Is Minecraft Evil or Spiritual Dangerous? Can Christians Play Minecraft?

[Jadis40]

Some of these responses simply amaze me. Minecraft is simply a video game about creating things with the resources you gather. This is one of the least offensive games on the market. I would hate to see what some of these commenters thought of other awesome video games like Smite, The Binding of Isaac, Skyrim and any war game.

As a side, I love playing Skyrim too. Trying to keep up with an exhaustive list of what Christians should avoid and what they can do would be well...exhausting.

 

[patdee]

I am asking this question in regards to a lady whose son loves this game. He has posters on his wall in his bedroom of this game. I have no clue at all if this game has evil intentions or good, it's hard to know these days. I tried looking it up on the internet and got various answers. Some are saying it's inviting evil spirits into their home and others seem to not be bothered by the game. So I am looking for "advice" as to anyone out there that may know for sure if this game can open doors to evil or not? Again, this is not my child and I am seeking answers for his mom. She has been dealing with terrible things happening in her home for 9 yrs and is trying to get to the root of the problem. Her daughter is suicidal and does self harm. The mother is deeply depressed and sometimes suicidal. The teenage boy is suicidal and the father sleeps in seperate bedroom from the wife and has for 9 years and the marriage is failing. Everyone there is always fearful and they only experience "some" relief when they are outside of the home. There is alot more detail to this story but I am trying to keep it brief. So any info about this game would help me, thank you.

Yes indeed it IS evil. But it is only a spit in the ocean when it comes to evil. The following are just a few examples of evil that MOST engage in ALL the time.

1. Playing the lottery. (For it is seeking "ill-gotten" gain that one does not earn).

2. Worshiping children, movie stars, singers, musicians, monarchies, TV personalities, sport's stars, etc, etc, and etc!

3. Cosmetics gone wild.

4. Body piercings.

5. Obsessions with shoes, clothes, cars, boats, etc, etc and etc!

6. Tattoos.

7. Careers.

8. Echelons

9. Idol worship in myriads of ways.

10. Blasphemy such as "oh my GOD!", or just "GOD!" spoken in every day colloquialisms; without ANY semblance of reverence and love for Jesus.

And on and on and on.

This is why God destroyed so many; such as the Antediluvian s, the Jerichoite's, the Amalekite's, the Sodom and Gomorrahite's, the Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian and Roman empires; along with the Ottoman, Nazi and Japanese empires. For ALL had followed "evil" of pleasure and self aggrandizement of every known lasciviousness, debauchery and decadence.

And Jesus is going to do it again. It IS coming. It is NOT a matter of "IF". ONLY a matter of "WHEN"! Mark me words.

Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be (again).

Every Christian should read often, the entire chapter 24 in Mathew. Jesus spells it out clearly.

Wake Up world!

In any case, may Jesus bless you always.

 

[Rob84]

Yes indeed it IS evil. But it is only a spit in the ocean when it comes to evil...

Technically though, anything that isn't pointing True North with God, no variance in any direction, is evil. Everything in the mortal world is technically evil by one definition or another. If that is the given state of the world, then where do Christians start working on becoming more like Christ, obeying his commandments, etc.?

I know a lot of people scoff at Christian objections to secular things they enjoy. They are more attached to the material and their free will to choose than they are to Christ sometimes (in my opinion). And, if you say anything against those things they enjoy, you catch a lot of flak for it. I also know a lot of good Christian families that kept the reins so tight that when their children grew up they gravitated toward all the things their parents wouldn't let them have (within the realm of reason that is). Most just went to movies, games, or technology they weren't allowed to have. Not inappropriate content shops and bars. There are some that did stray pretty far away from how they were raised though. I think moderation and guidance is key.

 

[mommyofjs]

In my opinion it is not a good game and can also be demonic. My kids played that game and were spawning stuff, they turned angry, really moody and then one day when they spawned the killer guy there was a presence in their room. I prayed and deleted the game and things have been better. Read about stories of the Slenderman and how some girls said they were told to do it. If your suspicions tell you something then it's probably right.

 

[Ben3721]

What??? Why would this game be evil? That's silly to even consider! Unless you're being overcritical. It's just a fun sandbox game for kids of all ages. You can do anything you want. If anything some servers can be not safe for children if they allow cursing and such. I own one of the leading Christian pc/mac servers. It's safe for children and is moderated closely in a Christian environment.

The website for my server is http://christiancity.enjin.com it's whitelisted so you have to make a whitelist application before you are able to join the server.

 

[andrewoffaith87]

I have seen a lot of ridiculous responses to this. It doesn't matter if a made-up world has skeletons or zombies or a netherworld dimension or rainbow unicorns or santa or the tooth fairy or whatever. It's made up. If watching or playing a video game with a hell-like netherworld meant you are inviting wand-waving magical evil spirits into your life, then that would mean the same for reading about hell in the Bible. Now having evil invited into your life from studying the Word sounds a bit ridiculous doesn't it? And so is thinking an obvious fictitious game could be the cause of bad things in your life. I'm tired of people thinking a kid watching or reading Harry Potter means they are worshipping Satan. If that were true, reading about those things in the Bible would mean you worship Satan. This makes Christians look like idiots. Just because you watch, play, or read something does not mean you have to believe it. And magical evil spirits causing bad things happening in your life would take away from your free will, which we as Christians are supposed to have.
As for those problems of suicide, marital strife, etc, those are due to mental health. God has placed doctors and medical staff on this earth for us to get better physically. Same for mental health professionals. Talking to a pastor about those things that has no professional training will not be enough. They will help with the spititual side, but only a licensed mental health professional can help with the psychological side. My advice is to seek professional help immediately for those things. God put those people on this earth for a reason. Use what God has given you. I think we've all heard that story of the person who turns away all help and gets to heaven and asks God, "why didn't you save me?" God responds with, "You idiot! I sent you firefighters, paramedics, and doctors and you refused the help I sent you!" Add mental health counselors to that list. So seek help, immediately.

 

[andrewoffaith87]

I get the feeling I'm going to lose the "argument" in this thread that Minecraft is a questionable game. I just wish you could hear my nephews talking about Ender dragons and I thought magic and all that stuff and see what I mean.

So what? It's a made up world just like the tooth fairy or Santa or the boogeyman. Who cares? You just talked about dragons just now. Does that mean what you are doing is bad too? Are we all going to burn in hell for talking about obviously fictitious characters?

 

[GeorgeJ]

Trying to keep up with an exhaustive list of what Christians should avoid and what they can do would be well...exhausting.

Reminds me of a song by Steve Taylor:

So you need a new car? let your fingers take a walk
through the business guide for the "born again" flock
you'll be keeping all your money in the kingdom now
and you'll only drink milk from a Christian cow
don't you go casting your bread to keep the heathen well-fed
line Christian pockets instead--avoid temptation

Guilty By Association

Turn the radio on to a down-home drawl
hear a brylcream prophet with a message for y'all
"I have found a new utensil in the devil's toolbox
and the heads are gonna roll if Jesus rocks
it's a worldly design! God's music should be divine!
try buying records like mine--avoid temptation"

Guilty By Association

So you say it's of the devil and we've got no choice
because you heard a revelation from the "still small voice?"
if the Bible doesn't back it then it seems quite clear
perhaps it was the devil who whispered in your ear

It's a Telethon Tuesday for "The Gospel Club"
"send your money in now or they're gonna pull the plug!"
just remember this fact when they plead and beg
When The Chicken Squawks Loudest Gonna Lay A Big Egg
you could be smelling a crook
you should be checking The Book
but you'd rather listen thank look--the implication

Guilty By Association

 

[andrewoffaith87]

In my opinion it is not a good game and can also be demonic. My kids played that game and were spawning stuff, they turned angry, really moody and then one day when they spawned the killer guy there was a presence in their room. I prayed and deleted the game and things have been better. Read about stories of the Slenderman and how some girls said they were told to do it. If your suspicions tell you something then it's probably right.

I have played millions of games, including minecraft and other games that are way more violent and graphic, yet I'm in a great mood and love my life, and I have no thoughts of harming myself or anyone else and I have not done anything like that. There was never an evil "presence" in any room I played those games. Why? Because they are made up. It's just a bunch of series of light combinations on a screen that appear to us to portray a fictitious world. Same for all my brothers and sisters who play video games.
As for children getting angry or moody, that could be due to a lot of things. I have yet to meet a child that doesn't become angry or moody from time to time. Same with adults.

 

[rrguy]

I am sure this game is not your friends main issue. Like mentioned there is a creative mode you build house streams have pets fairly easy but can be in-depth etc.. So for kids/games not the biggest waste of time.
Survival mode not just a pure wholesome game. Yes survival some things attack some only attack when attacked? Probably not worst for people to realize in life not everything is safe. There are places you don't want to go an things you don't want to mess with. There's allot of technique involved

 

[Kokunai]

I am asking this question in regards to a lady whose son loves this game. He has posters on his wall in his bedroom of this game. I have no clue at all if this game has evil intentions or good, it's hard to know these days. I tried looking it up on the internet and got various answers. Some are saying it's inviting evil spirits into their home and others seem to not be bothered by the game. So I am looking for "advice" as to anyone out there that may know for sure if this game can open doors to evil or not? Again, this is not my child and I am seeking answers for his mom. She has been dealing with terrible things happening in her home for 9 yrs and is trying to get to the root of the problem. Her daughter is suicidal and does self harm. The mother is deeply depressed and sometimes suicidal. The teenage boy is suicidal and the father sleeps in seperate bedroom from the wife and has for 9 years and the marriage is failing. Everyone there is always fearful and they only experience "some" relief when they are outside of the home. There is alot more detail to this story but I am trying to keep it brief. So any info about this game would help me, thank you.

I believe this falls clearly under Christian liberty. It is not a cut and dry matter. If you believe it is bad and it affects you negatively then don't play it. If you believe it is fine and it does not effect you negatively then go ahead and play it.

 

[MsTopaz]

My children attended a church-sponsored Minecraft Bible Study when they were in elementary school. Then they built things related to the story for that week: The Garden of Eden, the Ark, the Tower of Babel, etc.

Minecraft can be highly addictive so I wouldn't recommend 8 hours a day of it as some children do but mostly because that much sitting is unhealthy and wouldn't lead to a balanced life filled with other rewarding activities.

That family sounds like they desperately need some help. I hope they seek out professional advice from a family therapist.

 

[rubyinprogress]

I am asking this question in regards to a lady whose son loves this game. He has posters on his wall in his bedroom of this game. I have no clue at all if this game has evil intentions or good, it's hard to know these days. I tried looking it up on the internet and got various answers. Some are saying it's inviting evil spirits into their home and others seem to not be bothered by the game. So I am looking for "advice" as to anyone out there that may know for sure if this game can open doors to evil or not? Again, this is not my child and I am seeking answers for his mom. She has been dealing with terrible things happening in her home for 9 yrs and is trying to get to the root of the problem. Her daughter is suicidal and does self harm. The mother is deeply depressed and sometimes suicidal. The teenage boy is suicidal and the father sleeps in seperate bedroom from the wife and has for 9 years and the marriage is failing. Everyone there is always fearful and they only experience "some" relief when they are outside of the home. There is alot more detail to this story but I am trying to keep it brief. So any info about this game would help me, thank you.

9 years seems to be significant. What happened 9 years ago? If it is only the son playing the game I doubt the game is the cause of the whole family's problems. Even if it is evil (I don't know) that would not explain all the rest. Why did the husband move into a separate bedroom? Minecraft didn't cause that. There is an issue that is not being addressed. Depression and anxiety (you mentioned "fearful") are highly correlated. (The same medications work to relieve both). I'm not saying medication is the answer. Renewing the mind is the main issue. I would suggest they begin seeing a Christian counselor who can help them apply the Biblical mandates to "be anxious for nothing" etc. The psychological name for it is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, but therapists didn't come up with the concept. It was in the Bible for a couple thousand years before it was "invented". If no one else will go, if just your friend would start with individual counseling for herself the rest of the family may see changes in her and begin to change as well. A best case scenario would be couples counseling for mom and dad and individual for each of the kids.

 

[Siahstaton36]

I'm 24, I grew up in the era of massive video game titles, halo, call of duty etc. i haven'really played much minecraft but I understand the concept of it.

Personally I wouldn't call it evil, does it preach the gospel? No. And I haven't heard of any game that does. Even the game monopoly where you build a monetary empire in the hopes of bankrupting your friends and family is viewed as harmless. (And it is harmless) my point is you can over analyze any form of entertainment and convince yourself it's wrong.

I think it's a matter of the heart, there's way worse things a younger person could be spending his time doing.

But to run down the middle of the issue I would say moderation is key. I wouldn't put any video game above things I find important; family time, studying or discussing religion. Etc.

Now if the video game was one of the Diablo series then I'd have a different opinion as that game is extremely Hellenistic.

In all maybe a limit could be placed, maybe the parents can give the game a play and perhaps spend some time bonding with their son and understand the concept of the game better.

 

[Spirit Conqueror]

I am asking this question in regards to a lady whose son loves this game. He has posters on his wall in his bedroom of this game. I have no clue at all if this game has evil intentions or good, it's hard to know these days. I tried looking it up on the internet and got various answers. Some are saying it's inviting evil spirits into their home and others seem to not be bothered by the game. So I am looking for "advice" as to anyone out there that may know for sure if this game can open doors to evil or not? Again, this is not my child and I am seeking answers for his mom. She has been dealing with terrible things happening in her home for 9 yrs and is trying to get to the root of the problem. Her daughter is suicidal and does self harm. The mother is deeply depressed and sometimes suicidal. The teenage boy is suicidal and the father sleeps in seperate bedroom from the wife and has for 9 years and the marriage is failing. Everyone there is always fearful and they only experience "some" relief when they are outside of the home. There is alot more detail to this story but I am trying to keep it brief. So any info about this game would help me, thank you.

Hi Solomon's Porch,

There's no such thing about games having good or evil intentions. Believe me, it's the "addiction" of playing the game no matter what game you're playing. Because as soon as you're on the controller, you're hooked. Nothing else! It's like injecting a drug into your body. You're hooked! So it's injecting the game into his brain. Hypnotising the brain. It's hard to stop unless someone has to step in.

I used to play video games almost every night for about 3 - 6 months from 8 pm to 2 am back in the days in my mid 20's. It was until someone came and pulled off the plug from outside my bedroom. It did relieve me, especially it was so late.

Please understand that it doesn't open the door or inviting any evil spirits into theirs or anyone's house. Because no one or neither them is asking for it. It's just that the game is making the boy very inactive or lazy from doing other healthy daily activities. It's normal and it's a fact of life.

But believe me, the real root of the problem is the "man of the house". Not the boy playing the game. Or the evil spirits flying around. It's not!

It's just that there's no father figure, a role model or the "voice" in the house. Sad! It's the reason everything the households depresses about. I wonder it's why she was depressing that she has to carry all the problems on her shoulder. It's not healthy to his family.

Remember, the very important part of every marriage and family is the "man of the house" or the head of the house. Not a woman. But I see he is still living under the same roof. But he is not leading, protecting, guiding, nourishing, building or growing his family. That's the work of a man to raise his family happily. But instead, sleeping his life away from his role is why it's the root of the problem. If his marriage is failing why is he still there and not fixing it?

That's why God put a Man in the family, to lead, protect and grow his loved ones.

Believe me, without the man of the house, there's no air in the house to breath. So I encourage that they need an air to breath so to relieve. It means, they have to restore their marriage and family. If he's living under the same roof, then his wife and children need him. He may not know it but I hope that he will find his place in his heart to come out and save his dying but troubled family.

There's no antitode or a miracle to solve the root of the problem. It's just the matter of working together as a team that will surely erase the root of the problem.

...and compromise!

In Spirit.

 

[4meta]

I am asking this question in regards to a lady whose son loves this game. He has posters on his wall in his bedroom of this game. I have no clue at all if this game has evil intentions or good, it's hard to know these days. I tried looking it up on the internet and got various answers. Some are saying it's inviting evil spirits into their home and others seem to not be bothered by the game. So I am looking for "advice" as to anyone out there that may know for sure if this game can open doors to evil or not? Again, this is not my child and I am seeking answers for his mom. She has been dealing with terrible things happening in her home for 9 yrs and is trying to get to the root of the problem. Her daughter is suicidal and does self harm. The mother is deeply depressed and sometimes suicidal. The teenage boy is suicidal and the father sleeps in seperate bedroom from the wife and has for 9 years and the marriage is failing. Everyone there is always fearful and they only experience "some" relief when they are outside of the home. There is alot more detail to this story but I am trying to keep it brief. So any info about this game would help me, thank you.

Is Minecraft good or evil? It can be a source of good or evil, depending how the game is handled. This applies for all video games.

Minecraft is a video game & for the purposes of entertainment ONLY. It's the same with any other video game. This games along with any other game can become a source of evil is the individual allows it to subdue their mind, take over their life. It is important that we, the parents understand the games our children play & understand the video games they desire so we the parents don't buy a game they should not be playing.

When you get some time, check out this link Ten Problems That Parents Can Have With Minecraft

 

[insecurityguard]

There's an old saying, "The greatest lie the Devil ever told was to convince the world that he isn't real."

I agree.

However, I also fully believe that the second greatest lie he ever told was to convince Christians that he's everywhere.

Becoming so busy with looking for the evil in everything is as much of a distraction from what we actually SHOULD be doing as any video game.

 

[ViaCrucis]

These games certainly do NOT lead us to Christ. No, not one.

Neither does your hat. But I'm not going to call your hat evil.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Persevere5]

There are definitely some themes in the game that I believe are for more mature players.
I've spent hours playing this game and I would venture that the concern should come more from the community that plays the game or the particular community on a specific minecraft "server."

I've seen countless examples of vulgarity, hate speech, etc. I play on servers that are based around creating a civilization. You create a nation etc. A lot of times those nations can create their own religion to go around it. More often than not that religion is pagan. I've seen moon worshipers, vampire worshipers, sun worshipers you name it. A lot of the player base falls into 3-4 categorical ages.

7-11
14-19
20-30
30+

And the thing is - that all of the ages are all playing together.

I would find out what servers the person is playing on - go visit the server's website, and read the discussion forums. They also have voice chat(teamspeak, mumble, skype) and chat based(discord, slack) and larger forum based (reddit, 4chan).

There is lot of junk in the community that does the civ based servers. The admins try and "ban" the players that spam hate speech etc, but sometimes they just let it all go.

At its core I feel the game can be used for a lot of critical thinking and creativity. You don't have to engage in the magic aspects of the game if you don't want to. That will however limit your advancement in the game. For example some of the redstone contraptions need glowstone to make powered lights. That glowstone is only found in the nether, which honestly mimics "hell." So there you go.

I believe a person should be pretty mature to play this game freely.

You can check what servers are being played on by going to the multiplayer menu once the game starts up. From there a list of servers a person has "added" will appear. Click a server once, then click edit to see the connection details. A lot of times you can copy and paste the "mc.minecraftserver.com" style text into google and find out what it's website is.

Please parents, check on your child's involvement in this game, and base your restrictions on where they are at etc.


Relevant Topics - please read these:
Hate Speech and Hypixel
Discrimination on Minecraft Servers / Please read? - Discussion - Minecraft Discussion - Minecraft Forum - Minecraft Forum
http://towncraft.us/online-abuse-stand/
Religion in Minecraft? • r/Minecraft

 

[SPF]

I would say the game itself is morally neutral. However, like all things, it can be abused. But the game in itself is not "bad".

My 5 and 8 year old sons play it on their ipads, over our wireless. Sometimes they argue and I have to tell them to separate into their own worlds, most of the time they get along and work together. Occasionally I'll even join from my phone and the three of us will build castles and roller coasters. It's basically digital legos.

My wife and I limit the amount of time they're allowed to play as we want to encourage them to do other things.

Can it be addictive? Of course it can. So can MarioKart. That's where us parents come in and help moderate our children's usage of the game.