"Convert or Die" video game: Who Would Jesus annihilate?

[pink-o]

Oh, those crazy Fundies! Just gotta love this under your Xmas tree!


'Convert or die' game divides Christians
Some ask Wal-Mart to drop Left Behind
- Ilene Lelchuk, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 12, 2006



Liberal and progressive Christian groups say a new computer game in which players must either convert or kill non-Christians is the wrong gift to give this holiday season and that Wal-Mart, a major video game retailer, should yank it off its shelves.

The Campaign to Defend the Constitution and the Christian Alliance for Progress, two online political groups, plan to demand today that Wal-Mart dump Left Behind: Eternal Forces, a PC game inspired by a series of Christian novels that are hugely popular, especially with teens.

The series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins is based on their interpretation of the Bible's Book of Revelation and takes place after the Rapture, when Jesus has taken his people to heaven and left nonbelievers behind to face the Antichrist.


(...and here comes my favourite paragraph. Talk of being unclear on the concept of Jesus!!!)


Left Behind Games' president, Jeffrey Frichner, says the game actually is pacifist because players lose "spirit points" every time they gun down nonbelievers rather than convert them. They can earn spirit points again by having their character pray. "You are fighting a defensive battle in the game," Frichner, whose previous company produced Bible software, said of combatting the Antichrist. "You are a sort of a freedom fighter."


**Snip*** In Left Behind, set in perfectly apocalyptic New York City, the Antichrist is personified by fictional Romanian Nicolae Carpathia, secretary-general of the United Nations and a People magazine "Sexiest Man Alive."

Players can choose to join the Antichrist's team, but of course they can never win on Carpathia's side. The enemy team includes fictional rock stars and folks with Muslim-sounding names, while the righteous include gospel singers, missionaries, healers and medics. Every character comes with a life story.

When asked about the Arab and Muslim-sounding names, Frichner said the game does not endorse prejudice. But "Muslims are not believers in Jesus Christ" -- and thus can't be on Christ's side in the game.

"That is so obvious," he said.


Yeah, WTF is the matter with all them Rag-heads??? They just don't get it, even tho it's so obvious!


The whole article, if you can stomach it!

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/12/MNG8TMU1KQ1.DTL

[Bluebear]

1. "Is Jesus your personal Savior? No??? Well, BLAMMO!!!!!" nt

[Initech]

12. George Carlin said it best:

"Religion is the leading cause of death on this planet."

[Little Wing]

2. Muslim names in the enemy list because they don't believe in Jesus

but I'm willing to wager that there's no Goldsteins listed, either.

[Kelly Rupert]

6. The ironic part is that Muslims do believe in Jesus.

And most believe in his second coming to defeat the Antichrist, while we're at it.

[pink-o]

8. That was my thought, too...

Cuz I have one of those Askenazi names myself! Throughout my life, Fundies with their wild-eyed prostelytizing have tried to convert the "Jewess" because they get even more Mitzvah's (or whatever the gentile brownie points are called) from God if they do that.

I'm so sick of these people with their power over our lives. What a waste of space these idiots are--bad enough that they're breathing air that could belong to their betters (IE: More evolved homo sapiens) but they actually have sway over policy that affects all of us.

Can't we invent a game that sends them to their makers but is part of the reality based community? (Disclaimer: that is sarcasm. Unlike those so-called followers of Jesus, I would never advocate violence towards someone whose beliefs are different than mine.)

[MADem]

10. Good grief, who told you THAT? Isa means JESUS, and is a common Arabic name

Isa is recognized as a prophet, just not "the" Prophet. Christians and Jews are not infidels, they are people of the Book.

Of course, if you listened solely to the likes of Pat Robertson and some of these crazyass fuckers who call themselves Xtian, you'd suppose that all of the Christian crew, every last one of them, wants women at home, up the pole, all the gays in a pile---ON FIRE!!!!!!!!--and men able to control every single aspect of life, to include how many wimmenfolk they marry. And if you took only the view of the most conservative, "shave your head, woman/don't let that menstruating woman NEAR me/fuck yer wife through a sheet" Jews, you might get a rather slanted view of that faith as well.

Just as there is a wide swathe of philosophy in Judaism and Christendom, there's similarly a wide swathe in the Muslim world.

But do a little research...they DO "believe in Jesus."

[Little Wing]

11. Yes, but think about who we're talking about here

I wasn't talking about whether or not Muslims believe in him or not, I'm pointing out that it's convenient for them to omit Jewish people from this list of non-believers.

In this case believing that Jesus walked the Earth is totally different than believing Jesus is the ONE TRUE SAVIOR (thunderclap as I type).

But thanks for the kneejerk insult, I almost went a day in GD without ~something~

[MADem]

15. Please DO point out where I delivered a "kneejerk insult." Because I didn't.

You, however, are getting awfully broad-brushed with your "them" (it's convenient for them) ....and it's a little perturbing, seeing as I just got through VERY POLITELY explaining to you that there is a WIDE divergence of opinion in Jewish, Christian and Muslim philosophy. Or did you miss that in my post? It isn't 'convenient' for ALL of 'them' at all...just SOME of the rabid fundies.

Oh, "they" believe that Jews are people of the Book as well, ya know. And "they" feel that the unity of Jews, Christians and Muslims comes from the simple fact that all those religions believe in Ibrahim/Abraham's "One God."

[Little Wing]

22. It's over here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2906152#2906495

[MADem]

26. You're citing the whole thread.....

Which isn't terribly helpful.

Had your subject line read Muslim names in the enemy list because "they don't believe in Jesus" we wouldn't be having this contretemps.

[ComerPerro]

14. get off your high horse and fucking read

the poster was saying it to repeat what was said in the article, and to basically explain the logic of the game creators for choosing those names.

[MADem]

16. I beg your pardon, I didn't see any quotes used.

Take a pill fachrissake.

[ComerPerro]

18. that's because you didn't read. You just wanted to flame.

And its terribly funny when someone is as condescending as you were, just to be completely in the wrong.

No excuse for you acting like that.

[MADem]

21. I suggest you do some reading, and look at what I wrote.

There were no flames there, simply a notation that there's a wide divergence of opinion in the three major religions. If you consider that "flaming" you must be terribly "heat sensitive."

No excuse for you being so excessively sensitive.

[ComerPerro]

29. and you said it for no reason, just to be condescending and arrogant

[MADem]

30. Go reread the entire thread, and you will see that is not the case at all. NT

[ComerPerro]

32. you're full of shit, and now you are backpedaling

and worst part is, you are still being arrogant and condescending.

You might be more arrogant than Bush.

[MADem]

33. No, I am neither. But you're going out of your way to be incredibly rude. NT

[Little Wing]

19. It's direct from the article

If you'd read it, you'd have picked up on that. Possibly you came in here looking for a fight instead.

Where did you make a knee-jerk insult? Just about everywhere, suggesting that I solely listen to Pat Robertson and his ilk, and that I "do a little research".

I was commenting on the attitude of the game developers, not my own opinion - again, refer to article. Muslims NO, Jews YES. Muslims according to these guys "obviously" don't believe in Jesus, but Jews don't accept him as the Messiah. This is the contradiction I was spelling out, but you missed it.

[MADem]

24. I did read the article, Little Wing, but you didn't quote it. It read as though you AGREED with the

concept. When I am discussing something in an article, I put quotation marks around it, specifically so that there IS no confusion of the sort that arose here just now.

Now YOU go read, I NEVER said that "you" listened to Pat Robertson. I used the conditional voice, and said nothing about YOU, personally.

But hey, whatever.

[donco6]

3. All I can say is,

:puke:

Seriously, tho, I've actually read one of the Jenkins books - overwrought piece of trash that it was. But they never intimated that killing people was ever an option. They have a lot more books out now, so maybe they've changed their tune.

I predict this game will be in the bargain bins within 4 months.

[Kelly Rupert]

4. Perhaps we should send him a bible to read.

Matthew 26:52 Then Jesus saith to him: Put up again thy sword into its place: for all that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

[Freeusfromthechurch]

5. Love your neighbors

if they don't convert, Killem all.


WWJD

[MADem]

7. It's only a matter of time before the "other team" --the equally rabid Muslim fundies--swipe the

software, tweak it, and create a game with the same theme, only the Xtians are the ones who can never win. They did that with some stupidass commando game not too long ago; this one, I think....

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/18/international/middleeast/18VIDE.html?ex=1166072400&en=9732019d9640c6a5&ei=5070


Video Game Mounts Simulated Attacks Against Israeli Targets
By DANIEL J. WAKIN


EIRUT, Lebanon, May 17 — The introduction is an exploding Israeli tank. A row of burning Israeli flags marks time while the computer loads a "training session" in which shooting Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's electronic forehead on a target is worth 10 points.

"Victory comes from no one but Allah," exhorts the screen before the mission begins.

The hottest video game for the teenagers of Beirut's southern Shiite neighborhoods is "Special Force," a creation of Hezbollah, the strongly anti-Israel militant organization that is on the United States' terror list.

"Special Force," with its simulated attacks on the Israeli military, was released in February, quickly took off and is to be followed later this month by a more sophisticated version that can link multiple players on a network.

While not the first politically oriented video game to enter Middle Eastern cyberspace, "Special Force" is a sign of Hezbollah's elaborate propaganda efforts. Its popularity is also an indication of Hezbollah's success in permeating popular consciousness in Lebanon and in gaining political legitimacy here....

[Leftisalwaysright]

9. Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart is proving they only do things to satisfy their core shoppers, who are small-minded people. These people would probably have a fit if they stopped selling this game.

[Little Wing]

13. Wal-Mart has INCREDIBLE pull on toy manufacturers

They reached through 2 distributors, our client - which is a HUGE toy manufacturer - to us to make a change to something that wouldn't be seen until well after the product was off their shelves.

I can't go into it too much, but it's nuts.

[Jade Fox]

17. As someone said elsewhere today....

if the life offered by Fundamentalist/Rightwing Christianity were really joyful and rewarding, people would be flocking to join them and threats would not be required.

[citizen snips]

20. GameSpot gave it a 3.4

This game sucks
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/leftbehindeternalforces/review.html

[Little Wing]

27. Out of what?

[citizen snips]

28. 10

[and-justice-for-all]

23. This game is a fucking Atrocity...nt

[brentspeak]

25. This game and its makers are disgrace. Has absolutely nothing in common with Jesus' teachings.

Sometimes, I wonder if conservative fundamentalist Christians have ever read their Bible.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

31. This has got to be the worst game since...

the Atari game "Custer's Revenge" wherein you got to play General Custer and rape an indian girl tied to a cactus.