATES THOSE WHO PROMOTE VIOLENCE. (And, presumably, smite down those he hates, in violent fashion. -Wolfie) Look at Psalms 11:5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Let's look at some more of the evidence. Georiga Pabst of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, "Magic: The Gathering takes place in the mystical multiverse of Dominia where players become mighty wizards and, armed with beautifully illustrated cards of various creatures, artifacts and lands, cast spells and enchantment aimed at killing off the opponent." 3 (emphasis added) Georgia, in the above concise statement, hits the nail on the head. (The only nail here is the pointy shape on the author's head. - Wolfie) Every player is a wizard or sorcerer and the goal is to build up enough magic energy to kill your opponent. Here's how it works according to the instruction book that comes with the cards -- "There are two basic types of cards: spells and lands. Lands are easy to spot; they say 'land' in between the picture and the text box. Lands are the most common kind of card in Magic, since they usually provide the mana, or magical energy, for all your spells. You can lay out one land per turn, and you may use the land for mana as soon as it is in play." 5/5 Now, how do you kill your opponent? Aimee Miller of the Washington Post wrote, "The rules of the game are simple: Each player starts with 20 'lifepoints.' You gain lifepoints by casting beneficial spells from land cards. You lose lifepoints when attacked by nasty creatures and charms. If you run out of lifepoints, you're exiled, which is a polite way of saying your dead. Players stay alive by annihilating their opponents first." 4 She goes on to say, "Want to crush your opponent in under five minutes? Stack the deck with deadly and destructive black and red Magic cards". 4 (emphasis added) (Sure, unless your opponent has a Circle of Protection: Black and a Circle of Protection: Red card. - Wolfie) That brings me to the Mana (magical energy) Chart explaining the different kinds of Magic and how they can be used. Black Magic is identified as the magic of death. Let me share with you two quotes from the book, Mastering Magic Cards. "The magic of death is often a double-edged sword, however, malevolent to its wielder as well as its victim. Few people summon the awesom might of the Lord of the Pit without being ready to sacrifice their very worldly existence to wield its incredible power..." 1/30 The second quote -- "A black necromancer wields the sacrifice, particularly the Dark Ritual Cards" 1/30 Blue Magic is mental in nature and taps "the elemental forces of air and water." Friends, lest you think this is harmless let me tell you that occultists believe in and seek to tap into the power of what they call Sylphs (elemental spirits of the air). They believe that Lucifer empowers air spirits. That is interesting in light of Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:. The truth is, the elemental spirits that occultists claim to communicate with, whether they be air, water, earth or fire spirits are demons from Satan's diabolical horde. I have personally interviewed a real witch who says she invokes earth spirits known as trolls (really demons) to assist her in her rituals.. (See my pamphlet The Truth About Trolls for more information). Magic cards is conditioning children to be receptive to paganism. Green Magic draws energy from the forest and has vast destructive capabilities. Green or Ecological magic is in fact one of the most popular forms of witchcraft today. (Nope. Can't have any tree-huggin' environmentalism in games, can we? Let's hope this nerd never finds out about Werewolf: the Apocalypse. - Wolfie) Red Magic is the destructive magic of earth, fire, chaos and war. Chaotic magic is practiced by many today. There are Internet sights devoted solely to this diabolical from of magic. White Magic is used for protection, healing injuries and chivalrous war. Wiccans claim to practice only this "good" kind of magic. I know that is not true. I have copies of curses that "good witches" have spit out against Christians. ("May thou think for thyself." - Wolfie) And let me remind you that occult magic in any form is derived from Satan and his diabolical horde. Likely there are those who will protest, What's the big deal? It's only a game! Listen, games are powerful tools for capturing the minds of children. (CHILDREN? I don't know any pre-adolescents who play. My kids are too restless for me to try to teach them. - Wolfie) Games point the thinking of those who play them in a definite direction and if that direction is not a wholesome direction, there can be problems. Listen to who is playing the game and what it is doing to them -- The Addictive Nature of The Game "Magic addicts range from kindergartners to middle-aged professionals -- the game's a favorite pastime for Microsoft employees. (Microsoft .. oh, well, that right there makes it evil. Yeesh. - Wolfie) They also include a substantial number of female players in addition to the 'teenage', white male boys" Renee Shallis of Wizards of the Coast. 4 (Oh, my. Can't have wimminz frittering away their time with card games, when they should be at home cooking, spinning, weaving and breeding. Gah. - Wolfie) "Originally targeted to males in their teens and early 20s, Magic now has younger children playing ..." "After the printing of Fallen Empires, there exists over 1,000 cards, and no one can claim to own all of them. Many of the veteran addicts are familiar with each and every one and can recite their name, abilities, casting costs, and color with no reference to aid them;" 1/5 (No different, in my mind, from some sports nut who spends every weekend in front of the boob tube, and can recite the stats of every professional baseball player to have ever taken the field. - Wolfie) "The game has literally captured the imaginations of thousands and taken on a life of its own." 1/3 That is a major problem. (It's only a problem to those of us who play, and sink tons of dough into buying more cards in hopes of winning at least ONE damn game. - Wolfie) When anyone becomes preoccupied with thoughts that are an abomination to the Lord God Almighty there is going to be trouble. According to 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 we must reject thoughts that are contrary to God's word, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. If a person refuses to do that Romans 1:21 reveals the consequences -- Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. A darkened heart is serious business! (Yeah, and such card playing could lead to DANCING!! - Wolfie) Let me issue a solemn warning to parents, Magic: The Gathering is dangerous because it conditions the minds of the players to be receptive to the occult and violence and those who really get into it become addicted. It becomes the focus of their lives. (Playing a card is violent? I've never hit anyone with a card in my life! - Wolfie) There is one final issue I want to deal with. That is -- The Identification of Players With Evil Characters Many of those who play Magic cards identify mentally with the Sorcerer they choose to play. That is dangerous. Consider these quotes -- "Part of the game's appeal comes from 'the ability to develop a character -- you get to be somebody else,' says Garfield...In Magic the deck you put together reflects your character -- your persona." 4 (Frankly, you don't create a character, at least not in the sense of role-playing games. You're you. You plays your cards. That's it. You don't have to "be" someone else, no more than playing Old Maid makes the loser play the part of an old maid. - Wolfie) "...Magic is closer to role playing than any other card or board game I know of." 2/17 (Well, no shit. It's CLOSER, but it ain't quite the same thing. And it isn't the only one; until recently, White Wolf published it's OWN card games, based on their RPGs - a Vampire card game, Rage, and Arcadia: the Wyld Hunt. There is also a Monty Python card game for sale, along with, oh, dozens of others based on popular Sci-Fi. All have basically the same concept behind them; Magic's difference is that it's fantasy-based, rather than sci-fi or RPG based. - Wolfie) The best thing you can do, in my opinion, with Magic: The Gathering is to follow Acts 19:19-20 Many of them also which used curious arts (occult materials) brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. (Oh, here the dutiful Christian is advocating burning Magic cards. Lovely. And they say they don't burn books and things any more. - Wolfie) Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Postscript -- Other fantasy card games & POGS (Yes, folks - POGS. You know, those funky little "milk caps"? - Wolfie) Because Magic cards "struck gold" there are now more than a dozen new fantasy card games that have been introduced. Many of them add another element you need to be warned of, that is SENSUALITY. (ROFL! I myself am rather prudish; yet I fail to find anything "sensual" in, say, the Grandmother Sengir card and the like. - Wolfie) In my opinion women are portrayed in pornographic or near pornographic fashion. In fact, as I ready this research report for the printer, I talked to a New York attorney, who is researching Magic cards. She has nearly 1000 of them. She told me that there are definitely cards that are sensual and portray women in pornographic poses. Other fantasy card games include -- SPELLFIRE™, GUARDIANS™, HIGHLANDER™, WYVERN™, VAMPIRE™, BloodWars™, SHADOWFIST™, HYBORIAN GATES, RAGE COMBAT, (And Rage has some of the worst artwork there is, thanks to SCAR Studios. Not in terms of "porno" - it's just that the two folks comprising SCAR draw horribly, and they have no talent. - Wolfie) TOWERS IN TIME™, On the Edge/ARCANA, EVERWAY™ just to name the ones that I have researched. I should say a few words about Pogs (also called milk caps). I am concerned about pogs for the following reasons. First, many of them have occult symbols on them. Some of them have drawings of pagan gods and goddesses. Many are death oriented, containing drawings of skulls, skeletons, etc. I have seen some that are sensual. Others have shamanistic figures on them or witches. But, there are many that have sports figures on them or even Hollywood stars. Even if your child collects only the good pogs, if he trades them with others, he ill be exposed to the bad ones. Do you want that exposure? Second, The QVC home shopping channel announcer made the following announcement attributing it to an organization called the Pog World Federation -- Every stack of pogs has its own aura. You concentrate on your ch'i. That is alarming because auras are rooted in Hindu beliefs and the ch'i is rooted in Taoism. Both have occult implications. Basically they are saying pogs have their own energy or life force and so do the players. To win you need to connect the two. (To _win_? I had no idea that there was winning or losing involved in collecting POGS. - Wolfie) That is the occult doctrine of pantheism. Finally, there is the element of gambling that concerns me. Do you want your child playing pogs "for keeps" as we used to say in marbles? I do not believe gambling glorifies God. (I suppose this guy never played marbles as a kid - probably because he lost all his long ago. - Wolfie) _________________________________________________________________ REFERENCE MATERIAL USED 1. Mastering Magic Cards; George H. Baxter & Larry W. Smith, Ph.D.; Wordware Publishing, Inc., Plano, Texas. 2. The Magic The Gathering -- Pocket Players' Guide; Wizards of the Coast, Renton, Washington. 3. Success of fantasy sci-fi card game is magical; by Georgia Pabst; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 6, 1995. 4. Under the Spell of 'Magic' by Aimee Miller; Washington Post; 7-27-94. 5. Magic: The Gathering -- Deckmaster's Instruction book that comes with the cards. A notation on my footnote numbering system: When you see numbers like 2/17, the first number represents the reference material used and the second number indicates the page number. _________________________________________________________________ Information on how to get a 4 color copy of this report is available from -- Logos Communication Consortium, Inc. P.O. Box 173, Oak Creek, WI 53154 E-Mail -- dlbrown@execpc.com <-------------------------------------------------------------------- ------> The next thing that we'll heard is that playing Battletech leads to selling your soul to Lucifer...:~) D. Rodriguez (again) "HEY! No step on flowers, stupid ape!" -Moonspinner lupus Fianna Galliard Keeper of the Land, High Park Sept, Toronto <---------------------------------------------------------------------------> This is the second anti-gaming piece that I will type in for the Net's general amusement. This one is older than I originally thought, being from the year 1980. This one is somewhat well argued and reasoned but possesses all the typical anti-gaming material (after awhile you will begin to see the resemblances between these articles). It is not as bad as the next article will be for being emotionally charged. DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS LECTURE (16 September 1980) by the Rev. James R Cotter Before we enter into tonight's discussion, I would like to begin with a word of Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, as we are gathered here this evening, we ask that you send your Spirit to us so that we may fully understand the rich life that you intend us to lead. Amen. (Nice. I guess he needed to start with a prayer so as to protect him from the "evil" of what he's about to discuss. - Wolfie) I am not going to stand before you today and tell you that I don't think you should play this game, Dungeons and Dragons. That would be as foolish as walking into a bull fighting arena filled with bulls and wearing bright, charasmatic red suit. I do intend to point out what responsibilities you as Christians have in respect to this game. I have never played this game, (That much is obvious. - Wolfie) nor do I feel that I will ever be able to play this game. (Not imaginative enough, I presume. -Wolfie) My remarks are based on what the inventor of this game has to say about it, my exposure to youth playing this game, my experience at a Dragons Game Fest, and a hodgepodge of other material that has been written about this game. To ensure accuracy, I will generally limit my remarks to what is written in these three manuals: _Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook, Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual, and the Dungeon Masters Manual. THE GAME: Dungeons and Dragons, D&D, began as a spinoff of war games. IN the late 1950's, and 60's, companies like Avalon Hlill and Simulations Publications Inc. began marketing Gettysburg and Bismark games tht duplicate actual battle situations in which the players can alter the outcome. In 1973, Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax began experimenting with a new format for war games. Instead of the actual historical campaigns, they added a new twist -- fantasy. (And the concept of character, and character development. The use of mechanics by which a character can improve its stats was the key innovation. Rather than just directing battles, you got to control and decide the personality of the character and define what s/he would do. This is where "roleplaying" comes in, as opposed to simple wargaming. -Wolfie) With $1000 dollars and a basement, these two men started production of this game. Initially they were turned down but later on in 1975 (after sales to colleges) they incorporated and became known as TSR (Tactical Studies Rules). Somewhere in this time frame, Brian Blume entered into the corporation and Arneson left. It is estimated that D&D will gross $20 million this year. Next year, that figure is expected to triple for this Lake Geneva, Wisconsin based company. (My, my, this is an old article. I recently heard that T$R went into receivership, probably due to waning popularity of AD&D through competition by better RPGs. - Wolfie) Dungeons and Dragons is an elaborate game in which each player assumes that identity of the character he creates. His creature is based on chance rolls of the dice. (Or by assignment through point pools. I've used this optional system before, and certain other games also use the point pool system as their primary - or only - method of character creation. That way, you have control over what you want your character to be. - Wolfie) The object of this game is to maneuver these characters through an ongoing maze of dungeons (tunnels) filled with monsters, magic, ambushes, and adventures in search of treasure. (Uh-huh. Which is why games by other companies are now more popular; you can do more than simply run around and kill things. - Wolfie) The game is designed to be played by two or more players, 12 years old and up, plus a Dungeon Master. The Dungeon Master is also in charge of the game. (DM is a trademark of T$R; other games use either Game Master (GM) or Storyteller (ST) to denote the person running the game. To those fundies reading this - no, the GM does NOT "control" you; all s/he does is set the background and decides what will happen when, if a character does this or that. It's up to the players to decide what to do about any given situation; run, fight, talk, whatever. - Wolfie) After the characters are established, each person arms himself with magical weapons, potions, spells, and magical trinkets (holy water, garlic, etc.). As you travel through the dungeon, you encounter many traps and wild creatures (monsters). Your only means of defense is the magical powers which you bought and rolled the dice for at the beginning of the game, and the magical powers and strengths of those who are traveling with you. (Common amongst all the systems I've seen and played. However, even in AD&D, you also have more mundane weapons at your disposal. - Wolfie) DIRECTIONS: The following are what I see as direct violations of God's Holy Word, and are several reasons why Christians cannot play the game. 1: SWORDS & SORCERY -- "Swords and sorcery best describe what this game ia all about...so mind unleashing, that it becomes near reality." Page 7 of the D&D Handbook. A. Ref. "mind unleashing": Scripture expressly states that Christians are to be constantly incontrol of their thoughts, of one mind with Christ, not one that is unleashed. (Of course not. Then they might start thinking for themselves and no longer be under the control of their church masters. - Wolfie) 1. Romans 12:2--"Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 2. II Corinthians 11:3--"But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (Right. Can't have anything else turn one's thoughts from the needs of the church. - Wolfie) 3. Philippians 4:7--"And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." 4. Proverbs 23:7--"For as he thinks within himself so he is." Over 2 700 years ago, the writer of Proverbs stated that a person is exactly as his mind lets himself think he is. The point is: what you think about determines who you are. Thoughts lead to attitudes and attitudes lead to actions. (Probably the origin of the fundy belief that gamers actually believe what they play. Unforutnately for them, the only people who believe every stupid thing they're handed from their masters are fundies. - Wolfie) T&A+ACTION is the sequence. And 750 years later, Paul, under God's inspiration wrote "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the _renewing of the mind_." Because of our new birth in Christ, we are to no longer follow the unleashed thoughts of the mind, to return is now even worse. Philippians 2:1-3--"So if these is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive to live, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves." B: Ref. "swords and sorcery": The terms "swords and sorcery" bear some defining. Sword refers to the power that you will wield in this game and sorcery refers to the use of spells and the occult. God's Word is very plain with respect to sorcery. (And again, the tale of King Arthur as told by Malory falls into this category. In fact, I can see a lot of commonality between this story and AD&D. - Wolfie) Isaiah 57:1-4--"But the righteous person...he will come through safely...But you come here, you sorcerers....Aren't you children of rebellion?" Malachi 3:5--"Then I will come to judge you and you will be quick to testify against sorcerers....says the Lord of Host." Acts 8:9-25--Tells the story of Simon, who was a practicing wizard. He accepts the Lord and travels with the apostles, but when he sees the miracles being done, he offers to buy them. Peter tells him that he is so engaged with witchcraft that he can't really see these things are from God. Peter tells Simon to repent and ask forgiveness. Even though Simon believed in Christ, it was still difficult to cast off some of his old thoughts and experiences. Once one starts dabbling, it's even harder to let go. Revelation 22:14-16a--"Blessed are they that do His commandments, that thy may have right of the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city, (Heaven) for without (in Hell) are dogs and sorcerors, and whoremongers and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a life. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things." Deuteronomy 18:9-14--"When you come into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of these nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination, a soothsayer,or an augur, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord; and because of these abominable practices the Lord your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, give heed to soothsayers and to diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you so to do." II GODS "This games lets all of your fantasies come true. This is a world where monsters, dragons, good and evil; high priests; fierce demons; and even the gods themselves may enter your character's life." Page 7 of D&D Handbook. (I think the bitch here is that AD&D gods do more in their game setting than YHWH has ever done. One god in the Forgotten Realms scenario, Ilmater, is listed as being the "god of the tortured" and his background states that he is prone to taking the place of innocents being subjected to torture. I played a cleric, Pelorus, who was loyal to this diety. And no, you stupid fundies, _I_ don't "believe in" Ilmater. - Wolfie) A Ref. term "gods": Exodus 20:2-5a---"I the Lord am your God, who brought you out of Egypt, where you were slaves. Do not have any other gods beside me. Do not make an idol for yourself or any likeness of anything in heaven above, on the earth below, or in the water below ground level. Do not worship or serve them, because I the Lord your God am a jealous God." Notice what is a violation of the first commandment: a. When we believe in a god, not of a triune type. b. When we fear, love, or trust in any person or thing as we should fear, love and trust god. There is not exception or allowance in gods for the sake of game enjoyment. Jeremiah 7:5-8--"No, if you will really live right and do good, if you will treat one another right, if you will not oppress strangers, orphans, widows, or kill innocent people in this place, or ruin yourselves by running after other gods, then I will live with you in this place, in the land I long ago gave your fathers to be theirs forever. But now you trust in lies that can't help you." B. In other sections the gods are referred to as "deity". 1 "It is well known to all experienced players...spells bestowed upon them by their respective deities." Page 38 Dungeon Master Handbook. (Of course, this only applies to the Cleric class. It wouldn't make much sense to play a Cleric without having him/her follow a diety of some sort, now would it? Other character classes don't need to profess any beliefs at all. - Wolfie) 2 "Each cleric must have his or her own deity..." Page 38 Dungeon Master Handbook. (No shit. - Wolfie) 3 "THe deity (you the DM 'Dungion Master') will point out all of the transgressions..." Page 39 Dungeon Master Handbook. (Roleplaying again. If you're not going to obey whatever it is some god wants you to do, then don't play a cleric. - Wolfie) There can be no doubt that this is a blatant violation of the First Commandment. (Oh, please. Like players go home and start to open up shrines to AD&D gods. - Wolfie) III MAGICAL POTIONS AND SPELLS "A study of the spells usable by clerics will convey the main purpose of the cleric...note that all spells must be spoken or read aloud...clerics can employ a fair number of magic items including most potions, clerical and "protection" scrolls, most rings, some wands, rods, and staves....." page 20 D&D Players Hand Book. "Magic users draw upon arcane powers in order to exercise their profession...He or she must memorize and prepare for the use of each spell, and its casting makes it necessary to reabsorb the incantation by consulting the proper book of spells..." page 25 D&D Players Handbook. A. Ref. Use of "Magic and Spells": Scripture is quite clear that the use of magic and spells is forbidden. It is looked upon by God as an "Abomination" and must not be done by the Christian, even in a game. (This guy sounds like he believes that AD&D magic is "real". - Wolfie) Isaiah 47:9-15--"These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments. You felt secure in your wickedness, you said, "No one sees me"; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me." But evil shall come upon you, for which you cannot atone; disaster shall fall upon you, which you will not be able to expiate; and ruin sahll some on you suddenly, of which you know nothing. Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have laboured from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed, perhaps you may inspire terror; you are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divid the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons predict what shall befall you. Behold, they are like stubble, the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before! Such to you are those with whom you have laboured, who have trafficked with you from your youth; they wander about each in his own direction; there is no one to save you." Psalms 106: 34-39a---"They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them, but they mingled with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters; whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canann; and the land was polluted with blood. THus they became unclean by their acts. Ref. "Magic Items": The secion I quoted only mention a few of the magical items that are used. Others that are need are: Holy/Unholy water, garlic and wolves bane. All of these are part of the ancient witchcraft practices of the early civilization, as well as when Jesus walked the earth. (I think Excalibur counts as a rather nifty "magic item". - Wolfie) Again these are forbidden by the Lord. Isaiah 3:18-23--"In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents, the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarfs, the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the prefume boxes, and the amulets; the signet rigns and nose rings; the festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags, the garments of gauze, the linen garments, the turbans, and the veils." C. Ref. "spell books": Today you can enter any hobby store and purchase books on spell casting. One book written by philip Emmons Isaac Bonewits, the only person to have a B.A. from University of California in magic, _Authentic Thaumaturgy-A Professional Occultist on Improving the Realism Of magic Systems used in Fantasy STimulation Games._ D&D books themselves contain spells ranging from blessings ("to increase the strength of an individual"0, to augury (divination-"spell seeks to divine whether an action in the immediate future will be for the benefit of or harmful to the party"), to commune (contacting of his or her divinity), to speak with the dead necromantic), to raising from the dead as well as the Resurrection (which is a spell that is able to restore life and complete strength to the person). All of these spells are found on pages 43-53 of D&D Players Guide. Leviticus 19:26a---" You shall not practice augury or witchcraft." (Again, this bonehead sounds like he believes that people really cast spells while playing. Whatta maroon. All you do is say that your character wants to cast it; you don't have to do anything beyond that, besides roll dice and see if it works. - Wolfie) D. Ref. "words spoken": "Most spells have a verbal component and so must be uttered." page 40, D&D Players Handbood. (All that means is that you can't cast a spell with a verbal component in a place cloaked with a Silence 10' Radius spell, or if you're struck dumb somehow. Similarly, you can't cast a spell with a material component if your character doesn't have whatever material it is that's listed along with the spell. YOU don't have to have anything. - Wolfie) Ephesians 5:6--"Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it si because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." If you believe it is just a game, then to use the owrds would be foolish and not to be done. (What words? The closest I've ever seen to a spell having actual words go with it, was a joking suggestion by a friend that, since the Sleep spell was only really good against Kobolds, that the wording should be "Sleep, Kobold, sleep." - Wolfie) E. Ref. "Draw upon arcane powers": "Cleric spells, including the druidic, are bestowed by the gods....". Pg. 40 D&D Players Handbook. The books themselves openly admit that the source and origin of the power is not from God but from something/somewhere else. (WHAT power? - Wolfie) II Thessalonians 2:9-10---"The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretend signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." Satan has these types of powers and uses them to keep people from knowing the truth. To know the truth is to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour and to spend time studying his word. To live a life that totally trusts on Him for all that you need. A real problem for the Christian is that in requestion spells, or recuperating from a spell, you are to pray and meditate. Realize who you are praying to. (What praying? What power? Yeesh. - Wolfie) F. Ref. "prayer": "Clerical spells...are bestowed by the gods, so that the cleric need but pray for a few hours...." pg. 40 D&D Players Handbook. "CLeric desires third through fifth level spells, the minions (angels, demigods, or whatever) will be likely to require the cleric to spend some 2 to 8 days in prayer, fasting, and contemplation of his or her transgressions, making whatever sacrifices and atonement are necessary..." pg. 38 Dungeon Master. "Spell recovery..requires about the same period of time. In order to pray and meditate..." Pg. 39 Dungeon Master. As Christians, we are commanded to pray. We are to "pray without ceasing" (I Thess. 5:17), but we are to pray as Jesus taught us. We are to pray only to God our Father, and ask for things in His name and according to His will. Revelation 19:10--"Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "you must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethern who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God."" (Again, this guy is out in the ozone. All you do is say your character would like to pray before beddy-bye time, and if it's possible, he does. You don't have to indicate anything beyond that. - Wolfie) Psalms 19:14---"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." Matthew 6:7--"And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many word." Matthew 21:22--"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." Romans 10:1--"Brethern, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." Job 22:27--"you will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you; and you will pay your vows." Ephesians 6:18--"Pray at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and suplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." Spells and everything there connected are not for the Christian. May say it is make believe and just fun and nothing will happen. When dealing with a force stronger than you, Satan, you will have no guarantees except God. I have talked to many people who are junkies, not one started off with the idea of ending up a junky--all thought it would not happen to them--they were different. They all underestimated the power of the drug. (*Snort*. No worse a "drug" than the bible. And certainly better than sitting around watching daytime soaps in the ol' doublewide all day. - Wolfie) G. Ref. "Conjure earth elementals" pg. 44 Dungeon Master There is a satanic worship group that meets in Santa Barbara, and part of their activities is to conjure up earth elementals. They do this by praying and by using spells and "magical items". I Samuel expressly forbids this type of action. The account of the witch of Endor (I Samuel 28:7-20) states that any relationship of this nature is action unbecoming to a child of God. IV Death "The character faces death in many forms. The most common death due to combat, is no greater matter in most cases, for the character can often be brought back by means of a clerical spell or an alter reality or wish." pg. 15 Dungeon Master. (No kidding. The prospect of losing a character that one worked hard to develop simply adds a bit of "risk" into a game. If you don't want a character to die, don't make stupid decisions. - Wolfie) A. Ref. "Resurrection": As stated in the section on spells, there are individuals who have "power" to raise from the dead. (Yeah; but they have to be really high level characters in order to get the spell. - Wolfie) Death--with its sting and fear are of no consequence because it can be overcome without much difficulty. Resurrection is referred to as "the revival of a character after its death, by magical means". pg. 229 Dungeon Master. When referring to resurrection, the book mentions "ring of regeneration", "rod of resurrection", and spells of "resurrection." The players are also free to by the life of an individual by paying the Dungeon Master. (Gee, no one's paid me yet to save their sorry hides. I think he's confused here; it isn't the GM you pay actual money to; most high-level clerics in the AD&D world demand payment for spells, and the higher the spell level, the higher the price. After all, a cleric can only have so many spells per day ready-to-use. And the character pays out of his imaginary money pool to get healed by non-player characters (NPCs, run by the GM). If the character and/or his fictional friends doesn't have enough gold, and there isn't a character in the party with the requisite spell who is willing to resurrect for free, the character dies. Period. - Wolfie) Genesis 3:4-6--"But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die. For God Knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate." In a close examination of this passage, Satan tells Eve that there is no such thing as death, that it was nothing more than a 'scare tactic' used by God to keep them from eating from this tree. A common tactic of Satan is to deny death. Galatians 4 and Colossians 2 caution us not to be take in by the spirits and their vain arguements. Think of a young man, who runs into a flaming house and rescues two children. As he attempts to rescue the thrid, the house collapses and he dies. Do we look down at what he did and mock it; of course not. Yet Christ died that we might live, and be raised from the dead. Here is a game that mocks it and makes light of His death. It attempts to poke fun at God's plan of salvation. (Oh, give me a break. - Wolfie) How do you suppose Christ feels? (Dead on his feet? - Wolfie) There was a reformation that began with disputes of this nature, and yet we toy with it. Read I Corinthians 15 and rediscover what the resurrection of Christ really means and why it should be honoured. RIGHTEOUS LIVING Is it all right for me to play a sexual fantasy game? No, because it is not pleasing to God. (Yeah. He hates to see people having fun and using their imaginations. - Wolfie) Is it all right for me to play a game which is satanic and has many roots in the occult? No, because it is not pleasing to God. We are commanded to live a righteous life. (Again, because the big sky daddy hates to see people having fun and exercising their brains - thinking and imagining is, of course, evil and rooted in the occult, isn't it? - Wolfie) Matthew 5:48--"You, therefore, must be perfect, as you heavenly Father is perfect." (How hubristic. - Wolfie) I Timothy 6:3-5--"If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus and the teaching which accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit, he knows nothing; he has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words, which produce, envy, dissension, slander, bae suspicions, and wrangling among men who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain." Deuteronomy 18:9-14--"When you come into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord; and because of these abominable practices the Lord your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, give heed to soothsayer and to diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you so to do." Deuteronomy 7:26--"And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house, and become accursed like it; you shall utterly detest and abhor it; for it is an accursed thing." Matthew 22:37--"and he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." Galatians 5:19-23--"Now the works of the flesh are plain: immortality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, durnkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such there is no law." Here are quotes that people have made about D&D: a) "It's a chance to sit in the dark, drink beer, and act wicked." (Heh. Teenyboppers. - Wolfie) b) "D&D is an alternate reality where you can release your frustrations, kill someone, and not get into trouble." (Well, of course. No "killing" is really going on, and it's usually the "good guys" killing the "bad guys". Unless, of course, the player wants his character to do something dumb, and gets whomped. - Wolfie) c) "It's a chance to create your own world...and a social hierarchy populated with people and monsters." (Ooo. Can't have that, now, can we? Ooo. - Wolfie) d) "Advanced D&D in unquestionably 'humanocentric' with semi-humans and humanoids in various orbits around the sun of humanity. Men are the worst monsters...the 3D's of demi-gods, demons, and devils are enough to strike fear into most characters, leat alone when the very gods themselvse are brought into considertion." (Yeah, the one thing I find boring about AD&D; all the player character races are too human. I prefer games in which you get to play characters with a much more different viewpoint. - Wolfie) There seems to be an inherent contradiction in the lives that we as Christians profess, in which we indulge our fantasy while playing D&D. It is extremely difficult to understand why anyone who has been born again and is livnig in Christ would want to portray Satan or be active in the things that he does. (I challenge any fundy to give concrete evidence that Satan is behind ANY RPG. And simple dislike of T$R as a company doesn't count. - Wolfie) Conclusion I Peter 5:8--"Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." A warning from Peter telling us to be on the alert for a "roaring lion," but at times Satan disguises himself and becomes a cute cuddly kitten. That's what he had done in the game Dungeons and Dragons. Paul recognizes this in his letter to the Ephesians. (ROFL! - Wolfie) Ephesians 6:10-13--"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.: Stand Firm in God's Word. Take your lead from it and use it as your source of wisdom. To the Glory Of God. Dungeons and Dragons: Only a Game ? published by Pro-Family Forum, PO BOX 8907 Fort WOrth Texas 76124 ((817)531-3605). What is Wrong with Role-Playing or Fantasizing? Some mistakenly believe that role-playing is merely acting out a character. Much more is involved. Psycho-drama techniques (the root of role-playing) were introduced in the early 1900's by Dr. Jacob L. Moreno, contemporary of Freud. He said his objective was to develop a "positive religion." His idea was that if you can "play a role" -- for instance, the role of God -- and develop that role and stop its playing at will, you will gegin to learn how not to be possessed by that role. He said: "The only way to get rid of the God syndrome is to act it out." What is the "positive religion" that Moreno envisioned? The religion that man is all-powerful, capable of answering all questions and solving all problems apart from any Supernatural Being --more popularly known as Humanism. Read his statement again. Then consider its application to D&D and other FRP "games." A principle laid down long ago by God is: "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). We _are_ what we _think_. It is ridiculous to believe that people, young or old, can absorb their minds with violence, murder, human sacrifice, suicide, demonology, rape, desecration, defecation, sadism, cannibalism, sex perversion, insanity, prostitution, necromantics, Satan worship, witchcraft, and every other form of perverted and violent conduct without being intensely - and perhaps permanently - affected adversely. We ARE what we THINK! (Again, only fundies are dumb enough to be unable to distinguish fantasy from reality. - Wolfie) Young person, if you want to be successful, productive, well-adjusted, and happy, then refuse to fill your wonderful mind with such garbage! Don't allow someone else to take control of your mind. (Right. Stay far, far away from churches. - Wolfie) Think too much of yourself to become a tool in the hands of those whose interest is to get your money and destroy your faith in God. (In other words, don't use your imagination. The only one who should control your mind is the church masters, not you. - Wolfie) TESTEMONY OF NEGATIVE EFFECTS John Torell, with Christian Life Ministries in California, received a phone call from a medical doctor in Seatle, Washington. The doctor is treating a policeman for severe depression caused by the suicide of his 16 year old son. The son, who had been heavily involved in D&D for two years, shot himself with his father's service revolver. (And, as Abe Dashiell notes in the FAQ on his web page, "BJ Zanzibar's World of Darkness", the Son of Sam blamed his DOG for what he did. - Wolfie) Some have argued that D&D is a healthy release of suppressed hostilities. But seeing the power that can be seized in games, psychiatrist Laurance Johnson cautions, "If I ever had a child who tended towards schizophrenia, I'd never let him near D&D. There's a danger that it would reinforce feelings of grandiosity, of omnipotence. Reality and fantasy are hard enough for schizophrenics to differentiate." (The same can be said about exposing the already-disturbed to television shows and movies. - Wolfie) This reality distortion is frightening. A city police department in central Washington asks, "Are you a participant in Fantasy Role Games?" as a standard question.....two people convicted of firing over three rounds into passing motor vehicles admitted that they "Constantly fantasized killing someone." Other police departments have confirmed "Some correlation" between Fantasy Role Playing Games and incidents showing up on their police blotter. (The disturbed fantasising about killing people, and gamers sitting around a table deciding whether or not to beat up on a Red Dragon are two vastly different things. It's a shame that people are too stupid to see the difference. - Wolfie) Many people have been innocently drawn into FRP games. However, enough information is now available to reveal their true nature and real danger - so there's no need for wise and alert people to be further duped. Even some Christians try to defend D&D and other FRP "games." In this futile attempt, one said: "But the game is helpful because it shows the difference between good and evil characters." To this a brilliant young player replied: "Not so. Nearly everybody would rather play evil characters because they are much more powerful." (Not really. Anyone who says this obviously has no clue. Whether you play an evil character or a good one, in ANY game, you're just as likely to get thwomped no matter what. And I precluded a guy from playing in my Werewolf game, because he said he wanted to be one of the "bad guys"; I told him he'd last a full 2 seconds once the other player characters discovered what he was, which wouldn't take very long in the first place. Worse, the players I do have have been known to mow through a large number of baddies with little effort; I've had to resort to sneakiness to make such encounteres more challenging for them, and it isn't even combat-oriented, the way I'm running it. Most of the challenge lies in having them try to unravel mysteries. - Wolfie) In light of the quotes from their own literature, it would be wise to consider: Does this "game" promote respect for sancity of life? Or does it rather serve as basic training in brutality and disregard for life (such as exemplified in the incredible massacres of recent years)? Does it increase, or decrease, a player's faith in God and His Word. Does it trivialize, even blaspheme, Christianity? In summary: Does its over-all influence tend to build up or tear down character? (Oh, geez. - Wolfie) Egads, some people do really believe this stuff. But not me. Gary gvanlin1@mach1.wlu.ca Me, neither. --Wolfie Unrepentant Gamer Storyteller for Werewolf: the Apocalypse "HEY! No step on flowers, stupid ape!" -Moonspinner lupus Fianna Galliard Keeper of the Land, High Park Sept, Toronto