Violent Video Game Evangelism

[menageriekeeper]

I'm not sure what the big deal is with Halo. It's not any different that any other combat game out there, no more or less violent AND the point is to kill the aliens not other humans. That point alone puts it above most of the war simulators.

If there is a problem with synthesized violence, then perhaps we should also refrain from learning karate (forms are fantasy combat and sparring is real), boxing, football and don't even get me started on wrestling (soap operas for men ).

We live in a violent world. That's not gonna change for a while. I don't see the problem with simulated war games. Much rather that than Grand Theft Auto. The line needs to be drawn not at violence but at what or whom that violence is directed. War games, the violence is directed correctly at the "bad guys". No different than playing cops and robbers when we were kids. GTA on the other hand, allowed and encouraged the violence to be directed at innocents. There is where the line is crossed.

 

[Ivon Denosovich]

Wow. You don't put much stock in the Sermon on the Mount, do you?

In a literal interpretation? No.

 

[Jeremiah]

Here is the article that started the discussion in our house...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/us/07halo.html

"First the percussive sounds of sniper fire and the thrill of the kill. Then the gospel of peace."

and

In one letter to parents, Mr. Barbour wrote that God calls ministers to be “fishers of men.”

“Teens are our ‘fish,” he wrote. “So we’ve become creative in baiting our hooks.”

Thou Shalt Not Kill, Except in Popular Video Games in Church

 

[menageriekeeper]

Thou shalt not kill vs

Jos 6:17And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

Do we have a contradiction? I think not. There is a difference between war and murder. As far as I can tell Halo has pitted humans against aliens who haven't read the Bible and would exterminate us all. Therefore, Halo is a WAR senario and thus only encourages self defense.

 

[Joe]

This doesn't appear a great marketing strategy for churches due to the risk of controversy.




Oh... Is it because Aliens are fictional thus it's ok to shoot them? I am uncomfortable with it when the graphics are too real. Pong, Frogger, Space Invaders, and Pac Man are a different story.

 

[webdog]

This doesn't appear a great marketing strategy for churches due to the risk of controversy.


Are aliens bad? OR is it because they are fictional so it's ok to shoot them?

Aliens are bad...they're not God's "elect".

Is it sin shoot fictional characters? Since aliens would not be classified as humans, they would be animals. Is it sin to shoot real animals?

 

[Joe]

Absolutely
It's a sin to shoot animals for anything other than food.


The poor aliens should be given a time out first, not shot to death!

 

[webdog]

Absolutely
It's a sin to shoot animals for anything other than food.


The poor aliens should be given a time out first, not shot to death!

Were the animals that were slaughtered for sacrifices for food?

Killing aliens is done to protect those who God loves...so it's fine

 

[Joe]

What about ET?

 

[webdog]

If he wants to take over the planet...he'll get what's comin' to him

 

[Steven2006]

Absolutely
It's a sin to shoot animals for anything other than food.


The poor aliens should be given a time out first, not shot to death!

Nothing like a good Alien burger. :laugh:

 

[webdog]

That would explain my high school cafeteria burgers :laugh:

 

[Steven2006]

HaHa, yeah that's the mystery meat.

 

[npetreley]

Killing aliens is done to protect those who God loves...so it's fine

Actually, two of my favorite games are Destroy All Humans 1 and 2. You play as the alien Crypto, and you get to destroy humans and collect their brains. It sounds gory, but it's not at all - just cartoonish. Great humor in the games. The first game takes place in the '50s and pokes fun at the culture of the time, and the second game takes place in the '60s and pokes fun at the hippie movement.

Trivia: The same guy who did the voice of Daggett Beaver (see avatar), Invader Zim and Billy (of Billy and Mandy) did the voice of the alien leader "Orthopox" in the games.