Imagine the following scene: gently walking around a cathedral, taking in the beauty of the architecture, the wonder of God and the history of countless generations who have stood on the same spot over hundreds of years before. Suddenly, a masked gunman jumps out from behind a pillar and begins wiping out the church population in front of your eyes. You have to dive for cover, shielding yourself with mutilated bodies. Pulling a gun out of nowhere, you began firing back and a bloody battle begins.
Or maybe not. Especially if you’re a member of Manchester Cathedral. Earlier this week, news broke about entertainment giant Sony, whose most recent computer game, Resistance: Fall of Man, is set in Manchester Cathedral, sparking controversy among senior Anglicans.
Since news of the Playstation 3 computer game came into the public arena, it has been branded as “sick” by Church leaders who feel it is grossly insensitive to religious believers. Sony argued that they hadn’t done anything wrong, even though the Cathedral hadn’t even been asked for permission to use the place of worship for such frivolities.
Cynics argue that it is some kind of publicity stunt used by Sony to create maximum publicity for their new game; while others point out that the Church has also been able to turn this into a positive debate about the impact of violent computer games on the young minds of computer game addicts. But it also highlights another important point: the Church is seen as a soft touch when it comes to bending the rules. Sony couldn’t have made a game in which white people shot black people, or of a college shootout in any well-known American college where students have recently gone on the rampage. Yet religion is on the boundaries of decency, where it’s acceptable to most when religion is attacked, it causes enough controversy to gain attention, but is also forgivable by those in the Church.
After days of debate, Sony issued a simple letter of apology, saying that it “sincerely apologised” and didn’t mean to cause offence. However, they still haven’t commented on whether they will withdraw the game from the shops, still possibly allowing the rush of nimble young feet to fade into the distance before making a decision.
Although Sony still don’t accept the link between 21st Century Manchester and science fiction 1950s Britain, it’s clear that religious understanding has been overridden again in favour of corporate power. How even God’s people can ignore this fact must make God himself wonder.
