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Wal-Mart Asked to Drop Christian Video Game

Posted by samzenpus on Thu Dec 14, 2006 08:53 AM
from the the-crusades-were-fun dept.
Censorship Entertainment Games
doug141 writes "Liberal and progressive Christian groups say a new computer game in which players must either convert or kill non-Christians is the wrong gift to give this holiday season and that Wal-Mart, a major video game retailer, should yank it off its shelves.Players can choose to join the Antichrist's team, but of course they can never win on [his] side. The enemy team includes fictional rock stars and folks with Muslim-sounding names, while the righteous include gospel singers, missionaries, healers and medics."
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  • What's a "progressive Christian"? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane (209368) on Thursday December 14 2006, @08:56AM (#17234840)
    Is it like a critical fairy tale believer?

    • Re:What's a "progressive Christian"? (Score:5, Funny)

      by ifchairscouldtalk (1031944) on Thursday December 14 2006, @09:02AM (#17234896)

      Is it like a critical fairy tale believer?
      Kinda, but probably closer to a secure Windows.

    • Re:What's a "progressive Christian"? (Score:5, Funny)

      by Lumpy (12016) on Thursday December 14 2006, @09:02AM (#17234900) Homepage
      A progressive Christian is someone that does not flip you off before or after they run you off the road in their SUV covered in Christian bumper stickers.

      Either that or a Christian that got a good deal on his car insurance.

    • Re:What's a "progressive Christian"? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by mario_grgic (515333) on Thursday December 14 2006, @09:36AM (#17235260)
      Progressive Christian is a believer in one God - three persons (as defined in Nicene Creed) who does NOT engage in bibliolatry (i.e. a belief that every single word of the Bible must be taken literally, and for whom Bible is the final authority and not God. Jesus didn't write any books but revealed divine truth to his selected followers only. Hence, continuous Apostolic succession is so important in the Church, and not many churches can lay a claim to that. As a matter of fact the idea that you can "start" a church is absurd, just as the idea that someone in England, decides to "start" a kingdom and proclaim themselves a king of England).

      A progressive Christian reads the Bible and understands it for what it is, a collection of parables and rarely historical accounts of actual events, the purpose of which is to always illustrate a point that God is actively involved in his creation, encouraging trust in him (which means believing his word i.e. believing that he has done or will do what he has promised).

      A progressive Christian is living in the present, and applies the word of God to his situation and does not try to bend the world to fit the Bible and live in the past, avoiding relativism, a great peril of modern world on the way.

      Perhaps that clears it somewhat.

  • If this works, let me be the first to say: (Score:5, Funny)

    by gentimjs (930934) on Thursday December 14 2006, @08:57AM (#17234842) Journal
    Lions = 1 , Christians = 0

  • Robotic Jesus (Score:5, Funny)

    by garlicbready (846542) on Thursday December 14 2006, @08:58AM (#17234852)
    does it have a 100ft robotic Jesus with spinning cross attack?
    How about the star of David Ion canon?

  • I give up. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by strider44 (650833) on Thursday December 14 2006, @09:02AM (#17234904)
    I have read the article and still can't tell whether the game makers are actually serious or not. I laughed with the it's ok to kill as long as you prey really hard - satire worthy of Stephen Colbert. Either way, I think, the game designers are worthy of our greatest of laughter.

    • Re:I give up. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by mwvdlee (775178) on Thursday December 14 2006, @09:27AM (#17235162) Homepage
      This game seems to be, quite literally, preaching hatred.

      I wonder if the books that this game is based on, teaches the same "values".

      Besides, I always thought muslims DID believe in jesus christ, just not in the same way christians do. Quite similar to how judaïsm believes in jesus christ in a different way than christians. Both religions acknowledge the existence of jesus christ, they just have different interpretations. Perhaps people of these, or other, religions can clarify? Either way; having muslims "star" as the main non-christian group seems suspicious, considering the large amount of other non-christians groups.

  • Can't wait... (Score:5, Funny)

    by d3m0nCr4t (869332) on Thursday December 14 2006, @09:03AM (#17234908)
    Can't wait for a reaction of Jack Thompson on this one...

  • Banning crap is a waste of time (Score:5, Insightful)

    by PingSpike (947548) on Thursday December 14 2006, @09:03AM (#17234920)
    Sounds like a pretty awful game, tasteless and cliched but worst of all unbalanced...the anti-christ team can't even win. But why give them the handy excuse of being censored for its impending failure? I say let them sell it, and let the free kill them.

    Plus, all media must be protected...even, and especially, the shitty stuff like this.

  • Calls for a patch (Score:5, Funny)

    by Valacosa (863657) on Thursday December 14 2006, @09:06AM (#17234952)
    Players can choose to join the Antichrist's team, but of course they can never win on [his] side. The enemy team includes fictional rock stars...
    I want to buy it just so I can hack it and release a patch. Good games should balance the two opposing sides!

    Besides, who wouldn't want to dominate the world for seven years of darkness? I call Marilyn Manson as my right hand man!
  • and it does look really bad. It does come across as nothing more than "covert or die". If taken in context, the game works just fine. There is nothing PC about religion and trying to apply PC centric ideals to a game based on religion and one groups belief of the end times is even dumber than any game can be.

    The books, yes I read them - I love most end time fiction (whether is religious or not - Zelazny wrote some good stuff). The books deal with a society where the surviving members of society are either members of the new world order and subscribe to that order's church or are denied rights, and eventually killed out of hand. Christians are set as the opposing force, after all its a book from Christians about a story in Bible. Throughout the series they convert many people from various religions and non-beliefs. Though many times that never convert and directly or indirectly stop them. It isn't all happy go lucky and neither will be the game.

    I look at it this way, if those Christian readers who take offense at the game were not offended by the books then they are just hypocritical. Does making it a game, itself just another work of fiction, present it in a way that that is more offensive than print? I guess seeing a visual representation does the trick for many people. I know many who can read murder novels, even graphic ones, but take offense at seeing dead bodies on the TV. Hell, there are many who can read about sex but damn if they would watch it.

    Look, the first rule is no one is forcing anyone to buy it. The second rule is, you have the right to be offended but you do not have the right to suppress what offends you. The third rule is, get over it.

    Leave the game in the stores. There are far more more violent and offensive games that have come out and they are still sold. If we change the rules because the game is based on religious themes how long before we change the rules for everything else?

  • Wow! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Aladrin (926209) on Thursday December 14 2006, @09:10AM (#17234998)
    "It pushes a message of religious intolerance."

    Talk about realism in video games! I'm amazed! How did they get it so life-like?

    They don't dislike the 'Left Behind' book and game series because it's inaccurate. They dislike it because it's TOO accurate. It shows how religious people really think and act. Okay, so maybe the Pastor at the local church doesn't use a gun to convert people, but the message is the same: Convert to my religion or burn in everlasting flames. And maybe if they left it at a statement, it wouldn't be so bad. But we still have clergy that do completely immoral and unethical things, sometimes not even to further their cause, but for personal gain. And they get away with it.

    I used to call myself Christian, but not really name which type (Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, etc). Now, I say I believe sort of like they do, but with a few major differences:

    God doesn't care what religion you are, so long as you are a good person.
    God doesn't care what name you call him by.
    The Bible was written by man, not God. It was then translated by man, not God. Several times. It is a tool to guide you to the correct path, and nothing more. All holy books serve this same purpose, no matter the religion. Church is also such a tool. (I won't get into corruption, that's a long debate.)

    Instead of merely tolerating other religions, I embrace them. They are God's methods of helping us be better people.

    So far, I'm pretty much alone in my religion. I don't imagine I'll be setting up a church any time soon. ;)

  • Unfortunatley, I must side with the extremists... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by trianglman (1024223) on Thursday December 14 2006, @09:22AM (#17235100) Journal
    I thought it would be a cold day in their Hell before I did but...

    Unfortunately, creating this game is Constitutionally protected free speech, and selling it is completely up to Wal-Mart and other retailers. I think it was done in very poor taste but should be treated no differently than GTA or any other games that are similarly in bad taste.

  • I say let Wal-Mart carry it! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by erroneus (253617) on Thursday December 14 2006, @09:40AM (#17235304) Homepage
    I'd actually like to see this thing in action. Who cares what the slant or "message" may be? It's up to intelligent people to decide for themselves what they like, think or believe. And we'll never evolve as a people, a species or a culture if we constantly go about trying to stop people from seeing and thinking things.

    It was only yesterday when I had a moment of reflection on my own changes in perceptions of things. I was born in 1968 and was very young when I first saw Star Wars. During that same area in time, I saw a black bell on a daycare building and thought to myself, "That bell looks like Darth Vader!" I now think that Darth Vader looks like a bell. The difference in perception is pretty clear to me but it also goes to show how minds change, develop and evolve over time and with life's experience.

    So yes. Let it be. Let kids play games where they are evangelical Christians or characters from greek or other ancient mythology and legend. You cannot really condemn one game without condemning them all.

    Here's one take on the game I'd like to hear: Who is that nut always trying to get violent video games banned? Yeah, that guy. What's his take on the game? "Convert or Die!" sounds pretty gruesome to me...

    • Re:Hypocracy at its finest (Score:5, Informative)

      by TeknoHog (164938) on Thursday December 14 2006, @09:21AM (#17235086) Homepage Journal
      FTA:

      But "Muslims are not believers in Jesus Christ" -- and thus can't be on Christ's side in the game.

      Incidentally, I saw a lecture on the topic quite recently, and learned that Muslims do believe in Jesus Christ. He is a highly regarded prophet, second only to Mohammed, and he plays a key role in the end-of-times scenario of Islam.

      Of all the major religions in the world, Islam is the only non-Christian faith that recognises Jesus.

      This is from http://www.itl.org.uk/Jesus/ [itl.org.uk]. Googling for "jesus islam" gives lots of further reading.

        • Umm. Check YOUR facts. Muslims believe that Jesus is a prophet, not the Son of God (which is EXACTLY what the parent said). Also, the five pillars of Islam are as follows:

          • Believing that there is only one God, and Mohammed was merely his prophet (to emphasize that he is also not a prophet)
          • Five daily prayers
          • Charity once a year
          • Fasting the month of Ramadan
          • Performing the pilgrimage once in your lifetime

          So please, YOU check your facts before you spout prejudiced nonsense.

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