A religious cult is interesting, but I just hope it doesn't inappropriately associate it's fantasy with a more complex and messy reality and just feed our culture's religious ignorance and illiteracy.
As a Christian myself. This is what I fear.
I sincerely have no problem with a game that focuses on a cult that takes whatever religion it's based off of and twists it to fit it's immoral desires. In fact, as a Christian I wish there was more of this not only in other religions but in my own as well. I am really rough on my "fellow Christians" when it comes to crap like this and I personally judge them harsher than anyone. Stuff like what is portrayed in the artwork here makes my blood boil because I know these people exist. Scum of the earth in my eyes.
However the most important thing is that a clear line of distinction is drawn between the two separating the norm from the extreme in a tactful manner. I believe that people who think like this will use whatever they can, religion or not, to get and do what they desire. People need to see that this part of Christianity is not normal.
Otherwise it just fuels hate in my opinion. I can already kind of see it in this thread.
Think of it this way. Say they where to make a game about extreme Islamists where it brings a lot of the things that happen in the dark to light and encourages you to slaughter them, it would provide more fuel for the far right (or anyone who has an irrational hate for all Arabs, etc) to point their fingers and say see!? If these lines of distinction are left out. My father is the type of person who tends to lump all Arabs in with terrorists. It's disgusting. But at the same time I see more and more lump all Christians, heck republicans even, with people like these extreme cultists(aka terrorists). It's sad because doing this doesn't solve anything. It only pushes backs up against the wall and causes unnecessary drama.
I think a way to draw a line of distinction would be to make the main protag a level headed Christian that would constantly be pointing out the discrepancies in their twisted views compared to what it should be... but then that would be something that I would personally not condone because... mass murder and all... and that's not helping anything to change the views of Christian Crusaders. Perhaps a supporting character then?
So I don't know man. I guess I'll just have to have faith that people won't take it as a blanket statement for all Christians or let it fuel their hate or dislike of them even more. Some of the sentiment in this thread isn't giving me much hope though.
