by Krom

Created on: February 27, 2009   Last Updated: March 08, 2009

Only those who do not know anything about Dungeons and Dragons would think that it is satanic. I will not quote the definitions of Satanic here. When someone quotes straight from a dictionary it is usually because they are somewhat unimaginative and uncreative. In order to play the game and enjoy it one has to be both creative and imaginative. The people who attack the game and say yes it is satanic are simply narrow-minded and likely to copy and paste a definition straight out of the American heritage dictionary online.

Dungeons and Dragons is just a fantasy game which draws on the imaginations of those who play it to develop a story in which each player guides his character through the story. It is not completely dissimilar to a book club. Where as book club gathers together to discuss the events and characters and themes of the selected book. In a fantasy RPG (role playing game) like Dungeons and Dragons, each member of the group not only get to express their individual opinion and seek understanding of the authors concepts but also contribute to the development of the story.

The archetype normally dealt with in such games is a heroic one although there are other options available because the characters qualities are a simple expression of the players ideal qualities. And it is a this point that I would like to point out that not everyone in the world is Christian and do not necessarily prescribe to the Christians dogmas involving Antichrists . So if there was some satanic element to the game it would have to be brought into it by a Christian who believes in such things. But it would not serve to simply antagonize the faithful and say shame on you for making unbiased assumptions.

So what draws Christians into thinking that the game is somehow evil or satanic? Maybe it is suggested in the title of the game. Like the word dungeons maybe? Well like I stated previously depending on the person playing the options involving dungeons is limited to what can be accomplished in dudgeon. Typically the dungeon itself is only the scenery where the adventure unfolds. Dungeons can be filled with traps and mazes and hidden treasures or items needed to accomplish a greater goal. Most adventures involving dungeons would use this only as a story device to give the protagonists obstacles that need to be overcome. Every adventure story ever written including several of the Christian bible stories include such obstacles.

Next, the word Dragons. Again the dragon is usually but not always an obstacle to overcome. The slaying of the dragon is a popular theme for fantasy fiction. It is also the theme of the legend of St. George a Christian saint. Also Christians have no basis for equating Dragons to Satan. In Christian mythology Satan is a tree snake. In the older Mesopotamian religions the Dragon Tiamet was the evil being of myth. However Christianity does not prescribe to those ancient polytheistic beliefs. And in Chinese culture the Dragon is more of a benevolent figure.

In conclusion since the title does not suggest a direct link to Satan, and since there are no official guides published by the makers of Dungeons and Dragons that promote worship of Satan; then one has to admit that there is no Satanic element in the game itself. And therefore it is just a game.

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