LEFT BEHIND ETERNAL FORCES 12/13/06

One organization has started a write-in campaign against Walmart for selling a video game which it charges is violent. Left Behind: Eternal Forces, based on the christian "Left Behind" book series written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, is sent in post-rapture New York City. Players in the video game have to witness to unsaved non-believers in an attempt to convert them to born-again type christianity. Players also participate in battles in which unbelievers are killed. "Soul Points" must be replenished by prayer after these battles.

While I do not particularly relish the plot behind Left Behind: Eternal Forces, I also recognize that a company has the right to sell a video game without my censure, that parents have a right to decide what video games their kids will play, what religion their families will practice, what ideologies their kids will be taught. People also have the right to decide where they wish to shop or not shop, support or boycott, write a protesting e-mail or not. I will choose not to purchase the video game, not to purchase any of the books-- I have read them at a bookstore or somewheres and I was not impressed,-- and to continue to shop at our local Walmart because prices are low and cheap is good. I have not actually seen or played the particular video game being targeted by DefConAmerica.

DefConAmerica is an organization that defines itself as being anti-religious right. What I found at their site was inflammatory language describing their stance on various issues. Some phrases I read were things like:

"We cannot let religious zealots turn back the clock on civil rights, privacy, scientific progress, and quality education."

and on the same page:

"breaking all the rules", "preventing scientific advancements", "proselytize or to infringe."

The emotional language cheapens their arguments concerning:

Federal Courts

Stem Cell Research

Right to Privacy

Separation of Church & State

End of Life Decisions

Defending Science

The thing is, I agree with some of their ideas. I am in favor of glbt civil rights [Right to Privacy], Separation of Church and State [as written], and the teaching of evolution in science classes rather than intelligent design [Defending Science]. I am opposed to interference of any state or government interfering in my end-of-life decision making [Right to Privacy].

And yet, I cannot support an organization which relies upon emotionalism to gather support from the masses. Nor do I condone the censorship inherent in deciding to target the removal of a video game from the shelves of a store.

radical sapphoq