Were we meant to live???

Neirai the Forgiven

Neirai the Forgiven

Christian Guilds List Manager
Hey, I've been wondering about this for a while and figured I'd rock the boat a bit...

Is The Forgiven supposed to be a Christian Guild (i.e. are we supposed to be being 'salt and light' in Teranus) or a guild of Christians (I.E. are we just playing for fun?)

I'm just wondering.

I'm also wondering what things we can do to pursue a more active role if we are a Christian Guild.

Thanks, and please don't yell back too loud. :)
 
Right to the heart of the matter ... I like it :) I have spent many cycles pondering this very question. In practice, we are a guild of Christians but what I had hoped we would be more active. I am just not sure how that is done exactly. Most ppl on the server are already friendly and helpful so how do we separate ourselves in this matter to show the light? I am very interested in hearing from others on their thoughts.
 
Just hitting the subject with my morning thoughts (b3w4r3 the no-c0phph33 morning thoughts of Neirai)

With the 7F forums you guys always had a 'e-mail us for prayer' textie.
Could we do something like that (without being collectively banned?), maybe doing a shout when we first log??

And yes, I know, most people are very "Christlike" on Teranus. I even had some guy I had never met before give me a much higher level set of shoulders in exchange for my 9 Armor Cloth ones. For nothing, just out of the blue. And he just went and sold mine.

That's why I brought up this post. It's easy to be salt and light in a world of bland darkness... but how do we be salt and light on the salty beaches of Hawaii???

L0v3 in God,
 
You nailed it there big guy. How does one demonstrate the Love of Christ virtually when the outward signs can be mimicked by most. I think forgiveness will be key, when we are wronged on a bad roll, when everyone else is picking on a particular player, when things go very wrong in an instance/party. This, I believe, will allow us to separate ourselves. I do not believe /yell is an effective tool for evangelizing. I would suggest a more personal approach, be specific and attempt to strike up conversations with ppl. I find most ppl are open to talk about real life stuff but timing is critical. What do others think?
 
Timing is very critical. Most players don't like chit chat while working on that tough instance, or while taking down an elite boss for a quest on the country side. Try to engage people in conversation while travelling to and from quest destinations, or while waiting for other party members to show up. If some guy started chatting me up about anything while I am in a fight to the death, besides not reading what he may have typed if its longer than 4 words, I would be upset he took the time to type while I die.
 
Hey, I'm back thrashing this subject (if you want me to, just tell me to be quiet and I will ;) )
I'd like for people to post lists of behavior that they have found helps them get along with and show christ's love to others.

I've found over time that the following helps ingratuate you to a group:
1 ) Forgive mistakes, and even forgive malicious behavior. As a member of "the Forgiven" I think it's crucial to forgive all those who sin against us, even those who sin on purpose. This was pointed out by 7FHawk in his above post, I'm just rehashing. Instead of doing the *hurt-/ignore* reflex, live with it. And don't miss an opportunity to repay good for evil. It's the only revenge the children of God are allowed :) . Remember, another's evil in your direction does not limit your ability to speak truth to them, but you being vindictive does.

2 ) Be free with your time. "If a man asks you to walk a mile with him, walk 2 miles instead." I will often actually take people who need to go places (even out of province locations) rather than just pointing the way. It takes time that I could use getting levels, but I've noticed noone else seems to want to take the time unless they're in a guild, 'cuz then they 'have to'. Helping people with lower level quests is just a good thing.

The following is something I tend to do that is more proactive:
It is possible to stop unhealthy talk in /1s or /ps without flaming it or being overbearing. Simply spend the time to twist and pull the conversation over to a better subject. Or join the subject (if the topic isn't simply crudity), but take a lesser stance rather than being condemning or 'holierthanthou' and offer healthier suggestions.
>>for example I was playing once and the topic came up of dating. At first the topic was very mild, with m&f feedback on many aspects of the topic. Eventually though, the topic became increasingly male only (all the girls actually were tuning out) and crassly a discussion of only how to get girls into bed. I finally chose to grab on what someone else had said earlier about 'not having a girlfriend for personal reasons' and brought up the subject of reasons NOT to have girlfriends. This eventually resulted in a lively discussion on the rails of "are there parts of relationships beyond shacking up?" that had both the guys & the girls back involved. No flaming, spamming, or Iknowbetterthanyoufallenfoolsing.

I bring these up just in case someone has ideas that someone else may not have considered. However I have noticed on several occasions guild members (that means you alan :) ) being rather sarcastic or flamey in the /1general chat. While this was deserved, it does quite effectively limit your ability to speak truth into their lives in the near future.

Plz post your suggestions. I look forward to being able to put them to use and win Teranus for the Lord!
 
Setting an example is probably the only way to do it. Telling a person you don't like something or lashing out will only pour lemon juice in the already wounded ego of any person, including myself. It works a little better online then it does in real life. People take me as holier-than-thou just by virtue of my actions. I decline invites to strip clubs, reverse conversations on degrading women, and do not use the F-word as the primary adjective in all my sentences. I'm such a killjoy. Some people simple don't see the value in it, and I have to accept that they simply do not share the same values.

WoW seems to foster good working relationships between people. The resources are plenty, the money is is easy to get your hands on, and the quests are fun. Who wouldn't want to help someone out? It's a complete socialist utopia inside there. Well back to reality. I have work in the morning, the money is not as plentiful out here.
 
Well, I guess now is a great time to unveil my personal philosophy of WoW Christianity.
The basis for this philosophy being invented was because I have been asked on several occaisons by unbelievers whether they may join our guild. Rather than a flat 'no' I tend to give an answer that is similar to this one:

1) The Forgiven is a guild consisting of and including only persons who have been Forgiven by God thru the work of His Son Jesus Christ.

2) All people have been Forgiven by God thru the work of His Son Jesus Christ.

Therefore, 3)All people, whether Christian or unbeliever, Man or woman, of any class, race, or guild allegience are members of "the forgiven" (and I actually tend to try to play in a manner that says that all ppl are my guildies in one form or another).

However, 4) Anyone who plays under the Forgiven guild banner must believe in and agree with the preceding three points, including that God has forgiven them thru the work of His Son Jesus Christ. Thusly, all members of The Forgiven are saved thru Faith in Jesus Christ.

This actually has seemed to be effective and doesn't generate the flamage that saying "Are you a Christian? If not, then No", based on what is perceived to be a purely arbitrary decision.

And I know, this is a little convuluted and heady.
 
Well even though at posting time it won't let me back on the game I have to say I have enjoyed the game more than I thought possible and I think that is in big part to the guild. I try my best not to hide the fact that we are a Christian guild if people ask. Not all are intersted but like the other day even at my low level I was helping a player who died in the middle of the harpies. I went and cleared the area out so she could get away. When she started thanking me me I said it was fine, that's what our guild of Christians do. I didn't preach to her or wait for a response. Just showed her who we are by example. I am sure I fall short of being a light very often but it does help being in a guild where you know you are with other people who share a love of tha faith and I do plan (if it ever lets me back on) to make a more determined effort to share that light with others.
 
Talk about timing. I was thinking about what I read here and took a break and went to look at my mail. The real stuff that comes in a box outside you know. There was some junk mail as always and one piece was from a company that sells Christian education material. Since I was a CE Director for years I'm on most mailing lists. As I glanced in it there was a sample lesson with a scripture verse. I think it pretty much to me is what I should be doing while enjoying the game, or real life for that matter.

Colossians 4:5 "Live wisely among those who are not belivers and make the most out of every opportunity"

Enough said on that.
 
No kidding, that is a great verse. I think showing kindness, patience and forgiveness are just a few ways we can provide a light. If you group with others and things go wrong, as they often do, it is by our response to that, they can see a real difference, don't lay blame, apologize if you caused the wipe, pitch in when you can. We don't have to be preachy to allow Christ to shine through us.
 
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