There are two separate questions here, and I think it would work better to put some space between them. The question of how religious gamers approach their hobby, and balance the potential moral issues is the primary. However you have approached it from a side point of groups protesting games and game content. It would serve us to remember that Christianity is not the all purpose bogie-man in matters of influence and control. More forms of entertainment and art have been censored or outlawed by secular government than by the whole of Judeo-Christian moral advocacy. Recall that more games are restricted by government regulation in Europe and Australia than in the morally advocated Americas. Most of the political class who seek to influence the gaming industry do so from a secular perspective (often anti-violence) and are not beholden to the so called Christian Right. While in most gamer related media Fox News was vilified for the Mass Effect sex scene hoopla, it was fast overlooked that the original factually incorrect story was from the Boston Globe. As in many similar circumstances gamers and game media have a strong tendency to sneer at supposed Moral Police but tend to forget that the real danger to their hobby comes much more from intrusive secular government. The general disdain in which religious people or at least christianity is often held by many in games media (and standard media!) is also disconcerting. Now as for the real question you asked! Of course gaming in and of itself is amoral. The content of games, as any other media, is where such matters exist. Is there content in games that can be corrupting to sound morals? I think the answer is yes. But it is easy enough to avoid these games or the content. However on a personal note I wish more games would include the ability to silence cursing from the soundtrack. While I'm sure the use of the F-bomb is no doubt of some significant importance to the character of Marcus Fenix, it's nice to have to option not to listen to it. Does the act of carrying out actions in games, that in reality would be morally wrong, carry any consequence to the religious gamer? That is the deeper question, and one that depends entirely on the strength of your faith. This also draws a distinction between what you believe to be morally offensive. Violence seems to be of more concern to many in the gaming community than matters of vice. Personally I have no issue with mythologies or fictional religious content in games. Fiction is fiction. In the majority of cases I have no issue with violent games, military shooters, horror games, etc. I draw the line at playing completely corrupt characters just for the thrill of it, such as GTA, Manhunt, extensive use of nudity or sexual themes, and as I said, I tire greatly of the juvenile fascination with bad language. I also play my online games with a strong group of fellow believers, and make strong use of mute otherwise. It took some courage to post this topic Mike. Hope it all shakes out well!

Balancing religion and gaming is an issue that I've given a lot of thought to. On my college campus I'm the education chair of a Catholic group. Basically that means that I run/write the Bible study and plan educational meetings. When I decided I wanted to be an officer in the group, I was worried that everyone would think less of me for being a gamer. Now I'm ashamed to remember that I thought me friends would be narrow minded, but to be fair, I had good reasons for being concerned. I had to endure my share of sermons in high school railing against the medias attempts to destroy our youth's morality. Fortunately my friends and even the adults in charge of my group all support my gaming. We've had many a lively discussion about how games can ask hard questions about morality. That's why when I heard that EA had hired actors to pose as religious protesters to publicize Dante's Inferno I was angry. As a Catholic I really felt that I was being stereotyped. Ironically even games that feature "the church" as a villain never offended me, but that PR stunt did.

I'm glad to see that someone brought up this issue! Interesting topic, Mike. Personally, I don't feel that games are immoral and I find it silly when religious groups say that they're so sinful. I especially find it unusual how some Christian groups say how evil games are, yet Jesus was someone who spent time with society's outcasts and people that weren't understood. I'm someone who grew up going to church, and I felt certain things they were teaching me were wrong. The core tenants of Christianity are loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself, so I think it's ridiculous of religious institutions to attack things that aren't harming individuals -- whether it's rap or video games. Besides, some games that have controversial content on religions such as Xenogears have a multi-faceted look on the subject. At first, it seems like the game says that God could not exist when you see all the atrocities in the world and find out that Deus is a machine, but later, you discover that there's this wave existence that may in fact be God. It's really quite ambiguous and doesn't give a definite answer. And also, there are many games out there that teach content that I don't think Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. would disagree with. One of the key points of Tales of Symphonia is to show how stupid and hurtful racism is, and how it perpetuates and endless cycle of hatred and violence. The game teaches that instead of fighting back, it's important to forgive one's oppressors and change the system by peaceful means if at all possible.

A great preacher once said, "Be insulated from the world, not isolated from it." Great topic. I am a Christian and have served in the church since 2000 (when I became a "born again" Christian) and was called to pastor in 2005. I have been a gamer since I was given an Intellivision 2 for Christmas in the early 1980's. Since then, I have never missed a major console or game release. I currently own over 500 game titles and have multiple consoles in my collection. Gaming is a hobby and I enjoy it. Being 38 years old, I am pleased that the industry has grown up along with me but that has good and bad results. Without a doubt, my faith has changed my lifestyle. No longer do I participate in the activities I now see as hurtful, detrimental, and sinful... Many of them were everyday business for much of my adult life. When it comes to gaming, like a previous poster noted, I do not play games that I find overtly offensive (the same thing can be said for the movies, tv, music, internet, and print I choose to use). I have studied most of the major religions in school and one thing is for sure, they all note that this world is "broken" in some way. As a result, anyone should expect that there would be harmful elements in every facet of life, including video games. We are all given free will by God and face choices everyday. From a Christian point of view, the Bible is quite clear as to good and evil; Christ died for the redemption of a sinful world.... Playing video games won't damn you to hell (all sin in general has already done that) but Jesus is the only way to Heaven (because He is the ransom for all sin). The Bible also describes sin as "he who knows what is wrong and does so anyway." God treats us as individuals because He loves each of us individually. Does this mean that one person could have a sin problem with indulgence in anything (food, media, drink, etc.) and not another? yes. That is why God came in the flesh, for a personal relationship not to establish religious rituals. I will admit I am opposed to "The Golden Compass." Not because of the content but because it is a badly designed, generic, lame excuse for a game.

I am not religious at all, in any way shape or form, so my perspective would be from someone who poliely disagrees with most of the people above me, I think. Are games sinful? Probably yes. However, I do not believe in sin so it's a moot point. I DO believe in an unclearly defined right and wrong, a black and white with a whole lot of grey. Just to clarify so no one accuses me of a machiavellian monster. So...Why are videogames a sin? I figure the Christians in the crowd have to fall into a couple of camps. For example, one camp is the more old testament fire and brimstone sort who might believe that God is all powerful and always angry, so videogames are a sinful indulgence which takes away from the time you should be either converting or killing in his name. The only book you should read is the bible, and the only thing you should think about is praying and making more Christians; either from breeding or converting. Take your pick. Videogames a sin? To paraphrase the Simpsons, technically going to the bathroom is a sin. I do understand that the vast majority of people who define themselves as Christian follow...well...Christ. Whether he existed or not (you probably can guess I don't believe he did due to lack of evidence, but don't hold it against me) he was certainly a mostly nicer fellow than his dad. As Mr. Shirk said... [quote]The core tenants of Christianity are loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself, so I think it's ridiculous of religious institutions to attack things that aren't harming individuals...[/quote] So, are videogames a sin for this type of Christianity? Oh yes. In fact, you guys probably should not even own a computer, let alone property or a vehicle or anything but the robes on your back. Something about rich people fitting through the head of a needle, or something. The $300 bones you spend on that beautiful PS3? Yeah, you should have probably given it to the poor, along with everything else you own so that you may follow Jesus as he clearly said in the Bible. That does not even count the parts of the bible that say something about not partaking in anything that is not godly. I am just going to say it is in Daleks 7:11, because I have no idea where to start looking for the exact passage; the bible needs a CTRL+F. I am pretty sure if you have played any game that includes things which are sinful you are probably commiting a sin as well, [b]especially[/b] that nasty pre-marital sex you have in God of War or the baby killing condoms you can use in Fable 2. Tearing people apart with the blades of chaos is probably fine, but only if Jahova can okay it. Is it alright to play videogames if you are really religious? Slim chance yes, but only very few videogames and most of those are probably not very fun. On the positive side Christianity can not only be interpreted in a million different ways, but it IS interpreted in millions of ways. If you get right down to it, videogames ARE a sin, but you guys can look at your religion any way you want to make you feel like you are on the "nice list". CLOSING NOTE: Please try not to take offense to any of this. Yes, I have no reason to believe in Christianity in any of it's forms but I am not trying to insult anyone. I am writing with a touch of humor because if you can't joke about these things you are probably taking life too seriously. If you can't get a bit of a kick out of literally killing God in Dragon Quest VII (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMv2cdOHz3k), loosen up with a couple of drinks and some pre-marital gay sex.

@Rachel: The Dante's Inferno thing really rubbed me the wrong way too. It almost seemed like they were trying to set up an enemy figure to rebel against by purchasing their game (which i'm sure was the thought process). It's hard enough to be someone who engages in pop culture when various religious groups are always "speaking out" against this evil or that one, but to insult our intelligence in such a shameful way means that I will not play the game and reward their efforts.

As long as some publicly traded company is making money on the product, any religious conflict is completely irrelevant. To offer a response to the question, all persons of any faith can enjoy gaming...........................I've been thinking about this too long. If any faith is right, we have all done something to deserve hell anyway.

I'm a Muslim and I enjoy gaming from MW2 to GTA , and as you know religion isn't only in churches or (masjid) mosques it involves in your life , and humans only have one heart so playing many games that contradicts your believes may make you weak and lost , so as long as no one crosses the other things will be ok , but for Dante's inferno many of us (gamers ) actually contacted the government to ban it in our country and now it's banned in most Muslim countries .

@random nameless guest: Calling people weak and lost is a GREAT way to convince people you are right. Congrats! Frankly, if you are a Muslim and are playing GTA and MW2 and believe that your religion approves, you have clearly skimmed over a different holy book than I did. I don't wish to be harsh, but getting the government to ban something which harms nobody is downright disgusting.

@Alex , I know my English isn't that good , but man you need to read my comment again . "but getting the government to ban something which harms nobody is downright disgusting" and about banning the game , did you read the story of dante's inferno ? do you know what he says about my religion "NO" , also you actually say I said people are lost ! (which I didn't as you see in the comment) and then you call what we did as disgusting , and believe it or not we all wanted it banned , even in ALL gaming forums we all agreed not to put anything about it.(Muslims gaming forums ). and about gta and mw2 again read my comment good I never said my religion approves it or not !! , so what about GTA ? , it's the same as real life if you are looking for sex and strip clubs then yes you will find them and yes religions are clear about that , but what if you are playing online with your friend and just playing with cars (did you do any thing wrong according to the holy books ? ) , and what about MW2 ? can you tell me ? ...

@formerly a gues known as Ahmad: I don't think you understand my point of view, but disagreeing with what a game has to say about your religion, or even your mother, does not give you or anyone else the right to ban or censor it. I got a great idea for you! If you and "all" the other people in agreement with you don't want to play a game for whatever reason, maybe you should just not buy it and not play it? There are other people in the world who are rational adults who might want to experience what Dante's Inferno has to offer, and you don't have the right to censor and take that away from them -- even if your goverment is on your side. Hey, you tell ME if those games are against your religion; but technically, should you even be playing games at all? Even just driving around in the cars included in GTA will eventally lead you to seeing or hearing some sort of "evil", and your "one heart" probably should not be distracted by that.

@Alex The Islam has the right to ban it , in my country we are all Muslims and my country is also goes by the rules of Islam , so releasing a game like this here is disrespectful and offensive to Islam and all of us (I hope you understand this ), and if you know about Islam then you would understand ,I'm explaining something you didn't experience which will be hard for you to understand , And yes I do understand your point of view , but the problem is you try to PUSH your point of view to our life , but that doesn't work because our life is different from your life . also believe me it's not like we said NFS pro street sucks so lets ban it here !!,because this is what you are saying . "There are other people in the WORLD who are rational adults who might want to experience what Dante's Inferno has to offer and you don't have the right to censor and take that away from them -- even if your goverment is on your side. " , you talk like if we banned it in your country ! , It is offensive to Muslims and Islam , so If you are not a Muslim and it doesn't offend you by anyway then go play it . "should you even be playing games at all?" , I already explained that playing video games is allowed by my religion , also about hearing "evil" while playing GTA ,its the same as real life unfortunately , but hey if that the case then you shouldn't use internet ,tv , or even leave your home ! , and there is a difference between wanting to hear these things with your own will or it happened by mistake . Also there are degrees of exposure , in our time its hard to control everything but we should at least try minimize the exposure .

Before I comment on Mike's excellent article, allow me to address the discussion betwen Alex and Ahmad. To begin, Alex Gagne is under the impression that Islam somehow forbids adherrants from playing video games like GTAIV or Modern Warfare 2 -- which is not the case at all. In fact, Alex slyly remarked that the "holy book" may make reference to such a prohibition -- again, it doesn't. Alex, picking apart an argument which is written in semi-broken English must be easy. But if you're intent on making underhanded comments about Islam and a fictional interdiction of video games, I suggest you take that to message board or something. Now, onto Ahmad. I don't know where you live, but years of theological study have led me to conclude that there isn't a single country which operates completely by the rules of Islam -- or any other religion for that matter. Regardless, even if your country IS completely populated by Muslims, that doesn't create legitimate precedence on which to ban an "offensive" game. Lastly, regardless of someone's faith or lack of faith, our sensitivities are all different -- what one Muslim might find offensive, another might find amusing. Most of the Muslims I know would have no problems playing Dante's Inferno, let alone allowing it into their country. In general, thanks for keeping it clean. Carry on. Onto Mike's excellent article! I'm an agnostic theist myself, although I apply the ethical standards and beliefs from a wide range of faiths to my life. Despite Alex Gagne's wildly misinformed diatribe on the Bible and its apparent clauses which admonish gaming, it's quite clear that no modern religion actively prevents its followers from indulging in a deathmatch or two every once in a while. I have yet to see anything beyond circumstantial conjecture on the topic, although I invite evidence -- I am a skeptic after all, I demand to be proven wrong! What happens these days is this: Religious people use vaguely religious beliefs to base their own personal conclusions concerning video games upon. Is this all together bad? No, but when these religious people insinuate that the Bible supports their opinion, we enter murky water. And when these people are powerful, influential preachers, things get even stranger. The bottom line is that, regardless of your faith, we all interpret holy texts, lessons, and proverbs differently. If you call yourself a Christian, and choose to treat people with dignity and respect as a consequence -- that's alright. But just know that there will be another Christian who claims that your common faith include some very uncommon beliefs.

[quote]The bottom line is that, regardless of your faith, we all interpret holy texts, lessons, and proverbs differently. Just know that while you may believe that Christianity stands for tolerance and peace, another Christian may harbor a very divergent opinion.-Omar[/quote] I am agreeing with you. My point is that no religion has a completely concrete set of rules that people can base their faith on, because every single one can be interpreted differently. Maybe if I spoke about this subject with more reverence it would get my point across better, but I really don't have any so that is difficult. My main point is that censorship is something to be fought against, and I don't think anyone has the right to censor something if they feel offended. You don't have the right to not be offended, but some people/countries think that is the case. I don't care if 100% of Ahmad's country IS Muslim and IS offended, they still have no right. [quote]Just know that while you may believe that Christianity stands for tolerance and peace, another Christian may harbor a very divergent opinion.-Omar[/quote] Once again, that is something I agree with and something I already mentioned. My point was that neither group is right, and you can't say some videogames are not sinful because someone else who has the same faith as you thinks they are. Theologically, the people who condemn things in the religions of the world usually have more text backing up their position than the ones who believe in the warm and fuzzy bits. In the end, the gods represented in any of your holy books are gigantic hypocrites, or at the very least are the "Do as I say, not do as I do" types. Plus, here are a group of Muslims who have a very good reason for you to not play videogames, or even TV. http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?53470-If-Music-is-Haram-how-do-Muslims-in-the-U-S-get-rid-of-it-in-their-lives See? So, maybe you can play that game of GTAIV as long as you mute the sound. Hopefully god does not catch you playing Guitar Hero, though. Now I know not ALL Muslims believe in this prohibition of music, but you tell me which side is correct? The one who more closely follows the book that they base their religion on, or the one that doesn't?

I don't know much about Christianity but Buddhists and Hindis don't really care. Especially vajrayana buddhists! They don't give a shit! I mean look at the vamashara traditions! Hah! They drink alcohol, have sex and use drugs. Some (aghoris for example) spend years on ceremonial graveyards and are known to EAT human flesh as a way to reach enlightenment. And many achieve it through those methods. It would greatly surprise me if they take offense in the playing of videogames. :D And if you aske the 17Th Karmapa about his views on videogames (note; he's like the Dalai Lama of tantric buddhism) he will say that games are a good way to relax and can be a good way to release your energy without harming others. So whatever problems you have with combining religion and videogames, it's obvious that the problem lies in the dualistic viewpoints that Christianity (and every other theistic religion) has. A non-dualistic religion has no quarrels with sex, booze or videogames. But that doesn't mean they approve of it either. They will take it as it is. Why force your viewpoints upon others? It's so typical for Christianity and the Islam to force their ways of thinking upon others. And that's why priests and imams will never EVER achieve enlightenment. Their dualistic mindset of ''right vs. wrong'' is what is keeping them down. It's off course VERY handy to shove all your problems in the direction of god instead of looking inward.... Sorry for this last rant but it's the truth.

I should hope that no religion promises eternal damnation for merely imagining or recreating sinful acts in the form of entertainment or education. In such a case, simply reading their holy text of choice would damn oneself a thousand times over. Those who claim it is detrimental or corruptive to the 'moral fibre' of their adherents to be aware of 'sinful' acts only expose their lack of (heh) faith in themselves and their people. The most troubling element, to my mind, is the danger of religious groups considering their beliefs to be untouchable, that somehow they are above examination or analysis. It seems that a great deal of the complaints against religious content in games by religious groups is motivated by this fear of being contradicted, and interactive entertainment is simply the softest target. Of course the above is simply a personal observation. Disclaimer: I'm an agnostic with vaguely spiritual leanings (more out of hope and love of modern-fantasy that rational belief) who considers organised religion to be primarily a form of cultural manipulation.

Strange... the above post (I should that no...) was written by me, Chris Fox. I'm sure I'm logged in and was logged in at the time so I don't understand why it did not display my name.

@Chris Fox: The gods of the internet are punishing you for being an agnostic.

This was a very good article and it voiced many opinions I've held. Good job, Mike. I was raised in the Christian church by very religious parents who strictly monitored our secular entertainment intake. They had no problems with movies, television, games or books as long as they were appropriate for our age range. They believe, as I do, that entertainment can not be largely responsible FOR behavior but is a pursuit OF genuine interests. At no time were they concerned that watching a mass murderer would make us violent but whether or not the violence was appropriate to see or participate in. I think it's completely understandable for religious followers to entertain themselves with secular entertainment. It's not going to corrupt the user unless there's already something inherently troubling about the individual. It allows someone to maybe experience a different facet of life they may not otherwise have the chance to. As long as it falls in line with what they see as responsible viewing or participation then I see no issue.

@Chris: We still have some technical issues to deal with -- you've just experienced one of the more common problems with the site's architecture. Sorry about that.

[quote]In the end, the gods represented in any of your holy books are gigantic hypocrites, or at the very least are the "Do as I say, not do as I do" types. - Alex[/quote] I'm not certain what you're referring to here. If you mean that the deities of modern religions have "done" things, I have yet to witness it. How can a God be a hypocrite if it doesn't exist and if it hasn't done anything? If you're referring to the people who follow the "Holy Books" you've mentioned, (your argument suffers from a lack of identification - try and specify what religion you're talking about)adherrants to not create the religion, the lessons which the texts and scripture express do. If a Christian kills a doctor who performs abortions, it's not because the Bible tells him to, but because he's a crazy person. [quote]See? So, maybe you can play that game of GTAIV as long as you mute the sound. Hopefully god does not catch you playing Guitar Hero, though. - Alex [/quote] For starters, the opinions of forum-goers on religion is hardly proof of any sort. It's quite telling that you resort to an internet thread when in search of a reputable source. When I said "take the argument to a message board", I didn't think you would take my suggestion literally. If you want to discuss Islam, I suggest you source the Hadith, the Qur'an, or a book on Islamic jurisprudence -- otherwise don't expect me to take your point seriously. Since you're under the impression that message boards are reliable, then why not look at your own source? The first person to respond to the thread -- a moderator, no less -- suggests that it's okay to play video games. Lastly, you keep referring to [b]my[/b] holy book, or reasons why [b]I[/b] shouldn't play video games. I can only assume it's because I have a vaguely Arabic name. I suggest that you learn NOT to judge people by names or other arbitrary factors. But let me reiterate. I appreciate your comments!

I am an atheist. My grandfather was a WWII paratrooper and a minister after the war. For the last 10 years of his life he suffered stroke after stroke that left him unable to do a single thing for himself. This happened at an age where i was still developing my own ideals, this left me to believe that no one that he would spend his life serving could do that to him. However I still hold ideals that would be considered religious, mostly those that are Buddhist. I will try to explain so I dont sound like a wannabe or a hipster. For instance reincarnation. It has been scientifically proven that no matter is ever created or destroyed just recycled, so it seems to me that parts (genetically speaking) of your person could move on. When i was about 13 I had the privilege of meeting a group of Buddhist monks traveling and showing art, that really changed my life. I saw these people who have been misunderstood and persecuted for many years, having their own country stolen from them. They were still the most kind and caring people I had met outside of my family. The Buddhist's I met did not persecute anyone for different or practicing a different religion. I have tried to follow the same ideals into my newly found adult life. I have trouble doing that though when someone does not respect me in the same way. As an atheist I got a little of guff from other kids my age who did/do not quiet understand what atheism is. I feel that in most circumstances for example, homosexuality, people (christian church for instance) are afraid of what they do not know and what they do not understand, therefore it becomes wrong and immoral for them. @Omar I imagine you have dealt with judgment your whole life. Having as you said a vaguely Arabic name. I feel bad for you and at a very basic level understand what i believe you have dealt with. The problem I have encountered is that churches have developed a feeling of supremacy and think everyone else is a radical that does not know what they are talking about. There are radicals in all religions. I have met many people with different religious ideals then mine that i get along perfectly with, because they respect me and what i choose to do and believe. It is the extremists and the unintelligent mindless "followers" that give everyone else a bad wrap.

@Omar: Waaaaaiiiitaminuuuuuutee! Slow down, let me explain. You are taking things completely wrong, but I don't blame you because I worded them incorrectly. First: No, I don't believe the deities of modern religion have done anything. I don't believe they exist, but I am sure that is obvious. The people who believe in deities must think that they have done things if they follow any of the Judaism or one of it's many offshoots. Eastern religion is not really what I am referring to because there is much less to complain about. [quote]How can a God be a hypocrite if it doesn't exist and if it hasn't done anything?[/quote] You can't describe a fictional character as a hypocrite? [quote]If you're referring to the people who follow the "Holy Books" you've mentioned, (your argument suffers from a lack of identification - try and specify what religion you're talking about)[/quote] You are right, sorry about that. By Holy books I mean the Bible, the Qur'an, and the ol' school Judaism stuff that tends to get looked over (the ones where god is REALLY a prick). When I refer to "Your Holy Books" the "Your" is directed at people whose religions are based around the books mentioned above. Not you! I am sorry if you got that impression. [quote]For starters, the opinions of forum-goers on religion is hardly proof of any sort. It's quite telling that you resort to an internet thread when in search of a reputable source... If you want to discuss Islam, I suggest you source the Hadith, the Qur'an, or a book on Islamic jurisprudence -- otherwise don't expect me to take your point seriously.[/quote] I had a bit of a roundabout way of making my point, but as far as I am concerned the interpretation of religion has two bases: the books themselves and the people who interpret them. This person made an interpretation of his religion which states "NO MUSIC!". I don't think he is right, but anyone who disagrees on a theological basis using Islam is not right either. The proof is in the pudding, and the proverbial pudding is personal interpretation. I didn't pull text from the Hadith or any other book because that would be ME interpreting it, and better to get it from a random-ass person on the internet than explaining what I would think about something I have no reason to believe in. [quote]Since you're under the impression that message boards are reliable, then why not look at your own source? The first person to respond to the thread -- a moderator, no less -- suggests that it's okay to play video games.[/quote] Yes, but in my effort to play devil's advocate I brought other things up. Do I think it's okay to play videogames? Yes, I think it is a great thing. Do I think people who are religious should play videogames? Yes please! Do I think their religion allows them to play all videogames? Maybe -- but probably not, and I explained arguments I have heard against playing games for Christians as an example. [quote]Lastly, you keep referring to my holy book, or reasons why I shouldn't play video games. I can only assume it's because I have a vaguely Arabic name. I suggest that you learn NOT to judge people by names or other arbitrary factors."[/quote] My last post was rather confusing, so I apologize again. When I use the words "You" or "Your" I was referring to religious people, but not you. The paragraph break after my second response to you was back on the topic you presented but not at you personally. That is why I used "gods" and "books" as a plural form to spreak to religious people, but not you in particular. Once again I apologize if you got the wrong idea, but I was not casting assumptions on you based on your name or any other factor. I kind of assumed you were at least agnostic, based on what you had been saying, but that is it. [quote]I appreciate your comments![/quote] Me too! I just want to be sure that you or anyone else does not think I was referring to you as Muslim because of your name. That would be a shitty thing to do, and I would know because people keep thinking I speak french...Ugh. (I assisted in taking all this WAAAAY of topic, so I am going to hope this puts an end to what I have to say about off-topic things. I just wanted to make sure no one got the wrong idea. If you want to talk about this some more Omar, feel free to toss me an e-mail.}

@Alex. You seem like a solid guy and I really appreciated that lost post. I would love to rap philosophical with you. What's your email? You can always contact me at "omar.a.yusuf@gmail.com" I wasn't upset, nor did I assume you had particularly nasty things to say. It was simply a case of miscommunication. I look forward to hearing from you! Onto more relevant fare. [quote]This person made an interpretation of his religion which states "NO MUSIC!". I don't think he is right, but anyone who disagrees on a theological basis using Islam is not right either. The proof is in the pudding, and the proverbial pudding is personal interpretation.[/quote] You've hit the nail on the head with that paragraph. For the most part, modern religions boil down to "be a good person". While there are minute variations on what "good" means, the term typically implies respect, peace, and devotion. Beyond that, there are proverbs, lessons, and stories. Because religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam were established thousands of years ago, the lessons which they teach take new meaning as our collective cultures and mentalities evolve. There's no concrete foundation for the argument "Catholics shouldn't game" because -- like you said -- it relies on a personal interpretation of religious scripture. One Muslim may claim that gaming is haraam (against God's wishes), while another debates that it is halaal (A-okay by God). Neither claim is more legitimate than the other, because both individuals took different conclusions from the same text. If you've ever dealt with international law, the same applies. [i]Lex lata[/i] vs. [i]lex veranda[/i] -- the letter of the law vs. the spirit of the law. If you're a person of faith, it comes down to your personal comprehension of the Bible, the Torah, or what have you. Do you believe God is okay with you playing video games? Another question relevant question might be: Does he care? Again, thanks for the clarification Alex. It means a lot.

@Nolan Earl ; You should check out this documentary called ''Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion''. It shows so well how the Chinese are oppressing the Tibetan people. It made my eyes tear so be warned, it's pretty hard to watch. Anyways, just to make things clear, I'm leaning the most towards buddhism but I'm still studying other non-theistic religions. All the theistic religions don't suit me as I've explained in my previous post. I don't really ''judge'' the theistic religions but I have studied them so I have an opinion of them. And most of those religions aren't very women-friendly, Gay-friendly or even free speech friendly. So Buddhists (because they believe in love and free speech) have opinions on these things, look at Lama Ole and search for his opinions on the Islam for example. I think being an extremist buddhist is like being an extremist doctor. You can only help more people... Of course, some people need to go through different karmic processes and all that stuff so you need them to go through the ignorant phases so that they can finish things but I still think there is a need for criticism towards religion.

@Anand yeah i have heard of that film, but just have not yet came across it I feel you on the eye tearing. I tear up thinking of the monks i met, and many times in high school would i tear up talking about the subject when kids talked about how America is awesome and helping anyone. It is a very under acknowledged injustice

@Omar. No problem! I understand this is a touchy subject, so I like to make sure that I am not being misunderstood. You can reach me at gawa40@hotmail.com if you wanted to talk about anything else, although I think I have said what I really wanted to. Better yet, if you are on PSN you can add me. My PSN ID is VG-Robot (I may have already added you, actually. I did a quick bitmob friend add spree for a game night). The MAG Beta is up! We can all go online and kill people of every creed and color, equally. ...That also came out wrong. SHOCKINGLY BACK ON TOPIC!: The one thing this topic brought to mind was Final Fantasy Tactics. Now, you would have to skip every cutscene and story sequence to not know that the bad guys in the game are a facsimile of the catholic church, and the end boss is basically a battle against Jesus Horatio Christ in hell. My question is, in the hypothetical world where everyone was a catholic, do you think it would be okay to play Final Fantasy Tactics? If yes, is it because it's "just a game"? If yes to that as well, does that mean you don't think games can ever offer an artistic critique of our culture? Speaking of intelligent critiques of religion, I have to go brutally murder angels with my hair/clothes in Bayonetta.

I try to be a moral subjectivist whenever possible. I'm not going to tell other people how to live their life, and I hope they don't try to boss me around either! That being said, I play what I'm comfortable with. There's never a big conflict.

I don't think that just because I am religious it means that I can't watch or read or play something with objectionable content. In my religion, I don't judge people because they don't feel the same way about entertainment as I do. It's my (or their) conscience that matters. What I choose to play is between me and my God. I'm definitely not comfortable with certain levels of violence, but I know others of my religion who are. And that's okay.

I don't see why religion and video games HAVE to clash, I think it's just people wanting to see conflict because the exact same thing can be said about movies and books. I think it's more of a question of how mature the player is and if he or she can properly interpret the game is trying to say. Personally, I think that if you are religious, I would encourage you to play games like Xenogears or Final Fantasy Tactics to at least get you asking the questions, but you can also be 12 and just enjoy the games for their gameplay, I didn't really try understanding FFTs story until maybe the 10th playthrough. It's only as serious as you let it be.

Asdfaskdjkl!!! There needs to be an edit button on this thing, the word "what" should be between "interpret" and "the" on the 3rd line.

Oh, I think the religious should be able to do and play whatever they want. I am just interested in what they think their religion allows them to do and why.

Hey Mike, they're discussing your story over on GamePolitics.com: [url] http://www.gamepolitics.com/2010/01/07/games-and-religion[/url]

@Hsu Good catch!

@Shoe: Thanks for pointing that out, it's kind of interesting to see that I've created something people are interested in. @Everybody: Thank you all for making this my most read post on bitmob. I'm really glad to see that, eventually, we all got to a point where we could think about this in a non-offensive way towards each other. I do plenty of bad stuff, and I'm not Mr. Religion, but I did think that since most religious people are viewed as narrow minded by the gaming community as a whole, that this discussion was really worth having. I'm not qualified to act as a spokesman, but because i'm a teacher, I enjoy getting the discussion going and letting people react to it. Thanks again all!

Congrats on making it into Gamepro! Great article!

Thanks everybody, because of you I was able to be a real published writer...something I never dreamed could happen to me. Much love to all!

I agree with Chris Davidson.  Good for you, Mike!  I am always leery when magazines change their format.  I was captivated by your article to the point where I was going to respond with my thoughts.  Imagine my surprise that it was already debated (and rather well I might add) since the end of the year!  Your contribution to Gamepro was splendid!  Keep up the good work.  I value the cerebral side of gaming since many of my peers believe it is immature and brainless to be a gamer. As a 44 yr old mother, wife, gamer and woman of strong faith, I am your newest fan!!