Virtual Sin

In the minds of today's teenagers, children and young men, the "free time" meaning changed, from the traditional games, to the new fashion of computer games. It is all about a new dimension of entertainment industry, which involves a new relationship with the users. In front of the "colored box" (that is the TV), man manifests a passive attitude, just as a simple receptor of the information. But now, with the computer games, the passivity is gone. We now have the possibility to become actors, or even to be authors of the events happening on the screen. The manufacturers of the computer games say that these are ways to improve imagination and creativity.

Until now, everything is okay. However, let us not forget that not all the games are with little monkeys that are looking for ice-cream and cookies.

Just if you look on a catalog of games it terrifies you. Look what is offered to children: Mortal Kombat, Might and Magic - for Blood and Honor, Hell Copter, Uprising - Join or Die, Uprising 2 - Lead and Destroy, Red Line - Gang Warfare and many others.

It is not too hard to identify the marks of this virtual world: violence, strike, destruction, blood, power, fighting and death.

In the "World" magazine, issued on May 1998, Gene Edward Veith makes an article called "Virtual Immorality". Veith reminds that on the internet there are websites specially created for those who hate famous people, actors and actresses, singers and TV stars. With a single click, anybody can hit, punch or do other things to the hated person. You can even throw him or her in a bath that has the words: "Danger - acid"

A better computer allows you to have more pleasure, and instead of just hitting the TV star, you can also hear explosions, shots, weird sounds, screams etc.

The defenders of these kinds of sites consider that it is funny to take your mood out on somebody in a virtual environment, where nobody can be hurt. Nevertheless, is nobody really hurt?

The truth is that these are not just some simple and inoffensive games. Our image has so much value today, a higher value than words.

The lust of the eyes is the seed of the sin. Let us remember Eve! How did she end up sinning? "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and the tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat ..." (Genesis 3,6)

She first saw, then analyzed and...acted!

In Matthew 6:22-23 Lord Jesus Christ says: "The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"

In other words, what we see with our eyes is not without any importance, but it affects our own personality.

We can call it a virtual sin when somebody harms in a way or another the hated character on the computer screen. In fact, it is not a virtual sin, it is a sin. Bible says that if you hate your neighbor, it is as bad as you would have killed him. Don't think that cursing over the picture of a person doesn't make you a sinner. No, the Bible says that you are a sinner, a murderer.

The same thing is with pornography in the games on the websites. In the Bible, in Matthew 5:27-28 it is written: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old times, Thou shall not commit adultery; but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart"

The thought is sinful, and when realized in a virtual environment just waits for the normal next step: realizing it in the real environment.

Nobody is hurt! Really?

I believe the violence showed by the characters on the screen is strongly connected with violence in the family. If you tend to tell somebody on the TV bad things, most likely you will use the same words with your wife, or parents. Or, if you play a game where you have to steal your cars, maybe you also like to cheat, or do other bad things in real life.

Let us all promise like David did, when he said: "I will not set anything bad in front of my eyes"