Breaking Political News

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 fictional 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.

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."

A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said the retailer has no plans to pull Left Behind: Eternal Forces from any of the 200 of Wal-Mart's 3,800 stores that offer the game, including just seven in California. The nearest are in Chico and Redding.

"We look at the community to see where it will sell," said Tara Raddohl. "We have customers who are buying it and really haven't received a lot of complaints about it from our customers at this time."

Clark Stevens, co-director of the Campaign to Defend the Constitution, said the game is not peaceful or diplomatic.

"It's an incredibly violent video game," said Stevens. "Sure, there is no blood. (The dead just fade off the screen.) But you are mowing down your enemy with a gun. It pushes a message of religious intolerance. You can either play for the 'good side' by trying to convert nonbelievers to your side or join the Antichrist."

The Rev. Tim Simpson, a Jacksonville, Fla., Presbyterian minister and president of the Christian Alliance for Progress, added: "So, under the Christmas tree this year for little Johnny is this allegedly Christian video game teaching Johnny to hate and kill?"

Both groups formed in 2005 to protest what their 130,000 or so members feel is the growing political influence and hypocrisy of the religious right.

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.

Full Story


JWAZ - The earlier version of this game also had gays as targets for death. A few scriptures from the Bible, for my Christians friends...

Jer 8:10-12 (NIV) "From the least to the greatest all are greedy for gain; prophet and priest alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush."

Jer 23:30-32 (NIV) "Therefore," declares the Lord, "I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. Yes,.. I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, 'The Lord declares.' Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,.. They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least," declares the Lord.

Mat 7:15, 20 (NIV) "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves... Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them...

2 Cor 11:13-15 (Phi) "God's messengers?" They are counterfeits of the real thing, dishonest practitioners masquerading as the messengers of Christ. Nor do their tactics surprise me when I consider how Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is only to be expected that his agents shall have the appearance of ministers of righteousness--but they will get what they deserve in the end.

1 Tim 4:1-2 (Phi) God's spirit specificaly tells us that in later days there will be men who abandon the true faith and allow themselves to be spiritually seduced by teachings of demons, teachings given by men who are lying hypocrites, whose consciences are as dead as seared flesh.

Is this about gays JW?, or someone making a video game that portray's christians acting like muslims?

I gather there was earlier version of this game busted...I think thats what JWAZ means...
This is not a good game...unless your preparing to brainwash kids ...

OK Sandy, this guy is obviously distorting religion just to make money

Not really busted.

There ARE a number of passages in the Bible that advocate death to those who worship other gods (although the 'gods' in Islam and Christianity are actually the same 'God'), and those who practice homosexuality.

The distortion in this game in that sense is that people are being penalized for killing those who worship another god or practice homosexuality (in the earlier version). In some verses you could argue that killing the 'other believer' or the homosexual are acts that God approves of.

Purple...we are talking about our kids playing this game...surely your not saying you approve of this? You dont think what they learn in this game (that its ok to kill in Gods name) is acceptable?...OR any different to what Al Q are doing...with the obvious exception that Al Q is doing it for real?
How far to the next step?

I'm not advocating the game for children, and I'm not denouncing it for a mature audience.

I'm simply stating that there are ample verses in the Bible that would back the argument that the game has not 'twisted' Christianity for the game developers profits.

Actually I think the premise of a game based upon the concept of Christ vs. Anti-Christ in the End Times is a pretty appealling game idea.

I'm not a reader of the 'Left Behind' series, although I probably have a copy laying around somewhere that a patron at work gave to me. I read a few chapters but the book just didn't hold my attention so much at the time.

If I knew where the book was, I'd probably give it another shot - but I tend to move around and it is probably packed away in a box somewhere I haven't located.... or it got 'left behind' in one of my moves.

It isn't overtly more offensive than other video game where things such as killing police officers, aliens, enemy combatants, or lining up that 'magic bullet' shot on JFK are game objectives.

Once again, we have a sensationalist headline, (JWAZ, I realize you've merely used the headline from the article) "'Convert or Die' divides Christians"---the implication being that this has divided ALL Christians.
I suspect that the truth is more like a miniscule minority of Christians are "divided" over this, and that the majority---the vast majority---will simply dismiss it as too whacked out to give a second thought.
If our media, in all its forms (including the Internet) would not fan the flames of "News" items like this, they would die the quiet, insignificant, unremarkable death they deserve.


Mick

I think I have to go on the middle line on this. I hear what you are both saying...but I still worry (being A Mother) and yet I know it wont affect all kids that play it.
Just the susceptible ones.

I woudn't buy this for my kid.. I don't like the idea of running around killing other people because they go to Church / Synagogue Mosque / Temple on another day and say their prayers in another language.

The inital version could of been written by Osama for all it's worth in terms of level of hate.