Left Behind: Eternal Forces – A Dominionist Agenda?

It may seem like old news, but some time ago, we brought you a story about a new breed of “Christian” MMORPGs. As far as we can tell, no other faith practiced in the real world has its own MMORPG, although some aspects of Buddhism are included in  9 Dragons, while Dark Age of Camelot seems to have some elements of Wicca and Asatru (the old Norse religion, still practiced in Iceland).

From this writer’s understanding, Christianity grew out of the teachings of a Jewish sect known as the Essenes, and a rabbi from Nazareth named Yeshua ben-Yossef, or Jesus as he came to be known in Greek. It was an unusual philosophy for any time in that its highest values were those of love, universal siblinghood, charity, compassion, peace and tolerance. (Incidentally, the prophet Mohammed also preached these same values about six centuries later – just thought you’d all like to know that.)

The upcoming “Christian” MMORPG, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, seems a bit at odds with those Christian values. In this game, one plays a footsoldier in a paramilitary group, armed with state-of-the-art weaponry. Your mission: turn the United States of America into a theocratic “Kingdom of God” (can you say Taliban?). The ultimate objective is to establish the “dominon of Christ” over all aspects of every individual’s life. Those who disagree or resist conversion are to be elimated with “extreme prejudice”: Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans, Unitarians, and especially Christians who are seen to be “tolerant” or liberal. And oh yes – gays, fornicators, and non-believers.

Read the full article and deliberate more on this Christian MMO after the jump!

It may seem like old news, but some time ago, we brought you a story about a new breed of “Christian” MMORPGs. As far as we can tell, no other faith practiced in the real world has its own MMORPG, although some aspects of Buddhism are included in  9 Dragons, while Dark Age of Camelot seems to have some elements of Wicca and Asatru (the old Norse religion, still practiced in Iceland).

From this writer’s understanding, Christianity grew out of the teachings of a Jewish sect known as the Essenes, and a rabbi from Nazareth named Yeshua ben-Yossef, or Jesus as he came to be known in Greek. It was an unusual philosophy for any time in that its highest values were those of love, universal siblinghood, charity, compassion, peace and tolerance. (Incidentally, the prophet Mohammed also preached these same values about six centuries later – just thought you’d all like to know that.)

The upcoming “Christian” MMORPG, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, seems a bit at odds with those Christian values. In this game, one plays a footsoldier in a paramilitary group, armed with state-of-the-art weaponry. Your mission: turn the United States of America into a theocratic “Kingdom of God” (can you say Taliban?). The ultimate objective is to establish the “dominon of Christ” over all aspects of every individual’s life. Those who disagree or resist conversion are to be elimated with “extreme prejudice”: Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans, Unitarians, and especially Christians who are seen to be “tolerant” or liberal. And oh yes – gays, fornicators, and non-believers.

The creators of this game, Left Behind Games, Inc. have been connected with a “mega-church” pastor named Rick Warren. Warren and others like him subscribe to an ideology known as “Dominionism”. In short, they would like to see the U.S. Constitution replaced with Biblical Law (hmmm – does that mean money lenders would no longer be allowed to charge interest on loans, and everyone’s debts would be cancelled every 49th year?), with the world population tightly controlled by Church authority – basically, a return to the European Middle Ages.

In a free society, Left Behind Games is certainly entitled to publish and market such a game. People are entitled to purchase and play this game when it’s released in October. Those who do, however, should remember that the “separation clause” in the U.S. Constitution is there for the protection of both Church and State, and it protects all churches and faiths. It would also be good to keep in mind that while Rabbi Yeshua (Jesus) himself said absolutely nothing about sex, he went on at great length about loving one’s neighbor and one’s self, avoiding judgement of others, forgiveness of those who cause injury, protecting the weak, caring for the sick and compassion for the less fortunate. Although not unique to Christianity, those are true Christian values.

That said, the writer suggests that any of you who consider yourself a Christian check this game out and decide for yourself: does Left Behind: Eternal Forces really reflect your values?

Via Talk To Action