A religious man in a gaming shop

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**MeanGreenStompa**

Actual line is
"The box. You opened it. We came'.

I threw in 'Kirsty' so people would get the reference.

**Alpharius**

All I know is that it is making me hungry...

**Boss 'eadbreaka**

Well, these are pretty funny, keep 'em coming!

**RiTides**

I hear you guys :(

Unfortunately, sometimes this hits closer to home for some people than others. My twin brother is a member of one of these "crazies" type groups... and I'm ashamed to say I used to be as well.

Worst experience of my life looking back... mercifully, something woke me up to get the hell outta there. I am agnostic now, my wife is still very religious but we go to a NON-crazies church and everything's just fine.

I still resent some of the insinuations I feel is present in religion (i.e. we know the way and you don't, our way is better than yours) but I can also see the good in some of it (encouraging people to give to the poor, to help others). I just wish people could stick to the good and drop all of the my-way-or-the-highway, holier-than-thou rhetoric.

But yeah... my bro doesn't talk to me at all these days. I guess I'm a "heretic"... :-(

**Mad Doc Grotsnik**

SilverMK2 wrote:
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:Don't remember that line from Hellraiser?

I have never seen it, to my shame

I was referring, of course, to Pandora's box.

I got the reference. Though I prefer to call it Elpis.

**Frazzled**

I am moving this to Frazzled's Dungeon O Doom (aka the OT Zone), then will read.

**RiTides**

mattyboy22 wrote:You should have started chanting weird stuff, pointing at him, and rolling dice.

This would be hard to do IRL I think, but I think the idea is hilarious. It'd take some gonads to do it, though... something along the line's of MGS's grandad!

**SilverMK2**

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:I got the reference. Though I prefer to call it Elpis.

I hope you don't mind if I steal that name for my IG - all my valks/tanks/leader names are based in Greek and/or Greek mythology and that one would be great for my planned hospital valk

**Frazzled**

MeanGreenStompa wrote:When I was a 15 year old kid, my gran's evangelical church nutso friends all showed up at her house when I'd gone there after school. I was in another room watching tv when I heard them all gibbering away and so went to investigate. My gran had previously seen me reading my warhammer books and had asked in her rather hardcore born again church about it, they had formed an 'intervention mob'.

In the lounge, they had opened my schoolbag and taken out my copy of Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness and were waving it about and crying out about it's evil.

They told me that they would burn the book for me, then when I protested, they started screaming, pointing at me and telling my gran I had devils in me and then surrounded me (all 12 of them in a smallish lounge) and started trying to lay on hands and all started 'Speaking in Tongues' (if you've never been around a large group of people speaking in tongues, it's very scary, to me they were the ones possessed).

To my credit, since seeing all these people gibbering and frenzying and putting their hands on me and the rather disturbing sight of my own dear old gran praying and rolling her eyes and starting to speak in tongues (it's like finding yourself the only human left in 'The Bodysnatchers'). I held my ground and calmly and firmly repeatedly shouted that if they burned my bloody book, they were going to pay for a brand new one.

At that time, my Granddad returned from his work (he was a bus mechanic and had no interest in the 'holy rollers' my gran had joined up with). On seeing what was happening, that old guy, covered in engine oil stained overalls and a setting his toolbag down on the table, said very firmly.

"Right, you lot, out now. Wife, get my gammon and chips cooked. I'm gonna get a shower and if anyone is here when I get back downstairs that shouldn't be here, they'll be escorted outta my house by my foot up their ass..."

They all filed out rather sheepishly, other than one of the ringleaders who started to remonstrate my grandad for allowing me to fall into evil. Granddad just said, firmly but quietly "You do not sit in judgement, only God gets to do that my dear..." and she scurried out with the rest.

I held a strong dislike for all Christians for a long time through my teens and early 20s, until I grew the hell up and realised most Christians aren't cracked lunatic fringe bastards like the ones who took my gran in.

I am very pleased she is back attending Methodist chapel again and has little to do with those lunatics.

MGS's grandad for the Win! Our granddads were aweomse weren't they.
TBone concurs

**Terje-Tubby**

n0t_u wrote:He almost died and got put on life support for your sins.

Thanks, going right in my sig

**Salted Diamond**

I start by saying that I am a born again Christain and I play 40K and D&D. My FLGS is right next to a church. We have had a few people stop to ask and (when I'm there) I can usually make them understand. The only person who really didn't like it, accepted it when my 7 year old daughter who is starting to play Magic stated rather blatently "It's only a game, even I know that" and then showed us her new card (she plays a white deck that has alot of angel cards).

**Kilkrazy**

"Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger."

**generalgrog**

Wow!... I've never seen anything like that. As a Christian and quite often the only religious man in the gaming shop. I can state that people like that do more harm, than the good they think they are doing. In fact I rarely bring the issue up(Christianity), if at all, because I have rarely felt lead to. It's a common known thing among Christians, that you can witness with your life, a lot of the time, much better than with your mouth.

GG

**Salted Diamond**

generalgrog wrote:Wow!... I've never seen anything like that. As a Christian and quite often the only religious man in the gaming shop. I can state that people like that do more harm, than the good they think they are doing. In fact I rarely bring the issue up(Christianity), if at all, because I have rarely felt lead to. It's a common known thing among Christians, that you can witness with your life, a lot of the time, much better than with your mouth.

GG

I'm with you 100% there. It's a very bad example to show people. Like the people a years ago who went running down the street swinging swords becauae they played D&D. That's now what people think if you mention D&D. They forget that things like that work both ways. It causes people to sterotype religion automaticly with anti gameing. Makes it harder for everyone.

I don't bring it up, but I don't hide it. I have gotten odd looks from new people when I tell them I can play Sunday afternoon after church. Or Weds I'll hang out while my daughter is at AWANA (think church scouts). I have 1 friend from my FLGS who has started attending my church because of me.

**Mattlov**

Years ago I got the perfect ammunition to deal with crazies.

I play D&D. I have for years. Crazies can say whatever they want. All I ever tell them is this:

If it is evil, how come my first real GAMEMaster was the priest at the church next door to my house, and we played IN THE CHURCH.

Ocassionally I will use that argument to attack them and say that makes ALL church and religion devil worship, but I need to be in a pretty foul mood to do that.

**Maxstreel**

Off topic mode on:
For clarification as I can see how this thread comes up and is easily shut down...

Most crazies who embrace religious fanaticism (not regular, go-to-church-on-Sunday-and-work-on-being-excellent to each other) were crazy in the first place, religion or not.

Many people who embrace a religion do so willingly, just as we gamers play our games willingly.

This can easily devolve into an attack/defend religion thread, which ends up getting locked and accomplishes nothing.

Topic back On:

Yes, I have been the victim of religious fanatics who attacked my D&D playing when I was 12, stating I would burn in hell for obviously aligning with the devil. Even back then in the early 80's, I let them know that it's just a game and no I don't sacrifice small animals to the dark gods.

The only way the crazies could be handled was by letting them know they could be as crazy as they want, just not around me, politely at first, forcefully if they still didn't get the message. Never argue with a fanatic! There is no logic that they are following and only gives them more fuel to annoy you!

Texas is very Baptist. Every once in a while some congregation member will remember the whole "games with spells in them are evil" or the "Harry Potter endorses witchcraft and satan!" and start some crusade. There are bigger and badder problems to deal with out there: drugs, crime, abuse. Games are the least of their problems but one of the easiest to target.

It only makes me laugh as I remember Dana Carvey's Church Lady skit from the 80s. Do like Mel Brooks and make fun of them.

**Frazzled**

Its funny. I've never had this as an issue, never even heard about it as an issue in real life, only on the intranets. learn something every day.

**Frazzled**

Its funny. I've never had this as an issue, never even heard about it as an issue in real life, only on the intranets. learn something every day.

**SilverMK2**

Frazzled wrote:Its funny. I've never had this as an issue, never even heard about it as an issue in real life, only on the intranets. learn something every day.

One of my old D&D/D20 group was Christian - used to do lots of church activities and ran youth groups etc. He obviously never had a problem with the subjects in D&D and other related games, and as far as I am aware, no one in his church had a problem with him playing such games.

He never tried to convert us, and we never tried to strip him of his belief (there was of course plenty of friendly banter on the subject, but it was all tongue in cheek and friendly).

Based on my personal experiences of "Christians-In-Gaming", all Christians gamers are nice and friendly and enjoy playing games

**landingshortly**

Haha. A few days ago, a man walked into the local GW shop and looked over the WHFB and LoTR gaming boards.

A GW guy helped him and told him what the game is about and well, these were the points he brought forward:

- Rohans look like Vikings and they resemble Nazis because Goebbels though of himself as a viking.

- Goblins look like sneaky little jewish people because of their noses and which-like poses.

i mean c'mon ... WHAT THE FUDGE!

**Petite Francois**

I like the God Emperor in 40K. He has a lot of wonderful messianic qualities. He's not the Lord Jesus Christ, but he has some of His qualities. I specifically picked the inquisition Sisters of Battle because of their piety and purity (and incredible cuteness, I'll admit). I think the God Emperor is as good as 'Aslan' for illustrating some lovely spiritual concepts

I like, for example, how modern thinking people have a very dim view of the crusades, but realize in 40K that a higher moral authority (The God Emperor) can make something like the crusades actually virtuous and holy. Exterminatus? No problem! Yes, it's just a game, I know, but it's fun to think about. (The nature of religion in general I mean, not the saturation bombing of planets so much...)

**WvLopp**

As a born again fundimentalist christian, I have no problems with War Hammer and RPG's. Yes, it is all make believe and it is more important in my opinion on what you do with it. When I first got married I was not religious but my wife was. She was unsure of my hobbies but after watching us play she has no problems with it. She now plays but refuses to use spell casters. I can respect her descision on doing that. Is there a lot of ignorance in regards to the games(goes beyond religion). Yes. But a lot of things have been used for bad. That is one of the things that kept me from religion for the longest times. It is not always the book or product but the people.
I don't bring up the subject of religion at my flg(even with the owner being christian). I let other people bring it up. It usually is brought up through the topic of my tats.
If a person is not religious, it really is not my problem. Just as was stated earlier it is usually easier and better to witness by the way you lead your life.

**Commissar Molotov**

Welcome to the Bible Belt, amigo!

...Just make sure to scream "Save me, Jeebus!" every time you roll an armor save!

**warpcrafter**

I just tell 'em that I'm a servant of satan and they better not mess with me or I'll put a curse on them and their entire family. That usually gets rid of them.

**RiTides**

Maxstreel wrote:Off topic mode on:
For clarification as I can see how this thread comes up and is easily shut down...

Most crazies who embrace religious fanaticism (not regular, go-to-church-on-Sunday-and-work-on-being-excellent to each other) were crazy in the first place, religion or not.

Many people who embrace a religion do so willingly, just as we gamers play our games willingly.

While I think this is partially true, having a brother still in a group like this makes me think it's much too general to just say they were "crazy in the first place". He wasn't crazy that I could tell. He was valedictorian of our high school, well respected in college- just drank too much kool-aid and went off the deep end, imho.

Also, like I said I was a part of this same group. Upon leaving, I felt tricked and manipulated by what had caused me to join/stay/etc. However, there was definitely something about me that made me susceptible to it... and susceptible to doing those things of my own free will. But it doesn't mean that I would have done them if I hadn't been greatly influenced to by the group.

So I think what you're saying is partially true, but overly simplistic. There's some onus on the person, but some on the group as well... I like to think that I'm very normal now, agnostic but not wanting to push my way on anybody (or have them push their way on me).

Which makes games of toy soldiers all the more fun... since none of that shizz really comes into play

**sebster**

Cheese Elemental wrote:I've been playing D&D for six years now, and I've never had the urge to sodomise a cat or sacrifice babies.

You're playing it wrong.

EDIT
Gyaargh! MGS beat me to it, smashed me even.

Ah well, ummm... how about 'Clearly you haven't reached tenth level.'

Meanwhile, I've met a fair few Christian gamers in my life, but I've never met a Christian that had a problem with any kind of gaming. I've met a lot of gamers who were pretty antagonistic to religion though, so take from it all what you want.

**mattyrm**

Ive never understood why people get angry about dungeons and dragons and fantasy and such.. i mean, whats the big problem? How can it affect people in real life?

Its not like anybody is going to pick up a dusty old book of ridiculous fantasy stories involving magic and demons and stuff and actually think it is real and let it affect their real lives in any tangible way.......

Right?

**Ahtman**

**c34r34lk1ll3r**

at my FLGS we got this one kid that plays Yu-Gi-Oh! on Saturdays in the tournament we have. His mother views the store as a den of sin and that only those who will be eternally damned go in and read comics, and play cards (the shop doesn't do minis, have to go to Sci-Fi for minis) She came up and started preaching to me a few days ago about this when her son had gone in without her permission about how i was going to hell. I asked her what religion she was and she told me she was Catholic. I'm Catholic and we tend to be the least judgemental and damning of the Christian religions on the bible belt. So I pulled out my roasry and she started screaming.

The crazies are always crazy they just need an outlet. Religion didn't do it, the idiotic people that think everything is evil and demonic do this.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
figure i should add that my grandparents are the same way but i am their prodigy child. They don't like the fact that i play WoD, D&D, Dark Heresy, Scion, Shadowrun, or Spycraft (just to name a few). They think all my friend's are cultist. I find it lulzy.

**Terje-Tubby**

Ahtman wrote:

That`s what she said!!

I have never met any Christians playing Warhammer, but i`m sure most of the anti-gaming Christians are fanatics regardless of religion. I do know a guy named Christian though