The Classic Rock bands might have dark undertones, but they do not praise openly demonic activity. I have yet to hear a Def Leppard/Great White/Whitesnake/Metallica song which praises witchcraft. AC/DC is very troublesome I must admit because some of their music while being great instrumentally is very problematic lyrically. But at the same time none of those bands go arround playing a game where you practice doing spells on each other or where the characters titles are "the god of ---".
The DnD we played when I was in 4th grade (1983/84) had quite a few characters who were titled "the god of (name a power/skill)." Needless to say I didn't play it much and then the next year I went to a new school where rpg's were not the vogue.Ah, I think I see the source of the problem here. You have probably been exposed to some of the darker game settings that use the D&D rules to play. I've only played in the Forgotten Realms and I don't think I've ever seen anyone named "the god of ---" or anything that praises openly demonic activity. The game is what the gamers and DM make it. If you have a group of Wiccans playing then it will most likely have a Wiccan flavor. I wouldn't play with a group who insisted on giving it that kind of spin.
There are quite a few Christian campaigns that people have created that use the D&D ruleset but don't include magic but are rather adventures that take place in make-believe worlds or even in historic settings or alternate histories. But there again it all depends on one's view of fantasy and make-believe.
I think spsucj has hit the nail on the head that if we got down to brass tacks, we'd have to eliminate practically everything and live like monastics.
The DnD we played when I was in 4th grade (1983/84) had quite a few characters who were titled "the god of (name a power/skill)." Needless to say I didn't play it much and then the next year I went to a new school where rpg's were not the vogue.
Things like D&D, Harry Potter, other fantasy books, etc. can't all be judged on anything except a case by case basis. They aren't to be judged just by their content but by the people who would potentially be reading and playing.
For example, the Harry Potter books are all well and good for ME. There is an overt Christian theme to the series that is especially revealed in the last book. I liked them. On the same token however, Harry Potter fanfiction (not all but a lot of it) is terrible for me. Not only is most of it poorly written it isn't at all appropriate for me to be filling my head with considering the content. Also, some (okay most) children need adults who care to filter things for them and discuss things they read with them. I've seen kids as young as sixth grade want to be Christian witches and start calling themselves Wiccan after reading the first Harry Potter book. Their parents didn't care.
If fantasy becomes more important than Christ or keeps us from living our lives in Christ then we need to chuck it from our lives. Fantasy is a huge temptation for me. It is VERY easy for me to lose myself in it and therein lies the danger.
Just my .02
Please do explain how there is a Christian theme to a book about witchcraft? And Christian witches? There are no such thing. Witches derive their power from one source only, and it is not Christ.
I totally forgot about this!Michael,
I should have been more clear about the Christian witch thing. This is what those little girls were calling themselves. I know that there isn't such a thing and I told them as much.
As far as the HP books themselves, are you going on hearsay, or have you read them? Do you know the plot? JKR quotes scripture in the last book and the resurrection is a major theme. People have compared Rowling to C.S. Lewis in this respect (and many have viewed Rowling's allegory as better, though I personally disagree). I'm not the only one to see the connection either. It was the topic of discussion after Vespers one evening and other folks brought it up too.
I refuse to read them because Harry Potter is enrolled in an academy of witchcraft and I don't care what themes one can see in there witchcraft is not something a christian should be reading about.Michael,
I should have been more clear about the Christian witch thing. This is what those little girls were calling themselves. I know that there isn't such a thing and I told them as much.
As far as the HP books themselves, are you going on hearsay, or have you read them? Do you know the plot? JKR quotes scripture in the last book and the resurrection is a major theme. People have compared Rowling to C.S. Lewis in this respect (and many have viewed Rowling's allegory as better, though I personally disagree). I'm not the only one to see the connection either. It was the topic of discussion after Vespers one evening and other folks brought it up too.
Yet there is a difference, which I had hoped was obvious enough to not have to spell out - RPGs are specifically participatory. The difference between your observing and enjoying fiction and being the author of that fiction yourself defines our choices (free will) or lack thereof. We have no choice in what Frodo Baggins or Harry Potter do.The kicker in that would be whether or not participating in, and enjoying, the game constituted an honest desire to engage in real paganism.
I mean, have you ever watched Transformers? Was it cool when the big robot shot the gun and building blew up? Did it make you want to blow up buildings? Does that mean you committed the sin of blowing up a building?
The only danger (but a real one) is failing to separate reality from fiction. Justin, just be careful that you don't use fantasy and role-playing as an escape from dealing with the problems of your real life. They can be a great way to socialize with friends, to engage in imaginative improvised acting, etc, but (as I think you know) they aren't your life. Just make sure you stay engaged.
I'll ask it this way: does any fictional account of something we would call sinful become, by proxy, sinful?
And here I thought Orthodoxy didn't have fundies. =/
1) there ARE witches, but they happen to be real people, not the caracatures we grew up with.I should have been more clear about the Christian witch thing. This is what those little girls were calling themselves. I know that there isn't such a thing and I told them as much.
2) I'm aware that Rowling has described herself as Christian. So does nearly half the population of the world. What exactly does that word mean? And how does it affect the objections to her work?JKR (the author of HP) is actually a Christian (or so she says).
JKR (the author of HP) is actually a Christian (or so she says).