CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Hey ya'll, it's me, Griff.

For those who don't know, I have a love for dolls. Yesterday I went out to buy two dolls for a little girl that goes to my church. Because the store was having a buy 2 get 3rd sale thing, I decided to get one for myself.

The one I selected was this:

It's a Midnight Dance Meygan Bratz doll.

Now, when I first saw this doll I was thinking "oh okay, the goth-like dolls are out now" and I really liked her. So, although I was disappointed that she was $14 instead of $10, I bought it anyway.

So, I get back home and I'm opening the box when suddenly I think "I hope my friend doesn't get the wrong idea about this doll, think that she's a witch or something." That's where the problem comes in. Until I thought of what my friend's opinion may have been, I didn't think there was anything demonic about the doll myself.

To explain further, my friend has this idea that some objects can harbor evil spirits (Harry Potter books, Yu-Gi-Oh cards, things like that). I can understand tarot cards and Ouija boards. But what about this doll? Yeah she's not dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt. But does the way she's dressed means she could be a witch? Even if the company that manufactors it didn't specify it as a witch, there were still things about it that implies that possible idea--things that I wish I paid attention to before I placed it in my buggy.

For instance, the poster that came with the doll shows three characters, all dressed in dark shades of clothing, out in a field or something shrodded by fog at night with a full moon in the sky. When I looked at the poster I definitely thought of witches gathering. Then I thought of the estimated time of it's release: I haven't seen any of these dolls until yesterday. And for those of you who need help with your calendars, it is also October--the month known for Halloween.

Looking at my new purchase in a different light caused a strange feeling deep in my heart. Is it the deep worry of the thought of having an object with an evil spirit, or is it really something telling me "Hey, something's wrong about that doll"? I still feel uncomfortable about it.

I haven't showed it to my friend yet, mainly because she can be rather harsh with her opinions (I don't want to feel like I'm being put down for buying it, I guess you could say). So, I turn to you all for your opinions.

I kind of don't want to get rid of her because I feel like my money would be wasted but at the same time I don't want something in my possession that's possibly demonic.

all dolls scare me

ESPECIALLY PORCELAIN DOLLS!

but its like... i dunno

x__x

It is just a doll. Evil does not come from objects, but how you use them. Any evil in this doll will come from how you use it. If you use the doll to promote evil thoughts that is not good. If you use it as a regular toy, or a part of a collection or something there is nothing wrong with that. I would go so far as to say that even things like tarot cards and Ouija boards, do not contain "spiritual forces of wickedness." They are simply pieces of paper and wood. The evil come from what they are used for. People use them because they want to know the future and are doing something that God forbids (sorcery) to try and do it (it is my belief that neither of these things works at all, though I have heard some of my fellow christians say that they do work, because they are powered by demons.) The only evil that can be present in an object is the evil in the heart of the user.

I.....dunno. I do know that there was once this manaquin (sp) that was inh our basement and it scared the crap out of me every time I saw it....but those days are long gone now. I'd say if you really feel like you should get rid of it, then maybe you should. I dunno..

Golden_Griff wrote:To explain further, my friend has this idea that some objects can harbor evil spirits (Harry Potter books, Yu-Gi-Oh cards, things like that). I can understand tarot cards and Ouija boards. But what about this doll?

The books are cards are fantasy stories, whereas oujia boards and tarot cards are where you actually try and tell the future etc, so no wonder they are bad. Sometimes things like Harry Potter etc. WILL effect people, depending on how they're willign to take it. But hey, I've got no problem if they stay away from it, because that's their choice and sometimes is for the better.

Wow a doll's dressed in black! She MUST be evil with wearing a bad colour
Nah... you see, I don't watch doll possessed movies, cause they creep me out >_< So unless that thing starts spinning it's head or crawling around the floor... I wouldn't worry about it^^ Besides, I happy to like EGL/EGA stuffage so I think it can be a neat fashion^^

But yeah... what Scribs said pretty much summed up what I was tryign to get at.

Reminds me of a something I read...
Some ways your child could be gothic:
Wears black clothing

it ALSO reminds me of a quiz I did
I got 1 point for being goth... i got that point because I clicked "yes" to the question "have you watched a tim burton movie"

The way she's dressed does not mean she's a witch. The idea would be rather silly. Not to put you down, a piece of platic cannot be evil in of itself. Just enjoy your doll and don't worry about what your friend has to say about it. Personally I think she looks cool.

The only evil that can be present in an object is the evil in the heart of the user.

Amen to that.

I foresee a locking in this thread's future. ^^Mostly because people tend to have really strong opinions about this stuff.

So, I won't go into detail about my personal opinions on goth and Harry Potter and the like. But I do think that sin is doing something that you have doubts in your heart about. It really isn't the issue of this doll being "possessed" or not. It's whether or not you think it's wrong to have it and if you feel it is evil in some way. Or are even unsure of it's "spiritual correctness".

So, my advice to you would be to return it. If you bought it from Wal-Mart or someplace like that, they usually have REALLY flexible return policies. That way, you save your money and your conscience.

Oh, and by the way, I would highly doubt that the dolls on the poster were merely supposed to be observing nocturnal wildlife. ^ -

personally, i think she looks cool. but i agree with the others who posted and said that it can be just a piece of wood or paper or something bad (but tarot cards and ouija boards bother me quite a bit anyway, just being around them i dont like), all depending on what's in the user's heart.

I would imagine if it bothers you that much, the store you purchased it from should be able to refund. Some stores, (like the one I work at) will typically refund your money without a reciept as store credit.

But, I would pray about it. It is very true that demons attatch themselves to objects (a good friend of mine actually saw a demon attatched to a book on astrology) but I would doubt that a doll like that would be worth worrying about. It's great that you are conscious about stuff like this, but as the origin of the doll's persona is vague, I wouldn't fret too much.

Dolls are freaky!
That said it may be a good idea to pray over it that an enemy influences are removed in Jesus name.
This reminds me there was one time we were sitting down to eat mangoes (as a family) and mum said that it may be a good idea to pray over them beforehand since she noticed the fruit owners at the market (where she bought them) were into witchcraft and that sort thing. The fruit may have been okay but who knows if demonic influences had attached themselves. At the time I thought it was a load of rubbish but does make a lot of sense. Satan is powerful and will use any means he can. But we have God and he is far more powerful!

It's just a doll, but if you feel led by the Holy Spirit to get rid of it (or if it makes you uncomofortable), you should definitely get rid of it.

Doll? burning?

Being it that I'm a pyro, whether or not that thing is evil doesn't matter. Burning is fun.

kaemmerite wrote:It's just a doll, but if you feel led by the Holy Spirit to get rid of it (or if it makes you uncomofortable), you should definitely get rid of it.

All hail Kae! Super Summarizer! ^^

Just a quick note. We're monitoring this thread. Keep things civil, OK?

I've noticed that the more people lean toward the idea that evil can exist in an object, the more likely any evil that might be in that object is to affect them. That's purely anicdotal, but we're offering opinions. I tend not to put much faith in the idea, and it hasn't had much influence on me.

like others here before me said i advise you pray about it

You seem to be perturbed over what the clothes seem to imply...if it bothers you, change her clothes into a t-shirt and jeans and, like, paint her lips a different color.

If you seriously think God is telling you that it's bad, throw it out. What is $14 when you have potential evil on your hands?

I think the doll is evil actually. If I ever have a daughter, I won't let her play with a toy that has the name "Bratz".

Heck, there are a lot of evil things in this world. The word evil is actually the same as saying worthless, but it seems that we've lost touch with that literal definition...

I don't think that Harry Potter has evil spirits on it but I don't think I should talk about on this thread. So the doll. If it makes you stumble throw it away. But I think its a good looking doll.

Puguni wrote:You seem to be perturbed over what the clothes seem to imply...if it bothers you, change her clothes into a t-shirt and jeans and, like, paint her lips a different color.

If you seriously think God is telling you that it's bad, throw it out. What is $14 when you have potential evil on your hands?

That's true. I can't believe I was actually weighing those two options on a scale

Hmm, I was thinking maybe I could repaint the face where it wouldn't look so "dark" or make some other changes. But I will also take the advice of others and just pray about it.

Warrior 4 Jesus wrote:Dolls are freaky!
That said it may be a good idea to pray over it that an enemy influences are removed in Jesus name.
This reminds me there was one time we were sitting down to eat mangoes (as a family) and mum said that it may be a good idea to pray over them beforehand since she noticed the fruit owners at the market (where she bought them) were into witchcraft and that sort thing. The fruit may have been okay but who knows if demonic influences had attached themselves. At the time I thought it was a load of rubbish but does make a lot of sense. Satan is powerful and will use any means he can. But we have God and he is far more powerful!

At the beginning of the school year, me and my roommate prayed over our rooms together. Until I started rooming with her sophmore year, I never thought about praying over living quarters. But the purpose behind it makes sense: if there were any students living here before us that may have been into occult activity, we didn't want any evil spirits they welcomed in to be hanging around

Not to try to take stabs at you or your friend, but it seems a little bit like you're afraid of her opinion of the doll more than the doll itself. *shrugs* If it really does bother you that much to have it, then return it to the store and that's the end of that.

I don't really think it's very likely that a doll right out of a toy store that doesn't have any obvious occult connotations would harbor anything negative, but one can never be so sure. Just pray about it - I think it's a pretty nice doll, and to me it seems a bit foolish to judge people (or dolls in this case) based solely on their fashion sense. ^^; Just my 2 cents

Hah, I wouldn't say she's "evil," per se, but her shirt is completely translucent. XD I know that if any real person wore that, the first thought in my mind would be "slutty!" Then again, I always thought Barbies were that way too...I mean, those pants! So tight! ~.n Anyways, if you don't feel right with it around, then by all means, take it back or burn it at the stake, because it'd be funnish. XD But if you're into saving your money and don't particularly like the smell of burnt plastic, just box it up and return it to the store. Hope you figure it all out soon! :3

[opinion] I generally don't feel comfortable with dolls, coming from a culture where voodoo and black magic does exist to a certain level. But it depends on how it looks and how I feel around it. [/opinion]

This one looks just fine to me but if you don't feel comfortable giving it as a gift to your friend,eh.... perhaps another gift? <.< >.>

I don't think there's anything particularly evil about this doll. Although objects can have evil spirits about them, I'm pretty sure it doesn't just happen because they wear black or because its goth. I believe that the fear of something possibly having a demon bound to it is more harmful though because that would only fuel paranoia - which might serve the devil longer. Just remember, Johnny Cash was a Christian and he wore nothing but black.

So does Alice Cooper who's also a Christian.

I don't believe anything even Ouija boards have demonic spirits in them. It's still just a piece of cardboard from a Hasbro factory. Taking the board in a dark room on a stormy night, gutting up some raw chickens, and chanting away might get that demonic effect from an Oujia baord. But otherwise it's still cardboard and a plastic viewfinder it's how you use it.

The doll having a "goth" style to it doesn't make it demonic. Like Kokoro said it seems you're more afraid of what your friend thinks about it than the doll itself. Like others suggested change the clothes, paint it, whatever if it makes ya feel better. Or just return it and get a jolly sunshine doll.

Well, I've made a decision. I'm giving the doll up.

I've prayed about it this morning as many people have suggested, and I believe I heard the Holy Spirit tell me to give it up if it makes me uncomfortable. At the same time, it was still a difficult decision--I honestly liked the doll. I switched her into a different outfit and it made her seem less "dark." And then I thought about changing her face to make things better. But at the same time, I didn't want to keep holding on to it only to find that nothing I do to change it will help the situation.

Instead of driving back out to the toy store for an exchange, I just decided to place her in the donation bin for the Katrina victims relief. Besides, the package was plain mutilated, and I didn't want to go through all that trouble just to be told no.

Funny how I ended up donating it because when I purchased the doll I heard a thought in my head say "give it to the Katrina fund." (My older dolls I've already donated). But I rejected the thought with one of my own: "What? Are you serious? I bought this doll for myself! I'm not going to give her away!" Seeing how the doll ended up with a ticket to New Orleans regardless, maybe it was some sort of call from God for me to act with obedience through sacrifice?

So yep, she's no longer in my hands. But I'm still confused: if I was so worried about it harboring bad spirits then why do I want to go through the shameful disgrace of taking her back from the donation pile? *sigh* What if there was nothing wrong with having it in the first place? -_-

You guys probably think I'm nut-so, overreacting about a dumb doll. But to me it's like anything else: a dog, a Playstation 3, that collection of CDs that--no matter how many times he say he will--you know you're friend will never return, etc.

kokoro wrote:Not to try to take stabs at you or your friend, but it seems a little bit like you're afraid of her opinion of the doll more than the doll itself.

That could be true, seeing how I didn't get the paranoia until I thought about what she would think about the doll. So, it may have went from worrying what she would have thought to worrying about the doll itself.

I finally told her about it after I put it up as a donation. She didn't say much except she thought it was good that I was thinking about it being a possible hinderance. I told her that I felt like my money was wasted, but she encouraged me with a reminder that it will make someone else happy.

bigsleepj wrote:I believe that the fear of something possibly having a demon bound to it is more harmful though because that would only fuel paranoia - which might serve the devil longer.

Which is why I've decided to give it up. It's not worth the worry to keep it

Yojimbo wrote: Like others suggested change the clothes, paint it, whatever if it makes ya feel better. Or just return it and get a jolly sunshine doll.

*imagines a doll with big eyes and a ear-to-ear-smile* Yikes, now THAT'S scary

I personally don't believe that objects can harbor evil spirits in them. I believe that demons are called by people, and although I believe that objects (such as an Ouija Board) can be used by people to bring their focus to the demons in order to channel them or "call" them, I don't believe that the demons come from the inanimate objects themselves.

Just my opinion. Something like what Mithrandir said, I've never experienced an object with an evil spirit, and I don't believe in them (the objects with spirits, not the demons/spirits themselves).

But I do believe strongly in leadings of the Holy Spirit. It the Spirit told you to get rid of the doll, Griff, then I'm glad you did.