October 5, 2007
And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger...
(Ezekiel 25:17 ...and, of course, Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction)
Numerous reports have surfaced on the web over the last few days regarding legal threats made against blog sites by Left Behind Games, publishers of a controversial real-time strategy title based upon the mega-selling Christian book series.
Gameology writes:
You've probably seen that we've posted some rather critical remarks on the game Left Behind: Eternal Forces... we're apparently on [CEO] Troy Lyndon's radar... On Monday, they escalated their response by sending me a nastygram threatening me with legal action unless I remove "false and misleading" comments from this website.
...The goal of this letter is apparently to intimidate me... On free-speech grounds, then, I feel obligated to stand by my comments and not be intimidated by a frivolous threat intended to chill legitimate criticism.
The better-able-to-defend-itself Daily Kos apparently received a letter as well. At the Public Theologian, Tim Simpson writes:
I got a letter today from... [an] attorney representing Left Behind Games warning me that if I did not remove all of the false and misleading information about their product that I would face legal action.
The Left Behind folks, still reeling from their disastrous launch last year, are gearing up for the release of their expansion pack next month... As an offensive strategy, they are trying to intimidate the Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders in the blogosphere who led the charge against this awful game...
...Christians should not sit silently while corporate money-grubbers make a buck out of perverting the Christian faith. Nor should we sit silently when a game is marketed to children promoting religious violence while American soldiers are dying overseas in the middle of a religious and ethnic civil war.
GP: Suing the blogosphere? Good luck. Such bully tactics are likely to bring the wrath of bloggers - and their readers - down up Left Behind Games.
Come to think if it, Left Behind has a history of watching the blogs. We've had a few comments placed here on GP by a company employee. I wonder if The Daily Show and Jack Thompson got nastygrams as well?
Comments
BTW, has anyone here actually read any of their books or seen any of their movies?
I tried reading one of the books, but it was god-awful pulp. Next time I'll stick with slamming my nuts in a door. The experience is preferable.
Hell, I'm still trying to figure if it was marketed at all.
These people have put making money through the vehicle of faith ahead of christian principals.
If ever there was a modern equivalent to the money changers Jesus drove out of Jerusalem's temple, it would the industry that has sprang up offering faith themed novelties.
It saddens me to see so many of us readily accepting this disgusting commercialization of our beliefs.
"Haha, Left Behind is such a beautiful depiction of Christian hate, superstition, and “vales.” "
What's this? The Jack Thompson of religion finds a negative portrayal of Christianity to be beautiful? Why am I not surprised?
You really are the Jack Thompson of Religion.
how the hell . . . this was a horrible horrible game
what the hell were they smoking when they decided to make a sequel???!!!!
"Bong Hits for Jesus" XD
that makes sense
One difference between me a JT. JT has yet to point out causality between games and morally corrupting deviant behavior.
In contrast, I'd be more than happy to point out the specific Bible versus that explicitly identify your "God" to be a sick, genocidal, child killing, merciless, vain, proud, chevenustic, muderous, and evidenceless fictional creation of superstition.
Nothing like threatening children and peaceful adults with eternal damnation if you do not telepathically acknowledge a cosmic Jewish space zombie as your master, egh?
It's time you all wake up and see Christian values for what they are explicitly stated to be in the text. Left Behind is, indeed, a BEAUTIFUL (not morally, it simply presents Christian values in an almost platonic fashion of representation) depection of Christian values.
SHUT UP SHUT UP,SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!
I am seriously sorry that you cannot see yourself for the hateful person you are, but you ARE exactly as bad as JT. Instead of acknowledging that there are good ,well meaning christians out there, you settle for the "guilty until proven innocent" frame of mind and make the exact same fucking type of blanket statements JT does.
And might I add, I have several friends who are devout christians, and I am pagan, well, sort of. They have NOT called for my death, they have NOT condemned me to their hell. They haven even slightly wished harm upon me despite being of their faith.
@kurisu7885
I'm long overdue for saying this to you(didn't want to end up saying something outrageously stupid), but thanks for time and again showing the most prevalent kind of both atheism and agnositicism, that is, level-headed and respectful of others. You're one of the great many good ones. It's the vocal and hateful ones like Pandralisk and JT that give both sides a bad image.
Wheee, perhaps if you actually read the content of the messages listed above, you might realize that I am not positing any judgements on Christians. Let me show you the distinction:
I am positing values CONTAINED IN THE BIBLE on the ficiticious entity that Christians, Jews, and Muslims purportedly worship (ie, talk to themselves). Most Christians are "good" people (in a VERY rough sense of the term) but choose to remain ignorant -- or hold beliefs that contradict -- the values and religion they claim to believe in.
Christians seem to take my arguements about the nature of God -- again, look to your Bibles and read about the most vindictive, evil, murderous, child-killing, and backwards ficticious creature ever dreamed up by man -- and go into some sort of shock. I am not attacking Christians: I am attacking their absurd and evil values, which they seem to forget, neglect, or acknowledge only when convient.
If you can show me a passage that god does not have mercy i can show you one where he does. Just because mercy isn't extended in all situations doesn't make one merciless.
As for sick? as defined by you? please point out where he is sick.
Genocidal child killing and murderous would can all be stated in the same text and serves as nothing more than you trying to find more BAD words to make your flame bait longer.
I would also like to debate your idea of eternal damnation. I am a christian myself and from what i've read, there is no eternal damnation other than eternally not existing. How is NOT giving some one eternal life threatening them?
Your term zombie is also just used in an inflamatory sense, look up what a zombie is. (hint; it is not just someone coming back to life)
But please if you can point out causality, DO SO!!!! You say you are more than happy, no back that up. Cause I haven't seen you do it.
May God Bless all of you,
Your brother, Cliff Harris
I pity the religious. Remember, you worship a God that encompasses murder, threats, and violence -- just like the ancient carthegians, aztecs, and druids. Thor and Jesus will oneday exist together in the same pile of superstitious, ficticious, garbage.
Did you stop to think about what your saying before you spout your diatribe?
Are you trying to tell me that a person who does extend mercy in some situations, is merciless due to another situation that they do not? (JT logic)
Lake of Fire, oooh, you picked the biggest difference between what I and my religion believe and what somebody else does. Dang you just stereotyped my religion and attack it, without knowing anything about it. (like JT)
Now on to the Lake of Fire issue.
God doesn't have a fire burning now in some place termed “hell” where sinners go at death.
2Peter 3:10 says - “the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire and the EARTH AND EVERYTHING IN IT WILL BE BURNED UP.
2Thessalonians 1:8,9 in speaking of the lost states “…they will be PUNISHED WITH EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION and shut out from the presence of the Lord.” Notice it does not say EVERLASTING DESTROYING but everlasting destruction. This means that their destruction lasts forever, there will never be a chance of them coming back to life. Another verse in Matthew 25:46 speaking about the same event says “…these shall go away into EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT.” Notice it does not say EVERLASTING PUNISHING. The fate of the wicked is a punishment that last forever, one from which there is no return, no appeal, etc.
Romans 6:23 which says “the WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH,” not eternal life in hell.
Malachi 4:1,2 describe this scene “…it will burn like a furnace and every evildoer will be stubble and that day that is coming will set them on fire,…they WILL BE ASHES UNDER THE SOLES OF YOUR FEET.
But then again Pandralisk, you seem to think that christians all believe the exact same thing, and you know what they believe.
And know Pandralisk most everybody pities you, not because you do or do not have religion, but that you are a sad sad troll.
Depends on what they did to earn that punishment.
I can only surmise that from your statement that you also find the Buddhist concept of Karma equally as evil. As that also has a person paying for their actions.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.[g] 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
With love (Agape)
your brother, Cliff Harris
How about if they said, "This game teaches believers that they need to either convert or kill non-believers"? In fact, that's exactly what many bloggers have said, and it's patently false. Such falsehoods can and probably did hurt the company, much as false claims of bacterial contamination or deliberate poisoning of a food product would hurt the company that produces it.
This will be my only input on the matter -- I already feel bad enough feeding a troll such as you.
Incidentally, I find people throwing around scripture to be just about as annoying. I'm talking to you, rdeegvainl and Cliff: take your prosthletizing elsewhere.
that athiestistic view would also to also completely ignore that everything in the univerese is governed by a set of laws. The laws of gravity, motion, or physics just to name a few. And these laws which are constistant, unaltering, and unfailing prove that an All knowing, All Powerful, and All Present God not only exists, but is still at work in the universe.
God loves you Chuck. you should check out needhim.org, or call 1-888-NEED-HIM if you want to learn how to have a real meaningful relationship with Him.
With much love (Agape)
Cliff Harris
"that athiestistic view would also to also completely ignore that everything in the univerese is governed by a set of laws."
should have said
"that athiestistic view would also have to completely ignore that everything in the univerese is governed by a set of laws"
:)
UNIVERSE
ok good night, and much love to all of you :)
Cliff Harris
When someone attacks what the bible based on what they think it says, you have to use what it says to dispute. I see it no different than someone misrepresenting what is said in any book, if i have knowledge to dispute what others say i am gonna do. Sorry you think i am "prosthletizing" I don't even know what that word means, and can't find it in any dictionaries. But I assure you i am not trying to convert, i am trying to use logic to defuse the attacks on a belief system. If he says that he doesn't believe I have no problem with that, but I will counter attacks on the beliefs themselves if I have knowledge to do so.
You will also see that the way i do things is very different from Cliff.
All you say is that a universe following rules proves there is a god. That doesn't prove squat.
/not atheist, but tired of the religious using weak or non existent logic
But to that, I'm an avid videogamer, and I've played and enjoyed games that have been bashed by online 'communities'. They need to just shut up and let the pieces fall where they may.
You'll find many of the people posting are quite harsh, but many also offer very constructive ideas too. If they really wanted to address the situation, they should have a company rep post on the blogs and ask simply, 'what can we do to improve on the next one?'
Therein lies the difference between success and failure in the gaming market.
Cliff, you've just used the agnostic line of reasoning to try to prove the existence of God. It really doesn't prove anything, it just says that there is more to existence than we currently understand.
And random thought #2... I know how Left Behind got enough money to pay the lawyer fees. The CEO switched to Geico savings him tons of cash!
Regardless of my beliefs - I don't really think Orcs exist, yet I play Warcraft. Ummm, Mc. Fly.. it doesn't matter what *you* believe, it's a matter of what a potential customer bases wants to believe or wants to play.
Why turn it into an argument over religion? You'll not change my faith regardless of what you say, ever.
A good video game has zero to do with reality, lol. While it can be about a realistic subject (Rome: Total War, Battleground 1942) it can also be about pure fantasy (WoW, Halo, Mario Brothers). But that makes no difference in terms or playability.
Plus, how many games have been made from movies or books and are actually any good? Even all the 'Lord of the Rings' games failed miserably, but others in the Fantasy Genre (WoW, Everquest) have become the largest ever.
That's pathetic. I'm a lawyer and if you're defending the twit attorney who sent those letters as some sort of "innocent" go-between, well, you're just a fxcked-in-the-head moron of shall we say Biblical proportions.
Get a clue. And get off your high horses.
Translation: if the graphics were better, I could stay erect longer and spread my seed in Jesus' name.
Yes, but I claim that Jesus Christ and his dad are nothing but mindless robots designed by Grattulartfartattack to clean out his invisible but stenchy butthole for all eternity. And for you to claim that Grattulartfartattack does not exist would mean that you have to know 100,000,000,000/100,000,000,000 to the 10 billionth power of everything in the universe PLUS ONE. That makes you the stupidest and most arrogant person in the whole world.
Argue your way out of that one, shxt-for-brains.
Only a retarded American fundie would think that a universe where millions of innocent children starve and die of disease is "perfect."