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Why would something be considered satanic? I think it's best to start by looking at Dungeons and Dragons piece by piece to see what part of it could be labeled evil. Dungeons and Dragons, like all role playing games, are made up of elements of improvisation, strategy and planning, teamwork, some math and rolling of dice, and the eponymous role-playing or acting. D&D also has its own unique and imaginative background stories and plots, which basically fall into the same sort of category as fantasy literature in fact, there are numerous books that have been written based on characters or worlds created for Dungeons and Dragons.

Is improvisation evil or satanic? Role-playing games like D&D are much like improvisational theater groups participants in both activities needs to act out their reactions to surprising and ever changing scenarios. I have yet to hear the creative and imaginative play of improvisation labeled as satanic. What about acting or playing a role? Being in character for an extended period of time is basically just that. While some groups have negative opinions of Hollywood, it's been decades since anyone who was taken seriously spoke out against as a whole or called it a low or immoral pastime.

Does that mean that it is the teamwork involved in D&D that's satanic? This isn't very likely, since co-operational and teamwork skills are widely and highly valued in our society. How about math, or games of chance? Mathematics is an unlikely culprit, although some games of chance are considered a social evil. However, since there is no gambling involved in the dice-rolling that takes place in a D&D game, I'm fairly certain that's not what is being labeled as evil.

Is Dungeons and Dragons considered satanic because of its fantasy and imaginative elements? This is closer to the truth there are groups that are wary of flights of fancy that stray too far from their own accepted rhetoric. A group with this mindset would be especially worried by a game that not only tells a story that is outside of their narrow worldview, but invites players participate in this narrative and to act out their own stories inside that narrative's context.

Now let's consider who is calling D&D satanic or evil groups from the far religious right. These are some of the same groups who would classify homosexuality and a woman's right to choose the same way. While it's certainly their right to have their opinion, it's ours to consider if we want to take it seriously or not. In my opinion, these groups are overreacting to a game that they perceive as strange and too far outside their restricted worldview.

Dungeons and Dragons scares certain elements of the religious right because it exists to let players use their imaginations, think outside the box, and do it all outside of the context of a Christian worldview. This scares the religious right, so they react by labeling this game as they label everything else they can't accept: evil and a tool of the devil.

Learn more about this author, Jen Power.
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