'Convert or die' game divides Christians / Some ask Wal-Mart to drop Left Behind

"He saved that guy right between the eyes! He blessed his #&@%ing head off!"
lol thanks for the link.

You're welcome.

"Finally, a violent video game you can trust to help raise your kids."

Tim LaHaye is one of the foremost theologians on the end-times as recorded in the book of Revelation. The Left Behind series of books are a fictional interpretation of the Book of Revelation.

you can disagree, not like, or think the series is distasteful. that's your right. But, i would go so far as to say LaHaye and Jenkins have probably spent more quality time investigating and researching the theology of Revelation than you have, fitz.

I'm a Christian. I have read the books ... I have also read Revelation many times. I may not agree with some of their interpretation for the series, but the series is total fictional story based around interpreted events to occur in Revelation.

As for the game, I don't have an opinion from this article. I'm going to need to see more of it.

I've read the books (or at least most of them, I think) and thought they were fairly good. Well written if nothing else.

As for a video game based on them, well... I don't think so. Lame idea, like a cheap Christian version of Grand Theft Auto or any one of the identical games for the teen gamer at large. Who at this game company thought a "convert or die" strategy would be a good move, with all the public outrage and discussion about extremist Islamic rhetoric to the same effect? Everyone has a big problem with it when it's someone with a name like Ahmadinejad or Mohammed, but if it's a Smith or Anderson then it's just fine? No. I can't believe this game made it to shelves. I can't believe it made it through development.

I'll probably have more to say on this later. Bed time for now.

I tried reading one of the books once, but I couldn't get through it. And that was while I was still a pre-millenial pre-trib believer. Now I realize that amillenialism (or at least post-millenialism) is the best interpretation of Scripture, and under that framework these books are not just poorly written but spread a view of end times that is at best unhealthy, and at worst extremely damaging to the cause of Christ.

The game takes that to a whole new level. Check the AP article if you want more information on the subject.

fitz, i hear you about the the various millenial theory types. whereas i disagree with you to a point, i did enjoy the books b/c looked at it this (with the knowledge that no one knows the pre- post- a-millenial facts):
they took some very specific occurances in the Bible (not just Revelation, but Isaiah, Jeremiah, Michah, etc), and wrote a story around it. i've read all the books (except for the last two ... which were the first two as prequals ... whatever), and i found them very engaging and addicting ... until they started dragging them out.

as for millenialism ... i'm more of a PAN-millenialist. i'm a Christ follower. my stronghold is that He is in control, and that everything will PAN out in the end.

Says who? It happens all the time.

-Dave

Can't say I'm surprised. Christianity, especially the radical/extremist variety, hasn't exactly cornered the market on fun. They seem to have cornered the market on hypocrisy this holiday season, though. On one hand we constantly hear "God is Love!" and on the other everyone who doesn't agree with a minority religion (in the world sense) is going to "burn in hell."

I used to be an avid gamer and I'm certainly a proponent of letting developers create whatever sort of games they want. I find it rather annoying that out-of-touch fossils constantly rave on about videogame violence and how it's detrimental, but most of these critics would embrace this "Left Behind" nonsense, which essentially glorifies religious extremism and violence in the name of religion.

Isn't this what we've supposedly been fighting a war on for five+ years? Oh, well I guess if they're not Muslims it's alright. Does anyone else remember the uproar about the Doom or Quake mods out there that depicted the player as an insurgent fighting against the Americans in Iraq, or as a Palestinian fighting the IDF? What's the difference?

I'm not supporting any side when it comes to religious extremism and violence, as they are all products of the simple-minded. If anything, it's high-time radical/evangelical Christians assumed their share of the blame.

Christianity isn't a minority religion [source] in the global sense. Are you referring to Fundamentalism in particular? 'Cause then I could see where you're getting that from.

You tried it?? I saw the box and immediately knew what it was.

I do have to admit I have a pretty good bull@!$%# detector, which this game set off immediately.

Notmyown, I meant minority as in "there are more non-Christians in the world than Christians," not as in another religion had more adherents. Furthermore, I don't think it's possible to get an accurate idea of how many practicing Christians there are in the world. A huge number of Americans identify as Christians when they haven't practiced in decades and are really agnostic at best. Then you get into the numbers of forced conversions by "missionaries" in the developing world through the ages and it's a very grey area. I'm an "Other" myself.

I'm not refuting your source, by the way, just sharing my opinions on the matter of counting adherents.

But yes, my main focus was on the extremists. I don't have a particular problem with any religion, but I have a problem with dogmatic zealots who force their own moral and spiritual viewpoints on others (this goes for the Taliban as well as the Religious Right in the US).

I'm just tired of radical Christians in the US being made out to be some sort of sacred cow (no pun intended), and it appears progress is being made on this very issue with the outcry about this game.

I do not favor its removal from store shelves any more than I would favor the removal of Grand Theft Auto or any other violent game...but they should be subject to the same criticisms as RockStar Games and the developers of the "Islamic" games that caused such controversy. And it appears that they are.

You tried it?? I saw the box and immediately knew what it was.

I do have to admit I have a pretty good bull@!$%# detector, which this game set off immediately.

I downloaded it, so I never saw the box. The description actually made me think it had to be a joke.

Oh @!$%# off.

Wal Mart says guns.

Enough said about American culture I think.

-Dave