Like many other people around the world, I have been playing Pokemon Go. As an atheist playing the game, one of the first things that stands out is that churches are often either PokeStops or Gyms. It occurred to me the other night that this makes perfect sense, but not for the reasons Pokemon connoisseurs might think.
What is a church? It is basically a PokeStop for God. It is a place where people go to get help in capturing their imaginary deity. Basically, churches are for people who believe that their Pokemon (i.e. God) is real.
This is of course why some Christian extremists are so hostile to Pokemon, Harry Potter, or anything that is imaginary. They see it as competition for their imaginary creature of choice.
The difference between me walking around town trying to capture imaginary pocket monsters and religious believers sitting in their pews is that I know that the objects of my attention are imaginary and I am getting some good exercise and fun playing a game. They on the other hand, believe their game is real and that there really are demons, a devil, and a deity. They believe their Pokemon are real.
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