Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/12/84; site aero.ARPA Path: utzoo!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!aero!homeier From: homeier@aero.ARPA (Peter Homeier) Newsgroups: net.religion.christian Subject: Re: One Christian's view on D&D games Message-ID: <515@aero.ARPA> Date: Mon, 28-Oct-85 19:46:09 EST Article-I.D.: aero.515 Posted: Mon Oct 28 19:46:09 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 29-Oct-85 14:56:31 EST References: <1515@vax3.fluke.UUCP> Reply-To: homeier@aero.UUCP (Peter Homeier) Distribution: na Organization: The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA Lines: 129 Keywords: D&D, spiritual warfare [... munch, munch, munch ...] This discussion on D&D and its effects has been fascinating to me. It is clearly very interesting to many people, judging simply by the quantity of mail on the subject. I would like to contribute as well, from the experience that I have had in the game. I learned D&D in 1974 when I entered CalTech, and I soon became engrossed by this game. I became one of the most involved members of the gaming community, having an already formed interest in fantasy, especially the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. The style of D&D that we played at CalTech was somewhat different from the version played by most other groups. All we had to work from was the original three books, and since these were clearly incomplete, the guys quickly reworked the rules. I eventually became a "dungeon master" myself, and moderated many adventures into the underground world that I invented. When I went home for the summer I introduced my brother and friends to the game, and kept it going. I say all this to emphasize that I am not a stranger to the game. I was, in my opinion, heavilly involved for several years. I eventually had a magic-user progress to the 22nd level, in a system where that was extremely difficult. Through my experience, I have formed some opinions as to the popularity of the game. D&D has an intense attraction which is due to the involvement of the player in the character or characters that he is represented by. These are sometimes alter egos, sometimes just imaginary friends. The fact that the game is so open-ended is fascinating. You can literally have your character do ANYTHING that a "real" person with those abilities could do. This frees the player from all of the danger of actually engaging in combat, magic, etc. but gives a whole lot of the thrill, especially to young people or immature adults. Generally, the more powerful the player's imagination, the more intense the gratification, and the more powerfully he can become bound to the game. One thing that makes the game fascinating is that you keep the same characters from game to game. This makes them familiar characters that you identify with and project through. As you continue to survive campaigns, you accumulate experience, and for all characters, this means increased POWER in ways particular to the class of character. This increase of power means that the character becomes ever more valuable, not just to the campaign, but since the character will strengthen the party, the other players find the one who owns the powerful character ever more important to them personally. Thus people can easily find that their own feelings of self-worth are tied to the value that their characters are to the party. Now I saw all of this happen, not only to myself, but to many other people at CalTech. People got swept into the game, and became inextricably fixed, without the power to drop it. It provided an artificial success and a set of peers that would give acceptance on grounds completely different from normal human relationships. I have seen it ruin grade point averages and isolate people in an imaginary world. I myself remember saying one night to some of my friends, after a game that had gone on til the small hours of the morning, "D&D is a way of life!" And this was among intelligent, reasonably stable young adults. This was in a D&D system where the magic system was made like a kind of science, where nothing was ever done in connection to real magic. I have watched the evolution of D&D as a system with mounting concern and horror and disgust. I have seen the rudimentary modeling of medieval clerics and Biblical miracles in the first three books transformed into detailed involvement in the most pagan and Satanic rituals possible, with all the world's most debased idolatry exalted to normalcy, even required for play. And here we come to a point that may stir considerable debate, but I still feel compelled to make. And that is that there is a real realm of the spirit, where some things exist that most people disregard as nonsense. I warn you, that there is a conflict going on today that is throughout the entire earth, but is invisible to the physical eyes. There is a general insurrection against the just rule of God, and that insurrection is led by the fallen angel Satan. This is what is described by the following verse: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against prinicipalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." - Ephesians 6:12 This is why, in the end, this is not just a game. If we were talking about things that were just not correct to imagine, or which were just inspiring bad behavior, that would be bad enough. But when people steep themselves in these things, even if they would never say that they believed any of it, "It's just a game!", they open themselves to influences from the spiritual realm for which they have neither awareness nor defence. I am not saying that those who play D&D are possessed by demons. Some might, but in general I am talking about an oppression that is less obvious but nonetheless real. The kinds of gods and such that are talked about in modern D&D are actual names in many cases of evil spirits that exist and work their darkness in human minds today, anywhere they can find an entrance. I warn you seriously, if you play D&D, you are playing with fire. You are dealing with things which have a reality beyond what you know. And they are not good entities, but evil, plotting your destruction and enslavement in whatever way they can. Most of us can still walk away from the game if we want to. There may be some reading this that are not able to, either from force of habit or some dark effect which bonds you to the game where you cannot stop. Jesus is the answer. In His cross, Jesus defeated all powers and principalities (biblical names for demons) and made a show of them, disgracing them in Jesus's total victory over them. Call on Jesus, and He will deliver you. All believers have been given complete authority over all spiritual darkness. I now exercise that authority. In the name of Jesus Christ, I now bind and compell all evil spirits which are oppressing, influencing or possessing the minds or spirits of those reading this to immediately cease all such activity, leave those people so afflicted and never return to afflict them again. In the name of Jesus, begone and do not return. If you are playing D&D, I advise you to stop. If you are thinking of starting, I advise you not to. There is nothing positive that you can get through it that you cannot get through far more healthy ways, like making real friends by being yourself, not some imaginary character. Life is far more exciting than the dark dungeons anyways. The wildest things you have ever seen there do not in any way compare with the excitement of knowing Jesus! He is infinitely more fulfilling. And He loves you, which is something you will never get from D&D. You may get the acceptance of your peers, but that is only conditional on your contributing to *their* fun and welfare. Jesus loves you unconditionally. The Bible says, "He will keep you in perfect peace, if you keep your mind stayed on Him." That's a whole lot better than keeping your mind on darkness! -- Peter Homeier ______ Arpanet: homeier@aerospace / o \_/ UUCP: ..!ihnp4!trwrb!aero!homeier \___)__/ \ The Aerospace Corporation, M1-108 El Segundo, CA 90245