The Sub-Creationists

 

I generally do not really care about what posts get seen and do not get seen on this blog. Anyone who reads this blog knows that I post whatever the hell I want, whenever the hell I want, however the hell I want. So I was not intending to do anything other than start sharing my response to Dave's Nerd Culture series. They've greatly changed my view on geek and nerd culture, and for the better, and are at the heart of my game design. I merely wrote them because of their deep personal significance to me.

So when people who I sent the link to began to agree, not just wholeheartedly, but sometimes emphatically, I realized that there's a hole in our little corners of the internet: people who like some of the elements of geek/nerd culture, but who like it because they find the Faith (and thus themselves) in it, who are Marxists and secularists, who want things that have a deeper significance. They look and find, becuase God is everywhere, in everything. Geeking out over these things is not a sign of shallowness, but a desire to baptize the nations. To tell the things that people made Yes you too.

It is not a common voice within the geek/nerd circles, and it never was.

But it is there.

So I've decided to hell with it, let's make a little corner of the internet for these folks, The Sub-Creationists! The rules are six, although if I can somehow get it to eight for the symbolism that'd be great. They are:

1. We are centered upon the Great Commission as stated in Luke and John: the forgiveness of sins is what we are about.

This rule is meant to get ride of the Marxists and culture warriors, full stop. We are here because of our shared belief in the healing power of God. A desire to twist that into the culture war is not just unproductive but actively against the spirit of this group.

2. Reality is incarnate; God's spiritual principles and the love and forgiveness those principles give shines through creation and all human sub-creations.

Not only do we believe in this Great Commission, we believe the world is an inherent expression of this reality we have found. Reality is not opaque, it is transparently showing forth the glory of God.

3. As geeks and nerds we find these principles in popular culture and fandoms, and thus find these expressions healthy.

There are folks who are part of the geek/nerd culture who find God's love and His reasonings particularly strong in the stories presented in these fandoms. For whatever reason we find this to be useful in our own development as people.

4. We are a theologically orthodox but inclusive group, faithful to the shared heritage of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Provided anyone not of these traditions holds to point one all is well.

This is not a place to question the doctrines of our traditions. This is not a place to talk about the fallenness of the Church. Or whether or not the Church is inclusive. All such questions are outside the scope of this group. Anyone who is a part of this group accepts their tradition as it was handed to them, and if you have issues with that tradition, this is not the group to voice them. Go talk to your pastors, loved ones, and consult historians and theologians, we are not doing that here.

5. We promote the creation of holistic and wholesome geek/nerd material, which we view to be in line with the principles of point one.

The commodification and commercialization of geek/nerd culture is something we stand against, without exception. We encourage our members to make their own creations, grounded in communicating meaning to people. So there is a creative component to the community. So long as it's grounded in these principles such content is welcomed with open arms.

6. We do not seek to oppose, prevaricate, or argue. We build what we love.

The culture war is over, people. Get over it. To fight and rage at whatever perceived unfairness of the world is not Christian. Forgive, move on, make something beautiful. God will take care of the rest.

This is the beginning. I am not much of a leader. I don't know what the hell I'm doing. But this must be done. And so here we are.

Want to join us? Here's the subreddit. And the Discord. Let's do this thing.