focus on the family vs anime

[uc pseudonym]

I would hope that anyone considering posting in this topic would first look back at what has already been posted by other moderators and consider if their post is truly necessary.

Well, that isn't quite true. Lord of the Rings was written by a Christian, and with a Christian world view. And almost all anime is written by people who are definatly not christians, and who definitly do not have christian world views. Although LotR has a couple of wizards in it there is a definite line between good and evil, something that isn't true of alot of anime.

Also, I would hope that we do not tangent or further reference this topic. This discussion is properly placed elsewhere (and has occurred elsewhere) and can be found with little searching.

[Mangafanatic]

I love FotF. *hugs Focus on the Family* Please don't torch my friend, people. Just thought I'd break up the negativity.

[Kireihana]

Wah, deja vu!

I expect that as that anime becomes more and more popular and there are more theatrical releases, that FotF will have to be more specific about it and will drop the generic view. But it's still new material for them, so you can't be too harsh. Despite what we may know about anime, most of the US still maintains the notion that cartoons = kids.

[IfIWereAnAsian]

lol

It's how I found this message board, they had a link in the article ^_^.

It's good that they did post to us because ppl like Rocketshipper wouldn't know about CAA otherwise,~ and those who're reading Focus on the Family and are interested in anime will probably read it and then look here~

[ice122985]

I'll just say that Focus on the Family is a blessed ministry. They want the best for us (Christians) out there. So what if they are a little harsh?

I feel it is better to miss out on "good" animes if it means that i stay away from a lot of bad ones. Lemme explain. If i miss a good anime, well, all i am missing is some entertainment. i can live without it (may not be a pleasurable living, but it's still living). Yet if in trying not to miss good anime, i encounter a lot of trash, as someone said, then i am sinning. the bible says- avoid all appearances of evil. it's hard to say i am a christian if i am "tolerating" bloody violence, and a little bit of sexual fanservice.

it depends on what you are willing to pay. a little bit of entertainment, or our testimony....

And just in case this gets locked...i am sorry in i am the culprit.

[Kaligraphic]

I think that the article makes sense looking at the target audience. The point is that not all anime is my-little-pony little-kid safe. Focus on the Family is primarily aimed at parents of children up through the younger teens. The problem isn't with all aspects of anime, it's that parents need to recognize that it's a format, not a genre. To that end, by scaring the parents a little, they hope to break through the "It's just a cartoon" mentality to spur parents to actually evaluate the material. Of course, the more easily spooked parents may simply forbid all anime, but I suppose that's to be expected.

[Fireproof]

I get really disturbed when Christians are always trying to "bash" each new fad that comes out. It's one thing to inform parents of stuff they may not deem acceptable, but it seems to me that Plugged In viewed it in too much of a negative light.

I don't like the fact that Christians always seem to take it a little too far. Take the Pokemon craze for example.

Was it really Satanic? Not really, when viewing the entire series in context.

Was it really full of hidden messages and symbols related to the occult, with the sole purpuse of drawing America's children into the darkness of El Diablo? Yeah right! If you had the time, you could write an article on just about anything and connect it to the occult. Heck, I could write an article that connects Veggie Tales or Adventures in Odysee (sp?) to the occult if I wanted.

Would it really send it's viewers to hell like some claimed it would? Highly unlikely.

Is Pikachu really the spawn of Satan? No.

But unfortuantely, lack of research combined with pure ignorance, and hundreds of gullible soccor moms and parents not willing to take the time to actually sit down with their kids and learn for themselves and participate in their kid's interests and judge for themselves are eating it up.

It's just laziness and bad parenting. Sorry if I'm being harsh but that's the truth.

Parents: Take the time to learn about what your kids are interested in before judging by what someone else says. You will only alienate your kids from you and frustrate them if you just try to go by the "easy way."


Again, sorry for my harshness on this topic, but this kind of thing really gets on my nerves.

I feel exactly the same way. There are some people out there who follow God in what they do, but also completely abandon logic along the way. Those people just make me mad.

[CobaltAngel]

Weren't FotF types against rock music in, like, the 70's? Now there's tones of christian rock groups out their that they even encourage. Maybe eventually they'll see anime as what it really is - a style of art.

[madphilb]

I don't think FotF has ever been against rock groups in general (or as a music style anyway)... and there are still Christian groups who feel that rock is not only evil, I've met some who will tell you that drums and guitar in a Worship band is wrong/evil....

Kids at one church would ask the pastor what he thought of Christian Rock... to which the pastor would reply that he loves to listen to it, while watching his Christian Porn (note: scarcasim in this statement).... while the kids had their jaws dropped open they'd turn to the pastor's son (who was/is the youth pastor) who would reply that "that's just 'dad', don't worry about it."

I always have and continue to have a lot of respect for FotF, even if I don't agree with their stance on things 100%. Christian response to media tends to range from "all things are premissible" to "I can't watch any of that stuff, it's all evil." I don't think that'll ever change completely. It's how we interact with each other that's the issue, that and how react to the issues themselves, and since FotF has a pretty pro-active stance on "doing something about it" by providing alternitives when they can, they're all-right in my book.

[Raiden no Kishi]

"I recall reading a something some mother wrote on why she thinks anime is of the devil and how she called Japan "The Dark Land"."

Whoa...I didn't know my mom wrote...^_~

Okay, Mom's not THAT bad, but she does hate all anime. And she's suspicious of anything from Japan. It's a shame she doesn't trust her son's discernment.

Rai

[The Doctor]

Ok.

I read the article by Focus on the Family, and it's not as bad as we think it is.

It may seem radical, but let's take it apart point by point.
First off, though, let's list what we DO agree on. Does Anime give the WRONG answers to the questions they raise? As a rule, yes. Is Anime harmful to a weaker brother or sister in Christ? As a rule, yes. Do they give the wrong ideas on spirituality? As a rule, yes.

Now comes the question of what we do about it. So what do we do? Isolate ourselves? Go deep in the woods and ban it from all life? That's unrealistic. Anime is GROWING heavily in our nation, and the world. People love it. You want to know why Hollywood is so messed up? Because the Christian church sat back and did........nothing. That's why society is so messed up now too. There was virtual silence from the church for so long. We said nothing when we weren't too busy fighting each other about, oh, when Jesus was coming back. So alot of what's wrong with society can be blamed on us because of our inaction.

Jesus said we are to be salt. In those days that He said that, salt was used as a preservative to keep meat from rotting. When meat rots, the preservative was either not used, or lost it's saltiness. When society rots, lack of action on the church is a BIG cause.

So what do we do? Retreat further? NO!!!!
Let's go and storm the gates of Hollywood and anime/manga-dom and retake it for Christ. Those of us who are Christians and God has given the talent of writing/drawing, let's use that talent for Christ and write/make some GREAT anime stories for His glory (naturally, it all depends on Christ's will for your life). Course, when you create anything, be sure to remember not to do anything to bring your weaker brothers or sisters down.

So, what's the answer? Don't retreat. Pull a Mel Gibson and infect the culture; CHANGE IT!

What was FOTF's opinion? Well, I guess you could say they agree with me. They recognized the current Christian manga in progress in their article. So they aren't against the idea. I believe that if we make more Godly manga, they'll be peachy keen. And you know what? THat's what we SHOULD do. Course, it's all subject to God's calling for each of our lives.

Now, when I see anime, I also see a medium of evangelism. I see such great possibilities in the genre. That doesn't mean that EVERY anime ever written must be a rewrite of a Bible story. No, I think it's perfectly ok to write fiction with Biblical messages. Let's go ahead and write exciting adventures! Sometimes, it's through a story that people hear a message better. Jesus even used parables.

That's my word for now.

[Madeline]

“We’re putting ourselves on the front line because there is nothing on the market now that combines our two worlds—anime and Christianity—to fight evil. We are a tiny piece of rock going up against a strong enemy.â€

[The Doctor]

Madeline.

On the contrary, I respect you for what you've done. By following your convictions, you have shown that Christ is far more important to you than what you like. That's alot of growth right there. By doing so, you're ahead of alot of other Christians.

Course, I do this to encourage you, not to help you get a big head. I still encourage you none the less.

I will also say that you are correct that we shouldn't go around declaring war on other Christian groups over issues such as this. I'm sorry if my post is inflammatory. I was trying to say that the "retreat" option used by the church and so many others is one of the root causes as to why society sucks today, and why Hollywood is so....uber-liberal.

The response isn't to retreat and put our head in the sand. And to FOTF's credit, they did show and recognize some Christian's making a Christian manga. I believe that if more Christians did this and we had more Christian manga out there, FOTF would jump on the bandwagon with us. I believe the heart of their warning against anime is due to the fact that, as a rule, anime provides almost ALL the wrong answers. And children, by definition being weaker brothers and sisters in Christ, are very susceptible to those messages. There's alot of anime that I myself like that I wouldn't let my kids get within 3 feet of until they were of a proper age and had a proper understanding of the Bible, right and wrong etc. At a certain point in age, it's up to one's personal convictions and relationship with God. I mean, Paul was certainly ok with eating meat sacrificed to some golden shrine and eatin' in temples (in those days, temple's were the party houses). But Paul said he wouldn't do it because it offended his other brothers and sisters in the faith. While, in Christ we have liberty, we should not use that liberty to be a stumbling block to others. We should love others, and out of that love be sure not to be a stumbling block.

So, what's the response if some of us are dissed by FOTF's article? Well, realize that, indeed, as a rule most anime is wrong. And remember that FOTF did praise the work of people trying to make Godly manga and that it is possible to use it as a witnessing tool. There's really no reason to fight them. All we have to do is make more good stuff, and FOTF will review and point others in the faith to it, and they'll jump on and help us. FOTF has done ALOT of great things, and is a strong ally in the battle against society's ills.

I thank you Madeline for reminding war-hungry dudes and dudettes like us that we shouldn't war with our brothers and sisters over things like this.

Forgive us for letting emotions go haywire.

I myself apologize for the way I put together my post. I should have written it to show that FOTF's article isn't THAT bad, but that I hope the solution alot of people come up with ISN'T retreat, but rather infect and change.

Now, since I believe my post is far too anti-FOTF, I'm going to edit it up. I'm sorry for posting it as was and ask for all of your forgiveness, CAA members and readers.

That's my word, and thanks again Madeline for allowing yourself to be used to humble us. And don't worry about the choices you've made. You're probably a better person for us, and in the Bible it says that when we give up things because of Christ, it doesn't go unnoticed by God. Can't wait to see how He rewards you. ;-)

[uc pseudonym]

Obviously, I do not have access to your original post, The Doctor. However, I think that the edited version is well-written.

Madeline, you said that "you have to follow your own convictions." I agree with this, and I would hope the rest of us do as well (tempered, of course, by the overall body of Christ). I wish that the Christian-bashing by Christians would stop (from both sides of the issue).

Obviously, some of us feel differently about what we personally should or should not watch. I believe that it is possible to reach almost any position regarding anime. On one hand, everything is permissable (though not everything is beneficial) if it does not hinder your Christian walk. On the other hand, by the standards that some apply the Bible itself would be unacceptable reading material.

But could we all perhaps focus upon what we do agree upon, instead of fostering further divisiveness.