Monday, 20 October 2008
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Sony Pulls Anticipated Video Game Because of the Qur'an
by mr oak
If you follow nerd news - the biggest thing going on is the delay of the much anticipated Little Big Planet on the Playstation 3. The video game was supposed to come out in 4 days - but Sony realized in the final revision of the game that 2 songs used in the soundtrack has references to the Qur'an.
It turns out the the worry is that it is offensive - and they're currently deciding what to do with the release.
As a Christian and someone who highly respects other beliefs - I was confused by this move.
Have we become a society where anything with religion must be pulled? But to get things straight - I think it's ok if Sony pulled this because they felt it would be offensive to people who believe in Islam - but is a sad thing that they have to do this because it may offend everyone else.
This is just one of a few events that has happened recently:
Last week we saw a Fisher Price Doll that supposedly played a subliminal Islamic message get pulled from shelves. Honestly - I listened to the audio (which you can here) and didn't hear anything.
And let's not forget the movie Facing the Giants. A lot of controversy surrounded that movie when the Motion Picture Association of America - the one that rates all movies, decided to rate the movie as PG instead of the expected G. Rumor has it - it's because it has strong religious themes in it.
If that's true - that puts speaking about religion right up there with cursing, drug abuse, nudity, violence and all else that moves the ratings needle.
I don't know why - but constantly thwarting religious expression worries me. I don't see the logic of hiding these things - if anything I wish everything is presented - atheist beliefs, Buddhist beliefs, Christian beliefs, Islamic beliefs, etc. And I understand there's a balance too - I do think it's improper to shove such beliefs down anyone's throat.
But in the end, let us not forget the freedom to be able to listen and share such beliefs is beautiful in itself.
Do you think we've grown more intolerant of religions as a whole? Why do you think that is?
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Comments (15)
Yes I do. I think largely in part this has to with a people who are inherently xenophobic. (Notice I said, "a people", not "all people") Of course, to say the expected, there are a people that are not inherently agoraphobic, this condition is only temporary in many cases.
Have we become intolerant? For the most part, I don't think so. But marketing firms worry a lot more about it than the rest of us do. They're a little TOO sensitive, if you ask me. I'd play the game if it mentioned the Qu'ran.
Not matter your religious affiliation, or lack thereof, the intolerance in this country has gone too far. I mean, you pull a game four days before it's release because a song references to a holy book? Really?
And I don't think it's religion as a whole but more specifically Islam. American's need to understand that every Muslim isn't a suicide bomber out to hurt us. Islam is just a religion, and just like anything else in the world, there are a select few who are radicals. Islam is not synonymous to terror.
"that puts speaking about religion right up there with cursing, drug
abuse, nudity, violence and all else that moves the ratings needle."
If so, should they rate Veggie-Tales differently?
Sony is a large corporation--they have every right to fear even the simplest of things. They are more liable than if a new corp. were to do the same thing.
aw, man! i really, really wanted to play that game!
but seriously...do you really think that we have less tolerance than our predecessors?
people haven't become more intolerant of religions. neither have governments. maybe AMERICAN people and government, as well as those of some other nations, have become more intolerant than normal. but look at history:
the ancient jews refused to intermarry with other nations because of their idolatrous practices.
some of the roman emperors killed christians, while some made it illegal to be anything but a christian.
muhammed and his followers killed anybody who refused to convert to islam.
the holy roman empire and the roman catholic church, all through the late middle ages and right up to the renaissance, forced catholocism on the people living within their control.
the crusades were a centuries-long series of wars rooted in which religion should control the holy land.
the spanish inquisition tortured and killed anybody who interpreted the nature of God in a way that undermined their own power.
most european countries had a series of wars, revolutions, and bloody political events because of religious differences. spain was catholic, so they and england didn't get along. hence the defeat of the spanish armada.
the british emigrants we refer to as the Pilgrims moved to holland to obtain religious freedom, then when the dutch practiced a somewhat hedonistic lifestyle and didn't conform to their religious preferences, they moved to america, where they could practice their own sect of Christianity without contrary influences.
I say all that to say this: all through history, people have slaughtered others because of their religious differences. What's a little bit of rescheduling considering a video game release date compared to everything that's gone on? It's comparatively insignificant.
Today's society is more tolerant and respectful of different religious views than any society in the history of man. Whether that's a good thing or not, I'll let you decide for yourself.
I do not think it is that we have become intolerant so much as it is that more and more religions are denmanding their fair share. I personally believe that Christianity and Catholicism have always recieved more positive attention than any other religion, and that this is now changing. Honestly, it should go without saying that 9/11 really brought many other religions into the lime light for whatever reason, and has forced us to become more tolerant and respectful towards them and their beliefs.
If you really think about it though the only time that we ever hear about religions such as Islam, and the like, are whenever "believers" of that faith have done some unspeakable act somewhere in the world. It should seem fit to reason that any true believer of that faith would try to distance themselves from the others and make sure the rest of the world knew that too. It would also stand to reaso that in the process of rectifying the situation there will be people who will not distinguish or recognize the true believers from the false ones.
That is where all of what you are talking about in you post comes into play.
On the topic of the entertainment industry pulling movies, games, etc. from the shelves, that can be contributed to two things: The need to not get sued and the fact that, while they might have freedom of speech, it would be unethical for them to disregard another's religion for the sake of entertainment.
Now, what I mean by this is that while in Christianity, people may not like people saying gods name in vain or what have you, in Islam it is forbidden to use his name for pretty much anything but prayer. On top of that you can not disgrace the Quaran in any way shape or form, albeit that this is not so much different than what people believe about the bible.
So, to get back to what I had said in te beginning, it is not that we are becoming intolerant, it is that we are learning to respect eachothers religion and become tolerant.
Yeah, it seems like making fun of religions is often more accepted than authentic religious expression anymore. I don't think there should be any censorship at all on genuine religious expression. That's one of the freedoms we're supposed to have here. Freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM it.
I think this has less to do with religious tolerance or intolerance and more to do with peoples' hair-trigger reactions to anything even remotely tied to their religious beliefs, and how businesses want to avoid that whole mess altogether.
The sad thing is, in the name of polical correctness I think we've actually become tolerant of things that we shouldn't be so "tolerant" of and hair-trigger intolerant of things we shouldn't be so concerned about.
That was the main point my entry about the Fisher Price doll in the first place. I thought that by Christians making such a big deal out of it, it detracted from things that truly matter.
I hate how Christians care about what a doll says, but then turn around and idolize celebrities who make terrible role models for Christians (like does anyone even care anymore that the joining of "Brangelina" was borne out of adultery?). The not-so-subliminal message there is that it's okay to break up a marriage if you're famous or good-looking enough.
Anyway, "intolerance" is not a four-letter word. There are some things (unjust and immoral things) that we should not tolerate.
This is just a case of Sony wanting to protect its bottom line (and here's a hint: their bottom line is not religious tolerance)
i think that the government and now these corporations are interpreting religious freedom the wrong way. religious freedom does not mean that someone who is say, Buddhist, is not supposed to see any religious expression by a Muslim. Religious freedom means you have the freedom to practice your own religion whenever and wherever you want. It doesn't mean that religion has to be separate from everything else in our lives. Just because someone chooses to be an atheist or agnostic shouldn't mean they are offended when someone who believes in a religion expresses their faith.
@jnathanroy@xanga - you have a point, and I know that you're trying to say that historically people have, for religious reasons, shown massive intolerance and that today it's nothing compared to then.
But whenever people talk about things like the Crusades and such, it's usually to imply (or maybe outright accuse) that Christianity (or other religions) is widely guilty for a majority of the wars and oppression in this world.
But I would say that religion does not hold a monopoly on oppression in this world's history. And in many of the examples you cite, it was people using religion as a justification for their persecution. Someone reading that list could believe that if it wasn't for religion, the world would be free of oppression.
But one only needs to look at history within the last 70 years with Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, and even the current genocide in Darfur to see that the non-religious is just as guilty of intolerance and oppression - on the scale of millions of lives.
I know the point you were making was specifically about historical religious intolerance, but I think the point needed to be made that religion is not the source for all intolerance and slaughter.
I don't have an opinion on the game, because I don't play stuff like that anyways - but I do think that America is becoming increasingly intolerant towards Christianity. But that's because I am a Christian and see it in many different ways. Do Muslims feel intolerance as well? What about other religions? I think the reason that there is more intolerance to Christianity (over against other religions) is because Christianity generally has black and white issues, not grey issues. Many Christians refuse to be "politically correct" for the sake of appeasing others. For instance, many Christians and churches still hold that homosexuality is wrong. For that stance, we are seen as homophobes and intolerant. (and not as we truly see it, which is that the act of commiting homosexual acts is anti-biblical, butthat we still have love for the person). Or - the other hot topic, that abortion is wrong because it's killing unborn life. We see life as being from conception. Therefore we believe it's wrong to have an abortion. We are therefore labeled anti-choice and are yelled at because we have no tolerance for the woman in question.
I'm afraid that the way things are going, there will be more and more tolerance for everything BUT Christianity. But then, that shouldn't surprise us. The Bible does speak of that in the end times.
@Nathon@xanga -
mhm. that was the point i was trying to make.
i'm NOT saying that any specific religion, or even religion in general, is the cause of the world's issues. that would be human nature's fault.
indeed, most of the good things that have come about in history have been products of faith. but i think we should draw a line between faith and religion. faith is the belief itself, whereas religion is the actions incited by the faith. a lot of religion is good, but a lot of things done in the name of religion have been horrible.
and yes, i acknowledge that a lot of crap has been officiated by those that aren't afiliated with religion. those who profess no morals generally don't live by them.
anyway. all i was saying was that religion, as a force that inspires passion, can very easily be turned into an unmoving, unthinking brick wall. intolerance.
don't get me wrong. there's a definite place for intolerance, but that place is in our own beliefs. we shouldn't compromise our own views by allowing other beliefs dilute or undermine them. but neither should we try to force others to dilute theirs.
lol. and believe me when i say that as someone who professes intolerance, i've got a long way to go. i love to argue.
We are suppose to be a country where every religion is accepted. I believe ever since September 11, everyone has turned the other cheek and allowed racism to overcome their fears. They believe that if it has to do with Islam, then it is bad.
I think the whole thing is just ridiculous. I have seen the previews for this game, and saw nothing virtually offensive, whether it be religious or secular, in it.
The summary of this story is rather lacking in important detail.
The bit of the Qu'ran used in the game is part of the backing track for a level, part of the music. It's nothing to do with the game mocking religion or any such thing.
According to the Qu'ran it is an offense to replicate parts of it in other forms, and not in it's entirety.
A Muslim that was playing an early release of the game heard the familiar words, reported it to Sony and they pulled it from release to replace that one track.
It's as simple as that.
I really don't see a problem with that in the slightest. If we had any such prohibition in the Bible I would fully expect we'd react the same way.