“But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the LORD
because he is good to me.”
-Psalm 13:5-6
My younger brother recently expressed interest in playing Dungeons and Dragons. Growing up, all I’d heard about the game were negative things. I heard it was dangerous and demonic. I heard that it led to the occult and demon possession. But no one could ever give me reasons behind why it was so dangerous or in what way it was demonic. However, I had no intention to make the decision to play such a controversial game lightly. I decided to research it to find out more about the game, find out what all the opposition was about.
When I started my research, I came across articles like Should a Christian Play Dungeons and Dragons? and Demonic Child Entertainment. None of what I could find offered reasonable, rational, or (in my opinion) biblical arguments against playing the game. I did find a lot of fear and paranoia, scare tactics, misinterpretation of the Bible, and personal opinion. I found myself getting rather frustrated. These types of articles are exactly why so many people either hate Christians, or think they’re just nuts. The sad part is that, even posting on my facebook account that I was researching the game brought both public and private backlash.
It wasn’t until I came across Confessions of a Dungeons & Dragons™ Addict that I felt I had finally found a voice of (Christian) reason on the topic. Not only does he bring much clarity to the arguments many Christians have against the game, having played it himself, but he also expands on what gameplay is like in general. He also goes into how Dungeons and Dragons can be a ministry tool. He finishes his article with explaining what the real dangers of the game are and what you should be cautious of if you should choose to play it yourself.
So, having spent a fair amount of time researching both sides of the debate and feeling no personal conviction to the contrary, I have decided to go ahead and play Dungeons and Dragons.
Comments on: "Dungeons and Dragons: The Debate" (1)
[...] Other things that annoy me about some Christians are their single-minded jugdmentalism (this is a word, stop judging me!) and hypocrisy. Example time! Twice now I have posted on facebook about playing Dungeons and Dragons and both times I have received negative comments. The first time, it was implied (and I was told directly) that Christians shouldn’t play D&D because it is inherently evil. I was also told that I was only defending the game because I secretly knew it was wrong and a sin to play. This last time (earlier this evening, actually) I was asked to think about whether this was a game I would ask Jesus to play with me. (The answer is yes, by the way.) [...]