Donate to or support
Talk to Action








The Indian River Incident : What You Can Do

link > The "Stop the ACLU Coalition" Shaming Project
How you can help stop "Stop The ACLU" just by sending a few emails



 'Left Behind' video game imageThe Shaming Project

does the violence of "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" bother you ? If so, what can you do ? Well, to begin with you can email Jonathan Hutson's stories to people you know. That will help to bring more public scrutiny of the game. Public shaming really works ! Just click on the "email" icon and link at the top or bottom of the story and you'll be taken to a form that will allow you email the first story, The Purpose Driven Life Takers or the latest installment without leaving this site. Thanks. 'Left Behind' video game image




Left Behind Games: Foiled Again!
By Frederick Clarkson Thu Aug 16, 2007 at 02:56:14 AM EST printable version print story
The producers of Left Behind: Eternal Forces thought they were going to make a big score last Christmas -- with a new video game based on Tim LaHaye's best-selling Left Behind series of novels. It didn't work out that way. Talk to Action's Jonathan Hutson exposed that the game peddled an ideology of 'convert or be killed' to children and promoted, even rehearsed end-times religious warfare.  Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups, among others, agreed; denounced the game and variously encouraged the producers of the game to with draw it; stores not to stock it; and consumers not to purchase it. The controversy generated international media coverage. The game did poorly; got terrible reviews, even from gamers who were not concerned about the content. The company's stock tanked and it appeared that that was the last we would hear from them.

Then, researchers for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation learned that an evangelical Christian group operating under the auspices of the Pentagon was going to disseminate the controversial apocalyptic game to American troops in Iraq. Max Blumenthal exposed their plans in The Nation last week. This week, ABC News asked the Pentagon about it:

Plans by a Christian group to send an evangelical video game to U.S. troops in Iraq were abruptly halted yesterday by the Department of Defense after ABC News inquired about the program.

Operation Start Up (OSU) Tour, an evangelical entertainment troupe that actively proselytizes among soldiers, will not be sending the "apocryphal" video game in care packages as planned, according to the department.

"Left Behind: Eternal Forces" was inspired by about the battle of Armageddon, in which believers of Jesus Christ fight the Antichrist.


Well, the story and the game were not "apocryphal," the DOD statement not withstanding -- and neither has been the leading role that Talk to Action and the greater blogosphere has played in exposing this horrendous product.



Display:
The publisher no doubt had a big run of these games made up, anticipating that everybody who saw The Passion of the Christ was probably going to rush right out and buy this game, too.

And, of course, it didn't work out that way. Which means that somewhere, they had a warehouse filled with tens of thousands of boxes of software they couldn't sell.

I used to work in the computer game business, so I know what happens after discounting, promotional giveaways, and other attempts to unload the product fail. The remaining product goes to the landfill -- where the company has to pay Waste Management a handsome sum to bury it for good.

No doubt, that's what was happening here. The warehouse space was costing money. Disposal would cost money. And then, lo and behold! -- here comes OSU, with their bright and shiny 501(c)3 exemption to save the day. Left Behind Games "donated" their little problem to the troops, and got a big fat tax writeoff (probably based on original the suggested retail price, or somethng close to it) in return.

It needs to be note that, if it did indeed go down this way, then we the taxpayers subsidized this "gift," and gave LBG a nice little bailout from its failure. Which makes it just another faith-based initiative bought and paid for with your tax dollars.

As long as you're looking into angles, this might be one to check out.

by Mrs Robinson on Thu Aug 16, 2007 at 03:38:27 AM EST

Also, I just have to add....

"apocryphal" ?!

Gee, the Pentagon's sure scuttling in full speed reverse away from that bit of "apocrypha" !  BOO !

by Bruce Wilson on Thu Aug 16, 2007 at 09:02:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]



To Max and everyone at MRFF and Talk2Action involved in getting this story publicity. ABC News may have been the big name to ask the crippling question, but there's no doubt this is a victory for the blogosphere - including this site. Obviously, they know when they've been caught screwing up, or they wouldn't have retreated so quickly. They're accustomed to getting away with church-state melding without notice or outcry. Not any more.

by DonByrd on Thu Aug 16, 2007 at 04:46:54 PM EST
I notice that a lot of what gets written about the game and the controversy it has generated leaves out how all this got started: the original reporting and and powerful framing by Jonathan Hutson -- and A LOT of related writing, primarily by Bruce Wilson, Chip Berlet and me.

Quite aside from matters of credit where credit is due, althought that is important -- it is also  important to understand how this series of tremendous victories came about so we can learn from the experience -- as well as properly celebrate the victory.

by Frederick Clarkson on Thu Aug 16, 2007 at 07:18:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]



DoD-connected Christian group draws fire

by Chris Rodda on Thu Aug 16, 2007 at 06:33:54 PM EST

Look on the bright side - the cost of warehousing or disposal has to be borne by someone, and that someone is now OSU and likely Steve Baldwin. I wonder how long it will take them to try to move the product into churches, now that they have to redirect the hatefest training to some other demographic.

Will the next Jesus Camps have game platforms and this game?

by NancyP on Thu Aug 16, 2007 at 11:00:16 PM EST


Nancy, IIRC (and if I do, I probably read it here first), LBG hired the same marketers who pushed The Passion of the Christ into churches. That was their original marketing strategy: to sell it directly into the pews.

But, apparently, quite a few pastors balked (in no small part to the critiques provided by sites like this one). The churchgoers just didn't bite for this game like they thought they would. It was not, to say the least, anything like the phenomenon they'd hoped it would be.

Which is why it seems likely they probably overproduced the game, and got stuck holding onto a lot of copies they couldn't sell. And also why going back into the churches with it isn't going to be an option. They've already been through that blitz, and kicked it back out again.

Crap stinks, no matter where you try to hide it.

by Mrs Robinson on Fri Aug 17, 2007 at 01:51:34 AM EST



WWW Talk To Action


I'll Die Another Day
As many of you know, I am now recovering at home after two weeks in the hospital and some harrowing experiences. I am feeling......
By Frederick Clarkson (6 comments)
What Palin's "Jewish people will be flocking to Israel" statement really means
There's some acceptance that statements such as Sarah Palin's prediction that Jews will soon be "flocking to Israel" may indicate Palin holds apocalyptic beliefs.......
By Bruce Wilson (3 comments)
Render Unto Caesar: District Tax Officials End Free Ride For Religious Right's `C Street House'
Remember all the talk last summer about the mysterious "C Street house" in Washington, D.C.? The structure, owned by a clandestine evangelical Christian organization......
By Rob Boston (0 comments)
The Africa Connection to the Attack on the Mainline Churches
Three years ago, in an essay in The Public Eye magazine, I outlined how the neoconservative and Religious Right campaign to divide and conquer......
By Frederick Clarkson (2 comments)
Prevaricating Pastors: Mendacious Ministers Prove It's Still Legal To Be Bigots
It's no secret that I'm not a fan of the Religious Right. Through my work at Americans United, I've opposed this movement for 22......
By Rob Boston (2 comments)
Palin's Prayer Leader Hinted Terrorist Attack Could Make Sarah President
In the final weeks of the 2008 presidential election, one of the religious leaders closest to Sarah Palin hinted that the Alaska governor might......
By Bruce Wilson (7 comments)
Hagee, Rodriguez Embrace Signals Massive New Alignments On Christian Right
As JTA News has just reported, John Hagee's Christians United For Israel (CUFI), which represents many millions of American Christian Zionist evangelicals, has formed......
By Bruce Wilson (2 comments)
Archbishop Dolan Disparages Reform and Dissent As "Anti-Catholicism"
In posting on his blog site, recently installed Archbishop for the Diocese of New York, Timothy Dolan, accused The New York Times of anti-Catholicism.......
By Frank Cocozzelli (5 comments)
Bart Stupak, Family 'Minister', Wrapped in C Street Like a Bug in a Rug
Even while protesting that he isn't trying to kill health care reform, House Representative Bart Stupak (D-Mich), who has incurred the wrath of the......
By Bruce Wilson (2 comments)
Unhealthy Trend: House Action On Abortion Showcases Power Of Bishops' Lobby
When political pundits talk about the power of religious groups to affect public policy in Washington, most tend to focus on the Religious Right.......
By Rob Boston (1 comment)
Author of Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill and the "College of Prayer International"
The Uganda New Vision reports the latest on David Bahati, the MP behind the proposed draconian "Anti-Homosexuality Bill"; he was among attendees at a......
By Richard Bartholomew (3 comments)
Rick Warren Repudiates Martin Ssempa
From Warren Throckmorton's blog: STATEMENT FROM PASTOR RICK & KAY WARREN REGARDING ACTIVITIES OF MARTIN SSEMPA IN UGANDA Martin Ssempa does not represent me,......
By Richard Bartholomew (2 comments)
Dobson And Destiny: Will Religious Right Leader Turn His Focus To Electioneering?
James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family (FOF), is not a happy camper these days.  "What is happening in Washington right now is......
By Rob Boston (5 comments)
Resource Page on John Hagee and Christian Zionism
Special Focus:  Christian Zionism Following are a list of articles on Christian Zionism that have been posted on Talk2action.org over a period of several......
By Bruce Wilson (1 comment)
Progressive Catholics in Maine Push Back on Question One
On Tuesday November 3rd, voters in Maine can either vote yes or no on "Question One," a potential people's veto of recently enacted legislation......
By Frank Cocozzelli (7 comments)

Mark Silk on the Hagee / Rodriguez Entente
Mark Silk, at Spiritual Politics has picked up on my notice of the Hagee-Rodriguez embrace and zeroes in on what's certainly one of the most notable aspects: "The key thing to understand about the......
By Bruce Wilson (1 comment)
Inscribing Christian Values in our Children Before Birth?
Following the evolution of evangelical discourse as it re-defines homosexuality as evidence of "fallen creation", Terri Murray looks at how the Christian right have shifted their rhetoric to adapt to empirical research showing that......
By TMurray (0 comments)
US News & World Report Showcases Creationist Ray Comfort
US News and World Report's Dan Gilgoff has charitably provided evangelist Ray Comfort a media platform in the form of a US News & World "exclusive" through which Comfort defends his efforts to distribute,......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
Atheist billboard in Central Florida
The organization "Atheists of Florida" sponsored a billboard promoting atheism in Lakeland, Florida.  I, however, have some concerns. ......
By ArchaeoBob (2 comments)
Transcript: Billy Graham and Richard Nixon, February 21, 1973
The following is my own transcript of a 20 minute phone conversation between Richard Nixon and Billy Graham, on February 23, 1973. As far as I am aware this is the only publicly available,......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
Rifqa Bary being sent back to Ohio now
Well, there's a change in this case.  After the judge gets immigration documents and so on from the parents, he will send her back. ......
By ArchaeoBob (0 comments)
The War on The War on Christmas Goes To Pot
The first day of Fall could be considered the official launch date for the annual war on the war on Christmas, which represents a significant part of the the American Family Association business model......
By Bruce Wilson (1 comment)
School Officials off the hook
Today it is reported that the judge excused the school officials who violated the agreement they had over separation of Church and State. ......
By ArchaeoBob (0 comments)
Dominionists trying to outlaw birth control
Well, they're at it again in Florida. ......
By ArchaeoBob (2 comments)
No Danger for Rifqa Bary
The FDLE just completed an investigation and found "no credible reports of threats" against Rifqa Bary. ......
By ArchaeoBob (1 comment)
Truth hitting the mainstream!
I've despaired of ever seeing anything critical or exposing Dominionism hit the mainstream press.  There is now an exception. ......
By ArchaeoBob (0 comments)
Extremism?
The term extremism is currently in vogue to describe hate groups and other malcontents listed as such by knowledgeable monitors like SPLC and others in the T2A sidebar, but while we all know what......
By Jay Taber (2 comments)
My Netroots Nation Panel Talk
Where Do We Stand in the Bright Light of History? Netroots Nation August 14, 2009 Thank You, Professor Ledewitz, for initiating this discussion of a progressive vision for church and state -- and Netroots......
By Frederick Clarkson (0 comments)
Transcript, Jan. 18, 2009 Steven Anderson Sermon Excerpt
Note: the sermon excerpt video and transcript below, from a January 18, 2009 sermon by pastor Steven Anderson of the Tempe, Arizona Independent Baptist Church, begins at approximately 21:30 into Anderson's  one hour, four......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
More anti-Muslim provocation
The local paper reports that students in Gainsville, Florida are wearing T-shirts with "ISLAM IS OF THE DEVIL" printed on them. ......
By ArchaeoBob (1 comment)
Rifqa Bary to stay in Florida
The young ex-Muslim girl who ran away from her parents will be allowed to stay in Florida.  The news article has strong indications that this is purely political. ......
By ArchaeoBob (10 comments)
Framing Fascism
In her recent article, Sara Robinson argues the United States is well on its way to becoming a totalitarian, fascist state. As evidence of this inevitability, she cites current town hall disruptions and threats......
By Jay Taber (11 comments)
Rock Paper Scissors
GOP-sponsored vigilantism has happened before. It is an integral part of domestic terrorism aimed at ethnic minorities and other sub-populations targeted by White Nationalism and Christian Fundamentalism. Catholics, Jews, Blacks, and Native Americans have......
By Jay Taber (3 comments)
PA Shooter's Church taught: "You can commit mass murder, then still go to heaven"
George Sodini, the 48-year-old misogynist who shot up a Pennsylvania Gym full of women on Aug. 4th, killing three women before turning the gun on himself, believed God wouldn't judge him by his actions.......
By Stacey Tallitsch (0 comments)
Vatican grilling Catholic sisters
While I am not Catholic, I accidentally ran across this article which is of interest to us on this blog - it involves Vatican actions that concern attempts at political control... ......
By ArchaeoBob (3 comments)
Sect Controls Women's Destinies
by Carolyn Jessop and Laura Palmer On The Issues Magazine Had I not escaped one night five years ago with my eight children from the manipulation and control of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of......
By On The Issues Magazine (4 comments)
The Religion of Fear
<h2> Living on Guard</h2> In The Religion of Fear, Jason C. Bivins examines conservative evangelical culture as it intersects with America's love affair with spectacular violence and the popular culture of fright that has......
By Jay Taber (2 comments)
Monvee: Profiles of the Mega-churched.
[ed: updated from diary section] Over the last 20 years, a consolidation from the small protestant church has given way to the "Mega-church" where community fellowship goes to die, and prosperity-gospel-rock-concerts are born. Just......
By Stacey Tallitsch (12 comments)
Woman Shoots ex-Husband in Groin, To "Let The Demons Out"
An investigating detective read an entry from a three ring binder, written shortly before the crime: "I know now what I have to do. There are three demonic spirits in (Dr. Loher), one assigned......
By Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
Separation of Church and State attacked in Florida
A Central Florida organization, "The Community Issues Council" has funded a number of billboards attacking the separation of Church and State, using "Quotes" from some of the Founding Fathers. ......
By ArchaeoBob (5 comments)
Radio host: We're only united through Christianity
Most of you in Indiana may know about Peter Heck, who hosts a daily radio show in Kokomo and puts out a column that appears in several newspapers across the state and in OneNewsNow.......
By Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
Cindy Jacobs--the new leader of the NAR
You may remember that Lou Engle has made moves of late to position himself as the new power in the religious right.  He's a member of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders, a group......
By Christian Dem in NC (3 comments)
James F. Linzey Espouses anti-Semitic, White Racialist Conspiracy Theory
James F. Linzey is a prominent, active duty chaplain in the United States military. Linzey has stated that he was the command chaplain for the Operation Iraqi Freedom troop mobilization prior to the US......
By Bruce Wilson (4 comments)
White Supremacist named as Holocaust Museum Shooter
An 89 year old, vehemently antiSemitic  Ron Paul supporter has been named by police as the gunman who opened fire in the Holocaust Museum shortly after noon today: Gunman, guard shot at Holocaust museum......
By CynthiaGee (0 comments)
From Focus On The Family to La Familia Michoacana
I didn't think my work on the religous right would converge with what I'm doing on the narcoguerra in Mexico...but here it is: the Faith-Based Cartel. ......
By julydogs (2 comments)

More Diaries...


Donate to or support
Talk to Action

Left Behind: Eternal Forces: Installments of Jonathan Hutson's Talk To Action expose series on the "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game have been viewed by up to 1/2 million people. See our site section featuring Over 35 original articles covering the controversial "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" video game that has provoked a boycott by a coalition of religious groups and a letter writing campaign urging Walmart to stop selling the game. Media inquiries click here
(image: detail from Francoise Dubois' rendition of the Bartholomew's Day Massacre reveals the actual nature of religious warfare)