Q: Does Dungeons and Dragons teach authentic magic?
A: No - The 'magic' in DnD is purely fictional. This claim was originally made by Patricia Pulling in 1984. She founded the Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons (BADD) lobbying group and made many accusations about the game and published tons of anti-DnD literature. Her material found traction with conservative Christian groups and stirred up moral panic but none of her accusations were based on any real evidence. All of the Dungeons and Dragons books ever printed are available to view online but nobody has ever been able to point to a page and say "this is where the game teaches authentic magic!" The idea that the game teaches magic is a leftover from BADD's hate campaign which is currently being championed by William Schnoebelem who, once again, has never been able to pinpoint where DnD teaches authentic magic.
Q: Do people playing Dungeons and Dragons lose touch with reality?
A: No - Not unless they are doing drugs. This rumor started in 1979 when a young college student, James D. Egbert III went missing from Michigan State University and careless journalists took the speculations of a private investigator who had never heard of fantasy role playing games before, added a sensational flare, and reported them as fact. Dungeons and Dragons is a board game. It does not involve forcing yourself into an altered psychological state where you are required to think and act as your character and players are at no point unable to distinguish between reality and unreality.
Q: Does Dungeons and Dragons encourage using drugs?
A: No.
Q: Are people who play Dungeons and Dragons at higher risk of committing suicide?
A: No - Fantasy Role Playing games were heavily studied by many North American psychology, health, and suicidology departments and they unanimously conclude that there is no causal link between fantasy role playing games and suicide.
Q: Does playing Dungeons and Dragons encourage demonic activity?
A: No - Dungeons and Dragons is a board game involving pencils, paper, dice, and imagination. Calling on demons, participating in Occult rituals, and anything else that could encourage demonic activity is not part of DnD.
Q: Doesn't DnD have natural links to the Occult?
A: Yes and no. DnD is a fantasy game by nature, it has themes and references that some may consider 'Occult' but the similarities start and end at the surface. Occult has spells, DnD has spells. Occult has sorcerers. DnD has sorcerers. Occult has divination. DnD has divination. The words are the same but the actual things being referred to are completely different and no direct link can be formed between. Occult spells involve real life sorcery, DnD spells involve dice and math.
Q: Was Dungeons and Dragons created by Satanists?
A: No. This rumor is propagated by William Schnoebelem but neither he nor anyone else has ever been able to provide evidence of this claim. The game was created by Gary Gygax and a handful of his friends as a new spin on the old style 'Avalon Hill War-Games' where instead of tokens representing World War infantry / tank units they would instead represent heroes and monsters. Gygax was inspired by fantasy, not Satanism; he and his buddies were nerds not warlocks.
Q: Is Fantasy an Introduction into the Occult?
A: Yes and no. Fantasy can be an introduction into some themes related to the occult. The Lord of the Rings has wizards, The Wheel of Time has some themes borrowed from eastern mysticism, and there's probably scenes in nearly every fantasy setting where implements of the occult are featured (spell books, magic inks, daggers, summoning things, symbols, spiritual creatures, planes of existence, etc). So, I guess you could say that fantasy can act as an introduction to the occult in the sense that it presents its viewers / readers with a make belief mimicry of the occult. Is it ever intentionally geared to funnel young people into real life covens or show them how to craft their own spells? Not that I've ever seen, but you can take courses on how to practice witchcraft online. Could someone gain an interest in the occult through fantasy? Maybe? Depends on what sort of fantasy they are reading. I may write another post specifically about this later.
Q: Is Dungeons and Dragons a "Form / Appearance of Evil?" (1 Thess 5:22)
A: Not unless sitting around a table with friends to tell stories involving imaginary characters and roll dice to determine the success or failure of those characters' actions is evil. The evil things that this verse refers to (sorcery, murder, theft etc.) don't actually happen in Dungeons and Dragons, it is quite literally a bunch of people telling stories and rolling dice.
Q: Isn't telling stories about and imagining things like sorcery, murder, and theft still considered sinful?
A: I am convinced the answer to this question depends on how seriously you take fantasy and in this sense it varies from person to person. Some people, I'd like to think most people, are able to read a book, watch a movie, or play a game that may contain things that one should not do (sexual immorality, violence, magic, greed, theft, murder, etc) but keep a healthy buffer between reality and unreality thus not falling into sinful action. (Watching a violent movie doesn't inspire me to go murder someone for instance.) In terms of Christian conscience some are strong and able to watch / read / play and not have it affect the rest of their lives. Others are weak and should not participate as this may cause them to stumble. Those who are strong should abstain when in the presence of the weak out of love for them and those who are weak should not judge those who are strong according to their weak conscience. This is Paul's teaching regarding 'gray areas' in the faith. (1 Cor 10:23-24; Romans 14)
Q: Was Dungeons and Dragons created by Satanists?
A: No. This rumor is propagated by William Schnoebelem but neither he nor anyone else has ever been able to provide evidence of this claim. The game was created by Gary Gygax and a handful of his friends as a new spin on the old style 'Avalon Hill War-Games' where instead of tokens representing World War infantry / tank units they would instead represent heroes and monsters. Gygax was inspired by fantasy, not Satanism; he and his buddies were nerds not warlocks.
Q: Is Fantasy an Introduction into the Occult?
A: Yes and no. Fantasy can be an introduction into some themes related to the occult. The Lord of the Rings has wizards, The Wheel of Time has some themes borrowed from eastern mysticism, and there's probably scenes in nearly every fantasy setting where implements of the occult are featured (spell books, magic inks, daggers, summoning things, symbols, spiritual creatures, planes of existence, etc). So, I guess you could say that fantasy can act as an introduction to the occult in the sense that it presents its viewers / readers with a make belief mimicry of the occult. Is it ever intentionally geared to funnel young people into real life covens or show them how to craft their own spells? Not that I've ever seen, but you can take courses on how to practice witchcraft online. Could someone gain an interest in the occult through fantasy? Maybe? Depends on what sort of fantasy they are reading. I may write another post specifically about this later.
Q: Is Dungeons and Dragons a "Form / Appearance of Evil?" (1 Thess 5:22)
A: Not unless sitting around a table with friends to tell stories involving imaginary characters and roll dice to determine the success or failure of those characters' actions is evil. The evil things that this verse refers to (sorcery, murder, theft etc.) don't actually happen in Dungeons and Dragons, it is quite literally a bunch of people telling stories and rolling dice.
Q: Isn't telling stories about and imagining things like sorcery, murder, and theft still considered sinful?
A: I am convinced the answer to this question depends on how seriously you take fantasy and in this sense it varies from person to person. Some people, I'd like to think most people, are able to read a book, watch a movie, or play a game that may contain things that one should not do (sexual immorality, violence, magic, greed, theft, murder, etc) but keep a healthy buffer between reality and unreality thus not falling into sinful action. (Watching a violent movie doesn't inspire me to go murder someone for instance.) In terms of Christian conscience some are strong and able to watch / read / play and not have it affect the rest of their lives. Others are weak and should not participate as this may cause them to stumble. Those who are strong should abstain when in the presence of the weak out of love for them and those who are weak should not judge those who are strong according to their weak conscience. This is Paul's teaching regarding 'gray areas' in the faith. (1 Cor 10:23-24; Romans 14)
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