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Many roleplaying games contain references to the traditional trappings of fantasy literature, including magic and evil monsters. Beginning in the early 1980s, Christian groups concerned with occult influences on children claimed that roleplaying encouraged devil worship and other nefarious activities. Some groups went so far as to actively lobby schools and local governments to regulate or prohibit roleplaying games. Although many of those groups have disbanded or redirected their efforts to other cultural concerns, the assault on gaming (and its lingering effect on public perceptions of roleplaying) is still an emotional issue for many gamers, including a vocal minority of Christian roleplayers attempting to reconcile what others believe to be irreconcilable differences.

Resources in This Category

• Dark Dungeons

  http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.asp
  Christian cartoonist Jack Chick's 1984 anti-roleplaying tract.

• Dungeons and Dragons and Other Fantasy Role Playing Games

  http://www.religioustolerance.org/d_a_d.htm
  Descriptions (by a religious tolerance group) of Christian opposition to gaming.

• Harry Potter and D&D - Like Two Peas in a Pod?

  http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/D&D&Harry.htm
  Essay claiming the popularity of the novels and the games indicate a growing tolerance of pagan influences in popular culture.

• Lion Track Ministries: Fantasy and Role Playing

  http://www.liontracks.org/publish/ltmfanta.htm
  A biblical critique of roleplaying and its connections to other suspect hobbies.

• Logos Resource: D&D Overview

  http://www.logosresourcepages.org/Occult/dnd-ovr.htm
  A Christian ministry's republishing of a B.A.D.D. tract written by born again convict and ex-gamer Darren Moliter.

• Role-Playing Games: Fantasy or Reality?

  http://www.watchman.org/articles/occult/games--fantasy-or-reality/
  Article from the "Youth and the Occult" issue of the Watchman Expositer.

• Should a Christian Play Dungeons & Dragons?

  http://www.chick.com/articles/frpg.asp
  Article by William Schnoebelen.

• Should Christians play chess?

  http://elephanticity.250x.com/xianches.html
  A counter-article to "Should a Christian Play Dungeons and Dragons?"

• Straight Talk on Dungeons and Dragons

  http://www.chick.com/articles/dnd.asp
  Article by William Schnoebelen.

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• Home > Games > Roleplaying > Genres > Christian
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