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Dungens and Dragons

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i think playing D&D takes a sertain kind of person. i grew up with my parnces playing it(my dad is a youth leader, but does not go around telling ppl he plays). i know he did this because some ppl think it is a terible game with bad morals and things. he did this so pppl would not stumble, but if you have a good foundation in the Lord and know what you believe a game is not going to change that. thats like saying monopoly will curuped small children because you buy ppl out. come on. its all on how you get into it, i know its not for everybody, because some get to caught up into the game, but normal healthy ppl should not have a problem with this game. :robot:
 
way2groovy1 said:
Deuteronomy 18

9. When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
10. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.
11. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

I am not innocent so bear with me. I do enjoy Star Wars.

But this verse says that not only are we suppose to not those things, but not even learn to do those things.

It is obvious that God really hates witchcraft.
Oh yes, it is quite obvious that God hates witchcraft. What is not obvious is any connection between D&D and witchcraft. Care to make it clear? I really don't think you can.
 
JakTak said:
I played D&D for 4 years in 3 different groups. I grew up in a deeply christian home and my parents were not happy with it but let me go on finding my own path (I assume).

I found that in my case most or all of the people I met and played with felt the same way I did about it. A game, something to do when we were bored and we didn't base our lives around it or become satanistic or ritualistic about it.

http://www.chick.com/articles/dnd.asp
http://www.chick.com/articles/frpg.asp

Both very good articles about d&d relating to christians and how it effects us psychologically. I never became as dependant and deep rooted in it as this person did, but I decided to quit playing completely once my life was turned around. I am still an avid reader of Fantasy and Science Fiction but try to keep away from anything as far as magical or sorcery, but nobody among us is perfect and I have to admit; George Lucas, JRR Tolkien, Terry Bradshaw, and Wachowski Brothers some of my favorite writers/directors... Too bad they aren't making christian films or writing christian books though.

William Schnoebelen said:
If you play at shooting your friend in the head with what you think is an unloaded pistol and don't know a shell is in the chamber, is your friend any less dead because you were playing?

[quote="William Schnoebelen":a052e]God says that if you tamper with magic and the occult, you are stepping out from under His will and His protection (assuming you are a Christian). If you are not a Christian, then you are REALLY playing with fire. Some verses which clearly teach this are found in Exod. 22:18, Lev. 19:31, Lev. 20:6, Deut. 18:10, 1Sam. 15:23, 2Kgs. 21:6, Is. 8:19, Gal. 5:20, Rev. 21:8, Rev. 22:15.
[/quote:a052e]
William Schnoebelen is paranoid delusional and horribly misinformed about his subject matter besides. He makes empty accusations that he refuses to back up. He then makes scary analogies that bear no relation to the topic. For example, the second quote. He is right about magic and the occult, but D&D is neither of those things. The statement is therefore irrelevant, just meant for shock value. In the first quote, your friend is no less dead. Lesson: Don't play with handguns. It has nothing to do with D&D. Lets try this again, shall we? :tongue
 
he did this so pppl would not stumble, but if you have a good foundation in the Lord and know what you believe a game is not going to change that. thats like saying monopoly will curuped small children because you buy ppl out.


1. let me point one thing out Monopoly for one is not a game designed for small children.

The bible says that we should bare witness be blameless if unbeliever saw your playing with that sort of stuff then it makes it difficult to preach the gospel if you speak out against evil and your palying games about it.

We have all born false witness before and we are never more like Satan than when we bare false witness.

Jesus Christ, as it were, stands between them and lays His hand upon them both. The Old Testament is the Scriptures which He told men were of God and which bare witness of Him.

we should set a good example for others.

2. a quote

http://www.chick.com/articles/dnd.asp

Dungeons and Dragons is a tragic and tangled subject. It is essentially a feeding program for occultism and witchcraft. For Christians, the first scriptural problem is the fact that Dungeons and Dragons violates the commandment of I Ths. 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil." Much of the trappings, art, figurines, and writing within D&D certainly appears evil-to say the least of it.

On top of that, the second issue is that the materials themselves, in many cases, contain authentic magical rituals. I can tell you this from my own experience. I was a witch high priest (Alexandrian tradition) during the period 1973-84. During some of that period (1976-80) I was also involved in hardcore Satanism. We studied and practiced and trained more than 175 people in the Craft. Our "covendom" was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; just a short drive away from the world headquarters of TSR, the company which makes Dungeons and Dragons in Lake Geneva, WI. In the late 1970's, a couple of the game writers actually came to my wife and I as prominent "sorcerers" in the community. They wanted to make certain the rituals were authentic. For the most part, they are.

These two guys sat in our living room and took copious notes from us on how to make sure the rituals were truly right "from the book," (this meaning that they actually came from magic grimoires or workbooks). They seemed satisfied with what they got and left us thankfully.

Back in 1986, a fellow appeared on The 700 Club who was a former employee and game writer for TSR. He testified right on the show that he got into a wrangle with the management there because he saw that the rituals were too authentic and could be dangerous. He protested to his boss and was basically told that this was the intentâ€â€to make the games as real as possible. He felt conscience-stricken (even though he was not a Christian at the time), and felt he had to resign from the company.

Now, the question becomesâ€â€if a person "innocently" works an authentic ritual that conjures up a demon, or curses someone; thinking that they are only playing a game-might not the ritual still have efficacy? I think we know the answer to that question. If you play at shooting your friend in the head with what you think is an unloaded pistol and don't know a shell is in the chamber, is your friend any less dead because you were playing?


Fear generation-via spells and mental imaging about fear-filled, emotional scenes, and threats to survival of FRP characters.
Isolation-psychological removal from traditional support structures (family, church, etc.) into an imaginary world. Physical isolation due to extremely time-consuming play activities outside the family atmosphere.
Physical torture and killings-images in the mind can be almost as real as the actual experiences. Focus of the games is upon killings and torture for power, acquisition of wealth, and survival of characters.
Erosion of family values-the Dungeon Master (DM) demands an all-encompassing and total loyalty, control and allegiance.
Situational Ethics-any act can be justified in the mind of the player, therefore there are no absolutes of right or wrong; no morality other than "point" morality needed to ensure survival and advancement. There are no win-win situations and good forces seldom triumph over evil forces.
Religion-values and belief systems (see below) are restructured from traditional Judeo-Christian ethics (which most people in Western culture adhere to) to belief in multiple gods and deities. Players align themselves with specific deities they select; patron deities are strongly urged. These are not fantasy deities, but are drawn from genuine ancient religions and beliefs! Only occult gods are included. In addition, defilement is urged in many ways, such as excrement or urinating to "defile a font."
Loss of Self-control-authority over self is surrendered to the DM. Depending on the personality and ego-strength of the player, this loss can be near absolute.
Degradation-pain and torture are heavily involved in sadistic, sexual situations that graphically appeal to visceral impulses. Much of the material (as mentioned above) is well into pornographic areas and stresses the defilement of innocence.3


The MWV teaches that there exists in the universe a neutral force, like gravity, which is magic. In this worldview, there is no sovereign God; but rather the universe is run like a gigantic piece of machinery. Magic's application is the understanding of how to manipulate the universe to get what you want. The analogy would be of putting a right coin in the slot of a vending machine and pushing the button. You automatically get your candy-assuming you used the right coin and pushed the right button. The MWV is like that. If you know the right technology (spell, ritual, incantation, etc.) the universe must respond-just like the light must go on if you flip the switch. It is automatic, and scientifically repeatable.
The Judeo-Christian Worldview (i.e. from the Bible, and held by most cultures in the Western world to some degree) teaches, on the contrary, that the universe is in control of a sovereign Person, God. To get "results," He must be asked. Thus, it is more like a child going up to a parent and asking for candy, than getting it from a vending machine. The parent may say "yes," "no," or "Wait till later." Similarly, in the Bible, there is no way to automatically manipulate God to get what you want, because He is an omnipotent Person. Additionally, God says that magic is deep and abominable sin (see above).

Now obviously, these two worldviews cannot exist in the same moral universe. Either one is true and the other false or vice-versa. Thus, one cannot be a Christian and believe in the MWV and not be some sort of hypocrite or deceived person. The reason is that in the "universe" of Dungeons and Dragons magic is neutral, and can be used by "good guys" or by "bad guys." It is like "The Force" in the Star Wars movies. This magical morality pervades D&D, and it is utterly in opposition to the Word of God and even common sense.

Now the question becomes, can a person play the game without subscribing to the worldview? It is possible, but considering the high level of emotional and intellectual commitment that the game requires, is that really realistic? D&D is not like chess or Monopoly. It is a game that engages the whole person at deep levels, and it can last months if well-played. How can a person, Christian or not, immerse themselves in a reality view so deeply and not have it impact the rest of their lives? This is difficult to imagine, especially considering the highly demonic and magical content of much of the game. As the saying goes, "if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas."

As the apostle Paul warns us, (1Cor. 15:33) "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." If games and manuals which extol black magic, rape, sado-masochism, murder and violence are not "evil communications," then I do not know the meaning of the terms!


A D&D "Hall of Shame"

This provides us with a spiritual explanation of why the following tragic litany of evil keeps growing around players of Dungeons and Dragons. The psychological explanation buttresses this as well, for we now understand the D&D can readily be a form of mind-control which also uses real occult techniques to foster possession by evil spirits.

The "Freeway Killer," Vernon Butts, who committed suicide in his cell in 1987 while being held as a suspect in a string of murders was an avid D&D player.4
D&D player (14 years old) commits suicide by hanging, 1979, name withheld by parents' request.
D&D player (17 years old) Michael Dempsey, Lynnwood, WA. suicide by gunshot wound to the head, 5/19/81. Witnesses saw him trying to summon up D&D demons just minutes before his death.
D&D player (? years old) Steve Loyacano, Castle Rock, CO., suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, 10/14/82. Police report satanic writings and a suicide note liked the death to D&D.
D&D player (21 years old) Timothy Grice, Lafayette, CO., suicide by shotgun blast, 1/17/83. Detective reports noted, "D&D became a reality. He thought he was not constrained to this life, but could leave [it] and return because of the game."
D&D player (18 years old) Harold T. Collins, Marion, OH., suicide by hanging, 4/29/83. Collins was noted to be "possessed" by D&D as if he were living the game.
D&D player (16 years old) Daniel Erwin, Lafayette, CO., murder by brother's shotgun blast to head, 11/2/84 (right after Halloween). Death was apparently the result of a death pact as part of the game.
D&D player (12 years old) Steve Erwin (see above) suicide by gunshot, 11/2/84. Detective report: "No doubt D&D cost them their lives."5
D&D player (no age given) Joseph Malin, Salt Lake City, UT., pled guilty to first degree murder 3/2/88 and was sentenced to life in prison. He killed a 13 years old girl while acting out the fantasy-role game. The girl had been raped, her throat cut, and she had been stabbed twice in the chest. Police said his "violent urges were fed by 'extreme involvement in the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons.'"6
D&D player (14 years old) Sean Sellers was convicted of killing his parents and a convenience store clerk in Greeley, Oklahoma (1/11/87). He is the youngest inmate of death row in the country as of this writing (22 now). His involvement in hard-core Satanism began with D&D, according to his own testimony. Praise the Lord, he is now a Born Again Christian!7
D&D player (14 years old) Tom Sullivan, Jr. got into Satanism and ended up stabbing his mother to death, arranging a ritual circle (from D&D) in the middle of the living room floor and lit a fire in its midst. Fortunately, his dad and little brother were awakened by a smoke detector; but by then, Tom, Jr. had slashed his wrists and throat with his Boy Scout knife and died in the snow in a neighbor's yard.(1/19/88, Amarillo, TX.)8

Of course, just like everything else, some people (young or otherwise) will say, "Those people were just weird or losers to begin with. I'm too together to fall into stuff like that. It's just a game!" Yeah, and an H-bomb is just a firecracker! Like the people who think they can play around with crack or pre-marital sex and not get burned by death, AIDS or pregnancy, the person who thinks they can mess with D&D without getting burnt is whistling in the dark. The evidence is definitely stacked against them! The game is too carefully crafted a trap for many people to elude.


Conclusions

Quoting Dr. Thomas Radecki MD, a psychiatrist at the University of Illinois School of Medicine: "The evidence in these cases is really quite impressive. There is no doubt in my mind that the game Dungeons and Dragons is causing young men to kill themselves and others. The game is one of non-stop combat and violence. It is clear to me that this game is desensitizing players to violence and also causing an increased tendency to violent behavior."9

Thus, in my mind, and in the minds of most who have come out of this background as I have (occultism and Satanism); there is no doubt that Dungeons and Dragons and its imitators are right out of the pit of hell. No Christian or sane, decent individual of whatever faith really should have anything to do with them.

http://www.chick.com/articles/frpg.asp

D&D As Template

Finally, a rationale that a few Christian defenders of the game have come up with is the concept of using D&D to create Christian world-views. These individuals - claiming to be Christian Dungeonmasters (now there is an oxymoron for you) - say that they create games where the spiritual environment is monotheistic and almost Judeo-Christian in nature.

It is true that the DM is allowed a wide variety of latitude in creating the "world" in which the game takes place, etc. However, when asked if they talk about Jesus or the Bible in these "monotheistic" games, they acknowledge they do not. These people view D&D as a template, into which they can pour whatever ideas or theologies they would like.

Perhaps monotheism is an improvement over polytheism, but as was mentioned above, there are many good monotheistic religions that will lead a good-hearted person to hell. A spiritual world created without Jesus and His gospel is still a spiritual danger because it leads people away from the truth.

Make no mistake about it, magic and sorcery ARE spiritual. It does not matter if they are "make believe" magic or not. It is the mind that is the battleground. I just recently had a D&D player who professed Christ tell me that everything he did had Christ in it, because Christ lived in him, even as he was playing D&D. While that may be true of a Christian, the question needs to be asked: is Christ pleased with what His servant is doing?

I used the metaphor of a porn role-playing game, where the participates play acted in various forms of sexual sin such as fornication, adultery or homosexuality. There was no actual sexual touching involved among the players, nor any nudity required. It was all in the mind. Would Jesus be pleased with that?

See, most of us can understand that concept better because most of us are more familiar with the power human sexuality can have over our minds. It is one of the most powerful forces God created within us. Yet, what most Christian gamers do not understand that magic is a kind of spiritual lust.65 Allowing the concepts of magic and sorcery into our minds awakens within us a kind of sexual itch that has no definable source or cause. It is, however subtle, an itch for power. Magic, at its root, is about power and about rebellion. It is about not liking how God runs the universe and thinking you can do a better job yourself.

Now of course, we are not saying that everyone who plays D&D is going to end up a sorcerer or a Satanist. But we are saying that being exposed to all these ideas of magic to the degree that the game requires cannot but help have a significant impact on the minds of the players, no matter if they are Christian or unbeliever, and no matter what the "template."

This is not just chess, football or bridge. This is a game that envelops the player in an entirely different fantasy world in which the power of magic and violence is pervasive. It is a game with a distinct and seductive spiritual worldview that is diametrically opposed to the Bible. Yes, sorcery appears in the Bible. But it is NEVER in the context of a good thing to do. It is always presented as something dangerous and utterly contrary to the will of God.

The question still stands. Why would a Christian wish to involve themselves in such a game?

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry."
â€â€1 Samuel 15:23.
 
And you believe the stain upon humanity that is Jack Chick?
Erosion of family values-the Dungeon Master (DM) demands an all-encompassing and total loyalty, control and allegiance.
Manifestly false. The DM does no such thing.
Situational Ethics-any act can be justified in the mind of the player, therefore there are no absolutes of right or wrong; no morality other than "point" morality needed to ensure survival and advancement. There are no win-win situations and good forces seldom triumph over evil forces.
:lol: That is a lie. The alignment system of D&D is absolute, very much so in fact.
Players align themselves with specific deities they select; patron deities are strongly urged. These are not fantasy deities, but are drawn from genuine ancient religions and beliefs! Only occult gods are included. In addition, defilement is urged in many ways, such as excrement or urinating to "defile a font."
Really? I don't remember this anywhere in the game.
Loss of Self-control-authority over self is surrendered to the DM. Depending on the personality and ego-strength of the player, this loss can be near absolute.
No, the DM does not control the players in any way. Where are you pulling this from?
Degradation-pain and torture are heavily involved in sadistic, sexual situations that graphically appeal to visceral impulses. Much of the material (as mentioned above) is well into pornographic areas and stresses the defilement of innocence.3
I have never tortured my players, nor was I tortured when I was a player. Nor have I raped my players, as this quote seems to suggest, and there is no pornography involved anywhere.
Isolation-psychological removal from traditional support structures (family, church, etc.) into an imaginary world. Physical isolation due to extremely time-consuming play activities outside the family atmosphere.
After the game is over, we all go home to our families. There is no isolation.
Physical torture and killings-images in the mind can be almost as real as the actual experiences. Focus of the games is upon killings and torture for power, acquisition of wealth, and survival of characters.
You're lying again. What torture? I have never tortured anyone.

I maintain that D&D is not an occult activity and that you are merely respouting the inane babblings of a paranoid conspiracy theorist. Let me know when you have real evidence.
 
Rogue 9 said:
And you believe the stain upon humanity that is Jack Chick?

Maybe you need to start a separate thread on Jack Chick. To some of the folks here he's the Darth Wong of Christian apologetics.
 
Wait a minute. :o Where did Mike Wong come into this? Actually, I intend to start a new thread as soon as I ascertain the correct forum and dig out all those rebuttals of Mr. Chick's work that I have around here somewhere.

Edit: And actually, Jack Chick is more the DarkStar of Christian apologetics, at least as far as I and most other Christians I know are concerned. :wink:
 
Rogue 9 said:
Wait a minute. :o Where did Mike Wong come into this? Actually, I intend to start a new thread as soon as I ascertain the correct forum and dig out all those rebuttals of Mr. Chick's work that I have around here somewhere.

Edit: And actually, Jack Chick is more the DarkStar of Christian apologetics, at least as far as I and most other Christians I know are concerned. :wink:

I equated Mr. Wong with unassailable logic. I didn't know other Christians regarded Jack Chick in a derogatory manner.
 
Err... Most of Jack Chick's stuff is total fabrication. He equated bards with the ancient Celtic priesthood in one of his anti-gaming essays. Sorry bub, they were minstrels. :tongue

Edit: Yes, but my question was how did you know I would know about Mike Wong? Only one way I can think of, and it seems unlikely.
 
I am aon-christian so take my opinion for what it is worth. I also play dungeons and dragons.

The Chick Tract Dark Dungeons... is oh so much BS. No one kills themselves over a chaacter death, it happens all the time. It is no more likely to cause a person to commit suicide than Super Mario Brothers.

I play D&D both as a player and a Game Master, and I assure you, the spells contained in those books, are fake. They are literally a name, with game stats.

"I want to cast magic misile"

"Ok, you cast magic missile"

*rolls dice*

"I do 4 points of damage to the goblin"

"The goblin is hit with our magic missile and falls over dead"

"YAY... Hey can I have a Mt Dew?"

That pretty much sums it up. All dungeons and dragons is, is a bunch of geeks getting together in their parents basement, surrounded by soda cans and pizza boxes, with a few books, calculators, pieces of paper, and dice, where they pretend to be a person who isnt real, in a fantasy or sci-fi world that isnt real, fighting monsters that arent real.

Here is the text of an actual spell for those of you who have never opened a Players Handbook.

Fireball
Evocation [Fire]
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: 20-ft.-radius spread
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex half
Spell Resistance: Yes
A fireball spell is a burst of flame that detonates with a low roar and deals 1d6 points of fire damage per caster level (maximum 10d6) to all creatures within the area. Unattended objects also take this damage. The explosion creates almost no pressure.
The character determines the range (distance and height) at which the fireball is to burst. A glowing, pea-sized bead streaks from the character and, unless it impacts upon a material body or solid barrier prior to attaining the prescribed range, blossoms into the fireball at that point (an early impact results in an early detonation). If the character attempts to send the bead through a narrow passage, such as through an arrow slit, the character must "hit" the opening with a ranged touch attack, or else the bead strikes the barrier and detonates prematurely.
The fireball sets fire to combustibles and damages objects in the area. It can melt metals with a low melting point, such as lead, gold, copper, silver, or bronze. If the damage caused to an interposing barrier shatters or breaks through it, the fireball may continue beyond the barrier if the area permits; otherwise it stops at the barrier just as any other spell effect does.
 
Gorglun said:
Rogue 9 said:
And you believe the stain upon humanity that is Jack Chick?

Maybe you need to start a separate thread on Jack Chick. To some of the folks here he's the Darth Wong of Christian apologetics.

And a 17 year old such as myself can rip apart anything Mr. CHick says... There really isnt a basis for comparison.
 
I think ya got 'em, Tex. :wink: You'll notice that they all quit arguing after having Mr. Chick's argument picked apart, except Gorglun who wasn't interested in arguing. Sure you're not just vulturing here? :tongue Unless you're looking to start the debate again.
 
*shrug* I dont really consider it vulturing. If I see someone attacking my favorite game, I will respond. :tongue
 
CrimsonTide said:
Gorglun said:
Rogue 9 said:
And you believe the stain upon humanity that is Jack Chick?

Maybe you need to start a separate thread on Jack Chick. To some of the folks here he's the Darth Wong of Christian apologetics.

And a 17 year old such as myself can rip apart anything Mr. CHick says... There really isnt a basis for comparison.

True. My mistake. Conceded :tongue
 
Having been an avid D&D (and other similar pen and paper role playing games) player for many years I'm always amused by the strange claims made against it.
-There is no sex in D&D, never mentioned in the books and never happens in the roleplaying.
-There is no magic rituals of any kind. No hand movements, no spells to recite, no lists of ingrediants.
-The normal game is based on good vs evil with the players being good characters trying to defeat evil forces. Save the princess/destory the demon/retrieve stolen goods are the most basic story types.
-There is no torture, no rape, no violence against the innocent.
-The gamemaster (GM) or dungeon master (DM) is a story teller, nothing more. He/she reads the story to the players and rolls the dice for any creatures you come across. He does not appear in the game, and has no power outside of the game.

As for the list of people who have commited suicide or killed due to a link to D&D, I notice that while several played but there was no link (be like saying ban cricket cos once a cricket player commited suicide), several were satanists (most of the worst ones) and it seems to be that and not the game that lead to the killings. Also teenagers are the most likely age group to commit suicide and D&D players are mostly of that age group. Of the tens of thousands of suicides what is the chance of some being D&D players?

One quote said "Witnesses saw him trying to summon up D&D demons just minutes before his death.", not sure how they figured that out, maybe he was seen frantically rolling dice?
 
My little brother used to be into D&D big time. While I wasn't all that thrilled with the content of the game, I still think it was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Why?

Because he is/was severely dyslexic. Reading was so hard for him that he just gave up. He had to repeat grade one, and was on the bubble for having to do the same every year until grade 8, when he discovered D&D. He and his freinds were obsessed with it. In order to play the game, there was a lot of reading involved. That game turned him in to a reader, a good one. It was a true blessing.
 
Actually, I can use figures put out by BADD (Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons) to prove that D&D reduces the risk of suicide if it comes to it. BADD claims (or claimed, the organization is all but defunct now) that there are about 4 million RPG players in the U.S. They claimed that RPGs (D&D especially) caused suicide. And they produced a suicide count. 54 players committed suicide by their count. Over a period of 5 years. Given the average suicide rate, it should have been about 500 out of that number. Given the average teen suicide rate (since teens make up the vast majority of players) it could realistically have approached 3,000 out of 4 million. Since they define a link as "the suicide victim played D&D" and do not consider any other factors, I could likely whittle it down even further, but I think my point is made. By the count of organizations actively opposing D&D, the game is beneficial (although of course they spin the information to suggest otherwise).

Of course, that uses their own faulty post hoc ergo proper hoc logic. (A happened before B, therefore A caused B. Not necessarily true.) I don't make the claim that D&D is actually that much of a factor in reducing suicide, but I do contend that it in no way causes suicide.
 
Schnoebelen's Dillusion

William Schnoebelen starts his article off by saying:
For Christians, the first scriptural problem is the fact that Dungeons and Dragons violates the commandment of I Ths. 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil." Much of the trappings, art, figurines, and writing within D&D certainly appears evil-to say the least of it.

Yet in his overzealous attempts to mark D&D as the evil of the era, William becomes facinated with D&D. He dives into obscure books (nonexistant ones) and seeks to pull out all of the evil and vile details of this horrid creation. Yet his passion is the pleasure of that evil. He is both fearful and empowered by that evil, it is a danger to him and yet it is below him. He must keep that evil to satisfy his pleasure, his pleasure for each drop of that sweet evil. And he is certianly not abstaining from it.

He cite's a book where there was grotesque sex and violence, Eldrich Wizardry. LOOK IT UP. Go ahead, go to Amazon.com, go to Ebay, and stop by Wizards.com (owner of all of the D&D book and game licences) and check thier product lists. IT IS NOT IN ANY OF THEM! IT DOES NOT EXIST. And yet William has been so detailed as to fabricate the evil for us:

For example, the cover of one D&D supplement, called Eldrich Wizardry, shows a naked woman reclining on an obviously satanic ritual altar. This tragic scene is compelling because it is really what is done in genuine satanic groups all over the nation.2 It is extremely sado-masochistic because the fate of such a woman is to be either raped, gang-raped, tortured or sacrificed to a demon god. This kind of imagery can be very provocative and seductive to adolescent males or even adults.
It is quite obious that not only is he lying but he excitedly creates this fantasy of his, a fantasy of evil; William paints this masterful image inteded to madden our senses. William happily constructs this image of evil for his own pleasure of defeating it.

It is Ironic that often two extremes can be so similar. Consider food: the arorexic refuses to eat and her body slows down and dies while the obese eats herself until her body too slows down and she dies. The lesson learned is that extremes are not good. Granted extreme D&D playing may lead to suicides and other disturbing behavior. Yet an extreme zeal for God too can lead to torment. Consider William's "Do it yourself Brainwashing" section:
Additionally, Fantasy-Role-Playing (FRP) games like D&D do employ brainwashing techniques:

Fear generation-via spells and mental imaging about fear-filled, emotional scenes, and threats to survival of FRP characters.
Isolation-psychological removal from traditional support structures (family, church, etc.) into an imaginary world. Physical isolation due to extremely time-consuming play activities outside the family atmosphere.
Physical torture and killings-images in the mind can be almost as real as the actual experiences. Focus of the games is upon killings and torture for power, acquisition of wealth, and survival of characters.
Erosion of family values-the Dungeon Master (DM) demands an all-encompassing and total loyalty, control and allegiance.
Situational Ethics-any act can be justified in the mind of the player, therefore there are no absolutes of right or wrong; no morality other than "point" morality needed to ensure survival and advancement. There are no win-win situations and good forces seldom triumph over evil forces.
Religion-values and belief systems (see below) are restructured from traditional Judeo-Christian ethics (which most people in Western culture adhere to) to belief in multiple gods and deities. Players align themselves with specific deities they select; patron deities are strongly urged. These are not fantasy deities, but are drawn from genuine ancient religions and beliefs! Only occult gods are included. In addition, defilement is urged in many ways, such as excrement or urinating to "defile a font."
Loss of Self-control-authority over self is surrendered to the DM. Depending on the personality and ego-strength of the player, this loss can be near absolute.
William consructs this world with fear filled spaces and emotonal scences; a world in which punishment is absolute. He isolates himself from observable reality and confines himself within the bars of his own ideas and rationalities. He becomes so concerned about the spiritual universe that he stumbles through this one looking amlessly for rationality. He finds it or really constructs it when he creates evil. Ahh evil, that one substance which proves his internal worlds existance. It serves in his mind as the gap between this mode of existance and the proof of his. That his evil is obiously falsified and molded in an air of morbidness is even more proof of his desire to have this evil. He bears an "all-encompassing and total loyalty and allegence to his constructed world. There is no win win situation, one must suffer or make suffer.

Note: For readers who may be confused, when I speak of his "constructed reality," I by no means am speaking of relegion and God but more as a refrence to his overzealous interpretaion and facination with God, power, suffering, violence, and punishment.

To end with a little more irony:

can a person play the game without subscribing to the worldview? It is possible, but considering the high level of emotional and intellectual commitment that the game requires, is that really realistic? D&D is not like chess or Monopoly. It is a game that engages the whole person at deep levels, and it can last months if well-played. How can a person, Christian or not, immerse themselves in a reality view so deeply and not have it impact the rest of their lives? This is difficult to imagine, especially considering the highly demonic and magical content of much of the game.

Brave words from the mad who was deeply and wholly engaged in witchraft as he explained at the start of his article.
 
Well said, but that article's already been well and truly smashed. The term for attacking something that's already down is known as vulturing and isn't the best looked upon thing on message boards.
 
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