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1. it's disgusting. i hate that whole mindset, anyway. and then to promote it with a video game...

2. why can't christians do anything but imitate what the secular world--which they look down upon--invents? christian "rock," christian video games...jeez, you'd think that if you had a direct line to the creator, you'd be creative!

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Well to be completely fair, it isn`t as obscene as it first appears on the surface.

Keep in mind, the setting of this game is after the rapture when everyone has finally made their choice whether to be Christian or serve the anti Christ, and the battle is all about the destruction of any who won`t take the mark of the beast.

All headed by the global leader who has taken over the un and dissolved individual countries and traditional boundaries.

Kind of have to read the series to understand.

But *kill the unbeliever* in todays setting is not what it is condoning or about.

Up to this point in the story the Christians have been battling to get the message of God out to as many souls (not killing) as is possible before the final battle.

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what's obscene to me is the underlying elitist message. it's just a version of the same thing so many of us have come to hate about twi. the whole "christian supremacy" thing just plain sucks--forget about the supposed setting of the game. it promotes a mindset that most of us know from experience is self-serving and downright mean.

i never understood the book of revelations. it was all too wacko for me. let's be honest--can anyone really imagine JESUS CHRIST mowing down the unbelievers with an ak-47? it's just so twisted, it's sick.

sorry to be so wishy-washy about it. you know us new yorkers.

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With a little checking, I found this:

http://www.leftbehindgames.com/pages/controversy.htm

LEFT BEHIND: ETERNAL FORCES

A statement from Left Behind Games Inc.

Troy A. Lyndon, Chief Executive Officer

Recently, much controversy has ensued due to published articles in the media which discuss the violence in our upcoming game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces. However, references to “praise the lord and pass the ammunition” or “kill in the name of God” or others were made by journalists spreading misinformation, which is absolutely not true. And for this reason, I have published this statement.

There is no blood or gore in Left Behind: Eternal Forces. The game is designed to be a classic battle between good and evil, but it does not gratuitously depict violence or death.

Others are concerned about the pre-trib religious doctrine believed by the Left Behind authors. Left Behind is not the Bible, it is a fictional story and accordingly, situations resulting from the stories' post-apocalyptic time-frame are used to encourage gamers to think about matters of eternal significance, a topic largely ignored by modern games.

Because our game is a ‘strategy' game, never does a player click a key or press a button to actuate a first-person violent act. Instead, control is managed by the player in much the same way as an animated chess game would be when pieces fight for position, except that in ‘real-time' strategy games, many pieces fight for position at the same time.

In Left Behind: Eternal Forces, the players' objective is to find ‘tribulation clues', which include Bible mysteries, codes and fascinating and eternally relevant information. In the initial missions, there is little emphasis on physical warfare and gamers are introduced to powers of influence which result in a battle for the hearts and minds of people. As missions progress, there are no ‘objectives' to cause war physically. However, physical warfare results when the player is required to defend against the physical forces of evil; led by the Global Community Peacekeepers.

Several months ago, there was a news story with erroneous information about the game. Unfortunately, some readers accepted the misinformation as being factual, and then the rumor mill and the blogs were off and running.

If you hear someone making negative statements about this game, we encourage you to ask if they have personally reviewed the game. If they are merely passing on hearsay, it is false and misleading information.

==============

"Strategy" games are not standard playing games. The player maneuvers characters

as if on a chessboard. Anyone who played Final Fantasy 7 may remember Fort Condor

or the Condor Fort Gold Saucer game (same game). This works the same way,

and often the word "TACTICS" is added to a game title to indicate it's about maneuvering

forces that then act INDEPENDENTLY. (Final Fantasy 7 players who moved on to

Final Fantasy Tactics were often VERY surprised, since that game played NOTHING

like a Final Fantasy series game.)

I, personally,

remember a review in a newspaper on the SuperNintento game "Bible Adventures"

and how violent it was. I was offended- by the REVIEW.

I'd already PLAYED the game. I was unable to find the violent scenes.

There was Miriam chasing Baby Moses, there was David the shepherd gathering

his flock, and the more interesting Noah's Ark segment, where you gathered

the animals 2 by 2.

Supposedly, there was some violence late in the David segment. However, the

reviews made it sound as if the characters onscreen ran around slashing infidels.

I'm seeing a similar situation with these "reviews."

At least concerning violence.

Now, objecting in general on religious grounds is a separate discussion,

and I expect each person to know their own conscience.

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Isn't Tim Lahay's theology on End Times accepted as accurate by many conservative Christians? It sounds very similar to what a Pentacostal friend of mine believed.

So you don't see anything wrong with a game where children are blowing away(albeit without gore) unbelievers? Christian soldiers?Against the unChristians? How does it being 'after the rapture' matter? Is human nature supposed to change or something tat thta time? so anyone not a Christian will be evil?? So what happens to free will? Seems like there is only one will or death.

Is that not subtily teaching your kiddos that unbelievers really are evil? That someday they will have to die because they are really enemies? Us vs them mentality?

Of course that is some people's doctrine. TWI, others,too.

What about a Muslim game--war against the infidels? Would you let you kids read that fiction, and play that game without saying anything?

It doesn't make you uncomfortable?

We don't have any violent "strategy" games in our home that glorify war, nor are gore movies allowed. The Left Behind books have been discussed in my home also, though I won't stop my kids from reading them, they know why I don't like them and their exclusionist view, fear motivation etc.

And, no, I won't be buying the game so I can see it for myself. I read one of the books. I spent no money on it(someone was trying to convert one of my kids and gave them some), and watched the movie for free on TV. Not a fan.

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Isn't Tim Lahay's theology on End Times accepted as accurate by many conservative Christians? It sounds very similar to what a Pentacostal friend of mine believed.

The position is by no means universally held, but a number of fundamentalists hold it.

So you don't see anything wrong with a game where children are blowing away(albeit without gore) unbelievers?
I might see something wrong with it-if such a game was being presented here.

This is not a first-person shooter, nor a 2-D fighter game, nor a scrolling game,

nor even an MMORPG like World of Warcraft.

It's...a....strategy...game.

Having noted that, even the strategy/tactics portion is small, and generally,

kids won't be interested in it anyway because it LACKS the visceral connection

that people keep claiming it HAS.

Christian soldiers?Against the unChristians? How does it being 'after the rapture' matter? Is human nature supposed to change or something tat thta time? so anyone not a Christian will be evil?? So what happens to free will? Seems like there is only one will or death.

Is that not subtily teaching your kiddos that unbelievers really are evil? That someday they will have to die because they are really enemies? Us vs them mentality?

Of course that is some people's doctrine. TWI, others,too.

What about a Muslim game--war against the infidels? Would you let you kids read that fiction, and play that game without saying anything?

It doesn't make you uncomfortable?

The doctrines would be a separate issue. I only addressed the claim of violent content.

We don't have any violent "strategy" games in our home that glorify war, nor are gore movies allowed.
I'd be interested in hearing a list of the games currently in ownership there, which the kids are

allowed to play. The incredible likelihood (although this is no guarantee-someone CAN select

the games carefully enough to avoid this) is that there is at least one game there which has

violent content, where the player's character beats down, shoots, slashes, explodes, or otherwise

destroys his enemies, either one on one or in groups and vehicles-

and that this is the MAIN PORTION of the game-what the player plays during the entire game.

I'd then compare that to this game, where a SMALL PORTION of the game has violence-

which is removed from the visceral appeal, since it's played out like a chess-match and not

the result of the player "pulling the trigger". Most video games are thus a LOT more violent

than this one.

Unless, of course, one is determined to ignore that and claim "the game is mostly about

shooting down unbelievers"-which was the position of at least one review, and one I think

was a complete error.

The Left Behind books have been discussed in my home also, though I won't stop my kids from reading them, they know why I don't like them and their exclusionist view, fear motivation etc.

And, no, I won't be buying the game so I can see it for myself. I read one of the books. I spent no money on it(someone was trying to convert one of my kids and gave them some), and watched the movie for free on TV. Not a fan.

Feel free to use your dollars to vote for the games/movies/books you want to see.

I do the same.

And no, I don't have any plans to buy this one, at present.

(I reserve the right to change my mind later.)

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I'm not familiar with the "Left behind" books. You make them sound kind of like that book 'The late great planet earth' by Hal Lindsay that was popular in the 70s and 80s. That book and the subsequent movie were definitely fear motivation. Interesting parallel "left" behind as in left wing. Hmm.

As for the video game, so freaking what? I let my kids read Harry Potter books and watch the movies. Our generation survived 'Bewitched'. I just told them if they ever know a kid whose car can fly, I want to know about it. I hear believers express concern about that stuff. Doesn't bother me.

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