Today I am here to talk about a controversial subject that bothers many fans of Japan, especially young people. Christian religions always tend to attack animes, games, and things from Japan as if they were something from the devil! It has always been this way, it happened with Hello Kitty, Pokémon, Digimon, and many other animes. Furthermore, some attack the culture, customs, and religion of Japan as if they were godless and devilish people.
I am writing this article to discuss these controversies and explain my opinion regarding these cultural differences and the discussions generated on the internet. This article will not attack any religion, it will only make you reflect on your decision before judging something, in addition to bringing some curiosities about the subject.
Table of Contents
Why does this happen?
I admire the faith of these people in avoiding any content that may be harmful to their spirituality. Unfortunately, people are being led by rumors, lies, theories, and sensationalist information. Here are some of the false rumors that religious people have helped to spread:
Pokemon and Hello Kitty
Pokemon means Pocket Demons – I would like to know where people are studying English… It means Pocket Monsters, and just because it means monsters, it doesn’t mean it has mythological origins, since a monster is anything unnatural. The same thing happens with Digimon (this one really has mythological inspirations).
Hello Kitty has a pact with the devil – The most idiotic thing I have heard, just a few keystrokes on Google show that it is nothing but a big lie. I myself have already written about Hello Kitty.
If you want to dig deeper, I investigated the stories behind the Fake News about Hello Kitty and Pokemon, you can read by clicking on the article below:
Vampires and Animes
Vampire teeth? – Some religious people think that some animes are from the devil simply because some characters have teeth resembling vampires. But this is more of a cultural issue, dentists are not very popular in Japan, so most people with misaligned upper canines leave them that way, some even intentionally bend them because they find them beautiful, this practice is called yaeba.
Japanese cartoons are from the devil – Animation in Japan is something very relative and complete, just like movies and series, in Japan there are thousands of animes with different genres, contents, and stories. Things like big eyes and fantastical worlds are just adherents of Japanese art and culture that we will address later. More than 300 animations are released every year, and among them, I would say that about 100 are appropriate for any Christian to watch. Not to mention the thousands of mangas released every year.
Now, animes that clearly present witchcraft, violence, black magic, demons, and others, you have total freedom to speak about. Just be careful not to generalize and say that all are like that. Many show only the daily life of Japan, teach education, culture, life lessons, romances, and others. For example, Japanese dating is so innocent that it can even be boring, in some there isn’t even a kiss.
Cultural Problems
People tend to attack Japan because of its cultural differences, these differences can indeed bother Christians, since over 90% of the population follows Buddhist and Shinto beliefs and customs.
Another thing that makes it difficult for religious people to understand Japanese media is the language. They do not translate Japanese correctly and end up creating crazy theories. Japanese is a language that has only about 109 phonemes, many words are the same and have few syllables.
Unlike Brazilians, Japanese people value reading and studying a lot, which makes them have a much greater knowledge of history, culture, and fantasy. This ends up influencing their fantastical works, which generates controversy among religious people. Thousands of literary works and mangas are written every year, and some of these works become animations.
Attacking Wrongly
I don’t see a problem with religious people warning their brethren if something is right or wrong. Unfortunately, I see them doing this the wrong way. They are looking for the devil in everything, even where there is none.
Currently, almost everything in the world has fantastical, immoral, cultural, and mythological influences. If a person wants, they will always find the devil in something. Even Chaves has satanic theories and involves the seven deadly sins. Games that have sinister origins like Mario, which involves black magic, go unnoticed by religious people.
Hypocrisy
Do you often attack a work from Japan for having dubious content or mysterious origins? Have you ever wondered if you are not watching Western movies or series that have similar content? Is the influence of the occult as strong as the influence of something violent or immoral? Have I accused something just because one of the characters has a suspicious name, which in the original language means nothing?
You criticize Japanese works, but have you compared a soap opera with a Japanese drama? What do Japanese works teach people? Am I judging innocent things? Should I blame an entire country because of material I consider wrong?
If the works of Japan or the Japanese are from the devil? Why is crime and violence much lower there than in Brazil? Why do people there have education and respect? How can Brazil, where more than 90% of people are religious and Christian, have so many evils, while a country like Japan has a peaceful and respectful lifestyle?
It is not only regarding animes, games, and other works that Japan suffers this prejudice. People often use suicides and the custom of working a lot to denigrate Japan. This is another result of sensationalist news and hasty conclusions.
I find it unnecessary to create articles and post criticisms regarding a subject just because you consider it wrong. Everyone should do their biblical research, and research the origin of something, and with the help of their conscience decide whether it is right or wrong to watch or play something. Remember what was said in Matthew 7:5 Hypocrite, first remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
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