rodkirby wrote:
How does role-playing in games differ from an actor who portrays sin on stage or in a movie? If an actor spews out hatred, acts out murder, or portrays such "tamer" sins like envy or gluttony -- how is that different from someone being involved in a role-playing game?
A major difference I see is that in normal acting participants physically act out their characters' actions to a scripted end. In other words, they are acting
out someone else's script. In games like dungeons and dragons though there is some structure, it is open-ended -where the player continuously decides what
sinful actions to take to determine the game ….. It is a game that engages the whole person at deep levels.
Thus in D&D and other games like it there is an element of control by the role-player to
willfully desire to sin to win the game … Thus, in normal acting one may still stay outside of his character, but in role playing the person playing more-so
becomes his game character. Gary North states, "Without any doubt in my own mind, after years of study of the history of occultism, after having researched historical research,
I can say with confidence: These games are the most effective, most magnificently packaged, most profitably marked, most thoroughly researched introduction to
the occult in man's recorded history, period. This is NO game."
In addition, the old adage that practice makes perfect applies to these games. The more you practice sin in these games the easier it will be to sin in these
and related areas when certain events happen. When I was a homicide detective I practiced shooting weekly. I was a firearms instructor and have Federal
training in the field. When well, I can still shoot a 1" hole at 25 yards with my pistols. I practiced speed, drawing, reloading, cover, concealment, etc.
All these things were and still are habit to me because they have been practiced. When confronted with an armed suspect I react according to these practiced
patterns. Playing RPGs over a period of time may throw a person more easily into a sinful pattern of behavior.
