Fantastic Christianity

Horizon Bound

I have heard a lot of things about how dragons, RPGs, and magic are evil because they somehow go against Christianity. I don't think this is true at all. As long as one doesn't put all their trust in magic or begin believing their RPGs, it's alright, I think. The Bible says that we aren't of this world, so why not enjoy a little play in a fictional one? It's more like home.
There a misconception that all dragons being evil. Not so! In some fantasy worlds they are very helpful or even sentient (and not all sentient creatures are evil or good). It's really a question of translation. In Revelations 12:3, "an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads" appears and tries to eat a woman's newborn baby. I think the dragon was supposed to represent the devil. But that doesn't mean all dragons are evil, by any means! First of all, that doesn't sound like most fantasy dragons I've heard of or met. It's a type commonly known as a Biblical Dragon, and I don't believe that's a dragon at all. I think it's some totally different kind of reptile, if it isn't a metaphor for something else all together. If there is really a dragon in the Bible, I think it's that leviathan in Job 41. Secondly, Santan took on the form of a snake in Genesis 3 to cause humans to sin, but most people don't think snakes are evil. Why should people think dragons are evil? Similarly, God came to Earth as a human male in Matthew 1 and 2, but most people don't think all men are pure and God-like. Why steriotype the poor dragons?
Now for the very controversial RPGs. My own mother is convinced that they are more dangerous than drugs, sex, and alcohol to teenagers today. She worries when I play things like SW:CCG and positively will not let me play Magic: The Something (not that I want to...mana be gone!) I think she's afraid that people really believe everything that happens in the RPGs is real, and that the abovementioned card games are RPGs as well. I won't go off on the latter part because I think I would get pelted with l'lahlsh if I said something wrong, but the former I will tackle, l'lahlsh-pelting or no. When I pretended that some rocks from a flower bed were a family of royals when I was little, nothing in the world could have told me otherwise. However, when I got older and started pretending other things with my friends, I began to realize that if I said I was a wolf leading a pack to a hunt and then ran around howling (Nick P., if you read this, remember but don't laugh too hard), that didn't make me a wolf. I'm now at the point that if I write down on a piece of paper next to some letters and numbers that I'm a half-elf Level 3 conjurer armed with a staff, a buckler, and a dagger, I don't actually walk down the street trying to zap people with arches of fire or hit them with a staff I don't have. I might do that if the street was full of other people into The Bard's Tale, but otherwise, I keep my character to myself. This means to me that I am in no danger of believing my own imagination, so I can safely role play with other people. It would be a danger if I thought it was real, but keeping in mind that it isn't, as I said, it's a little closer to home, from a Christian's perspective.
Last but never least is the long-standing belief that magic is evil. The way I've heard it is that magic is wrong because people rely on their own power or demonic power rather than the power of God. Personally, I think it's not unlike RPGs: it's only dangerous if a person thinks it's real. Any real magic I've seen or heard of is either caused by God or Satan, but never by actual people. I like to believe that in fantasy God has given people magic as a gift they are supposed to use for Him, the way He gives people talents or traits, or, if the magic is from an object, that it is a natural occurance created by God. That's not evil. Evil is when people don't use magic for the intended purpose, not unlike some people do with their talents. Which, I must admit, brings up a fairly useful bit of advice: Use your talents for good, not evil, and you will be blessed.

Thanx!