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Funny? Scary? Hoax? You Decide.

Posted at: 2009-11-18 14:05:51.0
Author: James Martin, S.J.

This is either the funniest thing I've ever seen or the scariest.  Or a pretty good hoax.  On the other hand, they have a website that looks pretty legit.

A family shouldn’t have to wait until Sunday to worship the Lord. Now you can go to church every day without leaving your home. Participate in more than 24 unique and exhilarating Ceremonies. Be sure to try them all. The more you play, the more Grace points you collect. Then trade in your Grace points to unlock the Holy Mysteries.

"Featuring Ash Wednesday!"  Love it.  No word if it will incorporate the new Mass translations.

James Martin, SJ

Comments (10) | 2275 Views

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Comments

1.  The commerical reveals a clear defect in the game - the children are making the sign of the cross with their left hands, but apparently still get grace points!!  They are doing it all wrong, but still get points?
That, to quote Bonhoeffer, is "cheap grace". 
Posted By Jack M. | 2009-11-18 14:46:28.0
2.  This must be a hoax.
Posted By Carolyn | 2009-11-18 15:18:14.0
3.  I hope it comes with a Clown Mass plugin.
Posted By Deacon Eric Stoltz | 2009-11-18 17:39:46.0
4.  That is pretty funny!
 
Posted By Brian Thompson | 2009-11-18 18:21:15.0
5.  O.o would be the best description of my reaction.
Kotaku.com thinks it's a hoax.
Upon repeat viewing, I think it's just a hoax.
Posted By Marissa | 2009-11-18 20:09:08.0
6.  It is very obviously a satirical hoax. While I am no longer Catholic or a believer, I find it distasteful and not at all funny when people use children to denigrate someone else's religion.

Why do I know it's an obvious hoax? People who are devout wouldn't want Mass turned into a game and the other group of Catholics hardly go to mass on Sunday anymore so I doubt they would find a religious game appealing.

Glad you think it's funny and worthy of promotion.
Posted By Ann O'Donoghue | 2009-11-18 20:45:21.0
7.  We'll see if it's a hoax after the "buy by" date passes.  Given some of the stuff I've seen lately (remember the Talking Rosary?) I wouldn't be surprised if it were real.  But I hope you're right: I hope it's a hoax!
Posted By James Martin, SJ | 2009-11-18 20:50:56.0
8.  It looks filled with hoaxiness, complete with the aforementioned left-handedness. Sometimes you just have to laugh. This is one of those times.
 
Posted By Fran Rossi Szpylczyn | 2009-11-18 21:39:03.0
9.  There was a talking rosary? That's just creepy.
There's virtually no information about the publishing company, and nerds nerdier than I claim the resolution is greater than the Wii is capable of handling.
Though running with this idea, a Tridentine expansion pack would be amusing.
Posted By Marissa | 2009-11-19 04:05:47.0
10.  I HOPE it's a hoax too!
They say that Television is a mirror of who we are.  This seems like one of those mirrors showing things that we would rather not see.
Posted By beth cioffoletti | 2009-11-19 18:48:32.0

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* The opinions expressed here are those of our contributors, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial opinion of America magazine.