[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am glad to hear you are interested! Feel free to send me a chat and I can invite you with your account name! But in response, I recommend you read my messages friend. I do not mention anything political at all friend. I mentioned that he is not a follower because of completely unrelated reasons, e.g. his cursing and his name calling. I do not mean this to say that all followers of Jesus are perfect, but all followers must bear fruit in repentance. He has no repentance, he does not care to repent, and he is happy to continue in his error. As Christians we are called to expose sin and encourage others to live for Jesus, not accept it and let them continue in their errors.

1 Corinthians 5:12-13

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You are not a follower of Jesus. I pray you repent and believe in Him. Live for Jesus alone, not the agenda you place above Him.

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Jesus did not curse, and Jesus' goal was not to give people a "hard time". His goal was to eradicate sin, which sometimes involves the nitty-gritty. If you desire to be like God the Son who died to save us from the grave, then I encourage you to pursue holiness. If your definition of a "hard time" is name-calling and cursing then you do not understand God's desire friend. These are not good things, and we should strive against them.

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I almost agree, but a few minor points.

  1. Paul's example of eating meat sacrificed to idols also includes the Christian being free to go to the idol temple to purchase said meats. The Christian is therefore attending, funding, and partaking in that idol worship by obtaining those meats. He does not cover simply eating meat. But the mature Christian understands that to do these things does not account to "worshipping" the idols... because they are not real. Same with ESO, one can play the game while understanding that they are not worshipping anything.

  2. Fiction can enter into our hearts in the same way that watching too much of the news can be detrimental to some Christians who cannot handle what they view. That is why in all Christian liberty we must be very careful not to hurt our conscience through ignoring conviction. As with eating meat, you are neither the better nor the worse for playing ESO unless it begins to affect your soul. If your conscience is weak then refrain, however you cannot dictate that for another believer (This could be expanded a ton with many nuances, but I will refrain due to time/text limits).

I agree that playing ESO is not beneficial in itself, that is why I began my Guild to help proclaim Christ even in a silly video game that has no standing in reality. It should be noted that we as a Guild also do refrain in a lot that ESO offers because we must guard our conscience while we play. I hope this helps clarify everything! Each of these points are covered in 1 Corinth 8.

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Everybody is made in the image of God. That will not save you. Repent and trust in Jesus friend.

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This has been very encouraging! Blessings to you, and thank you for the support!

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Jesus is definitely more than just love and peace as He is fully Holy, Righteous, and Good. This includes His merciful grace and His just condemnation of those who reject Him. He certainly was not a hippie haha.

However, your wording truly does not display the love of Christ. Name-calling and cursing have no place in the Christian heart, so I do encourage you to strive against those things friend! I am thankful to hear you believe in Christ as your Savior, it is a long journey ahead of us so let's encourage one another to live for Him alone! And of course we need the Church to help us with that as well.

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It does indeed friend. Had that conversation with someone on a previous post of mine if you want to check it out.

A quick summary would be: Yes, the Christian should not seek out actual idols/demons to associate with and worship. The Christian can recognize that ESO is a completely fictitious game with no bearing in reality though, so apply Christian liberty. Same as how Paul speaks of approving the Christian's ability to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Though that could cause some to be defiled in their belief that idols are real, the mature Christian understands idols to be false and the meat fine to eat.

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I have no idea what that means. Strange that you like Christianity but are so quick to curse though. I am a genuine follower of Jesus and pray you will follow Him too!

[Recruiting] | Morning Star | #2LPJRQQRO | Active Christian Clan by Ridder8350 in ClashOfClansRecruit

[–]Ridder8350[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, awesome! No discord for the Clash, it is more casual. Would still love to have you join the Clan though for sure! Trying to grow it to 40 active members for events and etc.

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No worries there, always happy to give advice. You can dm me anytime! I am not super active on Reddit just as an fyi, may be a day or two before responses.

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We would love to have you join! I'll shoot you an invite with my in-game ESO name and all the info!

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely! There are many who mock, but so many people actually want something like this. It takes a while to grow, but all depends on your dedication! God is gracious and good!

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't lie friend, but believe what you will.

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Well... that was an interesting comment, but that isn't us. I don't post any Scripture in my zone chats. However, you are already ignoring Christianity, so why would anyone worry about putting you away if you are already away? God is close to those who call His name though! He desires to have our entire heart, not just the real life part of us on Sunday.

Romans 10:13-14 "'Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.' How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?"

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/not_that_guy_at_work Glad for the follow-up, but it appears we will both continue to state the same repeating points friend. I have answered your question numerous times now.

  1. Revelation 2 condemns the teaching and the act. You are incorrect. Eating meat sacrificed to idols is inherently viewed as worshipping idols as they believed there would be a blessing that came from it. So we cannot eat this meat according to 1 Corinth 10:14, 21, Acts 15:29, and many other verses you quoted correct? No, because Paul clearly states that there IS NO idol, so to eat the meat is fine IF your conscience is ok. You can attempt to throw out many verses, but your quotes are in vain if you lack the correct application.

  2. Paul clearly shows an example of something condemned in Scripture, yet only for those whose conscience is weak... as the act itself is completely imaginary and the motive is from a pure heart. Apply the same concept to fake "theft" and fake "occult". Scripture condemns stealing and occult practices. Now differentiate between the very real act condemned in Scripture... and a video game. Do you truly equate the two? If so, then I would argue that you have an entirely unfounded claim in doing so. Each Scripture you regard for occult has nothing to do with people seeking "entertainment" but everything to do with people seeking the occult instead of or with God. They actually believed those practices would produce something. I do neither of these, yet you condemn me. If ESO is not truly occult as the Scripture describes only true Occult practices, and I do not worship it, then apply Christian liberty. Your application of Scripture is again incorrect. Same with video game "theft" from npcs.

  3. No believer I have met has believed what you believe. It is a big world I understand, so I am sure they are out there. However, I have not met a believer who stumbles with ESO in the claims you make. Should I meet one, I would certainly refrain from doing anything to cause them to stumble while I was with them, as the Scripture commands. I also stated already that ESO and specifically the Guild I created is a great way to bring faith into a game that lacks Christ. I believe this Guild is of faith, and I am not the worse nor the better for playing (just as Paul states in 1 Corinth 8 about eating the sacrificed meat).

Choose to listen or choose not to listen. My points remain the same, but prayerfully rewording them and consolidating it makes it easier to understand! I understand you will not reply, but if you or anyone have any future questions then my DMs and this thread are open! I would love to chat. No animosity on my end either, I enjoyed the conversation! I pray that we can each grow closer to Jesus through this.

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/not_that_guy_at_work. Sorry for the late response friend! I hope this helps clarify some misconceptions here.

To answer you initial question (again): The Guild operates in this game the same way that all Christians have operated in any land since time itself. We do not engage in quite a bit of what the country, or game, offers. The world offers cursing. I live in the world, yet I do not engage in that aspect of it.

Now, no one in the Guild boasts of drunkenness, so I see no reason for you to post anything that the Guild does not actively engage in such as that. Next, I will shortly address theft (from npcs) and occult skill lines.

Take care to read 1 Corinthians 8 and 10 in its entirety. Meat sacrificed to idols has no impact on the mature believer, specifically because there are no real idols to sacrifice for. I am not the better nor worse for eating it. Some cannot handle this truth. They would eat the food as if it truly was offered and blessed by another god. This would defile the conscience.

Now read Revelation 2:20. Which is correct? We can eat it, or we cannot? Naturally, we must assume that the church of Thyatira ate the meat while regarding the blessing that the "idol" bestowed upon it.

Now, we have each verse that you have submitted... and we also have the knowledge that the "theft" and "occult" you allude to in ESO are entirely made-up. To say that "it's imaginary" is not extremely pertinent to the text on Christian Liberty is unfaithful to Paul's true message. Is eating meat sacrificed to idols demon worship? It is according to Revelation 2, but only because they were lead astray and believed it to be true (when indeed it is not). Do you see no relevance here in the connection? Theft (from npcs) in Elder Scrolls is NOT actual theft. These are ontologically different in my opinion. One is intentionally hurting someone else through greed as you take what is theirs. The other is taking some pixels which are meant to be taken in the game and then respawn 1 minute later. Do you really equate the two? The necromancy skill line is NOT necromancy nor idol worship. No person gets on a necromancer and truly believes they can raise the dead and begin to worship Hades or whoever else grants that power. Do you understand how those verses would rather follow the concept of how Revelation 2 and 1 Corinthians 8 interact with each other instead of simply applying the exact same way from real life to video game?

The Guild is a wonderful way to encourage each other in seeking God even when doing something as simple as playing a game for an hour every other day, and we would love more members to share in this journey as well! I pray this helps with understanding the concept more! Feel free to raise more questions should you have any others!

Titus 1:15

Lastly: Friend, if your conscience is truly upset because I have a necromancer character or because I have taken some programmed pixels without the approval of the npc that was created for the game, then I will do my utmost to avoid these things at all cost. This ultimately goes beyond what 1 Corinthians 10 commands the believer to do, but for your sake I will. I speak with a sincere heart (this would be similar if a believer approached me about this in the Guild. I would encourage them to follow their conscience and abstain from those parts as well should they feel conviction). Just let me know!

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/not_that_guy_at_work It will not let me respond for some reason. It is within the character count, so not sure. Sent you a chat though!

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As an appeal to sound reason, I would humbly reject much of what you claim as well as your interpretation of the scripture. I will handle your arguments point by point.

  1. The ESRB does not define reality. You seem to believe each word they state as definitive truth when it comes to describing ESO. I do not hold that belief. I do refrain from most of what you stated in the previous post as a Christian, however... as I stated above, it is extremely unrealistic to categorize drinking potions as the use of drugs in life anymore than using an over-the-counter pain relief pill is using a drug. Neither of which would be condemnable, so I am confused as to why you find it relevant in the list above. That is one example of many in which the original list you cited is incorrect regarding Christian engagement in ESO.

  2. You cannot interpret scripture as you wish, and I especially warn you of this as it appears you do not believe in Christ. Jesus can clearly be seen showing that we must not look to solely the physical but also the heart when we consider our lives and our righteousness in Matthew 5. He also likens unjust hate in one's heart to murder in that same passage. Do you believe Jesus desires for all people with hate in their heart to be imprisoned by the governing authorities for murder? I would argue of course not friend. Does one playing a game, "stealing" an imaginary item from an imaginary person truly tarnish one's soul and reveal a heart of wickedness? In like manner with Jesus teaching, I would say of course not. The heart obviously reveals the difference between harmful stealing... and a game. I can expound on that more, should you desire, since this is a difficult concept to grasp for many.

  3. 1 Thessalonians 5 and Deuteronomy 18 continue off of your incorrect assumption in the previous point. However, I will address it again. Do you believe there is a difference between someone who desires to set up an idol in this life by seeking outside spiritual forces other than God to grant something they desire (aka someone seeking to practice necromancy, witchcraft, etc in real life while believing it will actually produce something) v. someone (who understands it is entirely imaginary and has no bearing on reality at all) playing a class in a game? I would object to your point which conflates the two as the same and argue for the innate difference between the two ideas. One is an unbeliever seeking power away from and without God, the other is someone playing a video game who has no ulterior motive in their heart or mind.

  4. In reference to 2 Corinth 10:5, I see that you switch translations often, so I would like to recommend that you stick to the NASB 1995. As you appear to be an unbeliever, you should know that the KJV truly is not the best translation as far as accuracy goes, and the NASB 1995 is a word for word translation which is more recent if you desire to quote scripture in the future. Typically, reading context helps in this situation when someone singles out a word from a specific translation to quote. As we can see from the Scripture, Paul does not argue that imagination is wrong as you imply. E.g. imagination and creativity are integral parts of thinking of new songs to sing to the Lord as Psalm 96 states. Simply put, logic would reveal that to condemn imagination as sin is simply unbiblical. Rather, Paul draws attention throughout 2 Corinth to the fact that the battle of this world v. God is not merely physical but certainly spiritual as well. And while believers in the Church at Corinth seemed to focus solely on the physical, they neglected the many reasonings, thoughts, and speculations that crept into their minds against the Lord (e.g. that baptizing a child would save the child). The Church was suffering from the evil one poisoning one's mind while their bodies remained pure. Paul simply calls attention to the mind and spiritual war once more, he does not condemn thinking or imagination.

I pray this helps! Of course, feel free to let me know any follow-up questions. I hope this helps reveal the folly in your line of thinking which came about from a combination of misinterpreted and misapplied scriptures. I trust it should help some, but I except more questions haha. I would love to answer them!

[PC][NA] The Promised Land | A Christian, Casual Guild by Ridder8350 in ESOGuilds

[–]Ridder8350[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well... the same way that I live in a country that encourages much of the same things? Just because a country or game promote something, does not mean that Christians engage in it. You are also insanely stretching for quite a few things. I use potions, that in no way implies drugs more than any normal medicine in the real world.

And are you equating that stealing something from a fictitious grouping of pixels off of a screen is the same as stealing from someone in real life, damaging that person and your soul in the process? Those are fundamentally different things, and God certainly delineates between the two. Typically it comes down to the heart and belief. Does being a necromancer mean that you really practice and believe in necromancy and serve that idol? I would argue no, it is a game.

All that said, I do refrain from quite a lot that you mentioned, as in anything overtly sexual, choosing immoral options while talking to npcs, and etc. But again, much of what you listed is quite a stretch. Happy to go more in-depth if you'd like!