DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS - CONCERNS FOR THE CHRISTIAN +quot;Dungeons and Dragons Fantasy Adven

       DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS - CONCERNS FOR THE CHRISTIAN

"Dungeons  and  Dragons  Fantasy Adventure Game"( D&D Game  for
short) is a role-playing game for persons 10 years  and  older.
In  the D&D rules, individuals play the role of characters in a
fantasy world where magic is real and  heroes  venture  out  on
dangerous  quests  in  search  of fame and fortune.  Characters
gain experience by overcoming perils and recovering  treasures.
As characters gain experience, they grow in power and ability."
TSR, D&D Basic Rulebook, p. B3.
     TSR (Tactical Studies Rules), producer of D&D, was founded
in 1974.  Estimates of its sales have  been  as  high  as:  $23
million  gross  in  1979,  $45  million  gross  in 1980, $60-90
million gross in 1981 with net income of $28 million.  In 1980,
children  age  10-14  bought  46% of the D&D games, those 15-17
bought another 26% of the games.  TSR  has  140  employees,  is
producing  academic  area  games,  translating  D&D  into other
languages,  producing  a  major  film,   producing   electronic
versions,  etc.  They  are  one  of  many  companies  producing
similar FRP games.

     Children  and  adults  find   the   games   exciting   and
challenging.  But  the  games  include some aspects that need a
closer look by Christian children and parents.  Some  of  these
are suggested here:
1.   There is  a  danger  in  becoming  over-involved  in  D&D,
spending a large amount of time, money, and interest in it.
     a.  Gary Gygax, orignator of the game, said that "the most
extensive requirement of the game is time."  (D&D Basic Manual,
p. 3)
     b.  Articles in newspapers and magazines have told of many
people who spent many hours a day or  week  playing,  sometimes
investing  hundreds  to  thousands  of dollars in materials and
conventions.
     c.  Again  Gary  Gygax  has said:  "You have to pursue D&D
with your entire soul if  you're  going  to  do  well  at  it."
(Rolling Stone, Oct. 1980)
     d.  People tell of talking about nothing else,  having  no
friends who do not play, experiencing peer pressure to play and
rejection of those who do not.
     e.  Ephesians  5:15-17  tells  us  to make the most of our
time, and to watch carefully how we walk.
     f.  Philippians  4:8 says:  "...fill your minds with those
things that are good and that deserve praise:  things that  are
true,  noble,  right,  pure,  lovely, and honorable."  Does D&D
measure up to these standards?

2.   There is a danger in players becoming  too  involved  with
their imaginary characters.
     a.  People have said:  "I've seen people have  fits,  yell
for  fifteen  minutes,  hurl dice...when their character dies."
"It's when you take the game home with you, when  Johnny's  mad
for  a  week  because  you  killed  his character, that it's an
addiction."  Gary Gygax said:  "when you start  playing  out  a
fantasy,  it  can  really  eat up time and capture you totally.
Most people can handle it, but there are probably  exceptions."
A  Dr.  Douglas  Brown  said:  "If  a person isn't too well put
together to begin with, it's not going to be good for him."
     b.  Many  find D&D to be an escape from the real world and
find it more exciting.  But some have found it hard to separate
the real from the imaginary and carry the game into real life.
     c.  Matthew 16:24 and  the  verses  following  talk  about
Christians  "taking  up a cross", not trying to escape from the
world, but giving up their lives for Jesus and serving Him.
     d.  See Philippians 4:8 again.

3.   D&D contains a lot of violence.
     a.  The whole concept of the game is  to  do  battle  with
monsters.  Characters are equipped with various types of armor,
weaponry, potions and spells.  It is  necessary  to  kill,  not
just  the  monsters but even humans, in order to succeed in the
game.
     b.  A  central  Washington  police  department  asks  as a
standard question of those arrested:  "Are you a participant of
Fantasy  Role  Games?"  Another  source stated that 60 suicides
were directly attributed to D&D in 1981.
     c.  Galatians  5:19-26 describes our human natures and the
fruit of the Spirit.  What is it saying?

4.   D&D is an effective "teacher".  Do you  know  what  it  is
teaching?
     a.  D&D makes use of several  effective  teaching/learning
techniques    including   involving   the   feelings   of   the
participants,  role-playing,  fantasy,  and  memorization.  The
roles   (classes,  professions)  include  religious-type  roles
(although not Christian by any means)  such as  cleric,  Druid,
and monk.  Other roles are that of fighter, thief, illusionist,
assassin, etc.  The fantasies include doing battle with  devils
and demons using various types of weaponry, spells and potions.
Magic-users, elves, and  clerics  use  spells,  which  must  be
memorized  before  a  game  begins  after consultation with the
proper book of spells.  The spell must then be spoken  or  read
aloud in order to have any effect.
     b.  One of the book's authors says  that  in  D&D, good  is
given  far  more  attention  than  evil, but a 40-hour-per-week
player claims that it is better to be evil because you  can  do
evil   things   and   get   away   with   them.  An  FRP  games
representative stated in The Milwaukee Journal,  11/5/81,  that
"these  games  are  teaching  the  difference between right and
wrong."  In D&D even lawful good  characters  kill  many  other
human characters in the name of duty to eradicate evil.
     c.  Leviticus 19:26 says  not  to  practice  any  kind  of
magic.
     d. I Thessalonians says to avoid every kind of evil ("even
the appearance of evil" in some translations).

5.   D&D  claims  to involve the players in the worship/service
of other gods.
     a.  Deities  and  Demigods, page 5 says:  "Serving a deity
is a significant part of D&D, and all player characters  should
have  a patron god.  Alignment assumes its full importance when
tied to the worship of a deity."  The  Dungeon  Masters  Guide,
page  25  says  this:  "Whether  or  not the character actively
professes some deity,he or she will have an alignment and serve
one  or  more  deities  of his general alignment indirectly and
UNBEKNOWNST to  the  character." (emphasis  mine)  Another  D&D
book  says  that  the  Gods and their Cohorts will occasionally
assist their devotees with aid, or harm them.
     b.  In  Deities  and Demigods, a total of over 200 foreign
gods are mentioned.
     c.  Exodus 23:13 tells us not to even mention the names of
other gods.
     d.  Deuteronomy  7:25  and Ezekiel 6 talk more about idols
and false gods.
     e.  See Galatians 5:19-21 again.

6.   D&D contains much information and encourages activity that
deals with the occult world.
     a.  Dr.  Gary  North, a Christian economist, author of the
book"None Dare Call It Witchcraft", and editor of  the "Remnant
Review", said  this:  "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."  (Remnant Review, 12/5/80)
     b.  D&D uses hundreds of traditional Christian terms,  but
not  with traditional meanings.  It also deals with the casting
of spells, magic, sorcery, witchcraft, vodoo, demon  and  devil
worship, ESP, levitation, etc.
     c.  The words demon, devil and hell appear a total of  225
times in eight pages of Deities and Demigods (pages 16-23), and
encourages the worship of them as lesser gods (page 105).
     d.  The  words Devil, devils, and Satan also appear in the
Bible  (over  150  times),  but  the  Bible  teaches  something
entirely different about them.
     e.  Deuterononmy 18:9  and  following  tells  us  to  have
nothing  to do with people who do things in this area.  I Peter
5:8 talks about the devil as a lion, looking for people to eat!
Johnn  8-44  calls  him  a  murderer  and the father of lies (a
deceiver).  Check other Bible  passages  for  more  information
here.
     f.  Ephesians 6-:11 instructs us to put on  the  armor  of
God to do real battle with wicked spiritual forces, the rulers,
authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.
     g.  Philippians   4:8   again  directs  us  to  focus  our
attention on something better.

All of the above information is available  in  a  D&D  handbook
from  Educational  Research Analysts,  The Mel Gablers,  Po Box
7518, Longview, Texas 75607 for a $5 donation.


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