From: brinkley@cs.utexas.edu (Paul Brinkley)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: D&D and Christianity
Date: 5 Jan 1993 10:47:07 -0600
Organization: CS Dept, University of Texas at Austin
NNTP-Posting-Host: kara-kum.cs.utexas.edu

In article <1993Jan5.080357.17150@wheaton.wheaton.edu> kroth@david.wheaton.edu (Ken Roth) writes:
>Hmm, background would be nice I guess...
>I am a 22 year old almost college grad (okok, I flunked my last class senior
>year, Hebrew 402...ok, I admit it...) at a very conservative Evangelical
>Christian school named Wheaton in Illinois, SW of Chicago (we are considered
>one of the best Xian schools..anyway).  We have a student body of around 2400,
>including the grad school.  I have been 'born-again' since I was 7.  In a
>'Fundamentalist' (I use the term loosely, for reasons I will discuss later)
>school, while I was here, I know of at LEAST 40 people who play AD&D, some
>others playing Shadowrun, and some MERPs.  Needless to say, some people here
>don't agree with it, but the tolerance is actually pretty good.

  Keep in mind that as positive an impact as you're making, you're probably
not an example case of a role-player.  (Not to imply you were citing yourself
as such.)  Thing is, opponents of RPGs make examples of people such as the
star of THE DUNGEON MASTER, who may have gone crazy as a result of fantasy
gaming, or were already maladjusted and happened to play.  It's done way too
often.  These one-out-of-a-million-ers are shown as a cross section of the
role-playing community, and any RPG-er knows from experience that they aren't.
(After all, a nail-biting story about a fantasy wargamer who lives a normal
life just wouldn't be nail-biting, would it?)

  Okay, so I jumped right in the middle of your story to get my two cents in.
Feeling sheepish, I shall now extract my ebullient butt from the soapbox...

>...I have also put a LOT of thought into the directions of
>argumentation to follow, and decided some things that will NOT work:
>
>1)  In the other article (the one I didn't respond to) use a line of reasoning
>that will NOT work.  It does no good to 'slander' the opponents of FRPGs, even
>if they deserve it.  I know that Raschke (author of Painted Black) is,
>basically, an idiot, but the obvious answer is that the character of the
>messenger does NOT change the truth of his method.  Also, telling people that
>the person they have believed is an idiot automatically puts them on the
>defensive.

  Bravo.  BRAVO.  And might I add, point out some of the stuff your opponent
is saying that you AGREE with.  You'll find something you have in common, and
I'll guarantee it's a good way to get'em listening.  :)

  In the interest of low bandwidth, I'll skip a good chunk of the article,
so you'll have to fish around for it yourselves...

>NOW, about the term 'Fundies' and 'Fundamentalists'.  Do NOT use these terms,
>unless the person calls themself this first (to some people this is a badge
>of honor).  I am OFFENDED when people call all Evangelical Xians Fundies,
>cause it is a term which actually has a definition, and MOST Evangelicals do NOT
>fit it.  Also, it is considered a derrogatory (sp?) term, and I am NOT a
>fundie, but I am an Evangelical Xian.

  Okay, I won't call you a Fundie.  (Can I call you Al?  Never mind.)

>PS, the others I have played with include a Pastor's kid, a Missionary's kid,
>a member of ROTC, a wrestler, two art majors, an ex-youth pastor and his wife,
>two people (and their wives) who work for a large Christian mission.  And some
>others...Just to show the cross-section of folks who play here at Wheaton.

  (Hello, Hi, How do you do, Whoa!  Good handshake!, Nice to meet you,...)
Once again, be careful there.  Don't use yours as a typical example of role-
players, unless you've got a BIG group on your side.  (You almost do, as a
matter of fact; couple more wrestlers and you'll be doing swell.  :) )

  Good, informative article.  Commendable, especially for 1:15 in the morning.
Be sure to post when your book comes out.

Paul Brinkley
brinkley@cs.utexas.edu