Let’s Go Persecute Some Virtual Jews in the Name of Jesus!
December 11, 2006
I was appalled today to learn that there is a violent video game based on Christian right-wing novelist Tim LaHaye’s best selling Left Behind book series about Earth after the Rapture.
According to Blogging Baby, the game encourages players to slaughter Jews and atheists who won’t be converted to militant, dominionist Christianity. Last time I checked, promoting hatred and violence against people who disagree with you wasn’t on Jesus’ agenda. But then what do I know? I’m not a Christian.
This kind of end-times theology that this game promotes is dangerous for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it encourages those who believe in it to stop caring about the real world and the people in it. We have the opportunity to alleviate or cause a great deal of human suffering in the next hundred years. Focusing on an apocalypse that is unlikely to ever come means that we lose our focus on the problems we face today.
Even scarier, there are those who actively lobby Congress and the President to pursue policies that they believe will hasten the end of the world. It’s utter insanity to promote policies that exacerbate ethnic and religious conflict and create unstable situations the world over, but some people want us to do it anyway. For example, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay once lauded far-right pastor John Hagee’s statement that “the war between America and Iraq is the gateway to the Apocalypse” saying “ladies and gentlemen, what has been spoken here tonight is the truth of God.”
Beyond all the political apocalypse-mongering, there is another side of this movement that is far more dangerous because its aims are far more achievable. Despite their size and influence, it’s unlikely that those who look at the world with an eschatological eye will be able to bring about the end of the world because, no matter how hard they try, there will always be logical, rational, skeptical people standing in their way.
But they have already accomplished another goal, the widespread adoption of a condescending attitude, a quiet disdain for other religious perspectives. This attitude is exemplified by websites like raptureletters.com, which allows people who believe they’ll be raptured away at the end of the world to trigger e-mails and letters to friends and family who have been “left behind.” It’s the ultimate “I told you so” fantasy.
But while we’re in the midst of this third Great Awakening, eschatologists, dispensationalists and dominionists do have the ability to make me, and millions like me feel unwelcome in our own country. Because when 55% of my fellow Americans look at me with pity and condescension simply because I don’t share their belief system, I don’t feel welcome here. When my fellow Americans play video games in which they are encouraged to murder people just like me for being just like me, I feel unwelcome. And when I have to worry that there is a thin line between persecuting virtual Jews who refuse to convert and persecuting real Jews who refuse to convert, I feel pretty damn unwelcome here.
And that’s a sad fact, because I love America. This is the country my grandfather risked his life to defend in World War II. Our constitution is one of the most beautiful documents I’ve ever read. I will continue to give my best to this country, whether it gives its best to me, or not.
my first reaction to this is that this is so ridiculous it’s laughable. dude, someone came up with a system to send out rapture letters? wtf?! ok, that’s crazy. shooting virtual jews? uh, jews already have enough problems with all the craziness with radical islam, christians should be there to support them, not shoot them. after all, jesus was a jew (*cough* mel gibson *cough*) and even for islam, there is a lot of shared history and overlap.
so far as bringing on the apocalypse, as a christian i’ve silently hoped that (sorry israel) palestine got to keep some of the disputed territory, because i don’t know how the details of how the islamic apocalypse goes, but so long as some christian-armaggedon dude isn’t able to get into the dome of the rock and proclaim himself the second-coming then i’m cool with muslims having it. at least during my lifetime (selfish, i know). plus if muslims have it and they have their armageddon, all that happens (from what i understand) is that evil gets destroyed and jews and christians get converted to islam. i guess i’m alright with that, so long as it’s not crazy radical and i can wear normal clothes and not fall under sharia law. it doesnt’ seem as painful as the christian or jewish apocalypse. however, being a christian if the christian apocalypse happens first, then i’ll be up in heaven anyway, right? don’t worry after me though, i’ll be OK and i’ll have the raptureletters website send you an email so you know what’s up.
Deborah…I love you. Merry Christmas
PS: Let’s hope for no apocalypses…unless it’s MY apcalypse
Tee hee!
This statement is posted from an employee of Left Behind Games on behalf of Troy Lyndon, our Chief Executive Officer.
There has been in incredible amount of MISINFORMATION published in the media and in online blogs here and elsewhere.
Pacifist Christians and other groups are taking the game material out of context to support their own causes. There is NO “killing in the name of God†and NO “convert or dieâ€. There are NO “negative portrayals of Muslims†and there are NO “points for killingâ€.
Please play the game demo for yourself (to at least level 5 of 40) to get an accurate perspective, or listen to what CREDIBLE unbiased experts are saying after reviewing the game at http://www.leftbehindgames.com/pages/controversy.com
Then, we’d love to hear your feedback as an informed player.
The reality is that we’re receiving reports everyday of how this game is positively affecting lives by all who play it.
Thank you for taking the time to be a responsible blogger.
SJR you PR flack: Umm…your comment seems to have very little to do with what I wrote. It looks like some buzz monitoring service you hired found my blog post and flagged it as “extremely negative” Then you came along and posted your boilerplate rhetoric refuting issues I never addressed in my post.
If you really want to relate to me and my readers, why don’t you relate to us as human beings by listening and responding to what we actually wrote? I was objecting more to the condescending attitude that you and your fundy friends have toward anyone who isn’t “saved” than to the much-touted violence against Muslims and Jews in your game.
I’m not a gamer, and even if I were, I wouldn’t waste my time playing “Left Behind.” There’s something called Zelda, and it’s a whole lot cooler.
[...] About a month ago, I got my panties in a twist about a video game called Eternal Forces that’s based on the “Left Behind” books by fundy Evangelical Tim LaHaye. [...]
[...] Apparently it all has to do with an earlier post by Teresa concerning the game Eternal Forces which is based on the Left Behind series of religous books by Tim LaHaye (and no I won’t dignify the game or author with a link - my choice). [...]
Rowan Atkinson - “Welcome to hell, I am the devil. Christians over here please. Yes, I’m afraid the Jews were right.”
Teresa
I first saw this on winextra.com and I must say I disagree with you. I did not think that SJR had an ‘attitude’ They simply asked you play the demo before judging. It seems to me that YOU have the attitude. Step back and read it all again.
I did a search and can’t find anything written by you about GTA causing people to go out and kill cops or Driving games causing people to try crazy driving stunts on the highway or any other game causing people to carry the game over to real life. Why do you only object to this game?
Callow
Callow: Sorry it took me a while to respond. Andy and I went out to a comedy club last night and we didn’t get home until late. Then I fell into a coma until about 11am this morning.
Anywho… I don’t think SJR brought an attitude either. She didn’t bring any attitude at all because she didn’t really even take the time to read my post or respond to the real issues I brought up. Instead, she did what I call a ‘boilerplate hit and run’ on my blog, using it for her PR flackery, and left.
As for the game itself, I don’t object to violent video games. I don’t think they cause actual violence. Guns don’t kill people, video games don’t kill people, people kill people.
What I object to is the larger culture that this video game is part of. It’s a culture that brings an attitude of disdain for others that don’t share the exact same viewpoint. The condescending, arrogant attitude is what I object to most.
Thanks for coming by my blog. I welcome all viewpoints as long as they’re respectfully articulated. I look forward to chatting with you further.
Ooh, and I’d like to clarify one more point. I know I said, “I have to worry that there is a thin line between persecuting virtual Jews who refuse to convert and persecuting real Jews who refuse to convert.”
I stand by that statement. I think that violence in a video game doesn’t necessarily translate to violence in real life. But if you play a game that is supposedly “Christian” and allows you to kill unbelievers, then it might stand to reason that it’s ok to treat unbelievers like shit in real life…
I’m jealous! My husband and I used to go a great comedy club but they closed a few years ago. I really miss it!
So your objections to this game are because it’s supposedly christian but is reported to have unchristian-like behavior? I still have a problem with that for two reasons. One: you haven’t played it and two: it’s just a game. Those who would cross the line between the virtual and real world were simply looking for an excuse to do so.
As for the rest of your article, I cannot disagree that there are groups out there with crackpot ideas. I’m sorry I’m not going to their site to read about them.
I don’t understand where you get “55% of my fellow Americans look at me with pity and condescension” out of “Majority (55%) of Americans Believe That Before the World Ends the Religiously Faithful Will Be Saved”
I have never met anyone who judged a person based on their religious beliefs. Disagree maybe but never look down on them. I have been lucky in knowing people of many religions and have had some of them share with me their beliefs and traditions, not to convert me, but to help me understand and appreciate them. What a great experience!
Callow
If you’ve never met a person who judge another based on religious beliefs, you need to meet more people. I’ve lived in NY, Ohio, Cally, Seattle, Utah, and Florida, and I have met MANY people who judge based on religious beliefs. It is possible you live in a region where that is less common (Ohio, NY, California, and Seattle were like that when I was there, Florida and Utah were not).
Callow: There are some individuals within my family — who shall remain nameless — who are very judgmental and condescending when it comes to the beliefs of others. Honestly, it’s rather depressing to have people in your own family believe that you’re going to Hell.
I hope that you are fortunate enough to never be judged inferior based on what you believe.