Paganism in TMI?

[lmi]

i'd like to start this thread with an apology to the Telltale Games crew. it seems i overdid it with some comments about the mi game being in the process of production. sorry if i offended you in any way with my previous posts. im honestly excited that theres going to b a new mi game.

i kno u've been taking a lot of pressure recently from MI fans complaining about the game ur making. must've been a lota stress.

i think i know why the people like Monkey Island. it is for the game's atmosphere. the atmosphere of magic, the atmosphere of humour, the atmosphere of love and romance. i'm sure, we all want to keep that atmosphere, that's why everyone's worried about the game. it just means too much to us.

i'm not too worried about the type of graphics, control or the looks of characters or etc.. i have just one major concern (which i've stated before).

so... this isn't a complaint... nor is it a statement. i'd refer to it as a petition. i've watched an interview with you guys recently, and i believe that your intensions are good. perhaps i used a rather rude way to draw ur attention the first time...

as you know, my concerns are caused by the title of the fifth episode of TMI. of course, i discern nothing about the plot... i am vexed about the matter, though...

i'm asking you to leave this poll open for the sake of all the MI fans out there, who share my concern. if our point of view doesn't make it to the top, do as you please. but if it does, consider this a petition from us to free TMI from becoming just another pagan game.

let it stay religiously neutral as before (of course stuff like silly 'cannibals' and 'voodoo' magic doesn't count).

hoping every1'd share their opinion with us!

[LukeSW]

Ridiculous. As an Atheist and a person who can distinguish the difference between a fantasy game that takes place in a fictional setting and the real world, there are other words that spring to mind...

[Secret Fawful]

The old games did a lot of offensive things but got away with it anyway because it was done for the sake of tasteful humor, such as Lechucks arms and legs getting ripped off, or Guybrush almost getting sent to a dimension of intense pain and suffering.

What about Lechuck turning into a firey demon and roasting a crew of pirates into bones?

It really depends on how they portray it and for what purpose.

[Udvarnoky]

Originally Posted by lmi

let it stay religiously neutral as before (of course stuff like silly 'cannibals' and 'voodoo' magic doesn't count).

You're being ridiculous. If you don't draw the line at volcano gods and voodoo (both among a number of such concepts depicted in the previous games), where do you? I don't know what faith you subscribe to, but surely you're smart enough to realize that this is fantasy? If talk of gods in a fantasy pirate series, where the supernatural is hardly anything new, is offensive to you, then Monkey Island must be one of many targets you're taking aim at with a petition (like maybe Harry Potter, or the inclusion of fairy dust in Peter Pan?). It's make-believe, a fairly tale, intended purely for entertainment. If you can't leave it at that, then it's your failing and not anyone else's. If you can't watch a movie or play a game without questioning your beliefs, then either you're not old enough to enjoy such entertainment or your beliefs couldn't have been that strong to begin with.

[tpm1999]

This survey proves One of 2 things:

1. My Sarcasm Alarm is broken ... or....

2. The original poster is insane...in a funny way...not in a bite your face off way.

[Mike Haley]

Frankly, I don't care one way or the other if Buddha, Jesus, and Satan are having tea together in the game. In fact, I love politically (religiously?) incorrect stuff like that.

[MusicallyInspired]

Are you still here?

[VagrantWulf]

The monkeys AREN'T listening...

And now that I've gotten that out of my system, I feel that this is just getting a little too crazy now.

[Laserschwert]

Originally Posted by mhaley

Frankly, I don't care one way or the other if Buddha, Jesus, and Satan are having tea together in the game.

Actually, I'd love to have that... HUGE joke-potential there

[LuigiHann]

"God" is a potentially deep word, but when they add the word "pirate" (be it "The Pirate God" or "God of Pirates" or what have you), it's clear that they're going to represent it in the same nonsensical tone as the Voodoo that has been with the series the whole time. Heck, Ghost Pirates, Zombie Pirates, and Demon Pirates are all part of the same spectrum, it's just a question of degree.

Your use of "just another pagan game" makes me really want to question your tin-foil-hat status, but I'm gonna try and back off...

[edweird]

Frankly, if you are afraid to be exposed to anything that contradicts your belief system, it is is either a flimsy belief system, or you are subscribed to it for the wrong reasons. I don't mean to offend anyone, but there it is. The sign of a stable and rationally justified belief system is comfort with opposing perspectives. Fear of opposing perspectives in fiction is plain paranoia.

I say let Monkey Island sail the sea of ideas under the pirate ethos of freedom from boundaries.

[Eduardo]

This is getting more and more ridiculous, and there is almost a month until the first episode.

[Molokov]

I went and had a look at the episode title list. Episode 5 is "Rise of the Pirate God". How does that even remotely connect to Paganism? And even if it did, what's there a problem with representing any religion, even paganism, in a game? Sure, if it's done to cause offence, then there's an issue.

But in a game like this, we should expect a lot of mysticism and fantasy, not necessarily based on real-world religions and beliefs. There's probably some practicers of Voodoo who may be offended at how their religion is portrayed... but I'm sure most of them also realise the difference between the real world Voodoo religion and the concept of "Voodoo" that appears in fiction (making zombies, curses etc.)

[turingmachine604]

You sound like a completely uneducated moron.

You do realize paganism in it's most basic sense refers to any polytheistic religion. It has nothing to do with magic or magic practices.

Hinduism, one of the world's biggest religions, is technically "paganism." It has multiple gods. The fact that such a religion exists in the real world must offend you then. God forbid something doesn't conform to your limited world view.

The bottom line is that the Monkey games are steeped in Voodoo tradition. You're statement "of course stuff like silly 'cannibals' and 'voodoo' magic doesn't count" is both glib and offensive. Voodoo, as it were, is a legitimate religion (not something silly) and an offshoot of West African Vodou. Vodou/Voodoo are polytheistic faiths in the real world (i.e. they have more than one god).

The game interprets Voodoo in the common folk magic trope. No doubt the method of whoever attains the title 'Pirate God' is through Voodoo. Since Voodoo is a polytheistic faith I don't see what is wrong about the title.

Telling them to rename it 'Pirate Demon' is outrageously offensive as then you're classifying anything that's interpreted as a god in Voodooism as a demon.

Oh, and hate to break it to you... I'm going to assume you subscribe to one of the Judeo-Christian based faiths as typically complaints like yours come from that camp. The central God of Christianity/Judaism/Islam; YHWH, comes from a polytheistic faith. You see, around 1500 BC there was a city called Ugarit that had a pantheon of gods with the head god "El" and his court the "Elohim". Among this court was a relatively minor deity YHWH; a storm god. Eventually, the cult of YHWH grew and after Ugarit was destroyed in the "Bronze Age Collapse" many survivors joined this cult and began to worship YHWH as the high god. These people eventually began to be identified as the Jewish tribes, and switched from a polytheistic faith of Ugarit to a monotheistic faith worshiping solely YHWH. Judaism then gave rise to Christianity and Islam. So there you have it; YHWH (and by extension his son Jesus) comes from a minor pagan polytheistic cult circa 1500 BC. Don't believe me? Go open up an encyclopedia or take some classes in comparative religions and the ancient Middle East.

[jp-30]

Hey, what the? I didn't come here to accidentally learn interesting stuff!

[turingmachine604]

Originally Posted by jp-30

Hey, what the? I didn't come here to accidentally learn interesting stuff!

I know, but I just find this topic/post so inane and ridiculous.

[Joe Newberry]

So I take it you would not want the game to begin with the message I suggested here?

http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/...2&postcount=22

[turingmachine604]

There's also the fact that the word "God" doesn't always imply a spiritual context and can be used simply as the best or most powerful. Otherwise I better start offering sacrifice to all those people who say they're a god at video games before I'm smited.

Heck, maybe that's all that's meant by the title "Rise of the Pirate God" and god is capitalized merely because that follows the grammatical rules for capitalization in titles.

Besides the English word "God" derives from the Proto-Germanic word "gudan" which roughly translates to summon/call/invoke which isn't very Christian anyway.

I suggest the title of the fifth chapter be changed to "Rise of the Pirate Yahweh" just so everyone's clear on the issue.

[LuigiHann]

Everyone knows there's only one true God.

[der_ketzer]

Originally Posted by LuigiHann

Everyone knows there's only one true God.

Es gibt nur einen Gott: BELAFARINROD


And I want paganism!