Is Bioshock anti-Christian?

[Alienslayer2406]

I know this is a frequently asked question, but I want to see answers firsthand. This is about the Bioshock franchise as a whole and not just Infinite.

So I live in a Christian household. My father, who is very devout, is one of those people who never moved on from the satanic panic. He won't allow media such as Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons, and so on in our house like most of them do. I'm sure you know the type.

But one of the things he's against is Bioshock. It's one of my brother's favorite games of all time, but my father is oddly against it and doesn't want either of us to play it. I remember hanging out with my brother when I was younger while he was playing it, and my father came in and told me he didn't want me in the room while my brother was playing Bioshock. Then they got into a huge argument about it.

I tried to ask him why he dislikes the game so much, and all he told me was he thought it would "leave things on my mind", and said I was questioning his authority when I asked him to elaborate further.

I've never played the game and don't really intend to, but the reason I'm making this thread is because my brother bought the game on his Xbox, and I'm anxious that it's only a matter of time until my dad finds out and they fight again. So out of curiosity, is there anything anti-Christian in these games?

I've heard that the series touches on things such as philosophy and religion and whatnot, and I heard there was a few scenes in Infinite that some Christians were offended by. But I fail to understand what could warrant this kind of response from my father. My brother believes he has it confused with another game.

I've been meaning to ask my dad about it again since I'm older and have better media comprehension, but I'm not sure how to approach such a conversation. If anyone could tell me what could be so bad about these games, I'd greatly appreciate it.

[azogthedefiler25]

İlk olarak Solarmech tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak azogthedefiler25 tarafından gönderildi:

I'm sorry you have a dad like that. He sounds very controlling. If you ever have kids be better than him. My dad was similar. In my opinion, the game just shows you how broken people will latch unto religion to hide things about themselves. I didn't realize that this was posted in Jan.

Started in Jan, but the last reply was Feb 5th so you are not my any means playing thread necromancer. And you added some good observations. sm

Thanks.

[Mardoin69]

I really don't get why 'Christians' would (in effect) boycott a game due to it's content. I mean... obviously a game based on sexual content is a sinful 'game' and I'd understand. But, this game, for example, has some characters which seem to not believe in God / Religion and they commit sinful acts. But, that's real life. There's MANY people in society that are either Anti-God or Anti-Christian... or simply don't believe in anything they can't see and touch. Does that mean we should stay inside our homes and never go out in public? Or, maybe all us Christians should live in communes like Quakers maybe? I wouldn't agree with that. I think Christians just need to be aware of these things and not let them influence us or turn us away from Christ. But, that shouldn't happen to those with faith just cuz they play a video game. I'm pretty strong in my faith and I've been playing ADnD games most my life... now in my 60's. They haven't swayed my belief system one bit. Some people are just paranoid though. I remember back when they thought we'd all become Satan worshippers if we listened to Rock n Roll, lol.

[bullerbuller7]

The first games don't use religion, infinite does though. Or rather it uses the mentality behind religion. Tell your dad he's a terrible parent though. People should be allowed to develope their own beliefs. Even if you don't like the story that's being told, broadening your horizon will always be better than limiting yourself, or in this case your children...

[opus132]

Never played it, but i'm going out of a limb and assume it's both anti-Christian and anti-American.

[Solarmech]

İlk olarak opus132 tarafından gönderildi:

Never played it, but i'm going out of a limb and assume it's both anti-Christian and anti-American.

And you would be wrong. sm

[Ivlichnov]

The first Bioshock game was set in a closed society that was based on the ideology of the person who created that society. The society eventually crumbled, and then you as the player have to piece together what happened and why.

Bioshock 2 and Infinite follow a similar pattern, but in Infinite you get to watch the society fall, instead of arriving after the fall as in Bioshock 1. I would also say that Comstock is more of a Cult Leader than anything else.

Each society is run by a Leader who imposes his or her beliefs on the society that they have created, and they can’t see the flaws of their own actions, which leads to the downfall of the society that they created.

Bioshock 1 was also a spiritual successor to System Shock 2, where the player was caught between two opposing factions/ideologies on a spaceship in the future, so there seem to be recurring themes running through both the System Shock and Bioshock games.

[shanemac]

What age are you little bro?

[Simple Kind of Man]

İlk olarak shanemac tarafından gönderildi:

What age are you little bro?

reported

[Valden21]

İlk olarak opus132 tarafından gönderildi:

Never played it, but i'm going out of a limb and assume it's both anti-Christian and anti-American.

Not at all. If anything, the main villain's ideas go directly against both what Christianity teaches and what the U.S is supposed to symbolize.

[ch33353]

İlk olarak Valden21 tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak opus132 tarafından gönderildi:

Never played it, but i'm going out of a limb and assume it's both anti-Christian and anti-American.

Not at all. If anything, the main villain's ideas go directly against both what Christianity teaches and what the U.S is supposed to symbolize.

In America there is an all too common Christian nationalist syncretism cult that regards America as a sacred entity. The land is seen as a new Canaan, a promised land for the faithful. The US Constitution isn't a legal document to them it is holy scripture. The founding fathers are more than mere mortal men but holy prophets of this scripture. Most followers of this cult haven't ever really read the constitution or the bible for themselves outside the cherry picked passages spoon fed to them by their preferred charlatan preachers and are oblivious to the fact that true Christianity would regard their beliefs as a blasphemy. Infinite's Colombia is an amalgamation of all of America's greatest sins ruled according to the teachings of this cult. To the true believer the idea that America isn't a wonderland that is the greatest nation on the world is an anti-Christian and anti-American heresy.

[Valden21]

İlk olarak ch33353 tarafından gönderildi:

In America there is an all too common Christian nationalist syncretism cult that regards America as a sacred entity. The land is seen as a new Canaan, a promised land for the faithful. The US Constitution isn't a legal document to them it is holy scripture. The founding fathers are more than mere mortal men but holy prophets of this scripture. Most followers of this cult haven't ever really read the constitution or the bible for themselves outside the cherry picked passages spoon fed to them by their preferred charlatan preachers and are oblivious to the fact that true Christianity would regard their beliefs as a blasphemy. Infinite's Colombia is an amalgamation of all of America's greatest sins ruled according to the teachings of this cult. To the true believer the idea that America isn't a wonderland that is the greatest nation on the world is an anti-Christian and anti-American heresy.

Unfortunately, what you say is true. But that's a big reason why the Comstock is such a nasty guy. He adopted those same beliefs and made them the official policy of Columbia. Is he right? Absolutely not, and the game hammers this into you at every opportunity.

[Fņŏŕď]

The game is about as anti Christian as you can get.

[Simple Kind of Man]

İlk olarak Fnord tarafından gönderildi:

The game is about as anti Christian as you can get.

not even close

[Saint.Million]

İlk olarak Valden21 tarafından gönderildi:

Comstock is such a nasty guy. He adopted those same beliefs and made them the official policy of Columbia. Is he right? Absolutely not, and the game hammers this into you at every opportunity.

Interesting how Booker literally says "The only difference between Comstock and Fitzroy is the spelling".

[jack_foobar]

The structure of their ideal society is/was Libertarian. No God, Only Man. And the Prophet part wasn't really based on Christianity, but on the guy knowing the future- because he did know the future. So it was accurate. It was more Nationalistic/Utilitarian for that part, with the city in the sky. The creator that flushed it all down the toilet and fired everyone was Jewish, so yes, religion can be bad. Especially when it's based on race.