Pat Robertson: Sinning In Video Games Is The Same As Sinning In Real Life

[Griffin Ceawlin]

Nathaniel writes:

What do you think the Bible has to say about video games? Is there a way to interpret the Bible for "virtual sins"? I'm not the type of person who would do half of the things in games in real life, but does God see it as sin if we enjoy them in a virtual setting?

Take that, all you virtual sinners! :smileyvery-happy:

[Amethyst Jetaime]

Consider the source. 

This is the wing nut that said 9/11 happened to the country because we were so godless.  He also said it was God's wrath punishing sinners with Katrina, Sandy and just about every natural disaster that's happened in the last few decades. 

He hates everyone and any one who doesn't follow him by sending large donations to him on a regular basis and rails against them calling them sinners.  He'll take the last dollar from your grandmother and let her to eat dog food. 

You should see his mansion and limo and the lifestyle he leads.  Such a hypocrite

[Cinnamon Mistwood]

I don't think I ever heard someone spout so many hateful, negative and unchristian-like things in my life.  Pat Robertson speaks poison plain and simple.  He can not be taken any more serioulsy than a radio shock-jock.

Carry on you virtual sinners!

[Bree Giffen]

Hold on. This whole thing is flawed because there is no God.

[Griffin Ceawlin]

Y'all get no arguments from me...

[wiked Anton]

according to the bible (you should read it if your concerned about it) if you contemplate on it then its as good as doing it, so if in SL you doing something and your contemplating about it, then you have answered your own question. the fact that you even asked means you have already condemmed yourself and maybe seeking approval, or something to justify your actions. people really need to read the bible if they want to live by it or condemm others for trying to live by it.

[Innula Zenovka]

You are more familiar with the Bible than am I, but the implication of what you say seems to be that feeling tempted to do something - and thus "contemplating about it" - is equivalent to doing it.

 

Is it really the case the Bible says, in effect, there's no point in resisting temptation, since there's no significant difference between feeling tempted and doing whatever it is you feel tempted to do?

 

Sounds a bit odd to me, is all.

 

[Pie Serendipity]

I occasionally imagine that LL has concluded that these forums are a waste of time and have closed them down.

But it never works.

[Melita Magic]

What many fail to observe when they discuss "Christians" is that there are billions of them world wide, each having their unique beliefs, each having their unique personality, some belonging to faiths that believe in 'evangelising' and some not, some belonging to faiths that believe in 'the Rapture' and some not, some belonging to faiths that believe in purgatory and some not, some belonging to faiths that believe in 'Reconciliation' and some not, and on, and on...

There is no one 'borg' of Christian. The Christian someone may have met, or heard, and disliked them or what they had to say, is not necessarily a representative sample. 

Also many many many critics of Christianity or haters of Christians seem to miss the fact that Christians, by definition, follow the New Testament - not the old. There are some sects who are super conservative who cling to some of what's in the Old Testament, sure. But if you read what Jesus said, He by definition did away with the old laws. Also if you understand what it says about judging, and that includes other people's interpretations (given as an example when they were discussing whether to keep or not keep Jewish dietary laws) He says not to judge how someone else expresses their holiness. That's just one example.

It's too bad that critics who hate Christians or Chrsitianity so often do not understand it, despite memorizing so much about it. Doesn't mean you understand it from within. It just doesn't. 

[Melita Magic]

---

Innula Zenovka wrote:

You are more familiar with the Bible than am I, but the implication of what you say seems to be that feeling tempted to do something - and thus "contemplating about it" - is equivalent to doing it.

 

Is it really the case the Bible says, in effect, there's no point in resisting temptation, since there's no significant difference between feeling tempted and doing whatever it is you feel tempted to do?

 

Sounds a bit odd to me, is all.

---

Sounds like something from the Old Testament. 

You'll find as many interpretations of the Bible as there are people, almost. 

Whenever one person insists "Christians believe ___, so they are horrible" I give that the side eye. Oh really? I'm a Christian. What if I don't believe that? What if that isn't at all what I think or ever heard that passage means?

Just more Christian bashing on the internet...nothing to see here...

[jwenting]

oh, but if you don't believe word for word identically what someone else believes you're of course a heretic and must be burned at the stake...

Don't you love the way people interpret religious writings to mean they can do nasty things to other people, and forget that little thing about "turn the other cheek" and "an eye for an eye" (which to me means if I hit someone with a stick he gets to hit me right back, and vice versa).

[Ceka Cianci]

they must have to unfreeze him an hour before every show..

and  like i put any value into a sin..

he's a sin..

old nasty bastage of a person..

[Ceka Cianci]

---

Melita Magic wrote:

What many fail to observe when they discuss "Christians" is that there are billions of them world wide, each having their unique beliefs, each having their unique personality, some belonging to faiths that believe in 'evangelising' and some not, some belonging to faiths that believe in 'the Rapture' and some not, some belonging to faiths that believe in purgatory and some not, some belonging to faiths that believe in 'Reconciliation' and some not, and on, and on...

There is no one 'borg' of Christian. The Christian someone may have met, or heard, and disliked them or what they had to say,

is not necessarily a representative sample

. 

Also many many many critics of Christianity or haters of Christians seem to miss the fact that Christians, by definition, follow the New Testament - not the old. There are some sects who are super conservative who cling to some of what's in the Old Testament, sure. But if you read what Jesus said, He by definition did away with the old laws. Also if you understand what it says about judging, and that includes other people's interpretations (given as an example when they were discussing whether to keep or not keep Jewish dietary laws) He says not to judge how someone else expresses their holiness. That's just one example.

It's too bad that critics who hate Christians or Chrsitianity so often do not understand it, despite memorizing so much about it. Doesn't mean you understand it from within. It just doesn't. 

---

I'm very well versed in it myself..i was a Christian faithfully for 16 years..

i didn't follow a church..but i did go to churches..

i've been to them up north and in the south where i live now in the bible belt..

 

i have no problem with real christians that really are following christianity..for what it really is..

the ones i have a problem with are the manipulators of it that use it for their political agendas..

they do pretty much the opposite of what a real believing christian would do..

that is where the bad history comes from..

from men that could manipulate large amounts of people with using fear in the religion..

when being a Christian is about not fearing..

 

and it's not that the laws were abolished..they are still there..well the ten are for the gentiles or who decides to follow Christ..

for anyone that thinks they can earn their salvation through works..they best already be perfect..

in the new testament they are still there as well but not in the sense that they are judged by those laws..

the phylosiphy is..if someone really truly believed..

then they would do the best they could from their heart to follow the commandments..

but if they strayed..they would pay for that down here..not on the judgement day..

it's the golden rule thing..what goes around comes around..

rob a bank and you'll pay for it some day..even if it's getting caught..you serve the prison time..

 

the reason christianity gets a bad rap is because the manipulators in it's history..

 

it's not a bad thing if someone believes in god if it is what gets them off a drug addiction or turns them around from a life of crime..

religions have a lot of really good people in them..

and just like anything..they get a bad wrap because of either being taught by someone manipulating the book of books or they learned from someone that didn't know it that well themselves..

i know a lot of good Christians that are good people..that would be good people even if they were not Christians..

then i know a lot of manipulating bastages just trying to fear people into belief..

they can't stand 5 minutes with someone well informed in the word..

 

I'm not Christian anymore..but i still enjoy reading it and discussing it with people..

because it's really not all that complicated as a lot of these politicians that don't know their Azz from a hole in the ground try to make it sound..

and more people are getting more informed and not falling for that crap like they used to..

my family and many like us were manipulated by the bad ones for the past 100 years..

that's mainly why i pulled myself from it..

 

i love reading on all kinds of religions..i find a lot of them very similar and interesting as well..

pat robertson..he shoots from the hip most of the time..

what preacher calls another Christian pastor and flock stupid because they liked this persons tattoo..

a manipulator..that's who..

 

 

 

[Griffin Ceawlin]

---

Melita Magic wrote:

What many fail to observe when they discuss "Christians"...

It's too bad that critics who hate Christians or Christianity...

Just more Christian bashing on the internet...nothing to see here...

---

Nobody even mentioned Christians or Christianity until you did, other than to say that Robertson has said some pretty un-Christian things...

[Storm Clarence]

I tried for 3 days to give up sinning in this virtual world.  But alas, I was weak and succumbed to my Lola addiction; I lusted.  I did not repent.  I will not repent.  See you in hell.  

[Sephina Frostbite]

.... OH SHI.....T, Im in trouble....

[Sephina Frostbite]

I dont think for one minute Christanity is bad or evil. I think the people who follow it can be. Just like any other religion. You can take the beauty out of it or the evil out of it. In the end its not the religion but the people who follow it. I dont for one second that think that by thinking something you have already have done it. I would be in jail by now if that were the case. 

[Madelaine McMasters]

---

jwenting wrote:

oh, but if you don't believe word for word identically what someone else believes you're of course a heretic and must be burned at the stake...

Don't you love the way people interpret religious writings to mean they can do nasty things to other people, and forget that little thing about "turn the other cheek" and "an eye for an eye" (which to me means if I hit someone with a stick he gets to hit me right back, and vice versa).

---

In a little less than six years, we'll learn the truth about "an eye for an eye"...

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/General-Discussion-Forum/What-happened-in-History-on-this-date/m-p/2099255#M117060

[Venus Petrov]

Eh.  He is just jealous.

[Theresa Tennyson]

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Bree Giffen wrote:

Hold on. This whole thing is flawed because there is no God.

---

The word "God" can be appiled to too many different concepts for that to be a safe statement. It would be like someone asking you "Where's Peter Pan?" and you were to say, "There IS no Peter Pan." If you were replying to a young girl who was wondering why an ageless boy hasn't flown through her window you'd be on safe ground. If you were asked the same question in a bookstore, a bus station in Massachusetts or the peanut butter aisle in a supermarket you WOULDN'T be because there are very real things called "Peter Pan" in all of those places.

[Melita Magic]

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Griffin Ceawlin wrote:

---

---

Nobody even mentioned Christians or Christianity until you did, other than to say that Robertson has said some pretty un-Christian things...

---

Not true - (ETA: some of those might be removed) - but that's part of my point: What are "Christian things?" Who's to judge?

I wasn't aiming that at you though, but I didn't want to single anyone out, either. (Plus I was remembering past similar topics, and saw the way things were heading.)

There have been some really nasty posts about Christians and/or Christianity or even how stupid it is to have a religious belief, on the forums in the past. 

I just get irritated at times with those who say things like that, but can't see that it makes them a bigot, or a proselytizer. Just posting "There is no God" - how is it any different than someone posting out of the blue "There is a God" - both are preaching for their personal belief. But yet it's only Christians who get bashed as being evangelistic. 

Double standards annoy me.

[Melita Magic]

---

Sephina Frostbite wrote:

I dont think for one minute Christanity is bad or evil. I think the people who follow it can be. Just like any other religion. You can take the beauty out of it or the evil out of it. In the end its not the religion but the people who follow it. I dont for one second that think that by thinking something you have already have done it. I would be in jail by now if that were the case. 

---

But see that's the thing. 

Why is it that people so often mention "Christians who have done evil things" when it's simply humans who have done evil things. Only Christians sometimes do evil? Only relgious people sometimes do evil? Never an agnostic? Never an atheist?

So while it sounds generous, in fact it's in some way adding to the myth that Christians are all hypocrites. Or that they somehow by nature are twisted.

And there are those out there who believe exactly that. 

I'm not thinking of anyone here or anyone in particular. 

(This is in reply to the above quote though and to part of what Ceka said.)

ETA: This part:

"the reason christianity gets a bad rap is because the manipulators in it's history.."

Then that's the fault of the person with that view. A religion is not a person.

[Griffin Ceawlin]

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Melita Magic wrote:

But see that's the thing. 

Why is it that people so often mention "Christians who have done evil things" when it's simply humans who have done evil things. Only Christians sometimes do evil? Only relgious people sometimes do evil? Never an agnostic? Never an atheist?

---

You haven't been going to the right wingnut web sites or watching the right wingnut "news" programs where all MUSLIMS are evil. And all atheists are evil because communism!!!

[Theresa Tennyson]

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Griffin Ceawlin wrote:

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Melita Magic wrote:

But see that's the thing. 

Why is it that people so often mention "Christians who have done evil things" when it's simply humans who have done evil things. Only Christians sometimes do evil? Only relgious people sometimes do evil? Never an agnostic? Never an atheist?

---

You haven't been going to the right wingnut web sites or watching the right wingnut "news" programs where all MUSLIMS are evil. And all atheists are evil because communism!!!

---

She's probably referring to these forums, which skew disproportionately toward athiests, libertarians, argumentative contrarians (raises hand) and Those Utterly Lacking in Social Skills.

[Kelli May]

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Melita Magic wrote:

---

Griffin Ceawlin wrote:

---

---

Nobody even mentioned Christians or Christianity until you did, other than to say that Robertson has said some pretty un-Christian things...

---

Not true - (ETA: some of those might be removed) - but that's part of my point: What are "Christian things?" Who's to judge?

I wasn't aiming that at you though, but I didn't want to single anyone out, either. (Plus I was remembering past similar topics, and saw the way things were heading.)

There have been some really nasty posts about Christians and/or Christianity or even how stupid it is to have a religious belief, on the forums in the past. 

I just get irritated at times with those who say things like that, but can't see that it makes them a bigot, or a proselytizer. Just posting "There is no God" - how is it any different than someone posting out of the blue "There is a God" - both are preaching for their personal belief. But yet it's only Christians who get bashed as being evangelistic. 

Double standards annoy me.

---

"What are Christian things?" and your response "Who's to judge?" are interesting to me. Surely, by definition, "Christian things" are derived from the New Testament, or at least, the teachings of Christ? If they are something more nebulous, for example "behaving in a decent, ethical manner", then why involve Christ/Christianity at all? And furthermore, they bring up precisely the same question you asked... Who's to judge?