Gamers Don't like Christian Gamers, but that's OK!

I have been both a Christian and a videogamer for most of my life. However, something that I did not understand for a long time was the ways Christians gamers are often alienated by other gamers. I can not speak for all cases, but I will share some of my experience and understanding on the topic here in this post.

How are Christian gamers disliked?

• Swearing- Swearing is a big part of internet culture. Because it's not uncommon to see a group of gamers swearing, rules and customs against swearing are very often mocked by gamers. I have often seen on Christian servers trolls will join just to see what would happen if they say "frick". Frick isn't a real swear word, but it's very annoying to some Christian gamers because it is used to intentionally mock Christian customs about swearing.
• Christian Imagery- Because Christian imagery is a huge part of western culture, many people are familiar with it, and so it is very easy to mock. For example, a fan might depict a video game character kneeling at the cross. The image may not have been intended to be offensive at first, but the image may become circulated among online circles and be used as an example of Christian gamers being odd and having "mental issues".
• Use of God's name- This goes beyond the casual "Oh my God". This can go as deep as people calling themselves God, or calling someone who does something impressive "God". This is very offense to Christians.
• Association With Disabilities- There are certainly some Christian gamers who have these, and that's not a bad thing. However, Christian gamers are often insulted or generalized as having mental or neurological disorders. Because the behavior of people with disabilities like these are not well understood by society, Christian gamers are sometimes bullied for "acting different" from other people, whether they actually have a disability or not.

These are obviously not all of the ways Christian gamers are disliked. However, Christian sectors of fandoms obviously have it very hard on the internet. But you have read the title of this post, so you are wondering "how is all of this ok?" The Bible has the answer!

God blesses us for being hated!

This seems totally contradictory, but it is true. There are very many examples in the Bible that express that even though Christians are often mocked, trolled, meme'd, bullied, disliked or whatever, not only does God still love us, but God even blesses us for having to go through all of this trouble for His name's sake! Here is a Bible passage that highlights what I mean by this.

What is in my opinion, one of the most powerful examples is within the beatitudes- Jesus spoke this to a large crowd, including the twelve disciples.

22What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.

(Luke 6:22-23 NLT)

But wait, you may ask, what do prophets and ancestors have to do with this? This detail requires some context. In the old testament, the prophets who told the truth were hated by the public because they told the truth they didn't want to hear. For this example, Jesus isn't referring to family ancestors, but a more general idea of people in past. 

So, when Christians suffer now for God's sake, we are taking part in the same thing the prophets did in the old testament. Indeed this scripture is very potent for our sake, because Christian gamers are often hated, excluded and mocked and cursed as evil.

Wait, being hated is a good thing?

Most of the time, being hated is not a good thing. However, Christians are different. Both being liked and being disked can be beneficial for the body of Christ. Being disliked is a sign that we are true Christians. People have hated Christians from the beginning, and there will always be people who hate Christians as long as this world stands.

However, Christians should not intentionally make people hate them. If Christians do what is right for God, then the hate from those who don't understand will come naturally. If you make people hate you on purpose out of your own personal gain, then it is a sin.

Conclusions.

This doesn't only apply to Christian gamers, but to most Christian groups. Though not all Christian groups are hit with hate as much as others, Christian sectors of fandoms take a major beating. However, those who stand firm and stick until the end will know that what they are doing for God is not in vain. 

Dealing with haters is a different story from simply knowing that being hated is alright. I may go into how to deal with the haters. Dealing with hate that generated from the inside of communities is also different, and tensions can also arise between groups of Christians. I may write a post going into how to deal with that as well.

Have a good one, and God bless =3