Is Dungeons and Dragons Evil? DnD Through a Christian Lens

An Infamous Controversy: Is Dungeons and Dragons Evil?

I remember the first time I was asked to play Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) by a friend on my dorm floor in college. It took me by surprise and kind of freaked me out. I grew up in an evangelical Christian home where things like Harry Potter, Pokemon, and plain-old playing cards were seen as religiously taboo. In the world of spiritually dubious pop culture, DnD was the most infamous—although I never really knew why.

I agreed to join the DnD campaign my friend was starting on Monday nights with a shrug. I knew him and trusted him as a fellow believer, but it still felt weird. We were both students in Bible college so playing DnD kind of felt like sneaking a gallon of water through TSA. As we settled in to play our first session, I half expected the school dean to come busting down the door. After all, the only things I had heard about DnD was that it is spiritually dangerous.

I went in skeptical, cautious, but also curious. I had played video games and board games and knew a little about tabletop wargames. Yet, what shocked me most about DnD was its divergence from these other styles of games. It didn’t even feel like a game—it felt like stepping into a story. With some guidance from our Dungeon Master (my friend Matt), the few of us gathered around that dorm room table unraveled a story that impacted me to this day. 

I realized then DnD is not evil, anymore than the concept of storytelling is evil. DnD is what you make of it—and in this case, it was redemptive and even transformational. What do I mean? Keep reading.  

Dungeons and Dragons’ Evil Reputation

In the world of tabletop gaming, few titles have become a symbol of controversial nerd culture as Dungeons and Dragons. Since the first source books released in 1974, this game has sparked imaginations, fostered friendships, and expanded the landscape of modern fantasy storytelling.

In recent years, DnD’s popularity has skyrocketed, blasting beyond the niche gaming circle and out into general pop culture. For reference, my first campaign was in 2019. This boom in acceptance started around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic when isolated young people were desperate for community and an escape from reality. People around the globe found solace in jumping on a video call with their friends to get lost in a transcendent world of fantasy adventure and discovery.

However, Dungeons and Dragons hasn’t always been so widely accepted. In the United States especially, this game has gotten a dark reputation. Most young men and women from Christian households from the 1980s on were banned from partaking in this icon of nerd culture—myself included.

The Primary Reasons DnD Has Such a Bad Rap?

• The game’s magical and supernatural themes.
• The rise of the Satanic Panic in the 1980s, particularly in middle America, further fueled fear.
• Many viewed the game as promoting occult practices and witchcraft.
• The presence of dark themes, magic, monsters, and deities from pagan mythology contributed to these fears.

Are these accusations true or valid? Let’s dig in deeper. 

History Breakdown: The Cultural Context of DnD and the Christian Perspective

Let’s break down the history of Dungeons & Dragons (DnD) in relation to American culture and Christianity:

In the 1980s, the United States was on the tail end of a massive cultural shift. The post-war era and the philosophical emptiness of the 1960s left many young Americans spiritually adrift. This led to a period of spiritual experimentation and a search for meaning.

The “Jesus Revolution”—Spiritual Searching Among Youth

During the 1970s, a massive spiritual movement rocked the United States, marked by revival and evangelistic efforts all over the country, but primarily on the east and west coasts. Let’s break it down:

• Millions of young people found spiritual meaning in Jesus Christ in, what became known as the “Jesus Revolution”. (They literally made a movie about it.)
• This revival movement gained widespread traction, especially among youth seeking faith on college campuses in coastal America.
• Entrenched fundamentalist churches in middle America kept their distance from this movement, and young people continued to be spiritually starved and wandering, mostly in the midwest and southern states.

The Satanic Panic—DnD and the Occult

Many rejected the revival and doubled down on more wooden and fear-based religious beliefs. At the same time, these churches were failing to appeal to young spiritually hungry young people. As a result, the 1980’s saw a surge of young people experimenting with witchcraft, the occult, and ancient paganism. This era has become popularly known as the “Satanic Panic”.

As a result, DnD, with its magical and supernatural themes, became an appealing outlet for these dangerous spiritual experimentations. Consequently, DnD became linked with witchcraft and satanism by much of mainstream American Christian culture.

Reactions to DnD

Many Christians voiced concerns about DnD during this time (some in more constructive ways than others). These concerns focused largely on the way the game was being engaged with, along with some spiritual concerns about the content in the source books. Things like:

• Dark themes
• Magic
• Monsters
• Pagan deities

While some reactions were exaggerated, there were genuine concerns about the spiritual impact of the game. We’ll explore these concerns more in the next section.

DnD: More Than Just the Source Books

However, D&D is much more than an on-rails video game or board game. The occult and pagan references in the source books are like condiments on a burger—you can easily scrape them off. The beauty of D&D lies in its flexibility. Homebrewed worlds, items, and characters allow the Dungeon Master (DM) to have full creative control over the game’s content. With some sanctified creativity, the substance of D&D can not only be redeemed but even become a redemptive experience.

For more on this Christian approach to D&D, you can check out my book, Discipleship & Dragons: A Non-Preachy Handbook for Christian D&D Players.

As a Christian DnD player, I believe it’s time to explore how DnD, far from being a tool of evil, can be adapted to support a Christian worldview.

Understanding Dungeons and Dragons

At its core, Dungeons and Dragons is a collaborative storytelling game. Players create characters who embark on adventures, guided by a Dungeon Master who narrates the unfolding story, creating experiences and managing challenges. It’s not a game in the same way Monopoly is a game—rather it can be better thought of as a medium for a story. What kind of story you create is up to you.

What makes DnD unique among other games or storytelling mediums is its collaborative nature. People gather to progressively unfold a story using themselves as the actors in that narrative. I have found when you get a group of people together who know Jesus and value creativity to play DnD, beautiful and redemptive stories always follow!

Done in a healthy and responsible way, DnD doesn’t only promote teamwork and problem-solving, but can also champion Christian virtues like hope, love, overcoming evil, and the celebration of spiritual good. 

More Christians than at any other time in history are playing this game—why not use it for redemptive purposes? Stories are powerful tools to shape how we grow as human beings. Put those stories in a roleplay format and you have a storytelling tool with the potential to catalyze real personal transformation.

 

Addressing Some Valid Concerns

Many concerns about Dungeons and Dragons stem from its fantastical elements, like magic, monsters, and deities borrowed from pagan folklore. I am not trying to soft serve that fact. Scripture tells us that pagan gods are not just nightmarish fantasies invented by humans, but are reflections of demonic realities.

Paul tells the Corinthians, when dealing with their neighbors who worship idols, “they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons!“ (1 Cor. 10:20). As believers in Jesus, part of our witness is to oppose idolatry and spiritual realities in rebellion against God.

But remember, DnD is a flexible medium. You do not need to play within the basic world setting. For example, my brother and I enjoy running campaigns with our friends in a fantasy world we’ve dreamed up together, adapting the base components of DnD to better fit a Christian worldview. 

Something to note here: we don’t erase supernatural or demonic elements from our world. If we did, we wouldn’t be keeping to a Christian worldview. The Christian worldview, in fact, tells us that there are spiritual entities that oppose Christ’s kingdom. It’s what we popularly call, “Spiritual Warfare“. If you are opposed to anything supernatural in general, I’d recommend not reading your Bible.

In keeping with a Christian worldview, we include divine forces for good, angels and holy forces that act in-step with the Creator God. Creative DMs can do the same kinds of things, respinning their world, lore, and magic systems to incorporate seeds of spiritual truth. In all cases, when you adapt theology to fantasy it will never translate one-for-one. That’s alright!

The goal isn’t to make a perfect Pilgrim’s Progress allegory, but to allow players to make a story in a world that reminds them of the truth of our real world—we are in a war against evil, and everyone is in process of either becoming like Christ, or becoming a tool of the Evil One.

 

Adapting DnD to Christian Values (Without Losing the Fun)

As a Christian fantasy author, I see tremendous potential in adapting Dungeons and Dragons to reflect Christian values and realities:

1. Themes of Good vs. Evil: Dungeons and Dragons often explores themes of moral choice and the battle between good and evil. By guiding the narrative to emphasize virtues such as courage, compassion, and self-sacrifice, players can engage in stories that resonate with the teachings of Jesus.
2. Redemption and Hope: Many DnD campaigns involve characters who undergo personal growth and transformation, often projecting real-life emotional baggage onto their fictional characters. Players have opportunities to challenge their sin and grow their character in ways that simulate real spiritual and emotional healing. 
3. Community and Fellowship: The game naturally fosters a real sense of community among players, promoting love, healthy conflict, and collaboration. These fictional relationships can break down real-world barriers to fellowship, evidencing a real sense of Christian community that goes beyond the game session.
4. Discernment and Wisdom: In navigating the complexities of their adventures, players often face ethical dilemmas and decisions. Christian virtue, as well as the timeless “cautionary tale”, both have a place in the choices and ambitions of the characters. 

 

Role of the Dungeon Master

As the storyteller in a DnD campaign, the Dungeon Master (DM) plays a pivotal role in shaping the game’s narrative tone direction. In some ways, a thoughtful and wise DM can actually weave a story that dialogues with points of Christian interest, like self-sacrifice, the value of life, injustice, revenge, the use of violence, the role of government, overcoming personal vices, etc. A Christian Dungeon Master can intentionally weave themes and scenarios that align with their faith, ensuring that the game experience is enriching and edifying for all players.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, Dungeons and Dragons is not inherently evil but is rather a canvas for redemptive storytelling and imagination.

As followers of Jesus, we can reclaim and adapt this collaborative storytelling medium to counteract the faults of modern paganism and materialism and instead champion the beauty and complexity of a biblical worldview. By infusing narratives with themes of virtue, redemption, community, and wisdom, we can create meaningful and genuinely fun gaming experiences that resonate with the truth. Let us embrace the adventure, recognizing that in the realm of fantasy, there lies ample opportunity to explore and celebrate the timeless truths that define the Christian worldview.

So, whether you’re a seasoned Dungeon Master or a curious newcomer, consider the potential of Dungeons and Dragons as a platform for redemptive storytelling that can inspire, challenge, and grow faithful community—a game where faith and fantasy can harmoniously make something beautiful.

 

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I Wrote a Book! 

Discipleship & Dragons: A Non-Preachy Handbook for Christian D&D Players

If you enjoyed this article, I’ve written a more in-depth treatment in my short handbook “Discipleship & Dragons: A Non-Preachy Handbook for Christian D&D Players”. In the book, I go into more detail about the history and redemptive potential for DnD. I give practical advice for worldbuilding and using scenarios session-by-session to champion real transformational growth in players through their in-game characters. 

Read the book and join the Christian DnD movement and help create a positive shift in the atmosphere of this expanding subculture. Who knows? Your DnD campaign could have an eternal impact on the lives of those gathered around your table.