205: Missionaries of the Digital Age

[Blind0bserver]

Missionaries of the Digital Age

Christian missionaries famously spread the word of God as new frontiers and people were discovered. Little has changed since then, even though the frontiers are now virtual and the people are now players in these new worlds.

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[MonkeyWorldUK]

I'm sorry, but what's with 7 religion-based news articles in a row?

 

[murphy7801]

yer us atheist are feeling left out not like most europes that way inclined

 

[Cowabungaa]

I'm sorry, but what's with 7 religion-based news articles in a row?

It's this weeks theme, I suppose.

 

[SunGryphon]

Great article, Van! I enjoyed it.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

The Escapist itself is practically a renigeous order. I worship NewClassic and Queen Susan of Pony.

Come to think of it, religeon is everywhere......why not video games.

 

[Baby Tea]

What a fantastic article.
It's good to know that the guild made a positive impression. The wackos of the 'real world' can slip their way into the 'virtual world' to further be a great example of what being a Christian is NOT about.

I just started Guild Wars again, so I might have to look them up!

 

[bjj hero]

Thats one reason to ban my son from playing MMO's, he could end up joining a cult.

 

[murphy7801]

Thats one reason to ban my son from playing MMO's, he could end up joining a cult.

lol well fair enf there alot crazy religious people and im mean not just Christians but i would have some faith in your son (if you pardon the pun) sure if you explain it to him it will be fine

 

[Nickolai77]

Good article, and yeah it is quite weird having so many religious news articles.

Makes me more aware of the culture difference between America and Europe, European Christianity is old and conservative, it does not really move away from middle aged women drinking tea with the local vicar or priest in village halls tacked onto 11th century Norman churches. American Christianity is interesting, its more vibrant and, indeed fundamentalist, than conservative European Christianity. I, as a non-religious person, am made unconformable by American Evangelicals, which is why i suppose Channel 4 and the BBC send Britain's "intelligenia" to scrutinize these religious zealots on TV for the secular masses. There is an unusually high proportion of relgious people in America, something that Britain hasn't seen since the 16th century.

 

[bjj hero]

Thats one reason to ban my son from playing MMO's, he could end up joining a cult.

lol well fair enf there alot crazy religious people and im mean not just Christians but i would have some faith in your son (if you pardon the pun) sure if you explain it to him it will be fine

It was a throw away comment, I wouldn't ban him from playing a a game, as long as I'm sure he's mature enough for the content. I don't really think its fair to push reigion on children though. I wouldn't ask a child to sign up as a republican/democrat/socialist/communist/etc at the age of 12, these are things to be decided as an adult. Religion is an ideology too, its an adult concept, let children be children without worrying about sin and damnation. There's more than enough time to do that as an adult if you choose.

 

[murphy7801]

Thats one reason to ban my son from playing MMO's, he could end up joining a cult.

lol well fair enf there alot crazy religious people and im mean not just Christians but i would have some faith in your son (if you pardon the pun) sure if you explain it to him it will be fine

It was a throw away comment, I wouldn't ban him from playing a a game, as long as I'm sure he's mature enough for the content. I don't really think its fair to push reigion on children though. I wouldn't ask a child to sign up as a republican/democrat/socialist/communist/etc at the age of 12, these are things to be decided as an adult. Religion is an ideology too, its an adult concept, let children be children without worrying about sin and damnation. There's more than enough time to do that as an adult if you choose.

ok thats cool sorry

 

[Vohn_exel]

Guild Wars isn't just for kids though. No doubt, there's a chance he could meet some strange people in the game, but I'm sure that as long as you monitor some of what he does, talk to him about it, ect, you'll have nothing to worry about.

These people don't sound like they're pushing Christianity on anyone. I'm a Christian (southern baptist) myself, and I hate it when people try to force Christ on others.Yelling a point over and over or beating someone over the head with your point will not improve your chances of getting someone to think about what you're saying. It's a choice and if you "force" someone to choose, they haven't really chosen.

This group sounds interesting, I haven't played Guild Wars in a long time, though I love to drop by every now and again. It's the only MMO I play, and while I'm not really into joining guilds, I might look these guys up just so I have someone to talk to occasionally, about God and about the game. I like what they're doing and I hope they continue to thrive as a community.

Oh, and also, Guild Wars isn't like your normal MMOs. If you're looking for one your son can play, this would probably be a good bet. The only fee you pay is to buy the game the first time, it's free forever after that. It's fun and interesting, there's a great community, and it's more story based then games like Everquest. When you're on the game map, you're only in contact with the people that are in your group, so if you're worried about your son meeting lots of wierd people, that only happens in towns. Even then, the community is such that strange people are rarely encountered. (Random dance/ invisable musical instrament sessions do break out from time to time .) I'm not a fan of MMO's, but I actually enjoy this game as it's really fun to play, and not taxing on your computer either. Hope that helps some

 

[bjj hero]

Thats one reason to ban my son from playing MMO's, he could end up joining a cult.

lol well fair enf there alot crazy religious people and im mean not just Christians but i would have some faith in your son (if you pardon the pun) sure if you explain it to him it will be fine

It was a throw away comment, I wouldn't ban him from playing a a game, as long as I'm sure he's mature enough for the content. I don't really think its fair to push reigion on children though. I wouldn't ask a child to sign up as a republican/democrat/socialist/communist/etc at the age of 12, these are things to be decided as an adult. Religion is an ideology too, its an adult concept, let children be children without worrying about sin and damnation. There's more than enough time to do that as an adult if you choose.

ok thats cool sorry

No need to say sorry, you can only go from what I posted.

Guild Wars isn't just for kids though. No doubt, there's a chance he could meet some strange people in the game, but I'm sure that as long as you monitor some of what he does, talk to him about it, ect, you'll have nothing to worry about.

These people don't sound like they're pushing Christianity on anyone. I'm a Christian (southern baptist) myself, and I hate it when people try to force Christ on others.Yelling a point over and over or beating someone over the head with your point will not improve your chances of getting someone to think about what you're saying. It's a choice and if you "force" someone to choose, they haven't really chosen.

This group sounds interesting, I haven't played Guild Wars in a long time, though I love to drop by every now and again. It's the only MMO I play, and while I'm not really into joining guilds, I might look these guys up just so I have someone to talk to occasionally, about God and about the game. I like what they're doing and I hope they continue to thrive as a community.

Oh, and also, Guild Wars isn't like your normal MMOs. If you're looking for one your son can play, this would probably be a good bet. The only fee you pay is to buy the game the first time, it's free forever after that. It's fun and interesting, there's a great community, and it's more story based then games like Everquest. When you're on the game map, you're only in contact with the people that are in your group, so if you're worried about your son meeting lots of wierd people, that only happens in towns. Even then, the community is such that strange people are rarely encountered. (Random dance/ invisable musical instrament sessions do break out from time to time .) I'm not a fan of MMO's, but I actually enjoy this game as it's really fun to play, and not taxing on your computer either. Hope that helps some

Its better to lead by example. Be a role model. You want to show that something works? Then do it. My son is only 12 months old at the moment so I don't think he'll be playing the current batch of mmos.

 

[The Great JT]

Why I personally believe that there is and should be a separation between reality and virtuality in religion, it's interesting to see that there are a lot of religion-based guilds/organizations in MMOs. Hell, if you look hard enough, you'll find guilds for every organization. I've seen christian and jewish guilds and even a homosexuals guild or two in World of Warcraft. Do I disagree with them that they should be in the game? Not at all. If they're a group of like-minded individuals, what right does anyone have to say they can't do something?

 

[Vohn_exel]

LOL, sorry I saw you mention twelve years old and I assumed that was the age of your child. Yeah I guess it would be a bit too early to start him on any MMOs, but you should probably buy him an NES right away!

Seriously speaking, though, I agree. People say that actions speak louder then words, however I believe in both. Most of the people I know offline either know I'm a christian, or am not suprised on learning that I am one, and I never actually tell the I am, unless they ask. I try to lead my life in a way to show people that Christians aren't all fanatics and "Bible thumpers." I try to show that there are Christians out there that actually listen and understand the people around them, instead of just throwing verses towards everyone we meet in the street. I pray that your son grows up strong and kind, and gets famous on television so he can buy you a house someday (My mom and dad are still waiting on thier mansion, lol.)

 

[murphy7801]

yer fine if there fantasy religion and all bit fun it can add flavor to games thing is withh mmos some has fight some one i fear that it could be used to fight there own agendas in the future

 

[John Funk]

I'm sorry, but what's with 7 religion-based news articles in a row?

It's this week's issue of the magazine. The subject is religion and games.

 

[Zivlok]

I don't see how have a bunch of religious-themed articles is any more weird than having a bunch of hip-hop/rap-themed articles. It's actually sort of interesting that the two themes happened consecutively, because both religion and hip-hop have never had the best relationships with games. Even though I'm a Christian, though, I'm disappointed that the only articles were either about religion in general, or Christianity. There was an article about a Pastor who played video games, why not one about a Rabbi who did the same? Or just one about a rabbi, and skip the pastor one (though it was a very good article)?

Anywho, I find it awesome that there's a group of moderate Christians on Guild Wars who aren't spamming their faith, though I probably wouldn't join it, because I more likely to join the Harry Potter-based groups/guilds/clans/whatever.