All God fearing gamers can rest and rejoice now that in-game killing has been declared not a sin.
The good news come from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod where a righteous gamer asked:
"I'm very sure that killing/suicide stealing and anything like that is not accounted as an actual sin if it's only in video games. But I'm still not very sure, when I play video games, I'm not murdering at heart because I would never try to take the life of any living thing. And whatever is a video game can't die because it's not alive in the first place, video games are a false alternate reality. Even if the people in video games were able to die, they're not humans or animals just computer generated data or artificial intelligence. I'm pretty convinced it's not a sin but please I just need some confirmation."
The synod's unedited answer was as follows:
"As normally defined, taking the life of another in video games (as in acting or in any other fantasy situation) is not a sin against God's prohibition to murder. If, however, what is done in the video game is an expression of hatred or callous disregard for human life, then the heart and motives are wrong, and then it is sin in God's eyes. But if this activity is pure entertainment and not an expression of lovelessness against any fellow human being, it isn't murder."
"For the record, however, obsession with video games can involve other departures from God's will for his dearly loved and redeemed people. Typically, this can involve a colossal misuse of valuable time and also end up diverting time and attention from more useful and valuable pursuits that better glorify God and serve our neighbor. The same, of course, is true of a lot of forms of entertainment or diversions from useful labor or education (e.g., watching TV, movies, constantly listening to music but doing little other than that)."
