One Christians outlook on playing D&D

Here are some videos I had found about Christian Roleplaying. Now Episode 2 is about Magic in RPG's. This guy says that when it comes to races and they have imbued magic traits. You can say they are powers from God. So he bends the outlook of the game to fit his outlook. Now if you can say that a racial magic trait is a power from God whats you to stop from doing: Having Magic as a Quantum Mind Malleable energy that produces spell like effects that is a science based gift from God to the people of this world??? Do you agree? Dont agree? Lemme know what you think.

Episode 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKltwdRp4bw&t=12s

Episode 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu_q0khvXZU

Episode 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWxPGJXdZm8

Episode 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOwVXgGY3TA&t=638s

Episode 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGT3IqPNeeM&t=22s

Episode 6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9qlcIRC5vc&t=4s

Episode 7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2KnDRkdyoY

Episode 8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RFocHSNpuc

Episode 9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfeCEdzBhFw

Episode 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvfcyzr-wUw

I probably won't have time to check out these videos, but if I understand your question, you're asking if its okay to see magic in a fictional context as a gift from God, or as something like a physical law that can be sinlessly manipulated, like magnetism.

I think these are acceptable ways to view magic in fiction and games. The heart of God's commands against real-world sorcery seems to be about keeping us from seeking power apart from him. While I don't think real-world sorcery can be participated in without sinning, I think "sorcery" or "magic" in fiction can be re-defined in a way that, in that context, honors God or his fictional representation.

Of course I also reserve my fallback position of belief that, under many circumstances, Christians can play games as characters who do sinful things, like practice sorcery, without committing any real sin in real life.

Am I responding to the issue you were bringing up?

I have done research on Magic and the Bible. The word magic comes from Ancient Persia which were prayers to their God Ahura Mazda. I have a book on Babylonian Sorcery which are all just prayers to their Gods. So Magic is more of an Idolatrous action. But what if as I said the "magic" was from a Quantum Mind malleable substance that can create "spell like" effects. I mean what we have in todays magic usually requires pagan gods. However there are some magic practices like sigil magic that doesn't connect to a pagan God. It is a lot like a prayer but to some unknown source. Which still can be attributed to idolatry. But we have things today because of electricity and engines that may look like magic. So in a sci fi like fashion explaining magic is from a Quantum Mind malleable substance would it be safer to say it exists in that fashion? It's like how electricity is able to create all that we have today. Radio waves for example. A magical way to send information across space. Now we Have Wifi and can now watch a movie across empty space..

I mean if you can say that a person has a special magical like gift from God. Like Samson from Samson and Delilah where he got his strength from his Hair. Why not a Quantum Mind malleable substance?? I mean Light has shown that the mind can effect the substance of it. Even water.. They have proof that the mind can effect water at a microscopic level. Just watch "What the BLEEP do we know?"

I'm pretty open to various ways of exploring human potential, including mental exercises and forms of meditation that produce seemingly superhuman results. The key, I think, comes back to what the individual believes is the source of that ability. I'm not familiar with the phrase "Quantum Mind malleable substance". But if it refers to some kind of physical, impersonal law or property (like gravity, and electromagnetism) then I don't think there is a moral problem in leveraging it to produce effects that one would consider superhuman.

Yes.. "kind of physical, impersonal law or property (like gravity, and electromagnetism)" yes. What I'm describing is a lot like electro magnetism... When I say Quantum Mind Malleable substance I mean an energy source that is influenced by the mind.. Kind of how like the mind can effect water. There will be rivers of this energy in the game. People would have access to this substance.. Just like we have electricity for us today. This "Magic" was so named magic is because they didnt know what else to call it. And this is Fictional Magic like thing in itself.. When I mention game I mean Pathfinder. This is how I interpret magic in the Pathfinder game.. It's a God given substance like Electricity is in our world.

Tirisilex wrote:It's a God given substance like Electricity is in our world.

A nice "in a nutshell" description. I think if this is the particular view of a given fictional magic concept, a person has pretty good grounds for concluding that there is nothing objectionable about it.

“Fictional magic is defined as a work of fiction that includes supernatural or miraculous events, or practices, that are not common to our real world. These events or practices can have different origins—such as power from a divine source, specially gifted humans, or a series of different natural laws that humans (or human-like characters) can use for different purposes.


"or a series of different natural laws that humans (or human-like characters) can use for different purposes"
Really fits in the desription I had given of a god given energy that can create magical like effects.