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No you were never in my shoes, you were one of those screwed up kids I mentioined a while ago. You were a wreck going down the wrong path before you ever discovered gaming or metal and now you blame the gaming and the metal, but if you honestly assessed you'd aknowledge the truth, you were on that path before.

Nope. You can make that assumption all you want and you can shout it from the roof-tops. But the fact of the matter is, you're wrong. This stuff DOES lead good kids down the wrong path. Those with problems at home are particularly vulnerable, but even those from great homes can be led astray. I have a sister-in-law that proves this point.

And I can see it in one sentence " It's amusing now to remember how seriously I took it all at the time", I don't take it serious, it's fun stuff to pass the time, enjoyable music to keep me energized at work, and the method I've used to develop most of my important friendships in life.

You claim you don't take it seriously, and yet your reaction to my criticisms of the world of fandom border on hysterical. Who am I supposed to believe, you or my lyin' eyes?

The only part of the whole thing I take seriously is how people like YOU drive metal fans and gamers away from the faith, people driving others away from the faith is serious, harmless forms of entertainment are not, and anybody that took them serious was a screwed up kid on the path ruin.

You keep saying that as if it has any authority at all outside of the hackneyed Iron Maiden song "Holy Smoke" which you're parrotting. In fact, I am the antithesis of you. I needed Christianity applied with a sledge-hammer in order to help me see through the nonsense that was the world of gaming, fandom, metal music, and bad fantasy writing. Two things pulled me out of that alternate reality: St. Augustine's Confessions and a couple of really strong, really knowledgeable Catholic priests who applied Catholic catechesis without apology.

I'm 35 years old, married for 13 years, well respected in the local area of my field for my skills, paid hansomely, and not in debt. I think as a man, I understand as a man, and I entertain myself with things made by men. Deal with it.

Age is not necessarily an indicator of maturity. There are plenty of 30-something adolescents running around out there. Clearly, you have done nicely for yourself in this world--as the Prince of This World would no doubt recognize. But if you are truly a Christian, you must be preparing for the next world as well, right? Or does this more accurately reflect your sentiments on the matter?

I don't feel ready, there's so much left undone,
And it's my soul and I'm not gonna let it get away.

Chorus:
Heaven can wait,
Heaven can wait,
Heaven can wait,
Heaven can wait til another day.

I have a lust for the Earth below
And Hell itself is my only foe,
'Cause I've no fear of dying,
I'll go when I'm good and ready,
I snatch a glimpse of the light's eternal rays,
I see a tunnel, I stand amazed,
At all of the people standing there in front of me,
Into the paths of rightness I'll be led,
Is this the place where the living join the dead?
I wish I knew this was only just a nightmare.

It's no assumtion, it's clear in your own statments, you took it seriously and you're STILL taking it seriously. Heavy metal is about volume, energy and fun. My serious reaction is to how you push people like me away from Christianity, that's a seriously wrong thing you're doing by forcing people to make a choice based on your false assumptions.

I needed to get rid of people like you in my life, people foolishly saying that my music was leading me somewhere it wasn't. I needed to escape from the nonsense of fools condemning that which they don't understand just because they don't understand it. Nothing in metal, or gaming or fandom led you to a world of nonsense, YOU led you to a world of nonsense, and you're still IN a world of nonsense but now you've got a whole new brand of nonsense, the nonsense of condemning the decorations of your old life for the mess it was.

The successes in my life have been the result of two things: hard work (which is a bi-product of maturity), and just plain dumb luck (which is generally described in this world as "God smiling upon you"). You want to quote song lyrics, great lets do it:
Have you ever thought about your soul - can it be saved?
Or perhaps you think that when you’re dead you just stay in your grave
Is God just a thought within your head or is he a part of you?
Is christ just a name that you read in a book when you were in school?

When you think about death do you lose your breath or
Do you keep your cool?
Would you like to see the pope on the end of a rope
Do you think he’s a fool?
Well I have seen the truth, yes I’ve seen the light and I’ve changed my ways
And I’ll be prepared when you’re lonely and scared at the end of our days

Could it be you’re afraid of what your friends might say
If they knew you believe in God above?
They should realize before they criticize
That God is the only way to love

Is your mind so small that you have to fall
In with the pack wherever they run
Will you still sneer when death is near
And say they may as well worship the sun?

I think it was true it was people like you that crucified christ
I think it is sad the opinion you had was the only one voiced
Will you be so sure when your day is near, say you don’t believe?
You had the chance but you turned it down, now you can’t retrieve

Perhaps you’ll think before you say that God is dead and gone
Open your eyes, just realize that he’s the one
The only one who can save you now from all this sin and hate
Or will you still jeer at all you hear? yes! I think it’s too late.

Guess who wrote that. The condemning Christians' favorite band to hit for being evil and nasty, Black Sabbath. Yep, total freak satanists there. /sarcasm