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He notes that it was "sympathetic and respectful" instead of the "unflattering and even disrespectful" approach that is seen in other media. He also shows how deep some of the research that Obsidian took was, and provides some interesting information on Mormon NPCs.
While the name Nephi will not likely carry any significance to anyone outside Utah or the Mormon Church, to those in the Church Nephi is the first author of The Book of Mormon. For Fallout players, however, Nephi is one of the three fiend leaders that NCR Major Dhatri asks The Courier to kill in the Three-Card Bounty quest.
Bert Gunnarsson, on the other hand, is a ghoul medic and Mormon working with the Followers of the Apocalypse. He can be found helping NCR Captain Parker care for the poor and needy of New Vegas at the Aerotech Office Park.
If you speak to Gunnarsson he reveals that he is ministering to the poor and needy of New Vegas and that he has some medical training from the Followers. However, the GECK (mod tool) reveals a number of lines of unused dialogue that more fully flesh out his character. In one of Bert's lines he explains that in the Church people call him "Elder Gunnarsson," the title borne by full-time missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, implying that Bert is a Mormon missionary.
Also cut from the final game was an option that allowed The Courier to ask Bert what brought him out of Utah, to which he replies, "Following a lost cause, I'm afraid. My old friend Nephi fell in with a bad crowd. Drug runners, raiders, probably worse things it's better not to dwell on. When his gang headed west, I followed. I thought perhaps I could turn him back to the Church." This obviously implies that the golf-club wielding fiend Driver Nephi is also a Mormon, albeit a seriously lapsed one.
Again, I find much to appreciate in these two characters and their stories. First of all, Bert Gunnarsson is a Swedish name. Scandanavia was the second most successful foreign mission in the early days of the Mormon church with 23,000 Scandanavian converts emigrating to Utah between 1852 and 1905. Consequently, Elder Gunnarsson may be a seventh- or eighth-generation Mormon, his ancestors perhaps dating back to those early Swedish converts. Did Obsidian know this historical tid-bit? I don't know, but their research into Mormonism so far seems to reflect a much deeper level of effort than is typically evidenced in entertainment media, so maybe they did.
Read the full thing at Kotaku.
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And since at death, you either go to heaven or hell for eternity. What happens to a baby when it dies? If it goes to heaven, then thats a pretty darn easy way to get into heaven dont you think? and if it goes to hell, its reallyyyyyy unfair because it didnt do anything yet.
I'm going to answer this before someone asks. As for the Native Americans, 16th century philosophers believed that any native who yearned and actively searched for the truth, but could not find it (The Atlantic tended to get in the way of Native American philosophers wanting to talk with European ones), would be allowed into heaven. Again, they could not understand right and wrong if they are never told.
Example: Two children (4 or 5 years old) grow up and somehow survive on an island in the middle of the pacific. If they ended up having sex (outside the sanctity of marriage), lying to each other, or even killing one another, they would be excused. They didn't and couldn't know.
This may just be balogne to try and make themselves feel better, and I don't know the modern explanation, but that is what I know.
@bazza013: Religion isn't needed to answer your first question. Where you are born and under what conditions should not dictate how your life turns out. There are individuals born in a rich household with everything given to them and they turn out as failures. On the other hand there are people in 3rd world countries that grow up to lead mass movements in their homeland, helping millions.
All I'm saying.
And they protect the wearer from fire.
Sounds like magic underwear if you ask me.
"Mormonism should absolutely be targeted for mockery, the same as any religion and any ideology that promotes racism, homophobia, oppression of women, and extraordinary claims that aren't backed by evidence. Mormonism has direct scripture that pushes racism.
I find it sad when religion is portrayed as a positive and righteous thing in video games, aligned with altruism, which couldn't be farther from the truth...it is impossible to do good for good's sake when also being commanded by your god to do good in the name of god."
On the note of the game, I too was happy to meet some good Christian people in Fallout. It was quite the relief from the many other characters of lesser morale, but Fallout is very good at making a nice variety of characters.
Its happening again....