Digital Praise Takes Up Christian Gaming Cause

Thanks to GameSpot for its article discussing the formation of a new Christian videogame developer, Digital Praise, formed to create a "planned line of non-offensive games." CEO Tom Bean notes: "Digital Praise is founded on the principle that fun, exciting computer games don't need to be flooded with violence, sex, hate or images of horror", and the company's official press release discusses "development on two games based on the Adventures in Odyssey radio theater series", arguing: "As long as new game titles are top quality - offering exciting game play and high production value - we believe that interactive Christian games will skyrocket in popularity much like Christian music did 15 years ago."

Comments

Re:Here.

[Anonymous Coward]

In which one political entity (the Roman Catholic Church) taught another (Islam) how to be brutal on a large scale, yes?

I know this what the schools and media are telling everyone these days but it's absolute nonsense. The Crusades were a response to centuries of conquest by Islam of half of Eurasia and much of Africa. Not the Crusaders didn't behave in an utterly loathsome way, but the notion that the Saracens were pacifists who were suddenly attacked out of the blue is absurd.

OT (but so is parent): Sensitivity

[OldMiner]

FYI, 'Mohammedan' is a potentially offensive term. It implies that the followers of Islam worship Mohammed, just as Christians worship Christ. Moslems worship Allah; Mohammed is His prophet.

Granted, there are those who would argue your callous word choice was the least offensive portion of your post.

Splish, splash, I was takin' a...

[leonbrooks]

...new religion.

The leaders lined people up, had them walk through the water of large baptistries, and - abracadabra - they were "Christians."

It's a time-honoured practice, if time can be said to honour anything. Constantine did this with his troops around 300AD, which was a very long time before the Crusades, also a very long time before the Crusaders' enemy faction even existed.

Abracadabra, Aramaic for "I create as I speak" is heavily paralleled in the Bible. The term you're probably looking for is "hocus pocus", a corruption of "Hoc est corpus meum", the Latin uttered at the climax of a Mass when the priest purports to compress God (presumably a copy) into a wafer.

In another interesting pierce of irony, the cross is actually a symbol of Tammuz, the sun god. The cross-with-halo is an exact replica of the rising sun with atmospheric "lens effects". Christ was crucified on the symbol of His arch enemy. Mutating the solar disk into a crown of thorns in order to get away from the pagan implications is spectacularly ironic.

Re:Splish, splash, I was takin' a...

[Lady Jazzica]

The term you're probably looking for is "hocus pocus", a corruption of "Hoc est corpus meum", the Latin uttered at the climax of a Mass when the priest purports to compress God (presumably a copy) into a wafer.

It was Jesus who said the bread was His Body and the wine was His Blood:

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26:26-28)

In another interesting pierce of irony, the cross is actually a symbol of Tammuz, the sun god.

It also happened to be a Roman method of execution...

Mutating the solar disk into a crown of thorns in order to get away from the pagan implications is spectacularly ironic.

Jesus was actually crowned with thorns, mocking Him and the claims that He was the king of the Jews. It had nothing to do with getting away from "pagan implications".

Re:I think you mean "Humanist"

[Lady Jazzica]

The largest "Christian" denomination in the world demands first loyalty to the head of a small European state.

Catholics are Christians; in fact, they're the authentic Christians. Christ said that He'd found His Church on the rock of Peter (it was Jesus who gave Simon the name Peter/Kepha, or "rock", in the first place). See Matthew 16:18-19. Note that Jesus says this in response to the Father communicating to Peter the truth concerning the identity of Jesus.

The above passage also mentions the keys given to Peter, which express Peter's role as Christ's steward on earth (compare Isaiah 22:22). John 21:15-17 also refers to this role: the Good Shepherd places the care of His sheep in the hands of His steward Peter, in preparation for His departure from the world.

Also, Jesus prayed that the faith of the Apostles would be preserved by Peter. (Luke 22:31-32) Why didn't He pray for all the Apostles instead of just Peter? Because it was part of the role Jesus intended for Peter.

So if you want to conform to Christ, then you should accept the steward He has given you: the Pope, successor of Peter.

A bit crusty...

[leonbrooks]

It was Jesus who said the bread was His Body and the wine was His Blood

Finish the quote, from Luke 22:19 -

this do in remembrance of me

Not to recreate Him, not to call Him down, but to remember Him.

It also happened to be a Roman method of execution

Nothing accidental about it. The political masters of the sun cult (Mithras to most Romans) seem to have deliberately chosen the crucifix shape and proportions to make their point.

It had nothing to do with getting away from "pagan implications".

If the ring of thorns were other than universally portrayed hung about the intersection of the crucifix, that might be believable. As things stand, the crucifix and notably the ringed crucifix as messianic symbols predate Christianity by at least several hundred years - including preChristian examples found in South America.