Catholics, Buddhists Join Hindu Protests Against Smite

[dobahci]

In a pleasant example of inter-faith cooperation, a Roman Catholic leader from Nevada has now urged that spiritual people come together to stop Smite from making a mockery of divine beings.

It is a sad thing when lowly humans must come together to defend the name and honor of divine beings.

Funny how, when you make a game or movie based on some long dead mythology, it's okay, but if you make one based on a mythology with active followers, suddenly it's a touchy and controversial subject. The only difference between a dead religion and a living one is that there's no one to complain if you insult the former.

 

[Therumancer]

My basic attitude is that the guys doing SMITE shouldn't back down, though I fear they will. Part of free speech is not nessicarly having to be reverant of things that other people take seriously. If you have to respect something that a lot of people take seriously as a matter of policy, it would mean a virtual death of humor, and arguably the collapse of free speech. In a country like the US we have a seperation of church and state, specifically to diffentiate ourselves from theocracies where things like this would be a problem.

As a Christian I will say that my religion gets used irreverantly all the time, I just have a sense of humor about it (I'm sure god does as well). It's not like the US is hypocritical in treating it's most practiced religion with kid gloves in the media while being irreverant towards others.

From where I'm sitting it seems like these religious leaders are getting all upset as a way of getting give minutes of fame. Especially when it comes to hinduism, it's been used irreverantly quitre a few times. They revealed Kali to be a giant earthquake causing bug in "Sanctuary", Roger Zelazny wrote "Lord Of Light" (which was awesome), and things like the Shin Megami Tensei series have had deities from pretty much every religion there is showing up as things you can kill, or recruit/enslave for your party. It's been going on for many years, and I don't believe these major organizations were "unaware" of anything like this since it's been pretty much everywhere, the big question is why they are deciding to make an issue of it now...

Oh wait, we have a presidential election going on in the US, the perfect time to get some attention by raising "major issues" and trying to force attention on them. Win or lose, they get to all be in the media for a while and get attention if they play their cards right. Attention whoring is one thing that can bring divisive religions together, as it's one thing they can all agree on.

My basic opinion is that if I can deal with George Burns playing god in the movies TWICE, and laugh along with Kevin Smith making "Dogma", among many, many other things, I think Hindus can deal with Kali being in a video game even if it's handled irreverantly. Heck, I've actually seen games where the basic objective is to more or less kill God (in the sense of the Christian God), SMT I'm again looking at you.... so in short, if nations like India want to continue to join the rest of the civilized world, they have to get used to things like free speech, and understand there is no global theocracy, what is a "serious religion" to many is going to be messed with, changed, mocked, and have creative liscence taken with it not only by non-believers, but by those who doubtlessly do believe but use the religion (far differant than it's supposed to be) in an unusual context, or play out a "what if" scenario where say the roles of the various deities and what they are supposed to stand for are reversed or whatever (similar to say a game or book where the Devil in the Christian sense is actually the good guy for the purposes of the story, where the intended structure has havoc played with it for purposes of analysis, to provoke thought, and of course entertain).

 

[Gilhelmi]

Dudes... you're talking to a thoroughly non-religious industry. You should just ignore it, like you ignore the religious porn floating around the internet.

Dang, you said it.

Before you said it they did not know about it. Now they know about it. Soon you will hear about the efforts too stop the Porn industry. Sadly, the Porn industry respects no one else feelings so we will see.

 

[lacktheknack]

Dudes... you're talking to a thoroughly non-religious industry. You should just ignore it, like you ignore the religious porn floating around the internet.

Dang, you said it.

Before you said it they did not know about it. Now they know about it. Soon you will hear about the efforts too stop the Porn industry. Sadly, the Porn industry respects no one else feelings so we will see.

Actually, I saw religious porn brought up on an ultra-religious forum, the crazies who get fired up about every perceived slight, and the general reaction was "Bleh. People are disgusting and dumb. Please don't remind me that that crap exists." It was positively even-keel.

I'd link, but I don't even remember what forum it was... I just remember the reaction.

 

[Gilhelmi]

Dudes... you're talking to a thoroughly non-religious industry. You should just ignore it, like you ignore the religious porn floating around the internet.

Dang, you said it.

Before you said it they did not know about it. Now they know about it. Soon you will hear about the efforts too stop the Porn industry. Sadly, the Porn industry respects no one else feelings so we will see.

Actually, I saw religious porn brought up on an ultra-religious forum, the crazies who get fired up about every perceived slight, and the general reaction was "Bleh. People are disgusting and dumb. Please don't remind me that that crap exists." It was positively even-keel.

I'd link, but I don't even remember what forum it was... I just remember the reaction.

Part of me wishes we could better control what the outside world does too our deities. I mean the only one people "respect" is Mohammed because the radicals threaten to kill people.

Its just sad too me that the only way too get people too "respect" your deity is too threaten them. (Note I said "respect" in quotes, only because few actually respects them they just do not want too die).

I like the first amendment, but people are currently taking it as a license too be A**holes too others, and generally disrespectful of others. When I exercise my first amendment to call them on it I am told too "be more open-mined" or "have a sense of humor". I just feel the double standard that really exists in society. Non-religious can mock us too no end, but Religious are told to "sit down and shut up" when they object.

 

[lacktheknack]

Dudes... you're talking to a thoroughly non-religious industry. You should just ignore it, like you ignore the religious porn floating around the internet.

Dang, you said it.

Before you said it they did not know about it. Now they know about it. Soon you will hear about the efforts too stop the Porn industry. Sadly, the Porn industry respects no one else feelings so we will see.

Actually, I saw religious porn brought up on an ultra-religious forum, the crazies who get fired up about every perceived slight, and the general reaction was "Bleh. People are disgusting and dumb. Please don't remind me that that crap exists." It was positively even-keel.

I'd link, but I don't even remember what forum it was... I just remember the reaction.

Part of me wishes we could better control what the outside world does too our deities. I mean the only one people "respect" is Mohammed because the radicals threaten to kill people.

Its just sad too me that the only way too get people too "respect" your deity is too threaten them. (Note I said "respect" in quotes, only because few actually respects them they just do not want too die).

I like the first amendment, but people are currently taking it as a license too be A**holes too others, and generally disrespectful of others. When I exercise my first amendment to call them on it I am told too "be more open-mined" or "have a sense of humor". I just feel the double standard that really exists in society. Non-religious can mock us too no end, but Religious are told to "sit down and shut up" when they object.

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6iaf2s7bp1qev756.jpg

Double standards are all too common, really. I just let it slide.

 

[CaptainKarma]

M Part of free speech is not nessicarly having to be reverant of things that other people take seriously.

The hell? Free speech means you can't be FORCED to. It's still polite to. Lot of people being hyperbolic in this thread.

 

[Therumancer]

M Part of free speech is not nessicarly having to be reverant of things that other people take seriously.

The hell? Free speech means you can't be FORCED to. It's still polite to. Lot of people being hyperbolic in this thread.

The whole nature of their complaint is that because it's their religion and take it seriously nobody should be able to make fantasy out of it, or treat it in a way they disapprove of. What's being done isn't even paticularly impolite, it's just treating
hinduism like anything else.

This kind of thing (using real religions in fantasy) has been going on for a very long time, their only real reason to do this now is to get attention.

 

[AnarchistFish]

But seriously people stop being butthurt over a game. First of all it's not slandering your religion it's just using figures as heroes. Second of all your religion is not protected from slander.

I can say anything I want about it whenever I want to. So please, go cry in the corner silently.

They can say whatever they want about this game whenever they want to. Go cry in your bedroom, hypocrite.


Fucking hate this site sometimes for the self righteous and stuck up users that infest it.

Either that was a sarcasm post or you are a complete moron. You call me a hypocrite because I say someone should go cry in the corner. Then say I should do the same because I don't allow them to say whatever they want?

Guess what I never said they shouldn't be allowed to say anything. What I said was that whilst they have the right to say anything their words carry no weight.

I can see how you hate this site seeing as people like yourself are all over it .

Thanks for commenting Mr. Moron.

Your post stinks of "Stop complaining whilst I ***** as much as I want". You wouldn't have gotten as pissy as you did if you were just saying their opinion "carries no weight", you went further than that.

 

[1337mokro]

But seriously people stop being butthurt over a game. First of all it's not slandering your religion it's just using figures as heroes. Second of all your religion is not protected from slander.

I can say anything I want about it whenever I want to. So please, go cry in the corner silently.

They can say whatever they want about this game whenever they want to. Go cry in your bedroom, hypocrite.


Fucking hate this site sometimes for the self righteous and stuck up users that infest it.

Either that was a sarcasm post or you are a complete moron. You call me a hypocrite because I say someone should go cry in the corner. Then say I should do the same because I don't allow them to say whatever they want?

Guess what I never said they shouldn't be allowed to say anything. What I said was that whilst they have the right to say anything their words carry no weight.

I can see how you hate this site seeing as people like yourself are all over it .

Thanks for commenting Mr. Moron.

Your post stinks of "Stop complaining whilst I ***** as much as I want". You wouldn't have gotten as pissy as you did if you were just saying their opinion "carries no weight", you went further than that.

I did of course, cause I was pissed off at that time.

What is your excuse Mr Pot?

 

[CaptainKarma]

M Part of free speech is not nessicarly having to be reverant of things that other people take seriously.

The hell? Free speech means you can't be FORCED to. It's still polite to. Lot of people being hyperbolic in this thread.

The whole nature of their complaint is that because it's their religion and take it seriously nobody should be able to make fantasy out of it, or treat it in a way they disapprove of. What's being done isn't even paticularly impolite, it's just treating
hinduism like anything else.

This kind of thing (using real religions in fantasy) has been going on for a very long time, their only real reason to do this now is to get attention.

They're not saying that nobody should be able to. They're saying "hey! this is a dick move! Please don't do it!"

 

[Therumancer]

M Part of free speech is not nessicarly having to be reverant of things that other people take seriously.

The hell? Free speech means you can't be FORCED to. It's still polite to. Lot of people being hyperbolic in this thread.

The whole nature of their complaint is that because it's their religion and take it seriously nobody should be able to make fantasy out of it, or treat it in a way they disapprove of. What's being done isn't even paticularly impolite, it's just treating
hinduism like anything else.

This kind of thing (using real religions in fantasy) has been going on for a very long time, their only real reason to do this now is to get attention.

They're not saying that nobody should be able to. They're saying "hey! this is a dick move! Please don't do it!"

The point of a coalition is to do more than that. This is how that starts. Their message is quite clear in saying that this should be an exception to free speech, or else why else say anything at all?

It's not a dick move, even remotely, and tha'ts the entire problem, this is something that has been going on for so long it's not even funny. The timing is to get attention, and doubtlessly to get politicians to take notice. If they get acknowlegement then they can force a politician into a position of saying whether it should be allowed or not. If they say yes, then they risk turning followers of major religions against them, if they say no then it's a threat to free speech. I'd imagine most savvy politicians are going to ignore them, but you can never tell.

The problem is that people here, especially on the left wing, seem blind to anything but the obvious, and that's a problem. When it's a move like this taken before the media there is always a lot more to it. You don't get a coalition like this going to say "it's a dick move", you do it to get public and political attention for a purpose, otherwise you just say it, and since it's freedom of speech people just move on without going "oh gee, look at all the major religions involved".

What they say, and what they are actually saying behind it, aren't always the same thing. You need to look towards the big picture, and the long term. 99% of the problems we face today (socially or otherwise) are from people not doing that. A good (fairly recent) example on a smaller scale would be a certain female vlogger, who got white knighted because she was being attacked, pointing out that she was a sleaze looking for attention, and unworthy of a platform (and probably deserving of the score) was pretty much ignored beyond the "face" of what she was saying. Now look at the issues revolving around the money she actually collected... "If only someone had seen that one coming". Same basic thing, larger scale.

 

[CaptainKarma]

M Part of free speech is not nessicarly having to be reverant of things that other people take seriously.

The hell? Free speech means you can't be FORCED to. It's still polite to. Lot of people being hyperbolic in this thread.

The whole nature of their complaint is that because it's their religion and take it seriously nobody should be able to make fantasy out of it, or treat it in a way they disapprove of. What's being done isn't even paticularly impolite, it's just treating
hinduism like anything else.

This kind of thing (using real religions in fantasy) has been going on for a very long time, their only real reason to do this now is to get attention.

They're not saying that nobody should be able to. They're saying "hey! this is a dick move! Please don't do it!"

The point of a coalition is to do more than that. This is how that starts. Their message is quite clear in saying that this should be an exception to free speech, or else why else say anything at all?

It's not a dick move, even remotely, and tha'ts the entire problem, this is something that has been going on for so long it's not even funny. The timing is to get attention, and doubtlessly to get politicians to take notice. If they get acknowlegement then they can force a politician into a position of saying whether it should be allowed or not. If they say yes, then they risk turning followers of major religions against them, if they say no then it's a threat to free speech. I'd imagine most savvy politicians are going to ignore them, but you can never tell.

The problem is that people here, especially on the left wing, seem blind to anything but the obvious, and that's a problem. When it's a move like this taken before the media there is always a lot more to it. You don't get a coalition like this going to say "it's a dick move", you do it to get public and political attention for a purpose, otherwise you just say it, and since it's freedom of speech people just move on without going "oh gee, look at all the major religions involved".

What they say, and what they are actually saying behind it, aren't always the same thing. You need to look towards the big picture, and the long term. 99% of the problems we face today (socially or otherwise) are from people not doing that. A good (fairly recent) example on a smaller scale would be a certain female vlogger, who got white knighted because she was being attacked, pointing out that she was a sleaze looking for attention, and unworthy of a platform (and probably deserving of the score) was pretty much ignored beyond the "face" of what she was saying. Now look at the issues revolving around the money she actually collected... "If only someone had seen that one coming". Same basic thing, larger scale.

What in the flying fuck are you on about? How does Feminist Frequency have any bearing on this?

You're also pulling one hell of a slippery slope. Recognising that some things are not pleasant to say/do (and no matter how you spin it, a fighting game based around people's deities is pretty offensive to them, even if it seems trivial to us) is not even close to attempting to ban it. If they were attempting to ban it, that would be something else. But they aren't.

 

[Lonewolfm16]

Sorry for being ironic, but Jesus Christ! There have been worst depictions of religion in videogames before. I'm actually part Asatru, and I enjoy seeing Odin kicking ass. Seriously, get your religious relic out of your butts and allow us to enjoy games. If they get away with any form of banning of this game, they might be givin leverage to change more. All it takes is an excuse for some groups.

To be fair your religion does have alot of gods that work really good as action charecters which might decrease any offensiveness. On a side note was really excited to hear they included Ymir father of Giants but was kinda dissapointed by him. I mean his body was supposed to be the material with which the entire world was made. I knew he couldn't be larger than the entire earth but still I feel like they could have made him a little more intimidating. On another side note Odin has to be the coolest diety of any religion, save perhaps for Thor and Baldur.

 

[Oroboros]

It's good to see the Catholics step up on the moral side of an issue for a change, I'm happy to see this. Personally I don't see the problem with smite as one of religious irreverence. However, I do think that the portrayal of Kali and the absense of other gods/religious figures from other modern religions reveals a problematic ethnocentric orientalalism outlook towards the religion of Hinduism and its followers, which IMO is definately something worth making some noise about. Personally, I think that if they had David in it or Mary (in a string bikini, of course) this wouldn't really be a problem. Context is everything people-it isn't the fact that Kali is being represented poorly in the game, but rather that the Hindu religion was singled out from all of the modern religions for portrayal in their game over the abrahamic faiths, which have many more worshippers because of the developers preconceptions of the 'exotic east' made them mentally link Hinduism with various ancient 'dead' religions.

 

[LostintheWick]

I think they are right in that their religions are being trivialized. Treated like folklore to be used as source material. But it's not folklore to them. It's everyday life in its now and it' real for them.

Any Christians out there? How would you feel to see Jesus and your God as just some characters in a roster and fighting some meaningless insignificant fight (something they would never do based off of what they represent)

With that being said, I don't think the game should be "forced off the shelves".

 

[EvilRoy]

The picture is on the right, not on the left.

Pedantic douchebagman away!

 

[Sammi Aal'wynn]

:In My Own Honest Opinion:

I, on the other hand, actually went on to wiki these supreme beings ONLY AFTER I came across them in the game. The game actually got me interested to learn more about who they really are and their own respective roles in each religion/pantheon.

For I am not a religious person myself. But, because of playing the game I can say I got to learn more about these supreme beings.

So I guess I'm somewhat... grateful?? Peace ^^V

 

[LiYang Quek]

Couple of things to say.

First, that how could these guys be trivialized, they are fighting each other. In the early stages of the game you are kinda weak, but getting killed by a fireball from a tower changes the moment you realize no one said what tower it was. Five gods building a mystical turret? That'll kill you. Same with Phoenixes and the Minotaur. Just think that gods made and powered them.

Second, they really can't add a monotheist religion's god in. What?
Ability 1: Kill all the enemies.
Ability 2: Heal all your allies.
Ability 3: Make your allies invulnerable.
Ability 4: Win the game.

I see that being fun. Playing Smite in God... God-god mode.

Third, it really teaches a lot. Each god has a lore section you can read. Plus, a lot of the abilities are actual ones. What better way to learn about other religions? (Monotheist ones are pretty widespread already) Where else do you find out about Greek or Roman Gods? Percy Jackson? They are placed completely out of context there. Smite keeps the lore and all.

Plus its pretty decent. (Except Freya. That's just a bit weird.