Hi Munawar,
you have raised some good points here. The opinion of one or two
individuals doesn't make a solid case for how the majority of parents or
children feel about these games. They wouldn't even name the individuals
that were supposed to have been interviewed making the research
completely suspect as far as credibility is concerned. Then, asking a
bunch of rhetorical questions backed up by bible verses doesn't make
something necessarily true. All it does is state an opinion without
proving anything. Sadly, I've read a lot of Christian articles like this
and they are often largely based on opinion rather than any real facts.
For example, several Christian fundamentalists I know believe that the
earth is only 6,000 to 10,000 years old. They would like nothing more
than to have evolution kicked out of the public schools, and have their
version of creationism taught instead. However, the problem most people
have with creationism is that it holds very little scientific weight,
and simply isn't credible from a strictly scientific point of view. We
know for a fact that the earth is millions of years old therefore the
idea that the earth is only 6,000 to 10,000 years old is just ridiculous
to most people. Trying to rationalize it without physical and scientific
evidence isn't going to convince anyone of its reality.
Same goes for this gaming article. They don't offer any statistics that
playing games makes kids more violent, that they are drawn into the
occult, that they will grow up without Christian values, etc. They just
assume so, and hope you agree with them. This isn't good scientific
evidence, but just ramblings from some fundamentalist group that is
protesting something that conflicts with their personal values and beliefs.
Munawar Bijani wrote:
Hi,
The articles appeared to have no credible information at all; from
start to
finish, they kept naming "one youth" who said "this or that." Very rarely
did they mention names, and to me that's suspicious as far as their
content
and research is concerned.
Further, they explained their arguments by asking questions. For
instance,
they ask "Could not such games cultivate an unhealthy curiosity about
demonic forces?" Does this question really prove anything? My answer
to that
is, no. Sure, some may argue that those types of questions get you to
think,
but the way I see things, there is no point in asking a rhetorical
question
if you will not answer it. I see their "findings" as a bunch of logical
fallacies, saying things like "If x represents y, then can't Y be harmful
for the child?" Maybe if they had more credible information instead of
"as
one youth put it," I would be more open to their articles. For now,
though,
I have dismissed it as an attempt of so-called "religious fundamentalism"
trying to destroy monotheism again.
The authors commit an obvious fallacy when they mention the Bible's
viewpoint on magic, and then state that games are teaching magic
today. In a
game, you are not taught how to wave a wand, concentrate your
thoughts, go
in to a state of meditation, curse people, etc. All you do is press
buttons.
If the power goes out, well, there goes your little magic trick. Why
do the
same people who condemn such games say it is okay to play online poker as
long as you are not playing for money? Forget about magic, and focus on
condemning gambling first--which is a much more realistic issue.
I agree that certain types of games are not suited for children, but that
has nothing to do with the "Christian viewpoint"--anyone, anywhere,
can tell
you that much. Instead of saying "that is what a good faithful Christian
believes" the statement would be more correct if it said "that is what
anyone in their right mind believes."
Munawar A. Bijani
"Knowledge is of two types: absorbed and heard. The heard knowledge is
only
useful if it is absorbed." - Imam Ali Ibn Abu Talib, Nahj Al-Balagha
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.bpcprograms.com
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