austinbrown2
Puritan Board Freshman
I want to thank all of you for offering your thoughts about magic in the card game Magic the Gathering (and by extension, video games, etc.). Please bear with me as I continue to wrestle with this issue.
Most of you have said that playing the game is fine, but I’m still hesitant. Indeed, I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t a flaw in the overall reasoning. Don’t get me wrong here, I really like the game (and things like Elder Scrolls, or whatever), and I don’t want to give them up unless they are defacto wrong, because, well, video games (with fantasy magic) and Magic the Gathering are my personal hobbies.
Naturally, one would rightly counsel me, based upon Romans 14, that if I condemn myself or don’t have a clear conscience, then playing them would be sin. And I agree. But I’m wondering if this issue isn’t more objective than that. Is playing Magic the Gathering bad for the Christian (all Christians)?
Here’s why in a nutshell. Three points:
One: The elements of Magic the Gathering are, to greater and lesser degrees, connected with concepts/themes in reality that are sinful. You summon shamans, for example, witches, and sorcerers (and some of their peculiar items). These persons/creatures reflect realities in our world.
Two: In order to summon these creatures, you utilize something called mana, which has roots in paganism. Mana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Three: Lastly, you play sorcery spells and cast enchantments of all sorts and flavors.
Now if we agree that these three elements are rooted in concepts (If not, where?) that one finds in our world/history, and if we agree that the real thing is sinful and is detestable, then how can playing a game with these themes be appropriate for a Christian? Allow me to amplify the point slightly. If we are to have the mind of Christ, and if Christ hates these things (the things in the real world), then shouldn’t our attitude reflect Christ’s, and we would therefore shy away from such themes, or at least put the burden of proof on those who would say they are merely fantasy and don’t share any substantial connection to the concepts that are evil?
I am well aware of the slippery slope argument at this point (and maybe that can be settled more objectively too), but set that aside for the moment. Can, say, Magic the Gathering be played without, oh, I don’t know quite how to say it exactly, but can it be played without being linked with the darkness or played without somehow condoning (directly or indirectly), or falling into the error of not hating what God hates- trivializing the evil? If so, what is the rationale?
(An aside: Listen, I like fantasy. I’m not trying to kill fantasy. Lord of the Rings simply doesn’t smack wrong to me, but that being said, is Magic the Gathering different? If so, why? I’m really bugged by this whole issue and can’t sort it out in my mind. Thanks for putting up with me.)
Austin
Most of you have said that playing the game is fine, but I’m still hesitant. Indeed, I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t a flaw in the overall reasoning. Don’t get me wrong here, I really like the game (and things like Elder Scrolls, or whatever), and I don’t want to give them up unless they are defacto wrong, because, well, video games (with fantasy magic) and Magic the Gathering are my personal hobbies.
Naturally, one would rightly counsel me, based upon Romans 14, that if I condemn myself or don’t have a clear conscience, then playing them would be sin. And I agree. But I’m wondering if this issue isn’t more objective than that. Is playing Magic the Gathering bad for the Christian (all Christians)?
Here’s why in a nutshell. Three points:
One: The elements of Magic the Gathering are, to greater and lesser degrees, connected with concepts/themes in reality that are sinful. You summon shamans, for example, witches, and sorcerers (and some of their peculiar items). These persons/creatures reflect realities in our world.
Two: In order to summon these creatures, you utilize something called mana, which has roots in paganism. Mana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Three: Lastly, you play sorcery spells and cast enchantments of all sorts and flavors.
Now if we agree that these three elements are rooted in concepts (If not, where?) that one finds in our world/history, and if we agree that the real thing is sinful and is detestable, then how can playing a game with these themes be appropriate for a Christian? Allow me to amplify the point slightly. If we are to have the mind of Christ, and if Christ hates these things (the things in the real world), then shouldn’t our attitude reflect Christ’s, and we would therefore shy away from such themes, or at least put the burden of proof on those who would say they are merely fantasy and don’t share any substantial connection to the concepts that are evil?
I am well aware of the slippery slope argument at this point (and maybe that can be settled more objectively too), but set that aside for the moment. Can, say, Magic the Gathering be played without, oh, I don’t know quite how to say it exactly, but can it be played without being linked with the darkness or played without somehow condoning (directly or indirectly), or falling into the error of not hating what God hates- trivializing the evil? If so, what is the rationale?
(An aside: Listen, I like fantasy. I’m not trying to kill fantasy. Lord of the Rings simply doesn’t smack wrong to me, but that being said, is Magic the Gathering different? If so, why? I’m really bugged by this whole issue and can’t sort it out in my mind. Thanks for putting up with me.)
Austin
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