Help with Understanding -> Being a Druid in a Christian Guild

Apollux

Apollux

New Member
OK, so we're already Christian's playing WoW...
Main toon is a Lvl 70 NE MM Hunter (I know, you can't swing a Crystal Forged Axe without hitting a NE Hunter :rolleyes: ). My alt is a Lvl 23 Druid that I'm lvling Resto. What I'd like to know is, how can I make the argument to myself (and wife) that playing a Druid from a Christian perspective is OK?

Wisdom from you all would be appreciated. Also, I look forward to seeing you soon on Terenas. I'm on Antonidas now with a smaller Guild and wanting to get attuned for Kara.

Thanks for your help!
 
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Hey, I don't have much wisdom to share, but just wanted to let you know that I've struggled with the same thing. Primarily more with classes like the warlock, but I think there are elements of almost every class (malice, cruelty, murder, cold-blood etc...) that just don't fit with who I am, or should be. Honestly, I've sort of forgotten about that moral conflict, and just played the game, or told myself that its just game mechanics. (forgetting/ignoring is not a healthy response, so thanks for bringing it up)

I'm looking forward to the discussion and insight that this will generate.

I guess in my mind the thought is "why is it ok for me to do stuff or use abilities in game that I'd never consider / do in my own life". Perhaps it depends how much you role-play or get immersed in your character too.

Ok, enough rambling from me...
 
I'm not certain that a WoW-druid is the same as a druid from the religious cults. From my very limited understanding a druid is very similar to a wiccan priestess (witch?)

And while I personally don't have an issue with playing a class based on it's name or abilities, I can understand how others would be concerned by it. If you feel that strongly, just don't roll that kind of toon :) There are several in our guild that just flat refuse to roll warlocks because they are masters of demons.
 
I think it is important to alway be clear about personal convictions and biblical absolutes. I personally have issues with locks but not with druids, why? I have no idea aside from my love for Allanon who was a druid but I came to realize that many of our judgments against others were motivated out of personal convictions and my own personal discomfort. The problem is some people can not separate the two. Just my two cents ...
 
I accept the game as just that a game. The lore for each class is interesting and is made to fit the game world and needs to be taken as the fiction it is. I compare it to a movie or a book. I find the lore interesting (usually read through it all) and I'm impressed by the amount of time and effort Blizzard puts into the game however it is still a game made of up pixels etc :)
"why is it ok for me to do stuff or use abilities in game that I'd never consider / do in my own life"
Click to expand...
., the game mechanics require endless killing of innocent animals/creatures, quests that involve killing for grudges, and all kind of nasty stuff. You would never get past level 1 if you tie them together. Of course you have to do whats right for you, personally I think its a game and what i do personally (helping others in the guild, raiding/questing together etc) is who I am, not what my character does :)
 
I appreciate the comment about figuring out the difference between personal conviction and biblical absolute. Each and every one of us will have different convictions based on a myriad of different things (upbringing, culture, life experiences etc.).

To my way of thinking, World of Warcraft is a game...a fantasy to be sure, but still a game. In it are things that I wouldn't do in real life, from the mundane picking of ores to the more sinister killing of humans, undead things etc. (as well as summoning minions on a warlock). In the same way the game of Monopoly has things I wouldn't do in real life from the mundane building of houses and hotels on streets that I own to the more sinister being sent to jail for tax evasion and trying to bankrupt everyone else in the game. The game of WOW allows us to make choices about WHAT our goals are and HOW we will go about meeting them. I think the choices we make act out our Christian walk; the choice to forgive that ninja, the choice to help out someone in a run that will give you no benefit, to speak up when someone is cursing or entering into an inappropriate conversation (i.e. gossip) etc., those are the real life things that count. For that matter I think that real life games (soccer, football, basketball, hockey etc.) contain just as many opportunities to make poor or wise choices as WoW would.

In the end I think it is who you are as a person and how you play the game that counts.
 
WARNING CRICKET ANALOGY:

OK so this may go over most peoples heads give little is known about criket over your way but a Ps. I had at University suggested that the best criket players (and baseball palyers I guess - major lack of knowledge here) are those that now what to hit and what to let go and are confident in that.

I suppose my point is you need to decide whether this is something that is so important to who you are as a Christian that you must do something about it or whether it is not that big an issue and you can let it go.

My feeling is that this is a matter of preference and personal experience (i.e. former involvement with the occult etc.) and you just need to make a call and be confident in that.
 
Do we as Christians ban television because it contains sexually explicit material, commercials promoting an ideal that we likely do not share, or all music who’s author does not share Christian values? Do we ban all things that may be seen as a conflict with our faith? How far do we separate ourselves from the world?

Within the gaming context, I admit my bias towards gaming now, I am able to make the distinction between reality and fantasy. In addition, I am not playing games to act out latent hostility towards my fellow man, or random rabbits.

We don't find any commandments in scripture forbidding the playing of computer games, duh, but we can apply biblical wisdom towards our playing of video games. If something is causing you to sin, or neglect responsibilities/priorities that supersede gaming (God, Family, etc), then we need to back away. For example, drinking alcohol is not explicitly forbidden in scripture. Jesus drank wine. However, if we have a bent towards abuse of alcohol then we need to avoid it in order to not fall into drunkenness.

As in all things we need to use our brains, which God gave us to use, and assess the benefits and drawbacks of gaming for ourselves. If something causes us to sin, we need to cut out of our lives. Being obedient to God is far more important than serving ourselves via entertainment. This is something that each of us needs to assess for ourselves, as no one can truly know what struggles another faces.

My two cents,
Sean
 
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Okay, so I'm the longest standing TF druid (/patsbackandlookssmug) so I think perhaps I should say something about this.

First off, ground rule: Wife > WoW. If she's not cool with you playing a druid, and your arguments don't sway her, you're best off playing one of the less awesome classes.

Secondly, when I started playing my druid, I had to think about this sort of thing too. I had just got out of a rather dark time of my life, spiritual attack, that sort of thing. I wasn't sure I wanted to get involved with something that would harm my walk with God.

When it comes down to it, it's a personal question of your involvement in the game and your ability to separate the realities from the pseudorealities. Let me explain: When I play Neirai, my druid, I am fundamentally (in reality) playing the most hybrid class in a game, with certain rules that apply uniquely to me and not to other, more pure classes.
When I "cast spells," I am simply pressing certain keys that have certain effects on the game.
When I "complete quests," I am simply completing certain challenges in the game.
When I "kill monsters," I am simply interacting with certain challenging elements in the game.
When I "hang out with friends," I am simply hanging out with my friends.

When broken down in this manner, one can see that WoW isn't so different than snakes & ladders or cribbage, or Super Mario World. It's just oh-so-much more complex. More rules, more elements, more people.

Part of making WoW fun and not totally way too complex is the "flavor" attached to the game. This is simply because nobody really wants to choose between the following classes:
Standbackandshootthingsguythatdiesfast
Standbackandshootthingsguythatdiesfastbuthasachoiceofpets
Standbackandshootthingsguythathassneakymovesandonlyonepet
Standbackandhealthingsguythatdiesfast
Getinthewayofthingsguythatneedstobehealed
Guywithsneakymovesandalotofmeleedamage
Standbackandhealguywhohaslotsofarmorandcangetinthewayofthings
Killthingsalotguywhocanimprovepartydamage
Guythatcandoalloftheabovebutonlyoneatatime

As you can see, that's not only boring, it's hard to read! So Blizzard chose to use thematic elements to make the game more interesting. One of the themes they chose is religion. Paladins (Monistic Spiritualism), Night Elves (Nature worship), Orcs/Taurens/Shamans (Animal/Elemental Spirit Worship), Trolls (Voodoo), Blood Elves (themselves), Dwarves (the Makers), etc.

So what I'm saying is, it depends on whether or not you can separate the reality (I click buttons to accomplish tasks to complete challenges) from the pseudoreality (I just mercilessly massacred a town of innocent murlocs just so that I could get a new hat.) Or, more specifically, I play a hybrid class with the ability to fill any role, just only one at a time; or, I worship trees and sacrifice virgins to maypoles.

I would strongly council you that if you (or your wife) cannot make the break between reality and pseudoreality, you don't play the druid.

I hope this helps. I know my thoughts are a bit scattered.


P.S. Yes, I know I'm the greatest campaigner for WoW is reality, but that a subject for a different time. That's why I call it pseudoreality, and not "fake" "a game" or "fiction."
 
WoW (and WOW!)

Thank you all for your insightful and wise replies. So, I've learned a few things:
  • I'm definitely in the wrong Guild now (Legends of Azeroth).
  • I'm MOST DEFINITELY on the wrong server - Antonidas.
  • I will be moving very soon to Terenas and humbly submitting a request to join "The Forgiven"
  • I look forward (if accepted) to joining you all in the Pseudo-Reality world of WoW.

Thanks again (ty) and have a blessed day!

Artaois
http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Antonidas&n=Artaios
 
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I would have to say that I have no problem playing any of the classes or races in the game. If I did, I would probably avoid playing the game altogether, just because of the basic principles that guide the storylines and characters of the game. The fact that it is a game, and that it has, in my mind, no bearing on my life (other than the relationships that I gain from interacting with others, which I value greatly), allows me to freely play any class or race with a clean concsience.

Some people are affected personally by what they play (and that is not a bad thing), and therefore, I believe that it is prudent for them to avoid certain aspects of WoW.

I have a warlock, and the idea of controlling a demon for my personal gain is not a pleasant one to me by any means. But, I see it as a game, and I look at my minions as pets, no different than a bear or wolf. I do not see the need to justify to playing a warlock to myself, for the simple fact that it is fiction, and I do not let it affect my life. Likewise I do not need to justify killing mobs, whether they are monsters, beasts or humans, and I do not need to justify being resurrected and coming back to life multiple times in a day.

I would not introduce WoW to my kids until I knew they would be able to seperate the game from their lives, and that would be different for each child. I think it is a great game, but I personally would be hesitant in regards to my kids. I wouldn't want to start them too early.
 
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