How Can The Evangelical Church Mend Its Relationship With the Dungeons And Dragons Community
Peramble
The following is a paper I wrote two years ago (October 18, 2022), towards the end of my first semester at the College of Western Idaho. While some on my oppinons on the subject have changed. Having just seen @AlchemicalRaker's pondering about posting his own thoughts on the subject of Dungeons & Dragon's relation to Christianity, I felt inspired to post this paper. I hope you enjoy.The Essay
Sitting around a dining room table are five friends. Before them lay pencils, paper, snacks, and a twenty-sided die. One player begins describing a dimly lit stone tunnel. In an attempt to avoid a hidden trap placed before them, he asks the players to roll the twenty-sided die. If they fail, a large stone sphere will roll towards the group almost certainly crushing them where they stand. The scene playing out at this table is reminiscent of the intro to Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark. Dungeons and Dragons (which will be referred to as D&D throughout the rest of this article) is a collaborative storytelling game that functions best with groups of four to six players. One player takes on the role of the Dungeon Master, acting as a referee of sorts and directing the story based on the other player's actions, and the results of the dice.D&D was “[created] in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, [it] was the first published… [Role Playing Game] of its kind and remains… popular… after nearly [fifty] years.” (“History of TSR.” Wizards of the Coast. 2003.) Today, D&D sits in a golden age. According to Dice Cove, an estimated 50 million people have tried the game, and around 71.6 million hours of D&D Twitch streams were watched in 2020 (Jeijei. “How Many People Play D&D? (User & Growth Stats).” 2022.). Unfortunately, D&D hasn't always been a celebrated product. The Satanic Panic of the 1980’s has resulted in the modern D&D culture being less receptive to hearing the good news of Jesus's death and resurrection. The evangelical Church can repair this rift by acknowledging the falsehoods claimed in the 1980s, gaining a better understanding of what attracts players to D&D, and gaining an understanding of how D&D can be used as a tool for outreach.
The 1980’s are an era which many modern Americans hold nostalgia for. Stranger Things, The Breakfast Club, MTV, and Ferris Buler’s Day Off, are all prime examples of our culture’s obsession with the decade. However, the 80’s are a point of contention for D&D Nerds. The nearly fifty-year-old game was in its infancy when television preachers (commonly known as televangelists) began their two-decade-long crusade against D&D. This crusade caught on like wildfire. James Dallas Egbert III, a sixteen-year-old college student who suffered from a multitude of mental health issues including depression, committed suicide and his mother blamed D&D for his death, accusing the game of allowing demons to enter the young boy. The mainstream media picked up on the story and abandoned their journalistic duty to investigate the truth.
Sixty Minutes interviewed Patricia Pulling, the founder of BADD (Bothered About Dungeons And Dragons), to air her beliefs and grievances about the game to the country. Evangelical Christians, like the rest of America, propagated these unsubstantiated claims by composing entire sermons which were designed to shame those who played D&D as well as convince parents to bar the game from their households. Faith-based organizations should acknowledge the falsehoods claimed in these sermons, in order to begin repairing the rift between Christians and D&D players. These falsehoods rattled the D&D community and ostracized those who played the game. Players were driven out of the mainstream culture and “underground”. M. Joseph Young, commonly known online as the Geek Preacher, shares the heartbreaking testimony of a fellow D&D player in the Article “Confessions Of A Dungeons And Dragons Addict”.
“[A] misguided local minister singled him out as an example of someone who, because he played Dungeons & Dragons(tm), was clearly of the devil. This condemnation rattled my friend, … if that was what God thought of him, he would pursue evil… [We were introduced to each other as] Dungeons & Dragons(tm) players, and for that reason he did not immediately dismiss me as a Christian fool; because I did not condemn him for this… he was willing to discuss the spiritual and moral ramifications of the game and the spiritual realities of his own life. Ultimately--after years wasted--he returned to the truth he had abandoned and began to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus.” (Young, M. Joseph. “Confessions of A Dungeons And Dragons Addict”.)
As seen in the cited example, some D&D players have the capability to feel the tug of Jesus on their hearts. The evangelical Church should not abandon these individuals, as their failing as a group bars them from positively influencing D&D players. Faith-based organizations should publicly acknowledge the falsehoods claimed by The evangelical Church in the 1980s as the first step towards regaining lost influence with D&D players, followed by determining what attracts players to the game.
The evangelical Church needs to understand what attracts players to D&D. Many players consider themselves nerds and geeks. Until recently, these two subcultures have not been embraced warmly by the wider mainstream American culture. “[Research] shows… that D&D [players]… are more likely to feel estrangement and alienation. Therefore, it stands within reason to expect that [the social needs of] RPG players… may not be fulfilled during everyday interactions; rather, these needs are achieved to some degree through fantasy game-play.” (Adams. “Needs Met Through Role-Playing Games: A Fantasy Theme Analysis of Dungeons & Dragons”. 2013.) Feeling ostracized, nerds and geeks often turn to RPGs like D&D to develop the critical cognitive skills needed to be functioning members of our society. RPGs like D&D allow players to learn how to experience the perspectives of others, release unconscious fantasies, exercise visualization, and improve social skills. (Adams. “Needs Met Through Role-Playing Games: A Fantasy Theme Analysis of Dungeons & Dragons”. 2013.) D&D is also popular with a larger and more diverse demographic. Celebrities, firefighters, and Middle School teachers also enjoy playing the game. What attracts these individuals to D&D?
- Not everyone who plays D&D is a nerd. Some players have grown tired of their self-perceived mundane lives and turn to D&D, seeking the adventures they yearn for, much like Bilbo in J.R.R Tolkiens, The Hobbit. These players are daydreamers, the embodiment of Walter Mitty, the protagonist of the 2013 film, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. For years D&D has been used to “[exemplify] extraordinary experiences…. some… players [work] in offices and others attend school… D&D [allows these] players to witness unbelievable situations restricted only by their shared creativity” (Adams. “Needs Met Through Role-Playing Games: A Fantasy Theme Analysis of Dungeons & Dragons”. 2013.) The difference between the daydreaming player’s reasoning for playing D&D, and a nerd's reasoning is how they benefit from playing it. For the daydreamers, the thrill of adventure supplements what they lack in their day-to-day life. Understanding what attracts nerds, geeks, daydreamers, and members of other subcultures to D&D. Will assist the evangelical Church with evangelizing to the world. Evangelizing to the D&D community shouldn’t stop there.
If the evangelical Church truly wants to repair the divide between itself and the D&D community, then engaging D&D players in their imaginations is the best way to go about doing just that. Christians can use D&D as an outreach tool, by hosting public D&D games, and creating D&D adventures where we can share our values, beliefs, and world view. Many of the stories found in the Bible are perfect models to base adventures off of. Red Panda Publishing recently finished fulfilling a successful Kickstarter campaign: Adventures In The Bible, a supplement for D&D 5th Edition. “Our goal was not merely to present a list of people and places as they appeared in the Bible, but to create a unique adventure experience that brings the fun and spontaneity of 5E into the narrative of biblical storytelling. What we created was the Adventurer's Guide to the Bible.” (Red Panda Publishing. “Adventures In The Bible”. 2022.) This proves that creating biblical content for D&D, and hosting D&D games that exemplify biblical values is a viable medium for outreach. If D&D presents a viable route for outreach, how come Christians were so quick to rush into crusading against it?
The strongest argument made against D&D by the evangelical Church is that the game functions as a gateway to the occult. This argument makes up the core reasoning behind the evangelical Church’s mistrust of the game and its community. “The fact is, in order to play these games properly, you … have to use magic and mysticism, things that are clearly not Christian,” (Dobson. “Castles And Capitalists”. 1990.) Dr. Dobson’s claim suggests that mysticism has always been a core component of D&D. Mysticism and occult-like practices are something that have no place in Christian circles. This is evident in Leviticus. “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.” (The English Standard Version. Leviticus 19:31.) If Dr. Dobson’s claim about mysticism and D&D going hand in hand was truly the case, why is it so common for third party companies to sell occultic merchandise? Stratagem recently developed two tarot card decks for D&D. “The Deck of Many Things and the Deck of Many Fates are … [composed] of 49 jumbo tarot cards” (Stratagem. “The Deck of Many Things & The Deck of Many Fates”. 2015.) For those who are not aware, Tarot cards are a form of divination, something the Bible defines as mysticism. If mysticism was a core element of D&D like Dr. Dobson suggests, why are third party companies like Stratagem, attempting to insert occultism into D&D? How come Hasbro, the owners of D&D, aren’t already producing this occultic merchandise as a core part of the game? Should the evangelical Church not intervene by hosting games free from these occultic influences?
The second strongest argument made against D&D, is that magic and sorcery are present in D&D, and magic and sorcery are something Christians are strictly prohibited from entertaining and should be avoided at all costs. “And I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;” (The English Standard Version. Micah 5:12.) Prominent Christians from the 80’s claimed that satanic rituals and rites were being performed whenever D&D was played. Something that the Biblical books of Micah, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus make evident that no Christian should engage in. This argument suggests that players spend hours around a fire, offering sacrifices, cutting themselves, communing with spirits, or committing obscene acts. In reality, D&D players perform spells, have magic items, and class abilities which are similar to the powers of a comic book superhero. This can be seen in a quick breakdown of some of the archetypal roles players can fill, which are called classes. The Monk class has super speed much like The Flash. The Barbarian class utilizes rage, an ability similar to The Incredible Hulks' fury. The Wizard class is famous for causing explosions, just like Iron Man. “Perhaps Paul’s words in Romans 14:3 might be adapted to fit here. The “one who does not [play] must not judge the one who does.” (Tallon. “A Christian Defense of Dungeons and Dragons”. 2019.) The evangelical Church should put aside the judgment, instead finding ways to engage with those who play D&D, on a more productive level. Additionally, if a Christian is willing to bar another from playing D&D due to a concern over the inclusion of ‘magic' within the game yet is willing to engage with other fictional properties which employ magic as a plot device, they are acting like hypocrites. “Magic-heavy works such as Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia all can be consumed as a part of a well-balanced entertainment diet… conservative organizations like the Christian Research Journal have [even] commended Harry Potter and Magic: The Gathering[. With] a dose of discernment[, many] Christian parents allow their children to play video games with spellcasting.” (Tallon. “A Christian Defense of Dungeons and Dragons”. 2019.)
The animosity felt between the evangelical Church and D&D nerds can be buried. The evangelical Church needs to acknowledge the falsehoods claimed in the 1980s, gain a better understanding of what attracts players to D&D, and use D&D as an outreach tool. I disagree with the widely held opinion that D&D is a path to Satan. I believe that this is a claim made out of ignorance, as a studious look into the game compared to these claims would prove otherwise. In this essay we have seen how the claims made in the 1980s drove at least one believer away from the faith, and how holding onto these falsehoods only continues to widen the divide between these two communities. We have also learned that those who are attracted to D&D aren't deviants, but instead nerds, geeks, and those bored with their mundane lives. We then explored the possibility of using D&D as an outreach tool and finally discussed the Evangelical Church's concerns with D&D. Even if D&D doesn't appeal to you, I hope that you too come to disagree with the widely held opinion that D&D is a path to Satan.
Works Cited
Adams, Aubrie S. “Needs Met Through Role-Playing Games: A Fantasy Theme Analysis of Dungeons & Dragons.” EBSCOhost. pp 3. Kaleidoscope. 1 November, 2013. University of California, Santa Barbara.Dobson, James. “Castles And Capitalists”. EBSCOhost. pp 2. 1990. Retrieved from: https://web-p-ebscohost-com.cwi.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=0cc3c482-46fa-4b40-b2eb-2362ddb64883%40redis
“History of TSR.” Wizards of the Coast. 2003. Retrieved from: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/dndarchives_history.asp
Hughes, J. “Therapy is fantasy: Roleplaying, healing and the construction of symbolic order.” Anthropology IV Honours. 1988. Australian National University. Retrieved from http://www. rpgstudies.net/hughes/therapy_is_fantasy.html
Jeijei. “How Many People Play D&D? (User & Growth Stats).” Fiction Horizon. 1 June 2022. Retrieved from: https://fictionhorizon.com/how-many-people-play-dd/
Red Panda Publishing. “Adventures In The Bible”. Kickstarter. 7 January 2022. Retrieved from: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/redpandapublish/the-adventurers-guide-to-the-bible/posts
Stratagem. “The Deck of Many Things & The Deck of Many Fates - 49 Hand-Illustrated Colorful Fantasy Tabletop Role Playing Game RPG Storytelling Tarot Card Dungeon Master Accessories”. Amazon. 3 October 2015. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/Deck-Many-Things-Fates-Hand-Illustrated/dp/B08DG593LQ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=CESR8DSWS75X&keywords=deck+of+many&qid=1666048646&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI0LjYyIiwicXNhIjoiNC41MSIsInFzcCI6IjMuMzQifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=deck+of+man%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A2L0LODUJGR5H7]%20Micah%205:12%20ESV
Tallon, Phil. “A Christian Defense of Dungeons and Dragons”. Love Thy Nerd. 22 November 2019. Retrieved from: https://lovethynerd.com/the-christian-response-to-dnd/
The English Standard Version. Micah 5:12.
The English Standard Version. Leviticus 19:31.
Young, M. Joseph. “Confessions of A Dungeons And Dragons Addict”. WayBackMachine. Retrieved from: https://web.archive.org/web/20131028054648/http://www.mjyoung.net/dungeon/confess.html
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