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Author
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Topic: Christian Video Game?? NO!!!!
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TEXASGRANDMA
Advanced Member
Member # 847
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posted
Eduardo Grequi,
You do give food for thought. I too have not played the game so I can say it is bad or good.
Shame on that Preacher who would not take the time to pray.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
http://www.indieheaven.com/artists/mm (son-in-law)http://www.myspace.com/mireles
Posts: 4985 | From: Washington State | Registered: Jan 2003
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Eduardo Grequi
Advanced Member
Member # 3984
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posted
I believe the LeftBehindGames probably went too far( since I have not played the game I really do not know), but it is no different than Christians turning their back on people who trully need Christ the most-like the homeless, orphans, children of insest and yes the miss-understood Joe who is confused. I saw a Baptist Minister yesterday tell a family member, he had no time to pray and I personally know this minister. It was at the hospital where I worked.
Before all Christians get bent over this, check it and see it for yourself. I have the movies, it is probably no different than that.
Besides God has commanded many people to get an army together kill their enemies. Jesus teaches us love your neighbor, love your enemies but do not be a fool.
The ultimate war, which is the battle of all time will be waged in Armagedeon! Check out Giddeon, Abraham, Queen Esther etc.....
My Brother the Atheist said there is no God! Then I asked him why do you keep using my Lord's name in vain. Then he turned around and walked away. Even in the mind of an Atheist God is trying to call. But the receiver is too busy being busy.
Lets first talk about and destroy our not so Christ-like ways and tear it down first and then we can tear others not so Christ-like ways down.
Posts: 771 | From: Belvidere, IL | Registered: Oct 2004
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Kindgo
Advanced Member
Member # 2
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posted
"Tyndale House, the publisher of the Left Behind books (and three of my books) has sold the rights to the Left Behind series to a video game company who has turned it into a violent video game"
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/articles/Jans_eUpdates.shtml#newsitemEEVpkEukVkuFwIebef
June 13 - Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition
This story isn't new, but it may be new to some of you. I wish I didn't have to report on it but since ABC News has, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and more, I am going to let you in on what is no longer a secret. Come October, most everyone will hear of it, so prophecy lovers, be prepared.
Tyndale House, the publisher of the Left Behind books (and three of my books) has sold the rights to the Left Behind series to a video game company who has turned it into a violent video game: Left Behind: Eternal Forces. The storyline takes place in New York City after the Rapture when friends and family members of those taken in the Rapture apparently come to faith and do battle against the Antichrist. The creators of the game hope that their target, teens, "will consider their own spirituality" as they play it. So far, so good, or at least, not so bad, but from here it takes a monumental slide down a slippery slope.
They then take high-powered weaponry in their battle with Antichrist. Battlefield generals and their virtual armies decide where to place units and when to order attacks or retreats. The left behind new believers unleash the usual arsenal of guns, tanks, and helicopters. Soldiers lose some of their spirituality every time they kill someone from Antichrist's side but they are then bolstered with prayer to make sure they then don't become vulnerable to Antichrist's forces.
Critics are rightfully outraged. One says, "You can be the Christian blowing away the infidels and if that doesn't hit your hot button, you can be the Antichrist blowing away Christians."
When all is said and done, what do we have? A smoking New York, a world teeming with unbelievers waiting to be either converted or massacred by what amounts to Christian Taliban--all in the name of a bloodthirsty God. Yet the makers of the game, with Tyndale's blessing and huge profits, say it embodies Christian values. It can be an evangelistic tool. It will reach kids when nothing else might. Yet the violence is compared to the king of video violence, Grand Theft Auto. But with video game profits soaring to $10 billion a year, it would appear greed is really at the heart of the issue as prophesied in II Timothy 3 when that becomes the main focus of an end-time society.
To learn more, visit my Prophecy Watch category here http://www.olivetreeviews.org/topics/prophecy.shtml You can scroll down on the game page I've provided and watch the two minute ABC News feature on it. Below that also on my Prophecy Watch page is the Washington Times article of June 7.
What's wrong with this picture? Everything. It has warped the theology of Dispensationalism but those who hold to this theology as I do will be accused of some form of support for Left Behind: Eternal Forces. In reality we would like the game to be thrown into eternal fire. Liberal theologians, Preterists, Amillenialists, Dominionists, Kingdom Now, and other backers of false theology will have a field day with this one. Gary DeMar's "Dispensationalist Kook" Web site will light up like a Christmas tree and the Bible Answerman will have fuel for ten years. . . unless you speak out and defend the faith (Jude).
Additionally, it will plant more violence in the minds of kids and cause them to think again about their beliefs. They may conclude that it is really cool to run around with machine guns, behave with abysmal violence themselves, and still be a part of "God's forces." Remember the Columbine killers were hooked on violent video games. More confusion will reign in the world of eschatology, already a battlefield. Some might conclude you can maim and murder in the Name of God right now.
The story isn't over. Who's going to market this? The producers plan to distribute it to one million churches across America. The final product is due out in October, so you can bet it will be under Christmas trees this year. The Prince of Peace will be lowered to that of a divine military leader coaxing on the "eternal forces." Many of the churches getting the game already believe in a skewed form of eschatology. They will be invigorated.
Contending for the faith is getting to be a full time job. My radio program last weekend was on that issue and is now posted here http://www.olivetreeviews.org/radio/mp3/ Deception is running amok as predicted for that last generation. The greatest weapon we have is not the machine gun but the Word of God. Spread the good news while there is yet time and counter the rampant false gospels being promoted!
Awaiting His return,
Jan Markell
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God bless,
Kindgo
Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success.
Posts: 4320 | From: Sunny Florida | Registered: Jun 2002
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Kindgo
Advanced Member
Member # 2
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posted
quote:
So why are the Authors of the Left Behind series so behind this Horrid Game? Only the Lord really knows for sure, but it Can't be about HIM!
Deb, ![[hug]](graemlins/hug.gif)
Maybe someone they trusted to do business with lied, or misrepresented the game to them.
Money makes people do strange things.
I understand that the money from the books is given to the needy. I don't know whats true about the whole thing so I will not judge anyone.
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God bless,
Kindgo
Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success.
Posts: 4320 | From: Sunny Florida | Registered: Jun 2002
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wparr
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Member # 891
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posted
Luke 18:8
"I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"
The prospects DON'T look very promising
Posts: 1203 | From: Eagle Nest, NM | Registered: Jan 2003
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SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
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posted
I am So Glad Mike found that thread on the other board! I know he has a Huge readership and will bring attention to this Horrid Game!
quote:
Left Behind: Eternal Forces, in my opinion, isn't going to do a thing to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. What I believe it will completely succeed in doing, however, is convince more people than are already convinced that the goal of all conservative, Bible-believing Christians is to turn all the governments of the world into theocracies by converting everyone to Christ.....even if it means taking up the sword to do so.
While the Church should certainly hold lofty goals concerning reaching the lost with the gospel, the last thing the Church of the end times needs is precisely what Left Behind: Eternal Forces is going to give the enemies of the gospel - a reason to suggest conservative Christianity is pursuing a dominionist agenda.
This is one of the Biggest reasons I'm so against this game... not to mention that it is Totally Anti-Christ! Jesus would Never commission us to Blow Away the Infidel... That sounds more like Islam to me!
So why are the Authors of the Left Behind series so behind this Horrid Game? Only the Lord really knows for sure, but it Can't be about HIM!
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Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
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Kindgo
Advanced Member
Member # 2
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posted
The end times are NOT a game!
by Michael G. Mickey
http://www.rapturealert.com/2006/060306endtimesgame.html
(6-3-06)
While I greatly admire the efforts of anyone attempting to reach out to a lost and dying world in these end times, everything that glitters is not gold as the old saying goes. One of my alert readers recently drew my attention to an article, the title of which was "The Purpose Driven Life Takers." Purpose Driven Life Takers as in life takers? Killers? I'm afraid so.
The article opens as follows:
Imagine: you are a foot soldier in a paramilitary group whose purpose is to remake America as a Christian theocracy, and establish its worldly vision of the dominion of Christ over all aspects of life. You are issued high-tech military weaponry, and instructed to engage the infidel on the streets of New York City. You are on a mission - both a religious mission and a military mission -- to convert or kill Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, gays, and anyone who advocates the separation of church and state - especially moderate, mainstream Christians. Your mission is "to conduct physical and spiritual warfare"; all who resist must be taken out with extreme prejudice. You have never felt so powerful, so driven by a purpose: you are 13 years old. You are playing a real-time strategy video game whose creators are linked to the empire of mega-church pastor Rick Warren, best selling author of The Purpose Driven Life.
The game, slated for release by October 2006 in advance of the Christmas shopping rush, has been previewed at video game exhibitions, and reviewed by major newspapers and magazines. But until now, no fan or critic has pointed out the controversial game's connection to Mr. Warren or his dominionist agenda.
The Purpose Driven Life video game? Surely not, I mused.
Interestingly, however, as I read on, I found that the proposed video game has little to do with Rick Warren himself as best I can tell, other than by association. As the article reveals, the connection between Rick Warren and the video game in question is this: The international director of Warren's Purpose Driven Saddleback Church, a gentleman by the name of Mark Carver, serves on the Advisory Board of the corporation created in October 2001 to develop and market this game. The name of the corporation? Left Behind Games. Yes, as in Dr. Tim LaHaye's Left Behind book series! According to the article, the developers of the game which is causing all the concern, LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces, obtained the license from Tyndale House, the Christian publisher of Left Behind - a move which has prompted at least one conservative Christian author to end his relationship with Tyndale.
The words of the author in question, Jack Thompson, are very compelling as to why I don't blame him at all for his decision: "It's absurd," the article quotes him as saying. "You can be the Christians blowing away the infidels, and if that doesn't hit your hot button, you can be the Antichrist blowing away all the Christians."
Here's some of what Left Behind Games says you can do in LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces:
· Lead the Tribulation Force from the book series , including Rayford, Chloe, Buck and Bruce against Nicolae Carpathia – the AntiChrist.
· Conduct physical & spiritual warfare : using the power of prayer to strengthen your troops in combat and wield modern military weaponry throughout the game world.
· Recover ancient scriptures and witness spectacular Angelic and Demonic activity as a direct consequence of your choices.
· Command your forces through intense battles across a breathtaking, authentic depiction of New York City .
· Control more than 30 units types - from Prayer Warrior and Hellraiser to Spies, Special Forces and Battle Tanks!
· Enjoy a robust single player experience across dozens of New York City maps in Story Mode – fighting in China Town , SoHo , Uptown and more!
· Play multiplayer games as Tribulation Force or the AntiChrist's Global Community Peacekeepers with up to eight players via LAN or over the internet!
A Los Angeles Times article on Left Behind: Eternal Forces includes the following, which I want my readers to fully absorb (emphasis added mine):
" 'Left Behind' has the Antichrist, the end of the world, the apocalypse," said co-creator Jeffrey S. Frichner. "It's got all the Christian stuff, and it's still got all the cool stuff."
That's why industry watchers predict that titles like "Eternal Forces" will find a broader audience in the same way Christian houses of worship like Pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Lake Forest have attracted followers — in part by not being overly doctrinaire.
"The reason that I think this game has a chance is that it's not particularly preachy," said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities. "I will say some of the dialogue is pretty lame — people saying, 'Praise the Lord' after they blow away the bad guys. I think they're overdoing it a bit. But the message is OK."
The Tribulation Period isn't going to be anything like a video game nor is the message of this game OK! The Day of the Lord is a time of horrific judgment falling upon the wicked in all instances in the Bible, the descriptions of which are anything but game-like!
Isaiah 13:6-7: Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
Ezekiel 30:3: For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.
Joel 1:15: Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD [is] at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Joel 2:1: Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Amos 5:20: Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
1st Thessalonians 5:2-3: For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
During a missions conference held in our church this week, visiting pastor Ray Stuart told us that, even though he likes a good joke, he doesn't tell or even like to hear a joke which includes references to hell. Why? Because the horrors of hell - a burning lake of fire from which there will be no escape or hope of rescue for those who end up there as a direct result of their failure to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior - should never be trivialized, especially by a Christian. I believe the same is true concerning the Tribulation Period.
Not only does trivialization of the Tribulation Period serve no purpose, the imagery of those left behind who accept Christ after the Rapture running through the streets shooting people while saying "Praise the Lord!" likens Christianity to the jihadists the free world is presently in conflict with in the war on terror - people who often kill those opposed to their religious beliefs while yelling, "Allahu Akbar!" Allahu Akbar can translated as "God is Great."
Left Behind: Eternal Forces, in my opinion, isn't going to do a thing to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. What I believe it will completely succeed in doing, however, is convince more people than are already convinced that the goal of all conservative, Bible-believing Christians is to turn all the governments of the world into theocracies by converting everyone to Christ.....even if it means taking up the sword to do so.
While the Church should certainly hold lofty goals concerning reaching the lost with the gospel, the last thing the Church of the end times needs is precisely what Left Behind: Eternal Forces is going to give the enemies of the gospel - a reason to suggest conservative Christianity is pursuing a dominionist agenda. In fact, as we see in an excerpt from the The Purpose Driven Life Takers article, this is already beginning, even before the game has been released (emphasis added mine):
Could such a violent, dominionist Christian video game really break through to the popular culture?
What are people who are weighing in on the The Purpose Driven Life Takers commentary saying ? Below are a few selected examples of why I say the end times are NOT a game:
"Am I a bad person if I'm looking forward to playing the game in Antichrist mode and blowing away fundies?"
"Can I have a variant where - rather than harming these Christian paramiltaries - I can catch them with nets and immobilize them with sticky foam, then subject them to re-runs of "South Park" and "The Simpsons"?"
Believe me, Right-Wing Fundamentalists cannot discuss theology with any sense of reason. They see anyone else's religious symbols or hear about anyone else's religious values, and they go off.
More and more, the conservative, Bible-believing Christian is being demonized in the eyes of a wicked world where good is increasingly being considered evil and evil is increasingly being considered good. This game is only going to serve the purposes of darkness, in my opinion. Besides, it isn't even Scriptural to suggest that tribulation saints have any potential whatsoever of overtaking the Antichrist militarily, as seen in Revelation 13:7: And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
One has to wonder why the game maker, if Left Behind Games has any hope whatsoever of delivering anything close to a Christian message to those who would play the game, would build into the game an Antichrist mode, allowing players of the game (who may well be left behind in the not-too-distant future) to practice in advance the horrific persecution of tribulation saints which is going to take place in the Tribulation Period to come?
Maybe the staff of Left Behind Games thinks the Tribulation Period makes for good gaming subject matter, but I don't for all the reasons stated above. The end times are NOT a game! Those of us who understand this fundamental truth need to be doing everything we can to convict the hearts of those we know who are presently living in sin without hope of avoiding an eternity in hell to come to faith in Jesus Christ and soon! Time is running out for the lost to be found and saved on this side of the Rapture, in my humble opinion, based on all the signs in the world around us pointing to the return of Jesus Christ coming soon, as revealed in Scripture. There are so many in need of Christ yet so few who are actively striving to win souls to Christ!
Matthew 9:37:38: Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
Christians, get busy for the Lord! Find someone who is lost without Christ - ANYONE - and tell them how they can come to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior before it's too late! If you don't have the confidence to speak to a lost soul, write them a letter, send them an e-mail, leave a gospel tract in their mailbox, or just invite them to church. Jesus Christ is coming soon and we have way more work to do, I fear, than we have time to do it!
GAME ON!
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God bless,
Kindgo
Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success.
Posts: 4320 | From: Sunny Florida | Registered: Jun 2002
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SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by WKUHilltopper:
Man...this kinda turns my stomach. I was thinking these "Left Behind" guys were ok. More confirmation that you can only trust God!
AMEN!
I can't believe there isn't more outrage over this Horrid Game ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
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Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
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WKUHilltopper
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Member # 5472
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posted
Man...this kinda turns my stomach. I was thinking these "Left Behind" guys were ok. More confirmation that you can only trust God!
Posts: 259 | From: KY | Registered: Feb 2006
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SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by helpforhomeschoolers:
Please tell me this is a joke or a hoax or something!
I Wish It Was! But NO... it's real. Eric found this link to "Left Behind Games"
http://www.leftbehindgames.com/pages/the_games.htm
See for yourself.
I am So Sick over this I can't even tell you!
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Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
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helpforhomeschoolers
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Member # 15
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posted
Please tell me this is a joke or a hoax or something!
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
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Miguel
Advanced Member
Member # 47
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posted
That is what happen when Rick is given a Purpose to tackle your childrens. Jesus ministry was real but yet all those followers where following Him for a miracle not His word of Life. The same is with Rick, the minute Rick and Joel preach on hell, sin and santification that will be the day young minds will here the real Gospel in the mean time we have to pray like crazy....
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Romans 9:11-24
Our Eschatology may vary even our Ecclesiology may be disputed among us but our Soteriology most assume a singularity and exclusivity which in biblical term is known as Quote; "The Narrow Way" and Quote!
Posts: 2792 | From: Stockton,Ca | Registered: Jun 2002
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SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
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posted
I didn't know WHERE to post this but... YIKES!!! MARANATHA!!!!!
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2006/5/29/195855/959
The Purpose Driven Life Takers (Updated)
Imagine: you are a foot soldier in a paramilitary group whose purpose is to remake America as a Christian theocracy, and establish its worldly vision of the dominion of Christ over all aspects of life. You are issued high-tech military weaponry, and instructed to engage the infidel on the streets of New York City. You are on a mission - both a religious mission and a military mission -- to convert or kill Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, gays, and anyone who advocates the separation of church and state - especially moderate, mainstream Christians. Your mission is "to conduct physical and spiritual warfare"; all who resist must be taken out with extreme prejudice. You have never felt so powerful, so driven by a purpose: you are 13 years old. You are playing a real-time strategy video game whose creators are linked to the empire of mega-church pastor Rick Warren, best selling author of The Purpose Driven Life.
.....Is this paramilitary mission simulator for children anything other than prejudice and bigotry using religion as an organizing tool to get people in a violent frame of mind? The dialogue includes people saying, "Praise the Lord," as they blow infidels away.
....."We hope teenagers like the game," Mr. LaHaye told the Los Angeles Times.
....."It's absurd," said the video critic. "You can be the Christians blowing away the infidels, and if that doesn't hit your hot button, you can be the Antichrist blowing away all the Christians."
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Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
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