Religious faith in videogames

[swiftzx]

I disagreed based upon the fact that the United States is very, very hesitant to actually ban media.

From what I've noticed, the game's don't get banned, but most retail stores just don't carry them. (ie. AO-games)

Or not released Stateside.

[the7k]

Whoa, whoa, whoa -- this thread died off way too soon.

Answer me this: if you guys had to make a video game that addressed the issue of religious faith, how would you handle the matter?

I'd like to be able to handle it like Demon's Souls did.

Too many games make the answers to God's existence and motivations obvious. In Demon's Souls, you have many authority figures telling you God is good, God is evil, or God is dead. Who do you believe? You are never told. The answers are just as hard to find as they are in reality.

[Inazuma]

If someone attempted to make a game that had the message "religion is bad", we all know it would be banned 10 times over before ever getting released. Sickening, isn't it? There are many evil people out there who make a living taking advantage of ignorant morons, so any attempt to correct that would be shot down immediately.

So, you think it's right to "correct" it by calling these people morons and saying that they will be as such unless they follow YOU instead? Sounds like a bit of a double standard to me.

I'm not saying they should follow me but they certainly are morons. They were fooled into believing a ton of bullshit and thanks to that, they make one poor decision after another. Lacking the ability to use logic and being unable to think for yourself is a big deal. Forgive me for calling a moron a moron but if it makes you feel any better, I used to be religious myself. Comparing my state of mind now to how I was back then is really amazing. Being able to actually use my brain is very nice, I gotta say.

[Limewater]

I disagreed based upon the fact that the United States is very, very hesitant to actually ban media.

From what I've noticed, the game's don't get banned, but most retail stores just don't carry them. (ie. AO-games)

Looking at Wikipedia's list of AO-rated games, it looks like they're almost universally porn games.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AO-rated_products

Note the "almost." I do think that the AO rating for GTA: San Andreas, for example, is pretty silly.

None of these are rated AO for "deep religious questions," or "undermining Christian values." It wasn't hard to find copies of "Mortal Kombat" in 1993, and that was one of the most controversial video games in history.

[Limewater]

They were fooled into believing a ton of bullshit and thanks to that, they make one poor decision after another. Lacking the ability to use logic and being unable to think for yourself is a big deal.

This demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of logic.

[Mr.White555]

I don't really have anything to add to this battle of view points but I bought actraiser yesterday and damn its a good game. Its got a whole lot of religious allegory in it. So far the whole conflict of being god and saving people is dynamic. Do you want to wipe out all evil so people won't fear it? Or do you want to let evil stay and let them not be oblivious to the horrors of reality? I know I do hahaha! But I think the point of the game is just to destroy all evil so that's kind of a moot point. Regardless it is an interesting take on monotheism.

[Luke]

I don't really have anything to add to this battle of view points but I bought actraiser yesterday and damn its a good game. Its got a whole lot of religious allegory in it. So far the whole conflict of being god and saving people is dynamic. Do you want to wipe out all evil so people won't fear it? Or do you want to let evil stay and let them not be oblivious to the horrors of reality? I know I do hahaha! But I think the point of the game is just to destroy all evil so that's kind of a moot point. Regardless it is an interesting take on monotheism.

Actraiser is something else. Actraiser 2 stinks, unfortunately.

Wait until you see the ending(s), really great stuff. And prepare yourself to get the soundtrack stuck in your head.

[Inazuma]

They were fooled into believing a ton of bullshit and thanks to that, they make one poor decision after another. Lacking the ability to use logic and being unable to think for yourself is a big deal.

This demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of logic.

Religion tells you what to think, therefore you don't try to figure things out for yourself. For example, a religious person will think it's wrong to be gay. Ask them why and they won't be able to give you one valid reason. They also think that snakes can talk and slavery is acceptable.

Wait, scratch that last one. They don't think slavery is acceptable, even though God himself thinks it is. Also, even though they can simply pray to have their diseases healed, they will go to the doctor. Interesting isn't it? They disagree with God on a few points but never consider God could be wrong about other things, like turning people into salt. If they were able to use logic, they would say to themselves, "Hmm. If God was wrong about slavery, then maybe it's possible that he was wrong about other stuff." Once you are able to start doubting religion, it will quickly crumble like a house of cards.

[Limewater]

For example, a religious person will think it's wrong to be gay. Ask them why and they won't be able to give you one valid reason. They also think that snakes can talk and slavery is acceptable.

I could argue with your characterization of this hypothetical religious person, but that's not terribly relevant in this case, so I will assume it as a given.

You cannot reach any conclusion regarding the morality of homosexuality, the communication abilities of snakes, or the acceptability of slavery based solely on logic. Logic is useless without axioms. You are starting with a different set of axioms than someone who believes in a religion. That does not mean that the religious person is failing to properly use logic or, assuming you are using logic properly, that your conclusion is the correct one.

Also, even though they can simply pray to have their diseases healed, they will go to the doctor. Interesting isn't it?

I can't speak for everyone, but I do not personally know any Christian who believes he can just pray to have his diseases healed and they will go away. So no, I do not find this statement interesting.

They disagree with God on a few points but never consider God could be wrong about other things, like turning people into salt. If they were able to use logic, they would say to themselves, "Hmm. If God was wrong about slavery, then maybe it's possible that he was wrong about other stuff." Once you are able to start doubting religion, it will quickly crumble like a house of cards.

Again, your example fails because it is not based upon logic. It is based upon axioms that you personally hold. This inability to distinguish axioms from logical statements appears to be the prime source of your misunderstanding.

[pepharytheworm]

Whether religious or not faith is a part of everyone's life. Unless you know everything, and lack an imagination.

Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, concept or thing

Having faith isn't moronic. To live your life you have to have some sort of faith or you would just rot and die. Faith doesn't even need to be based on fact, and it doesn't have to be accepted blindly either. Accepting scientific theories and religious views both require faith. The only absolute thruth as far as I am concerned is -- + -- = ----, even then I could be wrong because my mind can't comprehend anything else.