The religious nuts are getting crazier...

[Set]

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2006/5/29/195855/959

Is it any wonder I'm so wary of all the bible thumpers?

[Terastas]

Wow. That's just plain evil.

I'd say "I'll try it just for antichrist mode," but then it dawned on me: He put that there so his critics would buy it too. He's double-evil!

[Anubis]

those kinds of people NEED to be whipped from the face of the earth. They are way too dangerous. They have their heads up soooooo far up their asses, they forget the simplest and most important teachings that Christianity provides. They forget to respect every one else's faiths, and the decision to join a religion should be a choice of their free will, and in some cases it a join us and be saved or die and go in the fire pits of hell!! These people are scary because they would do ANY thing, that in their minds is doing their god(s) work. Alqueda is a perfect example, they are not evil they are just very extreme religious fanatics.

And this game is just one man's attempt to get some religious BS out and try to do the same thing that they are doing in the game! And people like this are making the world fall apart, and they might be the end of us all. Because some bung hole blew up the planet so he can baptize the planet by fire... literally!

[Terastas]

Actually, I'd argue that these guys are worse than Al-Qaeda. Osama and all those under him are insane beyond reason, but are still doing the right thing as far as they themselves are concerned.

Rick Warren, on the other hand, is a businessman. He and the rest of his ilk only support such militant views when they are the ones at the top. Their only real concern is wether or not their "followers" are paying 10% of their income.

The whole armageddonist platform is just to ensure that they don't get their salvation from other "spiritual advisors."

[Scott Gardener]

It is not that they are any better or worse than Al-Qaeda. Rather, they ARE Al-Qaeda, just repackaged under the pretense of being something else. Once you strip away the specific imagery of Christ or Mohammed, they're both exactly the same. Given the same resources, they would both condemn humanity to remain trapped in the mind-set of the Dark Ages.



If you're not familiar already with the concept, I invite any of you to do a search on the word "meme." A meme is basically an idea or notion, but described in a way analogous to DNA. It's information that replecates itself and propagates through the medium of shared human consciousness.

Militant fundamentalism, be it Christian, Muslim, or even among my own fellow Pagans, is basically a virus. It infects host people and urge them to infect or destroy others.

[PariahPoet]

Purpose-Driven Life is a cult and does not represent what Christianity is meant to be. It frightens me that so many churches have jumped on the bandwagon with this. That is one of the reasons that I don't go to church or the Baptist student center on campus anymore. I do not wish to have any part in this.

[Darum]

This game immerses children in present-day New York City -- 500 square blocks, stretching from Wall Street to Chinatown, Greenwich Village, the United Nations headquarters, and Harlem. The game rewards children for how effectively they role play the killing of those who resist becoming a born again Christian. The game also offers players the opportunity to switch sides and fight for the army of the AntiChrist, releasing cloven-hoofed demons who feast on conservative Christians and their panicked proselytes (who taste a lot like Christian).

Interesting. Though, there's no way I'm going to get it if there are only two factions. I mean, what if I decide I want to play as the good guys?

[PariahPoet]

Well-said.

[vrikasatma]

<b>It gets worse, guys.</b>

The Christian Right wants to call another Constitutional Convention. If you paid attention in American History, that basically boils down to...bringing the Constitution up for revision and editing.

They want to do it specifically to write an amendment that bans same-sex marriage, but with the whole Bill of Rights on the slab, I SERIOUSLY doubt they'd stop there, and of course the special interests will want their slice of the pie. Can you imagine the Constitution rewritten with today's political zeitgeist? Say goodbye to gun ownership (which means the crime rate will climb exponentially, especially in NYC and Los Angeles), say goodbye to separation of church and state, say hello to rampant censorship, discrimination, possibly even slavery. The Bible condones slavery.

In light of that, I'm thinking this ain't just a game. It could happen for real.

Who's for a roadtrip to Varanasi?

[PariahPoet]

Ok guys, it's not all Christians. Some of us are decent.

[vrikasatma]

No, most of the Christians I know are cool, but it only takes one bastard with an "I'm right, you suck" attitude to do a lot of damage.

Let's just say that with Left Behind, Battle Cry, this game and a possible paper revolution in this country's foreseeable future, I'm giving some mildly serious thought to moving to Bhutan, where it's illegal to import Bibles. You can't hunt either, but heck, I can go up to Mongolia for that...

[PariahPoet]

Yeah, unfortunately, it's always the nutcases who are most vocal and get the most attention. I'm more of the live and let live mentality.

[Stone Wolf]

WHAT.... THE.... F$)%?! *eye twitches* Sadly... I know a lot of people who are going to buy this game.... and I'm going to tell you right now.. that those people are seriously messed up in the head... I'm also ashamed to say that I went to church with these people before I couldn't stand it anymore and stopped going..

[Machine-Whisperer]

those kinds of people NEED to be whipped from the face of the earth. They are way too dangerous.

One must remember that intolerence can't be solved with more intolerence.
Let those people think what they want, react only when reacted upon.

[Renorei]

Pfffft...overreacting again. It's just a game, guys. The real issue is, in my opinion, the fact that yet another game has been created in which you can kill people. Video game violence is a terrible thing, IMO. However, I don't think the uproar over this game has any reason to be greater than that of say...Grand Theft Auto, or any other game in which you can kill (fictional, obviously) people. After all, the reason for killing in both of those games (and also in nearly all games, for that matter) isn't really substantially better or worse than each other (i.e. steal someone else's hard earned money and car, then kill them, just because you're too damn lazy to work yourself, or kill an infidel because they don't share your religious beliefs? Both sound about equally awful to me, and neither of them in the least bit ok).

Sure, this game might have some sort of agenda behind it...but do you honestly think any of the gamers who play it will be that easily swayed to become religious zealots? I think not. More than likely, it will just be played for the gameplay value.

Also, the comparison between these guys and Al-Quada is an enormous stretch...since these people haven't actually killed any real people, whereas, Al-Quada most definitely has. Perhaps their intention might be for newly converted gamers to do their dirty work for them in real life....but do you honestly think that stands any chance of happening?

[Set]

Perhaps their intention might be for newly converted gamers to do their dirty work for them in real life....but do you honestly think that stands any chance of happening?

The sad part is, yes, yes I do.

[vrikasatma]

Renorei — have you read that news story about the revenge-killing of six kids in New Orleans?

I've met a FEW decent twenty-somethings but in the main, the new generation are a pack of unsympathetic beasts and they've been surrounded by and/or playing video games like GTA all their lives. Battle Cry got 10,000 twentysomethings to come to a rock concert promoting their violent agenda — not in Kansas City, not in Oklahoma City, not in Columbus, but in *San Francisco.* Which is about as liberal as this country gets in terms of politics. Sure, at least a number of those kids only came out for a day in the sun, to listen to music, socialize and not buy their agenda at face value, but I'll bet they didn't leave that stadium without seed having been planted. A very intolerant, angry seed, in violence-prone, unsympathetic soil. That's how it starts: small, and it grows.

It's all very well and good to play the "over-reacting" card but only a fool wouldn't go on yellow alert when someone stands up and makes threatening gestures. You don't have to hit back...yet...but keep your eyes open and nose to the wind. The Governor of Louisiana took last weekend's slaying seriously enough to order 800 National Guardsmen into the city today.

True, the Dominionists and Apocalypterians haven't done anything or killed anybody...YET (discounting the Olympics bombing in Atlanta, the various clinic bombings and doctor assassinations). Are you really anxious to see it happen? One guy assassinated a king and precipitated WWI, two guys brought down the Federal building in Oklahoma City because of the Branch Davidian seige, two guys made a massive dent in Manhattan and destroyed a landmark for Allah and they got in the saddle with box cutters that costed $1.50 each. My point stands: it only takes one or two, maybe three people, with an attitude, an agenda, and a bellyful of poison, to make terrible history.

Okay...another point I'd like to make. I've read in a couple cases here that more reasonable Christians who DON'T buy the rhetoric, who DO live according to Jesus's message of peace, understanding and enlightenment, but were marginalized by the dominionist, radical fringe element present. I can definitely understand the sentiment, but if all the moderates cut and run, then those whackjobs will proliferate to take the place you vacated and become the voice of the religion. That's how the Jihadists hijacked Islam: the radical mullahs and their followers became the loudest voices because the moderates went, "Ew! That guy's off his rocker, I'm out of here!" and fled, leaving no-one to stand up and tell them to shut the hell up. S

Personal request: stick tight, someone's gotta face those f*** down and not let 'em think they can do whatever they please, uncountered and get away with it. Pagans like myself and Scott won't see them until they come for us with a gun in one hand and a Bible in their pocket; I'd hate to survive cancer only to die in the course of a second Burning Times.

[Scott Gardener]

It's not Christianity that bothers me; it's Fundamentalism. It's the aggressive religion that infects its believers with the notion that the religion has to be spread. When a religion behaves like a virus, instructing those infected to destroy competing belief systems, then there's a problem.

The game is not just yet another violent video game. This one specifically demonstrates the Fundamentalist Christian vision for the world. It's perhaps comparable perhaps to a video game in which you hijack planes and crash them into buildings.

[PariahPoet]

I wouldn't say fundamentalist as much as extremists or perhaps idiots. ^_^
Becuase the term fundamentalist causes some confusion. It is also used to refer to anyone who takes his/her religioun very seriously. Someone can be completely immersed in his or her religion and take the Bible as absolute truth and still listen to reason.

I mean, I may be backslidden, but I am still serious about my faith and take the Bible as my final authority, but I'm rational about it. Would I like to see people convert to my religion? Sure I would, but I'm not going to go and beat somebody over the head to try and force them to. That's not real. A person can only come to that decision on his own. My job is to tactfully make my beliefs known and to treat everyone with the respect and kindness that they deserve as a human being regardless of their religion or lifestyle.

[Scott Gardener]

Perhaps "militant extremism" is a more precise word choice then. It also helps reinforce my thesis that the extremists of Christianity are essentially the same as those who pervert Islam into a motivation for terrorism. I have met hard core Christians who are benevolent and compassionate--people who actually practice the teachings of Christianity, rather than simply plugging the belief system in what must be the greatest viral marketing campaign in human history.

[Renorei]

Meh...whatever. I think nothing significant will come of this, personally.

[PariahPoet]

Scott- Yeah, I agree wholeheartedly.

Renorei- Hopefully not. I just wish that these people wouldn't act as if they represent all of Christianity.

[Renorei]

Renorei- Hopefully not. I just wish that these people wouldn't act as if they represent all of Christianity.

True. Personally, I don't think any Christian should suggest that they are represenatives of Christianity as a whole. Even the greatest Christian on earth is horribly flawed and falls quite short of the glory of God.

As far as I'm concerned, we're all just trying to be good Christians...

[PariahPoet]

Well said. ^_^

[23Jarden]

Has anyone read that article about the "reconstructionists"? The ones who want to turn back the clock a few thousand years and kill everybody for ridiculus reasons? I'll find it as soon as I go to my firends house she has bookmarked.