Resitance Fall of Man

http://news.bbc.co.uk/.../6736809.stm

Recently, the Church of England has been waving its Aspergillum at Sony Entertainment, for what it sees as a desecration of Manchester Cathedral. Follow the link and read the news article.

This event regards a video game by Sony, entitled 'Resistance Fall of Man', which features a topographically accurate nave of Manchester Cathedral. The producers have taken photographic imagery of the edifice and created a virtual representation of the church, in which a gun fight scene takes place, presumably between aliens and men, since the game is clearly about humanity's fight against an alien invasion. According to the Church, Sony did not obtain permission to use the interior of the church within the game. What the Church arrogantly doesn't realize is that Sony officials don't really need permission; you see, they can pretty much do as they please.

Being a video game based on a fantastic alien invasion (unrealistic), the game does not have anything to do with reality at all. The landmark within the game is merely a prop designed to add atmosphere to a game that is to do with a 1950s retro fantasy epic, and certainly not gun crime, as the Church has insinuated.

But why is the Church so annoyed about all this?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6730000/newsid_6737300/6737355.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&news=1&ms3=6

In the video through the link directly above, the Manchester Bishop says:

'I mean, even if it weren't Manchester, any cathedral, any house of God to be used as the context for a game about killing [people] – I think is just so appropriate, and offensive.'

He has made a slip of the tongue and given us ample opportunity to hurl abuse at him. Well, I will refrain from such bad behaviour. However, the man clearly has his head inserted firmly into his rectum. For you see, he has lied. The game does not feature the killing of people. Only the killing of aliens. Something God would be proud of, I believe.

The reporter in the video through the link above says, 'the church wants these sacred surroundings to be seen as a sanctuary, not the venue for a computerised bloodbath.'

This is also a glaring mistake. The church is not portrayed as anything but a sanctuary, for the men who are besieged by attacking alien invaders, have no choice but to retreat into the nave of the church. Shame really, as such a beautiful building should not be a place of violence. The aliens weren't thinking on that wave length when they forced the men into the cathedral, though.

The Bishop of Manchester's and the cathedral authorities' raison d'être seems to be to do with concern over Manchester's gun crime. This seems strange, when taking into consideration the nature of Resistance Fall of Man; the game itself sees mankind facing off alien invaders, and there is little if nothing relating to gun crime.

In the news article, the Dean of Manchester Cathedral, the Very Reverend Rogers Govender, was quoted to have said the game was undermining the work of the church. He said, 'We are shocked to see a place of learning, prayer and heritage being presented to the youth market as a location where guns can be fired.'

That was the point in the news article when I began to formulate my suspicions regarding the true reason behind this outcry. How can a game about humanity's heroic stand off against alien invaders be seen as something that undermines the work of the Church? I should like to entertain the notion that the church has a specific bias toward video games, regardless of their content.