272: How to Shoot Real Demons

[Ryan Smith]

How to Shoot Real Demons

For many evangelical Christians, battles against Demons and the Devil are believed to be very real. Ryan Smith recounts how playing videogames helped him conquer his fear of "real" demons.

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[Kenko]

Wow, that was a great article to make one alot more happy about ones country not being filled with christian loonies.

OT: Games can be very therapeutic, atleast to vent frustration or let ones fantasies and need for creating things loose.

 

[cerebus23]

some funny stuff, can relate a bit since i went to catholic school from k thru high school, tho i started having issues with the religion about 8th grade and barely went to church in high school.

But yea those religions often still use fire and brimstone on children to scare you into line.

 

[ma55ter_fett]

It is always interesting to read someone?s perspective of religion in their early life.

And i must say kicking down the doors of hell killing those inside and then T-bagging their corpses must be wonderfully therapeutic

 

[runedeadthA]

Wow that's a cool article, it raises a question which has always bugged me. Is it Okay to teach little kids that terrible monsters are waiting to do nasty things to them at any moment? I mean, jeeps you can get some messed up kids.

There's a dude who used to be in my class raised in a strict christen family, he sincerely believes that at one point a demon possessed him and caused him to run around naked and contemplate suicide. Ignoring the fact that the sentence before that he mentioned that he was taking large amounts of alcohol and drugs...

 

[Risingblade]

Would guns even work on demons?

 

[Gralian]

A curiously touching article. I can relate, in a strange way. Shooting demons and monsters in games didn't help me to come over my religious demons and fears (am and have always been atheist), but rather metaphorical 'demons' and problems in my life. Obstacles. They represented things 'holding me back' or 'challenges to overcome'. At one point i even plucked up the courage to do something i never thought i otherwise could because i told myself, "Why can't i be as brave as that nameless space marine who just blasted several zombies and imps to hell?" and ironically enough i identified with him as a character for the very reason he was faceless and nameless.

 

[The Cheezy One]

once again, about 90% of the comments will be "Christians are nutcases"
we arent all insane - Christianity teaches me virtues everyone should have - acceptance, trust, love, etc. also i dont fear death as much as the next guy. doesnt stop me wanting to punch him in the face most of the time
but some extremists, liars and generally weird people [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven%27s_Gate_%28cult%29#Mass_suicide_and_aftermath]

im not saying God will actually protect you when people pick on you in screen, but it definitly puts things in perspective. i also dont believe in the bible literally - some things need interpretation, such as adam and eve, etc. also, the hebrew words for "day" and "aeon" are very similar, aeon meaning "a long time"

OT: a good article, im afraid i cant relate as such, as ive never had to kill something im afraid of, and have very rarely been really afraid of something

 

[Char-Nobyl]

some funny stuff, can relate a bit since i went to catholic school from k thru high school, tho i started having issues with the religion about 8th grade and barely went to church in high school.

Almost the same for me. I went to public highschool, but had gone to parochial school prior to that. While I've...slipped a bit with my church-going, I don't really think it's changed my faith all that much.

But yea those religions often still use fire and brimstone on children to scare you into line.

It's a lot harder to pull that sort of stuff off, *especially* if attempting to get new converts. Modern fire 'n brimstone preaching is the equivalent of a political debate between two people with the same opinions: no one is going to be convinced of anything new, and no one is going to find it interesting or intriguing to watch unless they want to have the empty satisfaction of their own opinions being in a circle-jerk.

In other words, it's preaching to the choir.

 

[EmbraAgain]

Nice piece, well written. Hope the subsequent comments don't get out of hand (yeah, right...)

 

[snowman6251]

I am an atheist and I have strong feelings about religion in that I think its one of the worst things ever to scourge the Earth. It starts out simple enough, preaching that you should be a good person, etc, but gets warped into terrible bastardized versions of itself by asshole priests and the like and becomes a tool to control and manipulate people.

Evangelical Christianity is one of the biggest offenders on the brainwashing meter. I watched a documentary called Jesus Camp and it was so disgusting I didn't really even know what to say.

I came to the conclusion that all religion was bullshit after I thought about how humans and God developed a relationship (I'm a caveman that's a tornado. What the fuck is this!? Something must be pissed here take this goat) not to mention all the different religions we've had throughout history (Egyptian thing, Greek thing, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Scientology (lol), etc) that completely contradict each other.

They can't all be right so there are a hell of a lot of lying pricks who invented religions. Anyway some of these religions are bigger offenders than others (my top two being Christianity and Islam, my bottom one being Buddhism) in terms of brainwashing, holding back society, and general all around bullshit, but I've grown sick of all Religion. I think its a huge stain on human society and for all our great scientists, amazing discoveries, and so on, we have some dipshits claiming God built us a few thousand years ago and the sun revolves around the Earth.

Religion dying out permanently would be the greatest thing that ever happened to society.

 

[Neferius]

"The still growing evangelical movement (well-known followers include TV preacher Billy Graham and former president <color=red>George W. Bush)"

George W. Bush -- Or what happens when you mix New-Testament with Old-Scotch >

 

[Daemascus]

People who take the bible literaily scare me. And all religious extremist.

 

[CitySquirrel]

Interesting. Most children of evangelicals that I knew when I was a kid would never have been allowed to play doom or diablo because it "glorified satanic imagery". As a christian, I am made very uncomfortable with sects, and people, who talk about demons as actual real manifestations. Not only does it miss the point, I feel, but it is like hanging out with a bunch of people and having the one other person who plays videogames make an ass of himself by talking about them non stop. It is palpable embarrassment.

 

[TLatshaw]

This was a nicely-handled article on a potentially touchy subject. I appreciated the alternative explanations of symbolism provided, as there are followers who aren't always trying to find something to beat down through a literal interpretation spiced with their own unfounded feelings.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." -- Ephesians 6:12

(And no, I don't think Paul is talking about Obama, either.)

 

[Tanis]

Good stuff.

But I doubt you'd find many 'hardliners' that would think that way.
They'd somehow see the game as 'pro-Satan' and want to ban it.

 

[newfoundland]

Good stuff.

But I doubt you'd find many 'hardliners' that would think that way.
They'd somehow see the game as 'pro-Satan' and want to ban it.

I know what you you're saying. Get rid of Satan/Devil crap, most religion should just teach tolerance, peace etc. However, raising kids in a religious, fear mongering, controlled way is abuse. No excuses. Most atheists would agree. All due respect to good practicing faiths.

 

[twistedmic]

I am an atheist and I have strong feelings about religion in that I think its one of the worst things ever to scourge the Earth. It starts out simple enough, preaching that you should be a good person, etc, but gets warped into terrible bastardized versions of itself by asshole priests and the like and becomes a tool to control and manipulate people.

In my belief, religion by itself is not the problem. The main problem is the people that hi-jack religion and use it o further their own causes, the small-minded bigots and the extremists that use religion to justify their hatred and violence.
And those types of people can take anything and warp it into something bad. Listen to some of the politicians in America talk (I'm pretty sure politicians the world over behave in similar ways). They use their political beliefs to mask ignorance, hatred and distrust.
Movie and television producers can fall into the same problems.

Something must be pissed here take this goat) not to mention all the different religions we've had throughout history (Egyptian thing, Greek thing, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Scientology (lol), etc) that completely contradict each other.

And of the religions you've listed, most of them seem to preach the importance of preforming good deeds, being kind to others, etc (basically- don't murder, don't steal and treat others the way you want to be treated).
Scientology, as I see it, is more of a cult than a true religion, while the Egyptians and Greeks skirted between true religion and cults.