Addressing House Hunters: Whatever. Point was that Americans look like jerks and difficult to get along with in this show. I've seen memes about Americans as well that come from other countries. It also does not paint Americans in a good light. That was more my point.
As for devil worship and so forth, I'd like to make some points of clarification here:
There is a difference between the Law of God and the Law of Man. Jesus Himself pointed this out in Matthew 15. He warned against being like the Pharisees all the time. They did things like condemn Jesus' own disciples for not washing their hands before they ate. Jesus pointed out that washing ones hands before eating was not a Law of God. It was a Law of Man that they created and enforced upon people as if it was a Law of God. However, they DID break God's Law that they should HONOR THEIR FATHER AND MOTHER.
Unfortunately, many Christians throughout the ages have done exactly this same thing. They have done the opposite of what Christ warned them not to do. They started implementing their own laws and traditions and rules instead of what the Bible ACTUALLY says. These individuals have given so many people this perception that Christians are all a bunch of strict, damning people to Hell, no one is allowed to have any fun kinda people.
This is not Biblical, nor is it every Christian who upholds such things. It is just the most vocal Pharisee-style people who say they are Christians who give all Christians this bad name.
This is an example of a Law of Man: If you see sex on TV or in movies or video games, or if you see violence in TV or movies or video games, you have sinned and therefore need to repent right now. If you die right now before you repent, you are going to Hell." Another Law of Man, meaning a law that people created and not God, is that if you even think lustfully towards someone, you have sinned. This second one was taken out of context and has been promoted by many Christians. However, the Bible is very clear that a sin is an act, not a thought. You can have sinful thoughts, and those thoughts can lead to sin, but until you actually commit an act of sin, it is not a sin. This is why James 1:15 says, "Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." Death in this case means negative consequences. When Jesus said that if you think lustfully you have sinned, He was meaning that you should draw the line long before you commit an act of sin. If you read the WHOLE passage, it is clear that He was trying to set a new standard that was different from the Pharisees. He was trying to teach people HOW to avoid sin. You should draw the line way back at when you first start thinking sinful thoughts. You should not dwell on sinful thoughts and then try to not commit the sinful act. In Jesus' example, He was actually referring to the sin of adultery. He was not calling lust a sin. Lust can lead to sin, but it is not a sin. What Jesus was actually trying to teach is that if a person wants to not commit adultery, they should not allow themselves to dwell on such thoughts. As soon as you start lusting after another man's wife, you should immediately cast those thoughts out of your head and reject them. Don't dwell on them, because if you dwell on them they will lead you to sin. All it takes is a brief moment of weakness, an inappropriate moment where a person gets too close to someone they shouldn't and because they entertained thoughts of adultery, they give in. Resisting the thoughts early gives people more of a resistance to sin. THAT was what Jesus was teaching, and there are many other passages of scripture that support this that I won't throw at you because I'm sure most don't care.
Now, this IS a Law of God (1 Corinthians 6): Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me]. The Biblical teachings therefore state that through Christ, all sins are forgiven. Sin is therefore no longer what we are supposed to be focusing on. Christians are supposed to focus on Christ, and what He did for us - meaning He died on the cross to forgive our sins and pay the price for our moral crimes. We are supposed to teach others that because Christ died for our sins, He paid the price for our sins so that we don't have to. What is the price for sin? Death which then leads to Hell and the Lake of Fire. Jesus died so that though we will still die, He will resurrect us from the dead so that we can live forever with God, free from sin and guilt and shame forever.
Therefore, we are free from sin and shame, but only if Christ is our King. Since He paid the price for our debts, our sins, our moral crimes, only if we commit ourselves to Him will our sins be forgiven. After all, what king would forgive a criminal of their crimes if they are not willing to even acknowledge him as king and if they actually have no intention of ever ceasing in their crimes? A king would be a fool to forgive a criminal of a crime and let him roam around a city full of his citizens if that rebel was not willing to accept that king as his/her own king and try to live according to what that king commands. No king in their right mind would allow a murderer, for example, who he knows is going to kill again, to wander freely around his kingdom amidst his beloved citizens. Therefore, only if he knows beyond a doubt that the murderer will not kill again, and he knows the murderer is willing to learn how to behave better, will he allow that murderer to go free. If an earthly king would be a fool if he let a murderer dwell amongst his people when that criminal is not willing to acknowledge him as king and try to live by the king's laws, why would God allow such things? Those who will not accept Him as King will not respect His laws and His ways. Therefore, how can He allow them to dwell in His Eternal Kingdom forever?
So, in short, the true Christian serves Christ because they want to. They try to not do things that are considered morally wrong because they are grateful to Christ for forgiving them of their moral crimes. They try to avoid further moral crimes because they recognize that sin leads to negative consequences which then leads to pain and suffering in their lives and the lives of their loved ones. They no longer avoid sins because they are afraid they are going to Hell if they don't. They try to avoid sins because they recognize that God's ways are good and our ways are not. They try to avoid sins also because they are thankful for their sins being forgiven. THAT is the sign of a true Christian according to the Bible. They are people who live a life of gratitude and thankfulness towards their God, for they believe that He died for them and forgave their sins.
And what is Christ's primary command as King? Love God first. His Second Command is to love one another as we love ourselves.
Therefore, any Christian who goes about condemning others for playing video games with sex and violence in them, or for playing Pokemon, or for whatever else Christians love to condemn people for, these people are not operating in the Spirit of God. That is one of the whole reasons I'm going into all this. I want people to be aware that the Bible clearly states that those who are operating in the Spirit of God are those who display (Galatians 5): "love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law."
So I want to make sure everyone is fully understanding of this because one of my missions in life is to fight against this misconception about Christians. I don't like it when Christians are all lumped into the whole "You can't ever have fun" category because "if you have fun you are a sinner and are damned to Hell."
All this to also say I am not condemning BG3 for having sex in it. I'm not condemning anyone on this thread for wanting sex in the game. Again, even the Bible teaches that God gave humanity sexual desires and then commanded them to have sex and lots of children. I, of course, would advise that sex be removed for many reasons, but I am not condemning anyone for playing a game with such things. Other people who say they are operating in the Spirit of God might condemn you for it, but they would be wrong to do so.
My conscience does not bother me at all about playing a game like this. I play it the way I want and avoid the stuff I think would not be good for me. You see, the way it is supposed to be for Christians is that all things are permissible. I can do whatever I want because my sins are forgiven. However, because I love and respect God, I recognize that not all things are good for me to do. The things He says we should not do are things that are good for us to not do. Even though I could, if I wanted to, because I am forgiven of sins, I recognize that those things are not good both for me and those in my life. So I do not do the things that I recognize are not good for me. I also do not just do bad things because I am sincere in accepting Christ's sacrifice. You see, those who are sincere do not just flippantly continue to do things that are against Christ's teachings. Those people are hypocrites just like the Pharisees. So a sign that a person is not truly a Christian even if they say they are is that they flippantly sin and then try to pretend they are not sinners because they say they accepted Christ as their savior.
As a case in point. I have no problem admitting to you that I also played the evil path in BG3. My female Drow Fighter went about killing all the druids and tieflings. I wanted to see what the evil path was like. Yeah, I didn't care for it myself, as I'm not really keen on evil paths. But I played it to get the experience, and I don't feel guilty about it. Was it a sin? No. Why? Because it is just a game. I didn't ACTUALLY kill someone. Could someone actually kill someone because of the influence of the game? I suppose, but I have never actually seen any valid evidence about such things. No one I've ever known has said, "I killed someone or beat someone because of the influence of a video game." Oh sure, people blame video games for violence, but before video games ever existed, violence was a thing. You can't really blame media for that. I also like John Wick and have no problem with it. In fact, I find that movie series to be incredible. I can't wait for number 4! I don't know what it is, but watching John Wick ridiculously blow the crap out of people is just fun.
Again, though, it's all fantasy and make believe. If someone really did that stuff, I'd be sick to my stomach to watch such things.
Likewise, if I did watch the sex scenes in BG3, it would not be a sin. Why? Because I didn't actually commit any acts of sexual sin. It is just a game and pretend. Therefore, it is not a sin. This is also something I am wanting to make clear. I am not in any way saying that it is a sin and condemning anyone for it.
I know this is like a lengthy sermon, but it is only because some have taken to kinda sorta bash Christians and such because I brought it into this thread. I wanted to make sure everyone fully understood the truth about it because there are too many misconceptions about the truths in Christianity. So, again I repeat, I am not doing condemning anyone or even BG3. I am not trying to force my Christian beliefs on BG3 either, even if you think I am.
What I am doing is:
1. Offering a SUGGESTION that they remove sex from the game. If the game is good enough, it doesn't need it. If Larian wants to appeal to an even bigger audience, removing sex from the game would allow them to then appeal to a larger group. You may not agree, but that was just my suggestion and opinion. I've seen many Teen games with dark themes and story and even content that is really borderline, but parents will let their kids (teens usually) play those things because they aren't "too bad".
2. Offering a different point of view. Most people, when they talk about including things like sex in a game, don't think about how that might impact others. I do. I brought it up because, as I said in a different post, I know people who struggle with sex in any form of media including art, poetry, TV, video games, music...you name it. So I bring it up to offer this different perspective because so many were telling me that sex cannot hurt people and others. I've personally known people who can say that this is not true. It may not hurt you and those you know, but it can hurt people. I don't expect Larian to remove sex from the game, honestly, just because of this, but it is something to consider. It is a reason why I suggested removing sex from the game.
3. I personally don't like games with sex in them. That is my personal preference, I realize, and I respect that you probably disagree. But it is my personal preference nonetheless. I do wish this game didn't have sex in it at all. I don't think it needs it. I think it's shaping up to be a great game, and I would feel better if they didn't have it there at all. In my opinion, and again, just my opinion, Larian wouldn't have to change any other content in the game except the unnecessary sex stuff. Some might think they should remove more of the violence an disturbing other elements, but that doesn't affect me. I realize sex doesn't affect you, and it is the same for you as violence is for me. That's fine. I just prefer no sex in games. I respect your difference of opinion.
Anyway. Enough said. Hopefully this is received as I am intending it to be received; with respect for everyone, as just a chance to clear up some misconceptions, and that I'm NOT trying to force Larian to do anything. Everything I have posted has been suggestions. Nothing more. I'm not trying to fight and argue and push and urge Larian to do anything. I am making suggestions, and if they don't do them, I'm not going to cry and complain and yell at them or anything for it. I respect their decision in these matters. It is, after all, their game. If the game does well, they benefit. If the game does poorly for any reason, they are the ones who suffer the most.
