Dungeons & Dragons: A Christian Perspective

I'm glad you guys like my essay.

@Unam...I too am a big WoD player.

@Greencat...HUH?!?!

Yeah.....I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't catch that one!

I have a very similar background to the OP. Raised catholic, fell away from the church as a teen/20 something, found Christ in my 30's and now am very active in my non-denom church. I have played games such as D&D since about 1980. I got a lot of grief from my step mom about it. She would come to me with articles from Jimmy Swaggart, etc about the evils of D&D. I sat her down and showed her my books, and with the exception of a few suggestive pieces of artwork, she seemed pretty bored by all the tables and charts. I offered to play a game with her to see what it was like but she refused and felt that it was not the threat that her tele-evangelists had told her it was.

Now, I treat this hobby like how other activities and practices get mentioned in the bible where some people feel it's sinful. I don't promote or talk about it around people whom I feel it would not be right to discuss with. I am involved in child ministry and the Men's group and I don't want to jeopardize my ministry work because of someone's judgementalism. I have met a few fellow Christian gamers at church, and we can chat about it all day.


The game itself is harmless. I can see how a person with a poor self esteem or disappointing life could get too wrapped up in his or her roleplaying life. I also see a lot of gamers who are so into the hobby they let their physical health and social lives suffer. But you could say the same for armchair athletes, video gamers, you name it.

__________________
Mornie utúlië (darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantië (darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now

Hello everyone,

I am a born-again christian and am currently working on my licensing for pastor-ship. I also have for years and currently play role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. I am what some people would call a fundamentalist christian who refuses to even pretend to worship other gods or respect the rituals of false religions. Naturally, when I was first introduced to D&D I felt a need to know whether or not it was, in fact, sinful or not. I was already a huge Lord of the Rings fan, but I always felt a check in my spirit about the Harry Potter series. This fact struck me and I looked around and found that alot of christians agreed with me on that issue. That's what made me realize why D&D is not sinful. In Lord of the Rings the magic that the main protagonists use is actually angelic power from the creator/God of that universe, but Harry Potter is supposed to take place in our universe, which was created by God. Witchcraft is sinful because it idolizes and worships self-power or the power of ungodly spirits instead of God. Demon worship and Satanic worship is sinful because there is a real God in this universe that deserves our worship, and commands that we not worship His enemies or His creation. Because D&D takes place in a fantasy world that is different from ours, it is actually intrinsically impossible to perform witchcraft or worship Satan in it because, in that universe, our loving creator doesn't exist. However, and this is important for all of us role-players, remember that when you put the I AM into any of your role-playing games, the entire spiritual context of the game changes, and magic is witchcraft. In such games the meaning of the word "demon" and "satan" necessarily means enemies of the Lord, and, in my opinion, role-playing worship of them in the game would be disrespectful to God and, dare I say, grieve Him.

This is what I believe about the issue. I am not perfect so naturally my opinion is not perfect either. Please study the bible carefully regarding this and pray diligently for the Lord to instruct you regarding it.

God bless you and keep you, all of you my brothers and sisters in the faith,

-Jesusdude1986

Parables and works of fiction.

By definition fiction is considered to be a fable which is itself not true. It is presented in an immersive environment which allows the flow of actions and ideas to take place in such a way that provides both entertainment and provokes thought within the reader. Even if the purpose is to only tell a good story, there is always a point of connection with which the reader can sympathize with its characters, and how these characters react within the situations presented in the story (this is inclusive of the environment, the "universe" of the story).

The Christian argument supporting works of fiction is found in the parables which Jesus taught. Many believe that the parables were not in themselves historical accounts of what actually happened in people's lives, but plausible general accounts which have a particular purpose in illustrating a particular truth.
However, none of us would consider the idea that Jesus would tell a lie, even in the expression of truth.
And so I have to ask myself, "Is fiction a valid form of communication? While it may have value as a literary device within our world, is it appropriate for Christians to use or accept a lie which is based in its foundation as being only imaginary?" Are we rejecting the truth for a lie? Are we being 'given' up to 'evil imagination'?
But then we have the "anthropological/teleological" argument for the existence of God, which in part argues that since mankind has the ability to create (art, technology, literature, really good food): This reflects the ability of the Creator who has created, and points to the reality of that Creator. In other words God has given us the ability to create (including the ability to use a day-planner) all sorts of things, including my stove and refrigerator, and/or works of literature (inclusive of role-playing).
Yet fiction begins on a simple premise. The author is basically saying, "I'm going to lie to you but I think you will enjoy it and maybe learn something from it." And the reader usually comes with a filter that says, "I know you are lying to me, yet for the present I am going to excuse that lie so I can enjoy your story, knowing that none of the story is true and not one of the characters actually exist."
Part of our nature as human beings is the psychological need to "escape", to lift ourselves outside of our mundane lives to stories of the fantastical. Our dreams when we sleep tend to have this characteristic, as part of our sleep/healing cycle (the body heals wounds quicker when we are sleeping than when we are awake). But if our dreams are fantastical should we then refuse to sleep? Should we refuse to tell stories that are not strictly historical accounts? And should we refuse to hear stories if anything within those stories are mis-representative of the exact truth?
Now some would see fiction as a way to reach out to the millions of people who read stories, with reflections and inferences to the gospel of Jesus Christ within fictional settings or environments with the idea that "the darker the world, the brighter the light" is an important motif of preparation for the gospel. We all know that puppets can't receive Christ, so how can fictional characters receive Him?
So we then approach the issue of "positive" or "wholesome" fiction; the stories that "teach" godly Christian values. Are we going to reject these stories knowing that the story itself is a form of falsehood, even though those who read may grow in their faith in reading them.
If one argues that any work of fiction is too dark, too close to the darkness, too much like what is happening in actual 'spiritual reality' is it because the person has accepted cart-blanche that 'the devil and his minions are everywhere, they're even in your soup!' Has the person then also exchanged the truth of God for a lie in thinking, "allowing" in a fictional manner, that the devil has control of (or influence over) the Christian mind, and in so doing has created a false superstition rather than knowing that God has complete control of what fallen angels are able to do.
That being said, I thank you for your concern Jesusdude1986. And I have had time to reflect on your concerns. I have to be honest that I have seen HP roleplaying as an opportunity to think and reflect outside of the "limits of my own universe", I enjoyed it, and have in no way thought in anyway that it was actually real. My desire in so doing was to move the main character (through the package his mother had given him: a Bible) to a place where he would truly stand out in his believing what it teaches. Yet, I recognize that imaginary 'magic' and its critics can lead people to think that there may be weight in the ideas (prevalent in too many Christian circles) of Christian flavoured superstition (false conceptions regarding angels, fallen or otherwise, etc.). I also recognize that there were times in the Bible when there was excessive fallen angel activity, and warning of its resurgence, and that even "benign" forms such as 'wikken' practices are gaining prevalence (earth-worship etc), and primarily that as a Christian any association with actual witchcraft thought and practice is not appropriate (I could use much stronger words), and that any false god is in no way God at all, that since any fictional work is built on a lie, and that God's truth is what truly sets us free, that I feel compelled to discontinue any more contributions to the Harry Potter RPG.

So I have a question, I am a Sixteen year old male I have been raised a Christian my whole life been to several Bible studies I have probably been through the Bible 3 times already I am well grounded in my faith but my Mom is spiritually sensitive to things like this. I know there are many ways to take demons and spells out of the mixture for instance a wizard becomes an alchemist and uses rare plants to burn things or heal people, I can think of multiple ways to take these things away without messing to much with the system of the game, but how can I get my mom to see that it's not that bad, sometimes she has me do research and if i can show them key points where other people say its not a bad influence then I can do/play/get it but before I go through and pop the question do y'all think I could play it (keep in mind i am not one of those annoying teenagers who says but people on a forum so i could so it must be true, her no is a no yes is a yes and she wont even know that i asked any of you, i just want to know from your experience with the game is it safe?

I am currently studying to be a pastor with The Assemblies of God, and am a leader in a VA church youth grp. I am also leading two roleplaying games a week, one of which I am writing as an allegory for The Book Of Acts. It is wise of your mother to be sensitive in spiritual matters. I'm glad that you are honoring her wishes. That being said, I should answer your question.
The stigma surrounding D&D and other roleplaying games has some of its origin in 1982-1983 when two thriller movies came out. "Skullduggery" and "Mazes and Monsters". These movies used roleplaying games as their theme, but misrepresented the game in order to shock the audience and, therefore, sell more tickets. Many people took this and hearsay about teenagers going insane because of the game as fact. All of this was never backed up with fact and is not true.
The truth is that these games are not inherently bad or dangerous. They are a way of telling a story together with your friends.
As to the wizards and magic and the like; D&D does not take place in our universe. It can take place in a variety of fantasy(not real) universes that we make up. Wizards are bad in our universe because sorcery is a defiant lust after personal power instead of seeking after God. In a fantasy world this is not the case because there is no almighty God to defy. Of course You must be careful who you play with. Pay close attention to The Lord and to your convictions, and keep listening to your mother. She seems to be involved in your life, which is a wonderful thing. I can't post my email here so if you have more questions just post again.
Blessings,
Doug

Thanks for the info! I myself have felt the calling into the ministry as a pastor and I appreciate you answering my question, I'm definitely going to be doing a lot more research and such into this subject as it is something that interests me greatly and if I have anymore questions I will come back and ask!
Many thanks!
Robert

I have no problem spiritually with D&D. I'm just not a huge fan of fantasy, and I get real tired of quest dungeon themes, so I don't play it hardly at all. I roleplay everything from Shadowrun to Paranoia.

However, there are a lot of alternatives to D&D if you feel uncomfortable with fantasy, and where you can play out Christian themes.

For example, the Serenity RPG could make for some really interesting interactions between individuals with faith, since there is a strong Christian in the Firefly series. I personally GM Victoriana, and I think steampunk Victorian could lend itself well to players who want to deal with issues of faith.

The genre of modern day 'monster hunters' (like TV's "Supernatural"), could also lend itself well to Christian themed roleplaying.

__________________
Mornie utúlië (darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantië (darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now