GamerNode: News - Manchester Cathedral forgives Sony's "sins"

Manchester Cathedral forgives Sony's "sins"

Category: PlayStation 3, Posted: 10/24/2007 at 03:48PM EDT by Frank Ling, Content Contributor

Resistance Church Earlier this year, the members of Manchester Cathedral protested the use of likenesses of their church in Sony's video game, Resistance: Fall of Man, a first person shooter.

The church leaders were outraged and demanded an apology and monentary damages for this infringement. But now, the Dean of Manchester has taken a softer approach by forgiving Sony...sort of.

Reverend Rogers Goverder seemed to have giveth with one hand and taketh with the other as he said, "I think some important lessons have been learnt. So we forgive Sony for what they have done, even though they still believe they have done no wrong."

He continued by saying, "In an industry that is breaking new frontiers, it is important that long held traditions of film and television are maintained. These traditions include having courtesy, respecting the dignity of your subject, and admitting when mistakes have been made."

While the concerns of the leaders of Manchester Cathedral seem petty to some, their anxieties about their church being featured in an FPS may have legitimate grounds--the town of Manchester has a high rate of crime and gun violence.

Govender concluded by saying, "In so many ways Sony have failed to live up to these standards [of courtesy and dignity] by disrespecting people of faith and the victims of gun crime in Manchester."

Ironically, the controversy of the church appearing in Sony's game has increased attendance at Manchester Cathedral.

[via gameindustry]

Posted by Mercer on 10/24/2007 at 04:24PM

"their anxieties about their church being featured in a fps have legitimate grounds--the town of Manchester has a high rate of crime and gun violence"

Oh jesus, not it's not Legitimate...goddamn...who's side is this reporter on?

Posted by Flarty on 10/24/2007 at 05:52PM

yes i forgot how this is a complete recreation of the cathedral where you battle gangs from the Manchester area.

anyway i thought Christians were renowned for their forgiveness

Posted by Quasar on 10/24/2007 at 06:21PM

"Oh jesus, not it's not Legitimate...goddamn...who's side is this reporter on?"

Nobody's side. From their point of view, since they have experienced so much violence related to guns in their town, they see the issue as completely legitimate because of what they've gone through. It may not make sense to us, but to the towns folks who have seen their loved ones snuffed out by all the shooting, I suppose they saw the inclusion of their church in the game as irony at best and a disregard for their feelings at worse.

Posted by Archem on 10/24/2007 at 09:33PM

Not touching this one with a ten foot pole. I mean, who wants to even touch the POLE?! It's made of ten FEET!

Posted by Kester on 10/25/2007 at 03:44AM

I live in Manchester and I can tell you that gun crime is really not a big issue in the city centre. It get's slightly worse further out of the centre, but it is nothing compared to the gun crime in other major cities in the UK.

They should be more worried about all the emo kids that congregate the other side of the Cathedral from that picture!

Posted by Lopez on 10/25/2007 at 04:59AM

Ah yes, we have a similar thing in Preston Kester. All the Emos/Goths hang around in the peace gardens which is just across from the church (at least I think its a church) maybe they like the Gothic architecture. However it is nice to know that forgiveness has been given rather than a lawsuit. Even if it is Sony concerned.

Posted by Blairyfairy on 10/25/2007 at 11:22AM

hahaha forgiveith sins silly silly religions hahah

Posted by Brendon on 10/25/2007 at 06:55PM

IMO, it's not a legitimate issue at all. (Or wasn't, rather.) You don't see the owners of landmarks in half the games out there blasting a game company for featuring something like the Empire State Building or shooting up the Natural History Museum in Chicago. The Cathedral should just be glad it got people to recognize it more, and stop making a deal out of it.

Posted by Quasar on 10/25/2007 at 07:22PM

I think it's a little different in this case. The people there are apparently still sort of, for a lack of a better phrase, "gun-shy" due to what they perceive as a problem with guns. So having their church serve as one of the locations for an fps probably got them all riled up. But the big question is this, what if they didn't have a gun problem there? Would they still be protesting about their church being in the game?