And one of the many things we like to do is play Magic The Gathering card game. Well today we were listening to a Christian radio show and someone sent an e-mail to the hosts asking if kids should play games like Dungeons and Dragons, or... Magic The Gathering. And one of the hosts said something like this: "Well Magic the Gathering was a popular card game when I was like 10 years old. And it's about black magic, and witchcraft and evil!"
Uhh... WHAT?! That guy obviously jumped at the chance to ridicule a game that people play without hardly the first clue of what he was talking about. So, curious, we looked up if Christians in general think the same. And supposedly many people feel that it is wrong to play, or bad. These are the type of people that we like to call: "Overly Religious". They are so caught up in there stance as a Christian that they jump at the first sign of anything that might have to do with evil, and beat it down. Well since they are doing that why don't they jump at the Bible and try to ban it? Huh? It mentions evil all the time. The real evil.
So I'll start this off... IT IS NOT TRUE that Magic The Gathering is evil! It's not at all! IT'S FICTION! FAKE! NOT REAL! A GAME! And maybe if those type of people would actually do a little research before they label something "evil" they would find out that it is a harmless fun game. In-fact it's really quite nice. Yeah I'll agree, it does have black magic... LITERALLY BLACK! The color! It's got RED magic in it also. And white and green and blue! OH MY! COLORS AHHH!!!! God made colors! Even..... dah dah DAHHHH.. BLACK! And I (Stefan) play as black in game of Magic. And Joey plays as red. The two most chaotic colors in the game. Why? Because it's harmless. And it's not real. It's for fun. Like hopscotch, or frisbee.
I think there are three main reasons why people get freaked out about this game.
1 - Because the word "magic" is in the title.
2 - Because it has the color "black" in some of the cards.
3 - Because they don't know how to play.
So because of the third reason, they take the first two thoughts and combine them, and assume it's "Black Magic!" This is the critical ignorant error in their thinking.
Do you get what I'm saying? I'll explain the game for you to show you it's just a game.
Lets first look at the color BLACK in this game.
It uses swamps to pay for it's cards. Quiet elderly trees drooping over still waters. Singing birds in the limbs and the ever elusive crocodile silently making it's way through it's life.And yeah there's a skull on the card. Just like there's a skull under your skin huh?
I (Stefan) play as black. And black magic in the game of magic is really only called that because that is the color of the background is black. Though Magic the Gathering rules and such state that "black" magic is the color of "death and decay".
"DACAY?! DEATH?!" you may say. Well hold on here. They may say that is the color of those things in the game but by no means do I think that I am causing anything to die or decay whilst I lay a "black" card down on a table. Nor do I want anything to die or decay. It's fantasy. I know very well it's just a piece of cardboard just like any other card in the world.
And if you don't see that then you may need psychological help frankly.
Here is a black creature card below. One people might find "evil"....
It's called Childhood Horror. Yep, just like the stories you may have been told by your parents. Are your parents evil? Is the story evil? No, it's just a story isn't it? If you say yes then how about Santa Claus? Were you told that he was real? If you say he's not a horror well he may not have been to you but he certainly frightened me to the point of tears when I was young. But you know what Santa and the thing on that card have in common?... There fake.It is a creature, (like an animal) and no I do not think that there is a real horror on that card that's about to leap out, nor does anyone else that plays this game. That is just artwork. Just like that doodle you probably did while you were on the phone, just shaped different. That's all it is, and that's all it ever will be. And in-fact that is the reason me and Joey took interest in this game, it had a lot of really good, cool artwork on the cards. There is nothing wrong with that. Me and Joey produce a lot of artwork. Because art is fun and enjoyable. You would most likley agree.
Anyway, That card costs four mana (like dollars) to play. The skull symbol in the top right corner means you use a swamp mana (money) to play this card. And the 3 means you may use three extra of any color to pay for this card.
And as for the rest of the card... "Flying" means when it attacks it "Flies" over other creatures without "flying". Like a bird. And in no way do I think that that creature, or I, am actually flying over anything and attacking someone. It's imaginary. Just like the last dream you had. Was that dream "evil"? Did you wake up wanting to do what you did in that dream. If so did you? And I'll assure you dreams are more influential and lifelike that a piece of cardboard. "And how do you attack with a card?!" You may ask. You turn it sideways.... yeah.
And if they don't "block" the "attacking" creature with a creature they control and it hits them (the player), no one really thinks it actually hit the person. They simply mark their life total down. Just like the last time you did a math subtraction problem like "10 - 2 = 8". Actually it's exactly like that.
"How do you block a creature?!" You may ask. You pick up a creature card, and lay it on top of an "attacking" card.... yeah.
And "Threshold" is explained on the card. The "graveyard" mentioned in the text is simply where your cards go when they engage in battle and "die". So basically all magic the gathering is is a battle game made cool. But don't forget... It's fake. A PIECE OF CARDBOARD! Like a poker card for say.
The "2/2" in the bottom right corner is the cards power (2) and toughness (2). for example if this card battles a card with lets say 2/3 power and toughness, it dies and the 2/3 card survives. So it's basically like chess but more complicated. And in no way do I think that those cards are actually battling one another. No more than the time you played chess and said "Check Mate!" did you think that the king was really in battle and incapable of getting out of the deadly situation. And those opposing pieces really had weapons and if your opponent decided to he would order one to jump off the table and kill you, that it would, or that they even could.
And if evil is mentioned in a card so what? Like I said earlier, evil is mentioned in the Bible. And I certainly am not thinking of evil when I play black cards. I'm just playing.
And I really dislike that they even call it the color of death and decay. Look closer in the texts of and about black and you'll find that it is really the color of gain and winning at all costs. And that's exactly the reason why I play as black. It's the preferred color of choice I want to strategize with to win the game. That's right... the GAME.
Next up... White.
It uses plains to pay for it's cards. Peaceful wind caressing soft grass. Up in the heavens, the distant caw of the wild fowl.White magic is the "holiest" of the colors. It is the color of order and protection. See... not bad is it?
In-fact it even has angels that you can play with. And a card called wrath of God. Don't believe me? Well here it is next...
Now even if you say it may be influential to peoples minds I say this: I have never, NEVER heard of anyone causing any harm to anybody because of a card game, or any type of game for that matter. Heck even real games like football let the kids actually tackle the other on purpose and they don't get blasphemed. Those are dangerous games and people let there kids play them all the time. But you know why they don't blaspheme football and such?... Because they are just games. And for some reason some people can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality.If you are still not convinced I ask you this: Who is the most evil human you can think of that ever existed? Hitler? Saddam? Were any of those two men influenced by a game? Probably not. They were influenced by what they were taught and the way they were raised, not by what they did or did not play.
Yes you do destroy things in this games (so to speak) but as simple as saying "I destroy that card", and that's all you do. And if you say destroying is bad then think of this. God destroys things. Not because he is evil, but because he is just. "And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth." - Genesis 3:16
Now look at the card above, that's all that's happening in that art. A just god ending evil. Now I don't actually think that is God and no I don't really think anything is being destroyed in that card. I was just saying that's what the artist is depicting. I, and everyone else that plays this game knows that is just artwork. Paint! And if people use that card it's only because it helps them when the game. Period, end of story. GAME. G-A-M-E. NOT REAL. FUN. Are we clear?
Now lets take a look at the RED color of this game.
It uses mountain cards to pay for it's cards. Beautiful mountains. They bring to my mind high, shining peaks reaching to the heavens. Sometimes capped with freshly fallen snow. Where noisy sounds are far below, and unheard. I live in the mountains of North Carolina, so I really enjoy them.Now I'll talk a bit about what the cards are like that these cool mountains pay for...They are fiery (notice the fire-ball symbol). "FIRE!!" you may be thinking as of now. "That's like Hell!" Well, if you have that strong of an aggressive stance against fire then I suggest throwing your stove out of your house as quickly as possible.I'm not the one actually using the flames here. I simply hold a piece of cardboard in my hand.
I'll show you a card that may tickle your anti-fire fancy then...
This card "Destroys target land".Now what that means is that I pay for this card, put it on the table, choose a land-card that my opponent controls, and he or she moves that card into the "graveyard".
Now I did not an any way actually think that I was actually, magically casting a sorcery intending to annihilate hundreds of town-folk with falling rocks. I only made my opponent (and friend) move a card."It looks like Armageddon" you say? I, (and hopefully you) intend to be outta' here when that happens. And let me make extra clear that I did not bring about an Armageddon by sitting this card down on a table.So with that said, red "magic" is about (fantasy) fire, destruction, and chaos.
I use these cards while playing this game, and I stumbled upon this on a web site against these pieces of cardboard:
"Part of the game's appeal comes from 'the ability to develop a character -- you get to be somebody else. In Magic the deck you put together reflects your character -- your persona."
This statement is quite contradictory from the point they are trying to make. Think about it...
If you construct your deck based upon your "character, and persona" then how did the cards have any influence upon it? It had to have started with a fiery temper within yourself before you built the fiery deck, right? And it's not as if we come into this game with an empty character, like a robot anyway.
Even with that said, that statement is untrue. I (Joey) use this chaotic, destructive color, yet I myself am very quiet, and peaceful. I only use this color because I think it works best with the strategies I can use to win the GAME.And no I do not believe I am "somebody else" while playing this. Nor does anyone else I've seen playing this game.
That is just nonsense.Let's look at Chess- A great family game, that brings about cheers and smiles... Are you sure?!
But you control a king! He thinks only of power and domination over the weak! He is greedy and self-indulged. With his mouth he controls armies of barbarians to attack and eliminate villages and innocents. I hope you agree that that's ridiculous.
Same point goes here. I do not think I am a sorcerer when I play a "sorcery". Just as you do not think you are a king, or controlling a king as a god, while playing Chess.
The next color, BLUE.
It uses Islands to pay for it's cards.
Gorgeous, sparkling waves lapping upon white sands. The ever-aware seagull may be heard calling from the sky. A sudden breeze you feel now; cool and gentle. I don't use this color, but I can tell you what it does in the game. It's about trickery and deception. Now don't freak out here... Chances are you tricked your last opponent into losing a game of Chess you played right? Now did they actually become infected with a tricked mind because of that? Of course not.
I'll try to find the most tricky card I can in blue "magic".
Ok. To play this card, you lay it on the table while someone else is playing a card of their own. Then both cards are moved into the "graveyard".Well that's it guys and gals: "Trickery!"
Now this may make your opponent aggravated. But trust me, they are not going to freeze you into a ball of ice, or even think about doing it.
Green.
It uses forests to pay for it's cards. Smells of pine remind you of good times past, and more to come. The mother squirrel building it's nest. Leaves wave around like a thousand greetings.In this game green is about lots of powerful creatures. That's it.
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So if you think games like monopoly are good compared to Magic The Gathering then I have to say your wrong. What is Monopoly about? Greed, Money, Buying as much as you can. But our point is this, they are all just games. For fun and really educational. For example: me and Joey grew up playing monopoly and that's how we learned basic math. Same with this game. There's a lot of math in it. And a lot of brain exercise because of it's complexity and challenges.
And we have seen plenty of Christian people that like playing this game.
And with that said who was that person you last played a game with? A loved one? Maybe a wife or husband, a father or mother, a best friend, your beloved child? Were you in any way wanting to cause harm to them when you said lets play a game? Did you want to hurt them when they won? If so did you? When you say you are moving a knight to a space on the board do you really think that that is a knight? Does it make you want to become a knight and wield a sword? You are not controlled by a games images or the feelings they bring up are you? You are in control of yourself. And if you are not that what they make jails for.
All you have to do is teach your kids to be good and don't do evil. It's that simple. Just like our parents taught us. And the bible teaches us. And we are very happy, thankful, peaceful guys.
And trust me, the game is really fun to play and people are really happy playing it. It's very customizable and allows you to use your imagination when building a deck. We play it quite often and even make our own cards because it's just a cool game. Just like your favorite fiction book was a cool story, and that's all it was. You don't actually believe that your book really happened, nor do you intend to recreate anything that happened in it do you? And trust me, books are much MUCH more engaging than a piece of cardboard with ink on it that you put down on a table.
How about instead of hiding games like this from your children, you teach them to get the shield of God. "The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence." - 2 Samual 22:3
What I'm trying to say by that bible verse is this. If you or your children have the Lord and savior in their heart they shouldn't worry about anything. "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." - 1 John 5:12 You see what that verse means? If you or your children or anyone else has Jesus in their heart, they HAVE everlasting life. They HAVE it. It doesn't say they will get it. They have it. They will go to heaven. And what they do in their spare time is just passing the time and having a little fun while they do it. Some obscure card game is not going to cause them any harm. It's just ridiculous if people attack something as pointless as the "Magic the Gathering" card game and call it evil. Now that is just a plain waste of time. So just make sure kids know the difference from right and wrong. And that they have Christ in their heart, and they love and trust in the Lord God. And they'll be fine.
Anyway, if there is something that's influencing children today I guarantee it's what they are being taught in public schools. Like evolution for example. And what's going on in public schools. Like pier pressure.
Ok. We'll simply sum all of this up by putting it this way: Magic the Gathering is a game. Me, Joey, and millions of other people like to play it. That's it. That's all.
Let us end with a quote from a famous book that some people call evil:
"...the gray rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise." - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The Gray Havens.
- Joey and Stefan
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