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Anime & Manga
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Our articles were written to encourage
Christian parents who share our goal of following Jesus and trusting His Word.
We are not trying to censor your favorite anime. If you don't share our faith,
you may not want to read our information. On the other hand, if you have committed your life to Jesus Christ and
seek to follow Him, I suggest you also read Answers to Pokemon mail
and Ephesians 5:1-16. Then ask
God to show you His heart and will concerning the content and messages of popular
anime. He might encourage you through verses such as Psalm 95:6, Ephesians 3:14, 1
Peter 1:13-15, and 1 Corinthians 6:14-18. He is so faithful to guide all
who seek His way.
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From "the wondering servant":
Hi I am 16 and have watched anime I just recently checked out your
site and saw the girl try to defend anime. It was :-) . I believe it can go
either way. 1st order of business I went through being addicted to porn so I
know how it only talk one look to mess you up for life. If a person is naked
in any entertainment it is porn. 2 I think anime actually has great
potential I just think the wrong people have been doing it.
From Matthew:
I came across your site not too long ago. I was perusing
through the material and am glad I did so. I learned a lot, especially
through the entertainment section. To add on to what you were warning about
and commenting on, there are indeed some dangerous stuff out there and IT
DOES DULL THE SENSES spiritually! You're probably thinking, "Of course!" and
you are right, but for someone like me who went through years of that stuff,
I'm beginning to realize it.
I used to be into the Pokemon craze, watched anime, play Final Fantasy games
and other stuff. It's only by God's grace, I realize now, I'm still alive
and finally come to my senses about this stuff.
While I enjoyed my childhood and all the other
experiences, I realize that I could have delved deeper into some pretty
wacked out stuff. Interestingly, there were times where I was "lead" to get
rid of that stuff! There are still some more things I need to let go of, but
I want to encourage you to keep up the good work and warning other
Christians.
If this happens to get posted....WAKE UP CHRISTIANS! Speaking from someone
with experience, this stuff (Pokemon, anime, etc.) will dull your spiritual
senses and blind you beyond realizing it until who knows how long. I can't
tell you what to do, but please be so careful in your choice of
entertainment. I don't know you from Adam, but don't want to see anyone be
so lead along that they get themselves in serious trouble (especially
spiritually).
Sincerely, Matthew
From Andries:
I read some of the things about anime. I am a Christian and was part of it.
I have a lot of knowledge about it, because I was a part of it.
I would like you to state to all viewers that we as Christians do not take
on people personally, we only talk about the sins. I am currently in a house
were all my friends are watching anime, and I rebelled against it. I don't
talk to people that don't claim to be Christians. In my opinion if you say
you're a Christian then you imply that you would like God to show you you're
sins so that you can get away from it.
People don't realize that everything we say and do we will be accountable
for in the end. If you could clearly state to the readers that you're
addressing the sins and not the sinners. Because everybody are welcome to
come to God, but it is important that we as Christians should HATE sin,
because God HATES sin not the sinner. Thank you, I like the work you're
doing.
Thank you, Andries, for your wise and
encouraging message. Perhaps these Scriptures would also be helpful to
some:
Freedom in Christ |
His Strength in my weakness
Ways
of the World |
Saying 'no' to God |
Repentance
From Simon Regan: [Continued
from the Dragonball Z page] Concerning Yu Yu Hakusho ('Poltergeist Report'): Another anime (screened in
Japan in the 1980s) that is becoming popular in the West. This also
contains 'chi' powers, and a similar mix of truth as it pertains to
the afterlife as DBZ. It also contains a further very worrying
element:
In the course of the anime, the hero, Yuusuke Urameshi, encounters
'demons' who attempt to stop him from pursuing his goals. Whilst this
is worrying enough for an animated series that, in the West at least,
is marketed to children, the 'demons' are depicted much more like the
'mischievous' spirit beings (youkai) of Shinto than the devils of
Christian mythology. Over the course of the series, several 'demons'
reform (!) and join the hero, and towards the end the hero learns
that the reason for his powers is that he is part 'demon' himself.
What worries me is WHY the translators of this anime chose to use the
word 'demon' - they could have easily chosen or made up a word with
less evil connotations. Instead they chose to use a word which may
influence people into believing that 'demons are not all evil'.
Inu Yasha ('Dog Demon'): This is another increasingly popular anime,
which, although less blatant in its borrowing from Eastern religions
than DBZ or YYH, still contains unacceptable aspects.
It is strongly implied that the heroine is the 'reincarnation' of a
priestess (of the Buddhist religion). This gives credence to pagan
religions, and its subtlety only makes it more likely to influence
and confuse.
There is a New Age emphasis on the 'Shikon shards', which are
crystals which grant amazing powers when implanted in their wielder.
'Demons' are, as in Yu Yu Hakusho, presented as the mischievous
spirits of Shinto rather than the malevolent creatures of the Bible.
And again, the Western translators have chosen to make a direct link
between the two. Even the main character is a half-demon, who is
depicted alternately wishing to deny or embrace the demonic side of
his nature (I have heard some attempt to portray this as man's
struggle with the flesh, but this is definitely a step too far). [Continues
at Gundam Wing and
Neon Genesis Evangelion]
Naruto: Whilst I am not very familiar
with this anime (which has not seen much exposure in the U.K. or U.S. yet,
although I imagine it will be shown on mainstream channels within a few
years) it seems to have much the same problems as Dragonball Z, with occult
powers that are 'activated' by mystic gestures and disturbing plots
including demon possession.
I also noticed several blatantly anti-Christian themes and symbols being
used in this anime - the main villain (Orochimaru) is presented as having
the ability to 'mark' his victims with a bite to the neck, which leaves a
pattern with three comma-like symbols which could very easily be read as
sixes (similar to the occult 'trance music' symbol)
This pattern then spreads throughout the
victim's body. This might be forgiveable if it were exclusively a mark
of evil, and the Biblical theme explained, but another supposedly good
character (Sasuke) gains the (occult) ability to copy his opponent's
techniques - this ability is represented by three commas which look like
sixes rotating in his eye, which turns red. This is obviously not a
co-incidence - the 'first level' of this technique has three commas
spread between both eyes (one in one and two in the other) and the
'second level' has three in both. At best, the creators of Naruto copied
this symbol from an occult film like Omen, not knowing its deeply evil
meaning (the mark of the Beast) in Western Christian culture. At worst
they
have intentionally placed a Satanic mark in their programme without
explaining it, knowing that most people will just see it as a 'cool
symbol'.
As you can see, I have focused primarily on the objectionable
religious or philosophical elements of these programmes without
making comment on their violence or sexual content per se.
I think a certain amount of depiction of the world is not merely
permissible but required (the Bible certainly does not 'sugar coat'
the world, but instead presents incidents, sometimes without comment,
and asks us to evaluate them based in the moral code given in other
parts of the Bible). If we ignore the present darkness of the world
and retreat into our own imagination (which is wicked anyway) this is
just as dangerous - if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves (1
John 1:8). A sinless present world is one of the most dangerous lies
we could possibly tell, because it removes the need for salvation.
HOWEVER, when we have pleasure in the violence or sexuality portrayed
in popular entertainment, this is every bit as sinful as doing it
ourselves (Romans 1:32). Desensitisation is a real issue, since we
are told to keep tender hearts, not harden them by persuading
ourselves that the world is 'too wicked' for redemption. The criteria
should be the Bible - since every word is profitable for
righteousness, no part of it can be desensitising. Thus, popular
entertainment becomes dangerous when it depicts violence or sexuality
in a lingering, vivid way which aims to make the viewer or reader
have
pleasure in the act. Sadly, all too much 'entertainment' does exactly
that, depicting wicked acts in far more vivid detail than the Bible.
[Continues at
Dragonball Z,
Neon Genesis Evangelion and
Gundam Wing ]
From Isa The Mist Nin:
I'd really just like to say that it seems to me that you people think that
everything is bad for everyone apart from God. I know a lot of Christians
who like Power Rangers and Anime.
I have a lot of questions about Christianity. And not just Christianity,
most religions as well. I'm not just picking on you. But it seems to me that
Christians are always the ones who complain about films and books about
magic etc. I mean, for crying out loud, kids know the difference between
reality and fiction! They aren't DUMB! I watched Power Rangers when I was 5
and me and my brother used to pretend to be the yellow and blue Rangers.
Because it was
FUN. Not because we thought Zordon was God or that we were destroying Satan.
Oh, and just to let you know, the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers theme was
NOT pulsating rock. I had a guitar in it, Whoopty doo. Doesn't make it death
metal. I've heard death metal and it sounds nothing like that. Which brings
me onto another point: Music.
I'd really like to know why Christians feel the need to point at every kind
of rock music as being some sort of cult for worshiping the Devil. I listen
to Power Metal, Heavy Metal, and J-Rock as well as Classical and Techno
music. I basically listen to anything that sounds good in my ear. I listen
to Metallica. But I'm not a Satanist. I have a friend who used to joke about
being a Satanist. She['s a lovely girl who is, by the way, now doing very
well in University. We aren't all devil worshipping drop outs you know. Most
of my friends work very hard in school and are very talented and lovely
people.
And just one more thing; what's wrong with homosexuals and transvestites
exactly? One of my best friends is gay. I've never met anyone nicer in my
life. I know a transvestite who works in one of my favourite clothes shops.
He's a great guy, not a "sinner". Eddie Izzard is a transvestite; you can't
deny that he's amazingly funny.
You may like to watch a fantastic film called Dogma. It contains a lot of
loopholes about Chrsitianity that you might like to know about ;) I'd like
to know what you think of it. It's very funny.
Isa, you say
you know many "who like Power Rangers and Anime." Does "liking"
something make it good? How can you trust your feelings, when it is our
lusts and desires that gets humanity into all kinds of trouble:
jealousy, hatred, immorality, etc.?
Yet, I know
that's the way the world tends to think. If it feels good, do it! And so
young people are troubled by unwanted pregnancies, STDs of all kinds --
many of which cannot be cured, emotional despair, etc. They are left
with no moral compass, no real security, no lasting relationships. Is
that good?
On the other
hand, God (my Lord who has revealed His character through His unchanging
Word) has given us a moral standard that promises lasting inner peace to
those who trust and follow Him. He rules out the homosexual lifestyle,
which is so dangerous both to body and soul that it should disturb
everyone. Instead, to those who come to Him in faith and humility, He
offfers a fellowship with Himself that is more satisfying than all the
enticement that anything the world offers.
To answer
your questions about anime and other popular entertainment, please read
the articles listed above -- and
Harry
Potter and the Power of Suggestion
Then see
My Shepherd
From Tony:
You guys are so stupid. Why don't you quit trying to make everyone else and
thier children suffer by spreading these false statements about Pokemon,
Yugioh, and other card games and such? If you have an opinion, fine, but
stop trying to control people's children. Some people are so retarded. Its
just a game! Mind your own business! Should'nt you be in church, instead of
being on the computer bitching about card games you clearly have absolutely
NO knowledge of? Never once while playing one of my many Pokemon games have
I ever seen ANYTHING even half way relevant to religion. Just stop, ok? No
one in thier right mind should quit playing any of these RP games because
you think they're evil. You sound like an idiot with a repressed childhood
anyway. What, did Mommy take all your toys away because they were tools of
the devil? Awwww...Im so sorry. Here, take some Pokemon cards!
Anonymous:
"About your anime section I understand you not liking animes influence of
hell, demons, time travel, and sorcery. One thing that really ticked me off
though is that you metioned the influence of budhism as negative. Shouldn't
we all respect other cultures and their belifs? Aren't they too gods
children???
Budhism teaches that one can realch enlightenment by folowing the middle
way. What is wrong with this??
Our God shows us that we must
always demonstrate His love and wisdom. As Christians, we care about
people from every culture and religious background, but all us must
evaluate ideas, philosophies and beliefs. Cultures and ideas are not
equal. You can't treat ideas or beliefs as equally right or good.
That would be utter foolishness, since some beliefs, values and
ideas are far better than others. For example, you wouldn't
appreciate belief in revengeful curses, child sacrifice or slavery
would you? Yet slavery was accepted around the world up until the
19th Century, when Christians resisted it and finally ended it in
the Western world.
As a Christian, I believe
there is only one God -- the Creator of all. Though I disagree with
Buddhism, I believe I have consistently showed love and friendliness
to all the Buddhist we have met, both in the USA and traveling in
China, Japan, Thailand, Burma and Cambodia. (The latter was many
years ago.) And all the Buddhists we met showed hospitality and
friendliness to us.
Remember, during the last
two centuries, caring Christians left the comforts of the Western
world to share God's love with the poorest of the poor, bringing
medical help and building schools and hospitals. They often faced
death, persecution and torture for their faith. But they valued
human life enough to give their own lives to bring them God's love.
See
Biblical versus Cultural
Christianity
Anonymous:
look man u guys r reading into too much of the anime and the harry potter
books believe me i know if a god does exist then why would he give us the
devil and such other demons also if u can read read it carefully the bible
teaches to respect others! respect the other cultures.
furthermore anime
is just a story that the creator made up to express his feelings toward
culture stop being so aggresive against others and instead respect their
differencess as i respect your own so please stop macking a big deal out of
nothing.
i should and must
admit this but i am a goth and as u can see i dont mean any harm to you and
your religion so dont make make a big deal out of my beliefs... that is all
and would say this ending statement i want to be your friend if you accept
being mine. dont try to convert me cuz every one has tried and failed. i
just want respect as i gave you respect.
P.S. im a teen
and would like to remain anonymous
From a concerned Christian:
(A warning to visitors). A show which should
definitly have its own section is a Japanese cartoon called InuYasha. It
involves demons, magic spells, time traveling, hell, reincarnation,
Buddhism, nudity, language and violence/gore. It is far worse show for
children to watch than Dragonball Z or any other anime posted on your site.
I think this show above all others needs to be discussed as it is very
occult and evil. If young minds get into this show, who knows what may
happen to them. Thank you for listening, I hope you will take my advice.
From Greg:
After reading several of your articles on pokemon, magic,
animorphs, anime, etc. I just need to ask, what is it that ticks in your
mind that makes you think ANY of it has ANY spiritual meaning?
While I realise some of them, like magic the gathering, has spirits, demons,
angels, etc. but I really think god could care less about little cards
printed on cardboard. yes, you heard me say it, -Cardboard- nothing special
or spiritual about it.
now I'll admit, the game is fun to play, and dare I say, addictive. but the
same can be said with a good book, I think the problem isnt the game, but
the people who look at it and dont understand what its about, so I'll define
for you
Magic the Gathering is a game where you and a oppoent go into a fun land
where anything can happen, a escape from the real, and often depressing,
world so to say. In this world magic is real, and is powered by a energy
called mana. Use mana to summon monsters (rangeing from holy - angel, to
unholy - demon, to something you see outside in a tree - birds) and with all
games, MTG needs conflict, so you play agenst the oppoent. (unless you
decide to team up and play 2 player vs 2 player matches, but I wont get into
that)
now please keep in mind, none of this is real. angels may exist, demons
maybe, but walking lions who talk?
I know I may never get a decent responce from you, but at least I will try
P.S. I have been christian for awhile, but I left the church due to people
like you who just couldnt understand what "haveing fun" is like. halloween
is not satanic, and my no means is a cardboard evil.
I do want to know, what makes you so sure a simple thing like a deck of
cards is connected to demons? thouse kids with the stick obviously didnt
follow the rules, infact If you want I can dig up the recent rule relese so
you can see for yourself.
By itself, a
blank deck of cards or a stack of paper would be neutral, Greg. What
matters is the message printed on those cards. Do the cards show occult symbols or
suggest occult practices? Does they transmit ideas or images that, when planted in your mind, will turn your attention
away from
reality (and real facts) to mystical fantasies that captivate your
mind and reconstruct your beliefs and values?
Aside from wasting the time you could
otherwise use to learn more about the real world -- factual
history, geography, skills needed for citizenship -- you are absorbing beliefs and values
which actually blind you to some of the richest aspects of reality. You
trade wisdom based on solid facts
for all kinds of suggestions designed by computer programmers to
captivate your mind and increase their sales. Please read
these three articles that explain this process of mental
and emotional manipulation:
Toying with Death,
Role-Playing Games & Popular Occultism, and
The
Power of Suggestion
When Thomas Jefferson
made the following statement about information, he was talking about
significant facts,
not fantasies and rpgs: "If a nation expects to
be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and
never will be.... The people cannot be safe without information.
Where the press is free, and every man able to read, all is safe."
Jefferson would be shocked to see how our nation is fast turning from
information to ignorance, mass distractions and various forms of public
manipulation. And people are having so much "fun" playing
their games they no
longer care!
But there's more to
genuine and lasting freedom than knowledge. It also requires God's truth
and determined resistance to occult ideology. See
Freedom in Christ
From James
(Vipir Apache Web Hosting (Sakura Ltd.):
There is always something wrong with the world. But it
would seem that you've cooked up a long list of misinformation.
Pokemon-- A colorful imagaintion of the young minds, in a nutshell.
Wow, that was way off. First of all, i'm a christian computer programmer and
i have worked on some pokemon games (red, blue, gold silver crystal green.).
pokemon is about as dangerous as a hard boiled egg. but seriously, the whole
point of pokemon is trust.
Trust in whom, James? That's the
all-important question.
The whole moral
of this is to teach kids compassion, respect, and how to solve riddles.
Also, you are trying to save the pokemon from a group called "Team Rocket"
who steals the pokemon. If you took the time to watch some of these shows,
you'd realize that. And, lets take this for example "Who would want to play
with that evil monster? I don't even like to look at him. Let's find
something that makes us feel happy inside." Wow. Hmm.. Maybe you should get
a job at the WB networks as a censor. But seriously, "Let's find something
that makes us feel happy inside?" You guys can do better than that.
Seriously, it would seem that you picked up a book called "Annoying cliches
that can be used to tell childen that (Insert something here) is bad." Now,
for one, when i beat the game i was really happy for about 15 minutes, then
thought, "Hmm.. do we have any chocolate?" So, there are those who obsess
about this stuff, who belong in a mental hospital, and those who like
chocolate. I play the pokemon games, and i'm currently devloping one right
now, but its just crazy to think that people take this stuff seriously. And
Haunter dosent suck out souls, that would be Janet Reno. (Just kidding.)
I quoted from the Pokemon comic book,
James. That's the message it told.
Yu-Gi-Oh! (Yugi)
All right, we seem to have a small misunderstanding here. Yu-Gi-Oh! was
marketed to teenagers in japan (it was running the 13-17 market there, while
Pokemon had 7-15) and if you bothered to watch the japanese episdes, you'd
understand why. (there is mild cursing, and horrible puns.) Unthinkable two
decades ago? Hmm.. yup once again, you've attempted to punn the wool over
our eyes. the creator of yu-gi-oh came up with this idea in 1986.
Even preschool children watch it! That's
what counts -- not the stated guidelines by the makers. They knew it
would appeal to children of all ages, and the restrictions matter little
in many homes where older fans are joined by young siblings.
Jeff M:
I am an anime fan, as well as religious. Although, unlike you I look at the
world with a more open mind and follow what I believe as moral and
not what someone else perceives to be right and moral. I'm an honor roll
student at my high school and have never disrespected athority, never have
been in contact with drugs or alcohol and I have never taken a 'trip' to the
principal's office in my entire life. I do this, yet I dont believe in the
Bible. I do believe in God, but I also believe in evolution. There
are aspects of both sides that I find to be undoubtedly true, such as the
fossils we dig up every day and that God can be the only explaination to any
existance. This does not mean that I believe in Jesus, a man who, in present
day, would be thought to be insane. Nore do I believe in the virgin Mary,
who, in present day, would be considered a lying prostitute.
The way you look at the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion seems to be a
bit narrow minded. You look at it from one angle and that is the 'offensive'
angle. Which, I find to be quite contradictory to your heavy religious
background am I right? Christians are supposed to be forgiving and kind. Yet
I find your personality as very condecending and self preservatory. Which
means one thing: you're a very uneducated, immature person who hasnt
experienced the life God intended.
To go through your life completely oblivious to theories and other view
points has got to be the most unforfilling, and motionless lives I've ever
comprehended in my mind. Whats the point in going through life if you have
everything written out for you to go by without coming to your OWN
conclusions and your OWN theories. Your mind set has me completely in
awe. You're like programmed atomitons that are bend on one set program and
to violently cast off anything that goes against the program.
NGE is an incredibly thought provoking anime series. It made me think
NOTHING of religion, but more of self discovery and what being an
individual in this world means. It made me realize that in every one's mind
there is another version of myself, how they view me. I merely think its
interesting how they made connections to the Christian religion in their
series.
The fact that the young Christian man who tried to commit suicide after
seeing this series is the complete lack of education to the world around
him. This is purely his parent's faults. They didnt teach him anything about
free thought or creativity, he only thought God was all there was. I dont
blame the kid, if I were that woman's child I'd try to kill myself too. It's
not NGE's fault that the woman raised a mentally unstable child because of
their radical views on life so stop acting like a cartoon is 'the devil'.
Maybe if you ultra conservatives would lighten up a little you'd have less
to worry about. God doesnt want you to live your life in fear of doing the
wrong thing. He wants you to live your life freely and to be happy with what
you like to do, not what you're taught to like to do. Be creative and
imaginative. As long as you are a decent person who has a good set of morals
God will accept you. I dont think He wants you to live a constricted life
just because you fear going to Hell.
In conclusion, ITS A STORY. Look from the 'positive' angle. See the story
for what it's meant for. dont have a chip on your shoulder. Make sure you
reply, I'm curious as to how you'll defend yourself.
Believe it or not, Jeff, I do
draw my own
conclusions. My overriding conclusion is that God is all-powerful,
all-knowing and always right. I am none of those. But through Jesus
Christ, I can share in His amazing victory over all of life's struggles
and obstacles. I can live a totally fulfilled and exciting life -- full
of hope in eternity and with no fear of death! I wouldn't trade the
wonders of His wisdom, strength and goodness for any of the world's
shallow thrills or riches.
From Yioujuin.
This is partly addressed to the professed
Christians in the anime/manga forum. For those who don't claim to be
Christian, the following is not necessarily relevant for you.
It really is easy to be swept along into the tolerance movement of
post-modernism. I grew up in that kind of a high school, and I was always
rather unsure of my doubts because nobody else seemed agitated at the subtle
pluralistic messages our teachers would convey. I thought that perhaps I was
only being paranoid, but the Holy Spirit was always burning the truth in my
mind with the memory of Scripture so that I could never sit well with things
like, "God and Allah are basically the same," or "All that matters is if
you're a good person." While tolerance contains a good (and even Biblical)
point about being accepting and understanding, it makes an astoundingly bold
claim about truth itself -- that there is no moral absolute, and that
everything is relative, and therefore we must accept all beliefs as equally
valid. Yet as people who have, by God's grace, encountered and continue to
encounter God in a personal way, we cannot accept every truth claim as
valid. Not because we want to be closed-minded, but because we believe that
reality itself is an issue of objective truth, not subject to personal
opinion or preference.
Consequently, it's
not a matter of arrogance if we say, "Jesus is the only way," because we believe
it to be true the same way 2+2=4. Let's say that this is not well-known
mathematics, and someone else sincerely believes that 2+2=5. We would continue
to assert that 2+2=4, not because it makes us feel good, although that may be
the case for those with lesser motives, but because we simply believe it is the
absolute and objective truth, above and beyond our influence, and that
therefore, we are subject to its reality whether we like it or not. As such, we
might as well be sided with reality.
Concerning anime/manga:
I was reading through some of the reader feedback and your responses to them,
and in the end, I'm still not exactly sure on your position. While I agree that
an attitude of caution is definitely in order when looking through manga/anime
(or any form of entertainment, for that matter), I don't know that it is
necessarily a medium of Satan's subversive work (though I agree that it can be).
Some Christians
can watch and enjoy certain anime/manga without qualms--either because they are
backslidden and insincere about their love for God or because they are simply
not so enamored with it. But for myself, lately I have been feeling a tug from
the Holy Spirit to give up manga/anime altogether--not because it is inherently
evil (although some are), but because God has been convicting me about the way I
spend my time, and what I meditate on--because more and more I am learning that
I didn't just invite Christ to be Lord of my heart, but to be Lord in and over
my mind as well. And I find that the more I honestly let God examine my ways
(not that He doesn't know them already), the more faith He gives me to be
willing in complete surrender, which leads to an all-surpassing freedom, and an
even greater intimacy with Him than I have ever known.
Ultimately, it
comes down to the willingness to obey Him, no matter what the cost--even if He
doesn't give a reason, and all you have to go by is His word and His identity.
But, contrary to our instinctive way of thinking, this is how those who know God
find the greatest joy in living. If we give God the chance to speak truth into
our lives without prior selectivity in our hearing, our walk with Him will be
more harmonious, and the cloud of doubt and confusion about whether something is
right or wrong will be dissipated by the light of truth.
But we need to be
willing to receive correction, and turn from even that which is most enjoyable.
Not because God wants to deny us fun in life, or because entertainment is
inherently wrong (though much of it now is more than questionable), but because
if there is even one thing in our lives that we would not be willing to give up
for God, that thing has become more important than Him, and consequently, our
hearts will become darkened and hardened to knowing Him more deeply and
experiencing His daily presence.
Disobedience will
always cloud our relationship with Him, because that is the action of sin. And
if we want to know the will of God for our lives, we can't go on living as if we
will only hear what we want to hear. We must be willing to hear it all. It's
only then that our faith will really come alive. And this isn't just for moral
or nice people--it's the fundamental truth of salvation for all people,
murderers and counselors alike. Because when we accept the grace of Christ's
death and resurrection for our sins, we die to ourselves and accept all of Him
into all of us. And this can only ultimately result in nothing short of a new
creation--heart, mind, and soul. Even if we clung to that which we find so
enjoyable now, we would only be depriving ourselves of the deep and lasting joy,
peace, and fulfillment that comes only from knowing and living for God.
So am I saying
that Christians can't enjoy anime or manga? Not necessarily. But if you want to
live a radical life of freedom and close encounters with the Living God, He will
continue to shape you as He sees fit, and that will include clearing away those
things that distract or hinder you from loving Him with your all. For me, that
distraction includes spending time in anime and manga.
Yesterday morning
(12/02/03), while I was waiting on God in prayer and feeling hopelessly
dejected, God suddenly gave me a vision of the first page of Psalms, and that
page turning. At first I thought that He was indicating that I should read Psalm
1, but then I realized that in my Bible, Psalm 4 was printed partially on the
first page, then continuing on to the second, which explained why the page had
turned in my vision.
So He then led me
to read Psalm 4:2, which says, "How long, O men, will you turn my glory into
shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Know that the Lord
has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him."
It really cut me
to the heart. Although I had known it for several years, it was then that I knew
even more clearly what God wanted me to do. You see, I had sensed that I was
becoming too attached to anime/manga, and so I made a promise to Him last
Thanksgiving that I would give it all up, partly because I felt that's what He
wanted me to do, and partly because I hoped that making the vow would make me
take it more seriously. But after I faced my first loss to the temptation to
regress, I began to fall into confusion and doubt. Maybe my promise was rash and
unnecessary, I reasoned. Besides, anime/manga aren't necessarily sinful, are
they? But after a while, I just gave up struggling and continued to watch anime/manga,
partly because I simply wanted enjoy it, and partly because I lacked to courage
to give it up altogether. It made me sad to think that maybe God didn't want me
to enjoy it anymore. Besides, it didn't seem like a big deal. It's just
fantasy... right? But the fact that I had to rationalize to alleviate my guilt
already spoke for itself.
So I spent the
next year blocking out that conviction from God, and as a result, blocking out
His loving presence from my life in general. But I made a vow to God, and He
wouldn't let me forget that. So regardless of whether it was a sin in the first
place, it became one for me because I was breaking my vows to God, and as
Ecclesiastes 5:4-7 says, "When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling
it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than
to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And
do not protest to the temple messenger, 'My vow was a mistake.' Why should God
be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and
many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God."
Knowing this made
me laden with guilt, but guilt doesn't necessarily mean you've repented. To
repent literally means to "turn away," and it wasn't until that recent morning
that I decisively turned away for good.
But what really
amazed me was that I expected God to be harsh in calling me to repentance. I
knew I needed to admit my sin, turn away, and ask for His forgiveness, but I
thought that if I ever did confess my wrong, He would only forgive me like a
stern and deeply disappointed father, and I didn't want to have to face Him like
that. But what really turned the tide for me was not His judgment or
condemnation of me, but His kindness revealed to me through His loving promise.
Continuing in Psalm 4, verses six through eight read, "Many are asking, 'Who can
show us any good?' Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have
filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I
will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in
safety."
Guilt plays a role
in leading us to repentance, but it is when we realize the kindness of His grace
and with what joy He welcomes us back into His arms that we fall down at His
feet in total abandon. As Paul says in Philippians 3:7-11,
"But whatever
was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I
consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them
rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through
faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I
want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of
sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow,
to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
It might seem
unbelievable. How can just knowing God be that great? But the only way to know
for sure is to find out for yourself. No moment of deliberation is a plateau--it
is a lost moment of sliding further and further downhill from Him. If you feel
there is a wall between you and God, now is the time to expose it in the light
of truth and deal with it for good. There's nothing like knowing you are at
peace with God.
Thank you, Yioujuin, for your wise and caring message. May many read, hear and
heed your words so that they may share in that wonderful peace and fellowship
that only is found in Jesus Christ, our Lord!
From Todd H.: I have been aware of anime/manga for some time now.
I, too, had what could be called a "phase" where I would occasionally watch
some of it. I also, unfortunately, watched some of the darker anime that is
circulating.
I have read through the comments posted on crossroad.to,
concerning anime/manga. I have to say this about most of the readers
comments DEFENDING anime/manga: Do you (anime/manga fans) not realize that
you are replacing life with this anime/manga hogwash? Going into
excruciating detail about some FICTIONAL cartoon characters as if they were
real? Don't forget, that anime/manga is directly associated with the anime/manga
that portrays girls AND women as throwaway toys, only good for sex and
abuse? I have seen some of the most brutal of the anime in years past, and,
technically speaking, ALL anime/manga is of the same roots. You can't have
one genre of anime, without realizing the extent and brutality of the
others.
Anime is MAINLY for adults, evidenced by the storylines. Some anime is just
plain BORING. Some is DISGUSTING. ALL of it is like watching soap operas:
The gullible and reality-denying individual treating fictional characters as
REAL, hence the troubling trend of little kids acting like they are gods,
superheroes, wizards, and animals. Even if there WERE such a thing as
CHRISTIAN anime, the roots would STILL be there. One could not perceivably "christianise"
something that is inherently evil.
No matter how many of you DEFEND anime/manga, you NEED to realize that this
genre of entertainment is nothing short of witchcraft, REGARDLESS of the
messages/storylines presented. Anime, like other ungodly trappings in life,
has been designed to rip you from the real world (God's creation), and stuff
you into a state of mind that neither pleases God, nor will ever draw you
closer to Him. Take it from someone who KNOWS about this topic. When you
begin to blur the lines between good and evil (whether it's a little or a lot),
you push yourself farther and farther into the chasm of depravity and
insanity. Anime/manga is a product that is best flushed back into the
cesspool from which it came.
It may seem that this letter is quite harsh, and some of you may whine about
not judging "the anointed", as far as Christians are concerned.
Let me close with this thought: If your best friend was about to end his or
her life, would you refrain from helping them, simply because you didn't
want to offend their FEELINGS? OR, would you jump in, and prevent them from
making one of the biggest mistakes a human being can ever make? What's more
important, folks? What YOU want, OR, what God expects from a GENUINE
Christian? Is anime/manga your idol, or is God your idol? What's more
important here: Doing what's right in God's eyes, or, being a rebellious
little brat, and thumbing your nose defiantly at our Lord and Saviour? Anime
is a WASTE of time, and, terrifyingly, one more tool that the devil uses to
keep you away from Jesus Christ.
Thank you, Todd. I pray that many will hear and heed your wise words.
Anonymous:
I'm an anime fan but not active one of. The reason I like anime it's because
I believe it abled me to express my individuality and experiences into
fanstastic but moral stories. But sadly, Most animes contain the beliefs
that would deny christianity. I remembered my mother said that anime cheats
you to spend money and the companies earn a lot of money.
I
used to like Pokemon, but not since I know about the waste ot natural
resources on cards and related productions, the unhealty obssesions, an
insult to animal kingdom( I get this from a comment and I agree with it) and
repetition of storylines.
Yu-Gi-Oh
(I believe the original version of it would be much more mature) is
materialisticly the same with Pokemon and contains the play cards that
offend christianity, but I can see that there is friendship, courage, and
morality inside it, and diversal episodes (unlike Pokemon).
There
is one period when I was suffering from playing cards obssesion until I
learned how to be self-contained, and I feel sorry for people who attach
their life to Pokemon and other playing games ( I am a little bit like them,
but least I would not spend a lot of my life on playing games and Anime)
I really believe that Anime can be use for good, not merely for kids' show,
violence, and sex. And even though I'm not an active christian, I really
wish I could draw ( I loved to draw) a graphic story in anime style that
would be entertaining and fanstastic, but yet contain morality and
reflecting christianity. (That's the good thing about
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy,
since I like it also.)
note:
My comment may be confusing and please accept my humble comment, either is
it good or bad. May God blesses us not to be influenced by the world, but to
transform into the mortal world with self-contained hearts.
From Stella:
hi I must first say I am christian heck i even
keep the sabbath day holy, but i disapprove wholy on your criticism. if you
recall the lord says we should not judge others unless we wish to be judged
ourselves. i for one am a very very big anime fan and do not care wether you
think it is anti-christian or not. and most fans would probably agree. My
point is most anime (Hamtaro is the exception) is not for children.
Thanks for pointing that out,
Stella. Yet children around the world are obsessed with anime. That's why I
critique this global phenomenon. Concerned parents ask me for information
and I try to help them.
Parents
who let children or easily influenced family members, for lack of better
word, are themselves irresponsible. Now I'm 17 and drawing anime is my life.
I think you ought to at least look at the positive influences in anime and
manga before judging it as a whole. as for the car I'm 99.9 percent sure
that's fan art, I'll check up on that with a friend who is more diehard fan
then I am.
From "GOEMON OF
LUPIN3RD FAME":
ANIME IS NOT AGAINST CHRISTIANITY IN ANYWAY
BEFORE YOU START CRITICIZING IT PERHAPS SHOULD WATCH AND LISTEN TO IT
CAREFULLY YOURSELF. YOU WILL SEE THAT SOME ARE MORE CHRISTIAN THAN YOU THINK
OH BY THE WAY YOU SHOULD WATCH LUPIN AT MIDNIGHT MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
YOU'LL FIND THING ANTI-CHRISTIAN IS THE FACT THAT THEY ARE THIEVES.
ALSO I'M A CHRISTIAN AND DO AGREE WITH YOUR
DISSAPROVAL OF THE USE OF THE NAME SATAN BEING USED IN A COMICAL WAY
HOWEVER BEFORE YOU CRITICIZE ANIME PERHAPS YOU
SHOULD WATCH AMERICAN CARTOONS LIKE TOM AND JERRY THEY'RE ACTUALLY MORE
ANTI-CHRISTIAN THAN DBZ ACCORDING YOUR BELIEFS AFTER ALL THEY DO IS BEAT THE
SNOT OUT OF EACH OTHER. DBZ CHARACTERS MOSTLY FIGHT TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT I
SAY MOSTLY BECAUSE THERE IS THE OCCASIONAL TOURNAMENT, BY THE GOKU ALWAYS
SHOWS TO HIS ENEMY EVEN MAJIN BUU, AND FRIEZA. HE NEVER ONCE KILLED IN COLD
BLOOD AND THE TAIL THAT ORIGINATES FROM SAYIAN DNA ALSO
IF YOU'LL NOTICE WHENEVER SAYIAN LOOKED AT A
FULL MOON THEY TRANSFORMED INTO A GIANT MONKEY USELY WITH NO CONTROL OVER
THEMSELVES WHATSOEVER THIS IS BECAUSE ACCORDING TO GIVEN EVIDENCE THE SAYIAN
RACE BEFORE THEY EVOLVED WERE ONCE GIANT MONKEYS WITH ENORMOUS POWER THEY
SIMPLY RETAINED A TIDBIT OF LEFTOVER DNA GIVING THEM A POWER BOOST ALSO GOKU
IS PURE OF HEART THEY MAKE QUITE A BIT OF REFERENCE TO THIS.
SIGNED WITH FRUSTRATION, AN UNHAPPY GOEMON
Second letter
from Omari: I would first like to thank you
for replying to my letter.
I have no
problem with protecting young children. It would be wrong to tell a parent
how to raise their children and what is appropriate and not. You are right
that some children may be turned away from Christianity, but instead of
sheltering their child they should talk to them about what they are watching
and explain to them that certain scenes are not real and that this is one
person's view on a certain subject and is not to be taken as fact.
One thing that
bothered me about DJR's letter is that he implied indirectly that the reason
that anime is spread around the world is because of some insidious plot by
the creators to spread Shintoism or Japanese ideals around the world. None
of the companies have this intention at all. It is the American companies
that bring it over. They see a title that is popular and see that it could
have a audience in America.
I can't speak for DJR, Omari. I have
never talked with him. But I don't think he intended to attribute those motives
("some insidious plot") to the anime creators. He says,
"If you've
noticed, anime is tremendously INFUSED with Shintoism/ Buddhist values a
Christian should stay away from. You are not scorning their culture. Of
course not!"
You may be referring to a his later
statement: "Why do you think
anime is shown to children across and abroad? Its to prepare them for the
real deal. And you say anime doesn't affect you..."
This doesn't refer to the anime producers
either, but I can see how someone might make that connection.
I would guess that Omari was referring to
spiritual warfare and the ways Satan uses popular culture and occult
entertainment to twist God's truth and to draw people away from His wise and
loving ways. Please see this page:
The Nature and Tactics of Satan
First letter
from Omari: This is in response to DJR's
letter [below].
Of course anime is infused with Shinto beliefs, Japan is a Shinto country
and their animation is a reflection of their culture. This is no different
than what any country would produce. Would you critize Berit if she created
an animated series infused with Christian beliefs.
Of course not
but you choose to critize anime because of the country's belief. You say
that anime is not for anyone. You are greatly mistaken there, there are many
titles that have no religious contations that is released every year here
but you chose to focus on certain titles to prove your point. If you were a
true otaku you would know this. Most people who watch anime are just bored
with reduntant nature of Hollywood and are looking something they haven't
seen 10 times already. There is nothing wrong with watching a wandering
samurai trying to redeem himself or watching a character defend Earth from
space invanders.
If a person
has firm belief in their God no amount of entertainment should turn them
away from it. If they do turn away from it then they were never true
believers. Take Berit for example, she has not turned away after watching
anime albeit not the amount as some fans, but still she has not turned away
from God's teaching.
But many children do turn away from
Christianity, Omari. To stay true to their faith, they need to see a clear
view of reality -- one that includes God's truth, important times in history,
and a foundational understanding of the nature of things. The latter means
taking time (away from TV and other virtual worlds) to enjoy the outdoors --
climb trees, explore bugs, delight in a feather....
If "Christian" children learn to love
fantasy more than reality, they will begin to base their values on myths and
group opinions rather than truth. In some ways, it's like eating chocolate
rather than chicken for dinner.
The Shinto beliefs in anime make little
difference to those whose beliefs are already grounded in those myths. But it clashes with Christianity.
Those who, like D.J.R., know Jesus
Christ and the excitement of walking with Him, realize what a shallow
substitute these fantasies offer. They also know how easy it is to blend
these other religions with Christianity. Those who do mix their faith with
other religions, end up with something that might look or sound like
Christianity but stripped of God's Spirit, life and love. For when those who
call themselves by His name turn to other gods, He usually turns away from
them and leaves them to their own resources. That is, until they
repent and return to Him.
But few do. They don't even realize that
they are on the wrong track. Here is one of the saddest Scriptures in
the Bible:
Isaiah 30:15.
From D.J.R.: TO MY DEAR CHRISTIAN
BRETHREN (visiting anime fans, not Berit):
Don't be upset when you hear the daunting details of anime or anything of
that genre. If you really ARE true Christians (mind you now, you professed
it by saying you are a Christian!), be willing to embrace the truth with
open hearts. He who has ears let him hear.
If you've
noticed, anime is tremendously INFUSED with Shintoism/Buddhist values a
Christian should stay away from. You are not scorning their culture. Of
course not! By saying that (that opposing anime is racist or what have you),
you justify the fact that there IS something wrong with anime, and that you
are trying to find a defense. And so what if some religious leader okays
anime? What does the BIBLE say? Do you even delve into the Holy Scripture?
Even God tells us not to let our trust into human intellect! He so KNOWS
these things before hand.
Would you
rather prefer to seek comfort, entertainment and ENLIGHTENMENT from that
which the Lord FORBIDS? 'Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God and His
RIGHTEOUSNESS'. Not anime which involves many occult themes.
And to those
of you who say there are different types of anime and not all for kids.
Anime is for no one. Why do you think anime is shown to children across and
abroad? Its to prepare them for the real deal. And you say anime doesn't
affect you...You are LIVING PROOF it does! Some of you even threaten to
leave your OWN faith to follow another. Isn't that EXACTLY what that fallen
angel would WANT??
I too used to be an anime fanatic (otaku). I tried to defend it as well.
"But what is anime to my soul's salvation?" is what every person should ask
themselves. Please, consider your ways. If you really are a Christian, act
like one, because being a Christian is not a passive thing!
From JTL: Thank you so very much for
seeking out topics that have so much relation to modern society!
I will tell you right now, I was, an incredibly AVID fan of almost all of
the anime mentioned on this website. I will state several specific examples,
one of which was an anime I was too deeply rooted in; Shin Seiki (Neon
Genesis) Evangelion. A few others are Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball/
Dragon Ball Z, and Pokemon. These are only the Anime that are mentioned on
this site, I don't believe things like InuYasha,(deeply occult)and Outlaw
Star are mentioned on this site. As a matter of fact, I was addicted to GW
and NGE until just prior to writing this letter.
God Bless You All For the Courage to Voice your opinions!
Contrary to popular belief, these Animes have an INCREDIBLE influence on our
lifestyles/habits. A main example was my constantly unstable personality
before relinquishing anime, also, contrary to popular belief, even animes
that hint nudity in the most minor quantities influence in major ways. I am
not afraid to say that these animes led me, and I don't say this happens to
all, into deep sexual sin, not to the point where I have had sex, however,
it was inching closer and closer. Thankfully, I feel the Lord's guidance
returning after renouncing these animes!
No matter what one says, or believes, these animes, based on the slightly
limited amount I've seen, have few positive values to bring forth and many
negatives. All the time, no one around me suspected these animes lead me to
sin, and yet, they did. They also brought about changes in my behavior,
which only those in my Church recognized. But all the while, I always heard
"Oh Joseph, you're such a nice child!" and other comments as such, while I
knew they were wrong, and this lead me to develop a depressive guilt
complex.
Thank you for sharing these things to everyone, I hope that even those "Otakus"
would stop sending offensive e-mails intended for nothing more than
humiliating those who only wish to use their God-given, First Amendment
RIGHT to voice their opinions. Keep that in mind -- and I voice this to "Otakus"
who are sending these mails --
these people
(at the Kjos website) are NOT telling you what to do, they are giving their
opinion and guidance based on their religion, faith, and God's Word to those
of the same religion. I dare not say you have no right to argue their
claims, but you also have no right to tell them that they should not write
their opinions on the internet, and you CERTAINLY have no right to give them
personal insults.
Thank you, JTL, for sharing our concerns
and standing with us in this battle for truth. We appreciate your insights
and encouragement a lot!
From
Neil Carmody:
I have been visiting your
site for some time now mainly for a giggle at the anime arguements. I live
in the UK and am an avid fan of all types of anime from Sailor Moon and
Dragon ball Z to the more adult films like ____. I have recently gon to the
extream of ordering anime from the USA even though it is against the Law
here (Well the type of films i order are) The point is of the many christian
sites I visit I am always getting the impression that I am evil. Is this the
view you are wanting to give to the many anime fans that contact you?
Just for the
record I have no religious faith my close friends are Wiccans and christians
and they all no
matter what they believe show tolorance. My hobbies include
. Live action roleplay
. Anime
. Reading sci fi
. Watching Horror films
. Drinking Alcohol
Many things that give me the impression that I am already DAMMED.
Apart from Jesus Christ, we would all be
condemned, Neil. I, as much as you or anyone. None of us can meet God's
standard for goodness and holiness apart from Christ. But He reaches out to
you as He did me, inviting us to come into His family. Anyone willing to
confess their sin, turn their lives around and receive His gift of eternal
life -- through the cross -- will find the same peace and freedom that I
found. Jesus Christ, my Lord, has prepared the way for us, and He is
wonderful beyond description. See
What it means to
be a Christian
Now a
piece for the anime arguements.
Here in the UK we have very serve CENSORSHIP thanks to
the BBFC. Even with this censorship the most popular anime title in the UK
is the demon film ____.
I have heard that America has a very backward view of animation that
Cartoons are mostly for children with the exception of a few. This led me to
read of stories of parents buying their children H anime and ending up being
disgusted by the content. this intrests me as I can only obtain H anime
online from american sites. I would be keen to know what you think of this.
I am not surprised that parents might
accidentally buy anime porn for their children. I have seen a couple of the
ads, and they showed the standard anime characters: child-like faces with
big-eyes. On the surface, they looked like cartoons for children.
But I am surprised that in the UK, you
can only buy the porn anime. Perhaps the anime porn industry has some sort
of control over the marketing to other countries. This corruption of the
world is accelerating fast.
All the more, I appreciate having my
citizenship in heaven and walking with my Lord while I am here on the earth.
It is so exciting to know that He is my
Shepherd
and Friend wherever I go.
From D. J. R.: I stumbled upon your
website today and am truly blest. Let me tell you a quick life story. Back
when I was in highschool, about a few years ago, I "fell in love" with a
great asian guy. My parents told me not to date, but I did it anyway. It was
very romantic and exotic to me, being black and he oriental. But now I know
that it was the trap from Satan and his evil minions.
Being an art
lover, I loved to doodle in class. My bf, who I'll call Toy, scorned my work
(playfully) and said that the real deal was in anime. I was confused when he
said that, because i didn't really know that much about it. Oh, but woe, how
I grew to understand and accept the waywardness of those pagan images that
infiltrated my mind.
Toy, like
myself, liked to draw, and he was always drawing anime styled. I would draw
about 10 or so anime-styled images a day (except on Sabbath), and then would
late it bake in my head at night. My concept of reality began to change and
my desire to serve the Lord fervently began to falter. I began to be dwell
on things and ideas that I never was attracted to before. I had trouble
accepting myself and others. I fell into very horrible bouts of depression.
Have you
noticed that is always the case with anime fanatics, or otakus? They feel
that everything is okay, but deep down they have now defenses against Satan
or any of his diversions.
Then, inspired by the Holy Spirit, a loved one of mine told me to steer
clear of the stuff.
I was addicted.
I listened to her word, but only for a while. But I was fatally wrong to do
so. As I write this, I am actually remembering the times messages and images
where placed into my mind from childhood. I watched Sailor Moon when I was
little, not really paying attention to the background themes and innuendos.
Who knows what I had absorbed then and continued to spew out until now!
So, I fasted. I prayed earnestly. And to this day I still feel the urge to
just take a peep at some anime, but I still try hard with all of my heart. I
am much stronger now than I used to be. I have occassionally slipped, but
the bible is such sweet reassurance and your literature is a great
dedication to the Alpha and Omega we both know and love.
Another note: These images and fantastic scenes are VERY addictive and can
mess up a person subconciously. I have an anecdote to this statement.
When I was younger, about 11 or 12, I made up a little song. I thought it
was cute and sang it to my siblings, who also liked it. Just yesterday,( I'm
17 now), my brother was humming the tune. "Hey!" I said cheerily." I made up
that song. Do you know the words?" He shook his head. So I sang the words to
him, sort of surprised how well I remembered every word ( I use to make a
lot of songs when I was young and I still can't remember them now.) My mom,
who was around us cooking, threw down her ladle in shock. "What did you say?
Repeat the words." I was surprised and spoke the word to her instead of
singing them. The words go like this:
Dreams,
Dreams, the 'scapeway
Opens up Paths to the Gateway
Your Eyes, Let them see the Guide
Which leads you to the Light
Where You'll find your Delight.
That's when it
hit me. It was completely new age. Paths to the Gateway and the whole bit.
And there I was, singing it like a fool! Then my mom asked me if I was into
anything when I was that age. I certaintly was not! But the words spoke
differently.
That just goes
to show you how the Devil, that Old Serpent, can work to fix things into
your mind subcontiously, and he does THIS is you are not careful with what
you place into your temple (your body) physically, mentally, and
spiritually. If anyone still believes that anime is not bad, they should
head straightway to the Bible and pray for Spiritual Discernment!
With Great Love, Your Friend
Thank you, dear friend, for this warning
-- and for sharing your victory in Christ. Only He can set us free!
From Tyler Kryg (Canada): First of all,
I myself am catholic, just to give you a heads up before you start
condemning me. I would like to know why you feel the need to condemn Anime,
stating that is aimed towards children and it is evil.
First of all, there are 3 different catageories concerning anime: Childrens
anime, anime for Teenagers and Adult anime.
What really bothers me is people who are so narrow-minded, they feel the
needed to preach their values as truth and disregard everything else as
nonsense and evil. Why do you feel the need to convert the world when people
are fine enough with their own religon and beliefs. Think about this before
you feel the need to cut down annothers interests.
Tyler, please read the second paragraph in the box
above. I think that will answer your questions. You may also want to read
Answers to Pokemon mail
From
Katie: I am a sixteen year-old girl and
I've been a fan of anime since I was twelve. It began with a friend's
introduction of Sailormoon and proceeded when I discovered Pokemon. I get up
at six AM every morning for school, and at the time that was when Pokemon
was broadcast. I had a very lengthy obsession with both shows.
When I started
high school, I moved on to other anime and discovered that those who really
want to experience anime must see it as it was intended: unedited. The
amount of editing done to televised anime is horrifying. It is ridiculous
what some people chose to censor, though some is understandable. I would
never advocate small children watching the edited, dubbed versions of any
anime show, but please leave the original material for the mature viewers.
I suppose what
touches the minds of anime fans is an affinity with the characters. While it
is never easy to identify with the perky popular character who everyone
loves (and who eats enormous amounts without gaining weight) as
Sailormoon was presented in America, it is no challenge to sympathize
with the girl who has suddenly found herself growing up too fast and
watching her friends and loved ones die around her.
Anime has a
very human beauty to it from Fushigi Yuugi- the story of a young girl caught
in an unwanted destiny and torn between her true love and her best friend-
to Mars- a translated manga about a gentle, innocent girl who has to
struggle through her own demons to try and save the boy she loves who is
trapped in the darkness of his mind and the manipulations of those around
them.
I would also
like to point out that anime introduced me to fanfiction, which prompted me
to
read, then to write. It helped me discover what I want to do with my future
and who I am today.
Thank you for explaining why anime is
important to you. It has certainly become a captivating and influential part
of America's youth culture.
Though you would "never advocate small
children watching" it, the fact is: they do -- from coast to coast. While
its fans may not notice how its constant suggestions and enticing images
change their values, it does affect a person's view of reality as well as
fantasy.
[The
Power of Suggestion]
From Ann Fogle
Pelion: It seems like every kid's cartoon show
now involves occult and eastern mystic practices, so I guess another one is
old news. I thought I'd share this one because I haven't seen it mentioned
on your website yet -- it's Jackie Chan Adventures. The objectionable
things about it are similar to Pokemon, etc. The episode I saw yesterday was
all about using astral projection in order to defeat the bad guys. The term
'astral projection' was used over and over throughout so I'm sure kid's
won't forget either the actions or the name.
Thank you, Ann, for sharing this
information.
From Andy Casupang
(Quezon City, Philippines): I am also a
Christian. I am writing to you this letter to inform you more sir about
Sailor Moon the manga series. If you would record Bunny Usagi's
transformation to Sailor moon then play it in slow motion, you would see her
become nude completely in just a split second that you barely see it!!!
More so you could also see the "el cornato" sign on her hands whenever she
introduces herself. It is interesting to note that el cornato is also
referred to as the Satanic Salute or salute to Satan.
Hope that this helped you a lot in your ministry on bringing light on this
darkened world. If ever that you want to ask more about Japanese anime's
feel free to mail me.
Thank you, Andy, for sharing our
concerns and helping us warn others.
From
"14 yr old" Canadian:
Another thing is that your site (again not to be rude) tends to put all
anime is the "evil" group, while some are fine. (ex. Metabots, gundam wind,
bubble
gum crisis)
It all depends on what your
standard is. To those who don't have a clear or absolute reference point,
most things are relative and open to dialogue. To those who want to follow
the God I love, the Bible becomes the moral and spiritual guide. But many
simply turn God's truths upside down, just as people did in Old Testament
days. That's why God warned us,
"Woe to those who call evil good, and
good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness....
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!"
Isaiah
5:20-21
Even though some
are bad I think we need to grow up and realise that there are different
cultures in the world and we have to learn to respect them, they are wrong
(I am gonna get e-mail and E-mailed about discrimination from this) but it's
what they grew up with and were taught from day-one, and they honestly
believe there right. I think we need to keep in mind its what they believe
and just appreciate the cartoon for what it is good art.
The definition for "good" art
keeps changing from culture to culture and time to time. My concern is not
the talent of the artist, but the message communicated through the art. Does
it affirm truth and help a Christian follow God?
Or does it ignore, deny or mock truth? Might it distract or confuse a
Christian's understanding of God and His ways?
God tells us,
"Beware lest anyone cheat you through
philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to
the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."
Col 2:6-9
From Duo:
One thing I find you keep throwing out the window is culture. The creators of these
shows grew up in a place that hasn't been introduced to wide scale evangelization
since pretty recently. They are still influenced by the stories of their ancestors and
therefore keep a lot of their ideals. Also, nudity, swearing, violence, all are widely
accepted.
That doesn't mean that you or I have to
accept it, Duo. I am not telling Japanese children to change their culture. But I am
suggesting that Christian families can choose to follow a more morally healthy pathway
-- one that honors (rather than mocks) the God we love.
Things that are “naughty” here in the US are normal over there.
They were raised differently. In old Japanese days, there used to be bathhouses where
anyone could come into one hot spring to bathe. Needless to say, they
probably saw a lot of each other. There are still some bathhouses like that today! As
for swearing… there is a lot of swearing in TV in other places than Japan. England,
well the whole UK, most of Europe, it is more accepted pretty much everywhere but the
US. As for violence, I think they are more used to stimulation, and exciting images
flying around the screen. With that said, I will move on!
I'd like to address your attacks on Gundam Wing. My favorite anime character of all
time, Duo Maxwell, is at the receiving ends of much of this. First of all, you
haven't been told the true, whole story of his life. He was a war
orphan as you do know and has had to deal with many traumatic experiences that no
person should ever have to go through especially at his young age.
It’s no wonder he didn't believe in god, considering he
was never exposed to Him before he came to the Maxwell church. Until then, all he knew
was war, death, hunger, poverty, hate, lies, and loss. He never said he worshipped
Shinigami, the God of Death, just that that was all he believed was possible. He said
it was god he didn't believe in, and here's why: Sister Helen (a one and only
mother-figure from the Maxwell church who was also killed) asked him, "Duo, you don't
believe in God, but you believe in the God of Death?" he answers "Yeah! I've never
seen any miracles, but I've sure seen lots of dead people!” he answers rather
cheerfully though, and it is easy to see that he may probably be in denial....
Another note about the name Shinigami... he is called that
because he's good at his job of destruction, although he is severely opposed to it, he
knows it is necessary for peace to come. This is very much a show of love, of
doing things he hates for the betterment of all. All of the Gundam pilots do this, and
many times prize other lives over their own.
Wufei Chang has a strong sense of justice and honor and fights
for what he believes in. he may seem like a chauvinist but that is for a number of
reasons, and going deeper into his history, you will see that he is not. He
comes from a Chinese colony, or rather, a colony that was settled by a Chinese clan.
He believed that women were weak, as does most of the Chinese culture. But also in
their culture, marriages were arranged for when the
bride and groom were 14, a year before he became a Gundam pilot. His colony was
attacked, and his wife, whom he previously disliked, sacrificed her life saving the
colony. He realized that women could be as strong, or stronger
than he, and believes her spirit resides in his mobile suit.
There is some debate about the Gundam pilots being homosexual.
This is highly unlikely. Female fans that don’t want the boys to be paired up with
other girls fabricate most of these kinds of stories. Even if they were, what would
the problem be? So what if they are gay? Being gay can be a natural thing, it happens
in nature with other animals, and why wouldn't it happen to humans? This is one of my
biggest arguments with the church. Gay
people are human too!
There is a lot of fighting, but it is mainly to keep interest, I
believe....
It sounds as if you have based much of your
personal philosophy on the mythical message of Gundam Wing, Duo. I would rather my
children base their understanding of life on the unchanging truths of the Bible.
Of course, homosexuals are human.
That's why we need to reach out to those who are caught up in that dangerous lifestyle
with the message of God's love, forgiveness and strength to change. They, like those
trapped in destructive lifestyles, are invited to come into the freedom that Jesus
offers all who will trust and follow Him. Many have! See
1 Cor 6:9-11.
I put the rest of your letter
on the Star Wars
page.
From "a kid in a South East
Asian country":
I am not a newcomer to anime and manga, even the more serious ones
that (as far as I know) are being cut out of the American market. Yet you still hate
Anime. Now im not saying it is wrong to hate anime. Many people do, and I do
understand that you have a valid reason. However the reason is because many of your
articles has very subtle messages about how Christianity is superior (Please don't ask
me to quote, just look through ur articles again).
This might be offending to people who read your articles on
religion. I also saw your reply to Yumita and I have a feeling that your reply is
somewhat hurting. Does it mean in order to do what's right in the Bible, you have to
shun anime and other things that don't blend with the christian values?
Well, my aunt's a Christian and my grandmother is a Taoist. Does
that mean my aunt should stay away from my granmother and keep the Cross away from her
altar? Please look through some of your articles again and reply with your two cents.
Thank you.
I know that our Christian articles offend
those who believe in other gods and spiritual forces. Lots of visitors tells us that.
Yet I have to be true to my God. My personal relationship with Him means more to me
than anything else in my life, and I cannot compromise or minimize His character, His
truth or the wonders of His love and promises for eternity.
In light of all that He has done for me, I
must continue to be faithful to Him and show others (those who want to know Him) how
to share in His life as well. There simply are no other gods like Him.
Keep in mind, our God is not exclusive. He
welcomes everyone into His family, no matter what their background. Contrary to what
many believe, you don't get into His family by being good or accomplishing great
things. The ticket is free -- Jesus paid the price when He gave His life for us. Now,
people only have to believe in what He accomplished for us.
That's our main message. Loving people means
speaking the truth. I cannot compromise or change it to avoid offense. Does that make
sense?
From Bob:
Thought I'd inform you of these two comic book characters you
might want to keep kids away from:
The Mighty Thor: Based on the Norse myth,
character is referred to as a God, although often the character is also referred to as
an alien who thinks he's a god. Thor also appears in "Avengers", where interestingly
enough he was recently denied by a faithful heroine (Firebird) who refused to worship
him. Thankfully, "Thor" is not very popular.
Dr. Strange: Doctor Strange is a wizard character,
but he's never been too popular. He currently appears in
"The Order", about a group of heroes-turned-villains.
Commentary on other comics:
Fantastic Four: -Positive: Deals with loving
family. At least one of the characters is of our faith. Low violence.
-Negative: Some science issues; deals with "alternate universes" and "Cosmic beings".
Spider Man (Amazing, Peter Parker, Ultimate,
Tangled Web): Positive:Self-sacrificing, noble superhero.
Negative: "Amazing" is somewhat dark at times. Some violence, nothing too bloody.
The Avengers
Positive: Noble "club" of superheroes deal with bad guys.
Negative: At least one of the main characters
practices a form of witchcraft-"The Scarlet Witch".
X-men (Includes New X-men; Uncanny X-men; Ultimate
X-men; X-treme X-men-also spinoffs)
Positive: Tolerance of people of who are
'different'. One character-"Nightcrawler" is a priest.
Negative: Characters wear black costumes;
character Wolverine is violent; occasional adultery.
Character "White Queen" shows a lot of skin.
Iron Man Positive: Rich inventor uses
inventions and money to help others, such as setting up safe houses for homeless
people. Wears heavy armor as a superhero. Negative: Character occasionally is given to
drunkenness. (Although this is portrayed as having a negative influence) and
fornication.
From Jammer L. Wolfwood:
I would like to say hello, and that this is my first time writing
in. I had been shown a few articles on your site a couple of times, but was recently
felt compelled to write up my own commentary.
Let me state myself first of all. I am a young college student who has been brought up
Christian.
Church was one of the only places where I had friends growing up. I love the members
there, the elders
spoiled me quite often. I'm quite proud to be Christian, but sometimes...
While I understand the purpose of your site is to educate people on anything that may
draw them away
from Christian values, the way you have done so is quite harsh at times. Sometimes it
seems like you are making blind judgements calling something "occult" or "satanic."
These types of judgements hurt, because many people who aren't Christian come across
these, and use these views to label Christians in general as stuck-up idiots and they
start to hate the whole idea of organized religion, because of the mindset they
believes it creates.
This goes especially for those interested in anime. Since anime is wildly
attacked by some Christians (I
understand why, that I do), many anime fans don't like the religion. In fact some
people are falling away
from BEING Christian because others don't accept that someone can be Christian and an
anime fan. I've seen it happen, it's sad. I happen to love anime, in fact, my life
goal since fifth grade has been to become an illustrator for a comic book. So of
course I love manga and anime. That doesn't mean that I worship it. Sci-fi, fantasy,
magic in general... I understand that this is all fictional. While I find it
entertaining, that doesn't mean that I believe in it. I would think that a good
Christian would be able to draw the line between fantasy and reality. If they decide
not to watch or read something because it offends their views and they're afraid it
may hurt their beliefs, then good for them! Some animes have been quite blasphemous,
and I don't watch them, they're too disturbing.
But despite some being blasphemous, I have one anime to thank for giving me even more
pride in being Christian. (Yes, some animes DO address our religion, and not in bad
ways!) I won't name the anime, because I don't want it getting blatantly bashed. But
there's one character on the show who is a "man of the cloth" as he put it. He works
for a church that doubles as an orphanage, and while he's not the ideal Christian, he
has his beliefs. I love his character, and now whenever I state that he's my favorite,
OVERALL anime character, I can state that it's partly because he's Christian. It's
given me so much pride, in loving my religion and anime.
And why must anime be a bad thing? Sure, if you look for evil in
something, you will find it. But why are
you looking? How can you condemn something for a part that most likely was not put
there on purpose? My old van had a license plate with "666" on it. Does that mean that
the license plate was evil? Or my van? Or me? Sometimes I think you read too much into
things.
I have one friend (who has written you before as Catt Shadsie --
[next letter]) who has found her way out of
depression through anime. My roommate also made a point about titles such as Pokemon
that her little brother enjoys, "I don't see how something that can cause my brother
so much happiness can be evil." The main plot theme still remains "Good vs. Evil." And
good is still triumphant. Can't we sum up our own existence that way? We know in the
end good will be triumphant, because God will be triumphant.
So a kid gathers balls to summon a dragon to make a wish. So Major Nelson has a
scatter-brained genie
living in his house. So there's nudity in Sailor Moon. So Michaelangelo's statue of
David is nude. Why is one more acceptable than the other? To me you seem to judge
things more than they deserve, even for just trying to educate Christians to what they
need to watch out for. At someplace I remember reading someone calling the yin/yang
symbol satanic. But how can it be? It doesn't worship satan, it doesn't worship
anything at all. The Japanese honor kami at shrines, but kami aren't gods, they're
spirits. While I can tell many of these articles have had a good deal or research
done, some important things are missing.
And it's not any fairer for us to judge another religion (or
book, or anime, or movie), than for someone else to judge ours. It gets us nowhere,
except making us sound like bigots (which I, personally, do not enjoy).
In fact, one of the signs that we are falling off the Christian path, is judging.
Remember Jesus with the prostitute who was about to get stoned? "Let he who has not
sinned cast the first stone." I don't believe it is our place to judge another person,
or subject, and label it "evil." I think as Christians, we should just be trying to
set a good example, and show others the love that God has for us and them, without
shoving it down their throats.
Jammer, how can we be shoving anything down
anyone's throat when we simply have a website that people choose to visits? No one has
to read or follow any of our counsel.
As for your illustration from the story of
the woman caught in adultery, let me put verse in context:
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said
to them, “He who is without sin among you,
let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped
down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their
conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus
was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up
and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman,
where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither
do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Then Jesus spoke to
them again, saying, “I am the light of the
world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 8:7-12
Notice that Jesus didn't say that adultery
was okay. She had sinned, but so had those who condemned her -- for they too were
guilty before God. None of us can fully obey the law, so the only way we can meet
God's standard is by coming to Jesus Christ and receiving they good news that He took
the punishment for those sins. By union with Christ, we share in the wonderful victory
and redemption He won for us through the cross.
That doesn't mean that we can continue to act
as if He hadn't brought us into His kingdom. Remember, He also said,
"go and sin no more.”
Those who trust and follow Him, will follow
His guidelines. But He forces no one to walk with Him. (Nor do we force any one.) We
can all say "No" to Him and face the consequences.
While I don't expect non-Christians -- those
who don't have His Spirit as Counselor and Guide -- to understand this, I do hope that
many Christians will listen and choose to follow God's guidelines (see any of my
articles on popular entertainment). They will be blessed if they do -- but blinded if
they don't. Those who begin to compromise will be grow increasingly insensitive to His
Spirit and vulnerable to ever-darker deceptions.
See
Matt 6:13
and
Psalm 119:110
From Catt:
You probably don't remember me, but
I'm "Shadowcat"... I am a comitted Christian... [See the first and last part of Catt's
letter on this page:
Lord of the Rings
And I'm an anime fan, too! *Gasp!* Yep. And, I
recently enjoyed Neon Genesis Evangelion. I've read
your earlier comments on that series, and that you
haven't even seen it. I, actually, could write a HUGE
rant about the mis-use of Christian themes in that
anime, but, I doubt you would want me to do that for
your site, since, despite the weird themes, I actually
ENJOYED the series!
I am aware that NGE's universe
has its own unique mythology that is not related in
any way to Biblical truth despite the religious
themes, but I still enjoyed it as an intelligent and
intriguing story. Very psycholgical, but you might
actually want to see the entire series (rather than
just go by part of a graphic novel) if you want to
pick out and point out the various things wrong with
the use of the Christian themes in it.
The Christian
themes are not meant to promote Christianity, nor to
bash it, but are simply "gimmick", something to craft
the mythology of the anime on, something to sell it
on. It's kind of like what the X-Files (another thing
I like) does with Christian themes sometimes. But,
like I said, I'd doubt that you'd want me to write up
anything for you on that series, becaue I actually
LIKED It.
Catt
asked me not to add my responses.
Anonymous: u
people are a cult and nothing else u think that ur better than every one else and can
not except other's view's and u think all this stuff is right anime is cartoon's they
dont support the devil or any of that ... i cant stand people like u ... dragon
ball z is my fav show and i love horror movies so what am i a devil worshiper i dont
care my friend got out of some thing like u people ur helping fead racist thought's
and that's it i doing a report why organised relgion is bad and thank's for giveing me
something to show every one to prove it.
Do you have any fact or quote to back up your
accusations? You sound pretty angry at us.
Against whom have we expressed such rage or racism?
How do you define a cult? When you
simply attack the person rather than give logical arguments against a contrary
message, your words don't carry much weight.
From "Repentant":
Hi all. I could not agree with Mr. Kjos more. I seriously
compromised my Christian faith (could even have lost my salvation but repented and was
forgiven) by several grievous sins against God. One of them was playing combination
anime RPGs. My favorites were Final Fantasy - anything.
Despite the sin therein (profanity, drinking, false
religion, hints at unrepentant immorality) I still played (due to the bad influence of
my backslidden older sister in part.) Until April 2001. Then, I gave up anime and RPGs
for good. I'm still occcassionally tempted, but I have vowed to expose the lies and
turn against their evil. But I've been attacked by real life demons. I probably
have implanted globalism and evil into my mind.
I'm not posting my name or address because I DO NOT
want to talk to unrepentant otaku just yet.
If you have indeed repented, post a comment and your address-and I will respond
soonest to your honest query.
In Christ,
Thank you, dear friend in Christ,
for sharing your great choice and victory with us. May God keep you ever close to
Himself, walking in His wonderful presence and triumph. And may He use you mightily
for His purposes. His army here on earth needs courageous and humble soldiers such as
you.
We have moved most of the
comments from this page to
Anime 5
For previous Anime Comments, click
on Anime 1,
Anime 2,
Anime 3, Anime 4
or
Multiple Topics
To see the
DragonBall sticker with 666, click on
Dragon
Ball Z
For specific anime shows see: Pokemon,
Gundam Wing, Neon Genesis Evangelion,
Digimon, Sailor Moon,
Dragon
Ball Z
Please
read note on top of the page
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