i play the game magic.. and have done so.. for 10 years.. to me the game is maybe a lot different than it is to most people.. yes, i understand the point parents may have: i.e. the card "demonic tutor".. on the defensive side.. it does not read on the card, "bow to satan, for he is your divine super being." get it.. the card lets you get another card from your library.. the games in its entirety, is about numbers.. and statistics.. yes, it does require intelluctual, and wise choices.. so i agree it is not for a 6-10 year-old to delve into.. but these days, it is alot better than your kid going out, and doing drugs, selling them, committing different felonious acts.. in a sense, it's a safe act, keeping kids off the streets, and testing their minds to full potential. so as well, in a sense, this game is like life. it teaches to make the right decisions, it teaches to take those challenges, and chew them up... spit them out, and ask for more.. that is life.. all i am implying.. is the game is made to be quite horrible.. so if this game is bad.. then so is chess, a go lucky game of 5 card poker. dominoes. oh dare i say, basketball, baseball, football, because the pro's love their steroids.

 
 
You claim that the game in its entirety is about numbers and statistics: then how do you explain each card's drawings and the magic- and occult-related contents of the cards? How do you explain the various storylines of the game? Sorry, card games that are nothing but numbers and statistics, only have numbers on them. Nor will you find any storylines created around gin rummy or spades.

Secondly, since a card does not come out and broadcast, "Bow to Satan, for he is your divine super being," the game is OK? If something is not in-your-face about what makes it objectionable, then we just accept it?

Tell you what. Come to my house and I'll bake a special-for-you version of my wonderful double chocolate brownies. I use high quality cocoa and chocolate chips, only the freshest ingredients. All good stuff. And I'll add just a teeny weeny teaspoon of our dog's poop from the back yard. It's OK, the brownies aren't called "Dog Poop Brownies," they're called "Chewy Double Chocolate Brownies." So they must be OK, right? This is the same logic that you're using to decide that MTG is OK.

. . . Maybe not. In a recent USA Today article (6/20/04){1}, it is reported to have been dubbed "cardboard crack."

And that is one of the biggest concerns about MTG: it feeds an addictive personality. For many people it is very expensive to play, with a continual outlay of money for more and more cards. For many people it consumes a great deal of time, producing unbalanced kids. Anything that encourages a lack of moderation is NOT a good thing.

Granted, anything can be taken to an extreme. But we don't see anything inherent in Magic: The Gathering to commend it as good, even for non-addictive types. Furthermore, as Christians, we are called to glorify God in everything we do, and we can't figure out any way that playing Magic can do that.

Sue Bohlin
Probe Ministries

Notes

1. www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-06-20-magic_x.htm

See Also:

Is Magic: The Gathering OK For Kids?

About the Author

Sue Bohlin is an associate speaker with Probe Ministries. She attended the University of Illinois, and has been a Bible teacher and conference speaker for over 30 years. She is a frequent speaker for MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) and Stonecroft Ministries (Christian Women's Connections), and serves on the board and as a small group leader of Living Hope Ministries, a Christ centered outreach to those dealing with unwanted homosexuality. Sue is on the Bible.org Women's Leadership Team and is a regular contributor to TheTapestryBlog.com. She is also a professional calligrapher and the webmistress for Probe Ministries; but most importantly, she is the wife of Dr. Ray Bohlin and the mother of their two grown sons. Her personal website is suebohlin.com.

What is Probe?

Probe Ministries is a non-profit ministry whose mission is to assist the church in renewing the minds of believers with a Christian worldview and to equip the church to engage the world for Christ. Probe fulfills this mission through our Mind Games conferences for youth and adults, our 3-minute daily radio program, and our extensive Web site at www.probe.org.

Further information about Probe's materials and ministry may be obtained by contacting us at:

Probe Ministries
2001 W. Plano Parkway, Suite 2000
Plano TX 75075
(972) 480-0240
info@probe.org
www.probe.org

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