God Gameth, and God Bloweth Away

[nemorathwald]

Click here to read a story titled "The Purpose-Driven Life-Takers". It's on Talk To Action, a site about resisting religious Dominionism. This is their synopsis of the new video game based on the Left Behind books:

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Imagine: you are a foot soldier in a paramilitary group whose purpose is to remake America as a Christian theocracy, and establish its worldly vision of the dominion of Christ over all aspects of life. You are issued high-tech military weaponry, and instructed to engage the infidel on the streets of New York City. You are on a mission - both a religious mission and a military mission -- to convert or kill Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, gays, and anyone who advocates the separation of church and state - especially moderate, mainstream Christians. Your mission is "to conduct physical and spiritual warfare"; all who resist must be taken out with extreme prejudice.

This game immerses children in present-day New York City -- 500 square blocks, stretching from Wall Street to Chinatown, Greenwich Village, the United Nations headquarters, and Harlem. The game rewards children for how effectively they role play the killing of those who resist becoming a born again Christian. The game also offers players the opportunity to switch sides and fight for the army of the AntiChrist, releasing cloven-hoofed demons who feast on conservative Christians and their panicked proselytes (who taste a lot like Christian).

Is this paramilitary mission simulator for children anything other than prejudice and bigotry using religion as an organizing tool to get people in a violent frame of mind? The dialogue includes people saying, "Praise the Lord," as they blow infidels away.

Comments

[paranthropus.livejournal.com]

I'm of two minds about this. On the surface of things it is disgusting and terrifying. If we make the assumption, though, that Grand Theft Auto does not turn people into drug dealing carjackers, then why should this game be any different?

Whenever Christianity makes inroads into popular culture, I believe that it is stripped in some way of the hold that it has over the minds of its followers. The Rapture is now nothing more than the plot of some trashy novels and games. It's got to share shelf space with Splinter Cell and The DaVinci Code. The Passion of the Christ has to compete with Hellboy for box office dollars. Kinder, gentler Christianity is just another self-help brand along with Dale Carnegie and Deepak Chopra.

We enjoy watching "Men in Black" in the theater, but we laugh at people who really believe that aliens are among us. Perhaps I am an optimist, but I think that the people who really BELIEVE this stuff will one day be viewed as kooks.

[matt-arnold.livejournal.com]

I agree with you. I'm still not all that comfortable about the megachurches, particularly those who are as brazen as Rick Warren about their designs on us. But I think they're at the peak of their power.,They're so blinded by their belief in God's inevitable blessing on their movement that they'll over-do it, burn out, turn everybody against them and fall from power.