Anime suited for Christian

[Hitokiri]

A friend of mine cam eup with a intresting point however I have a hard time agreeing with him yet I understand where he comes from.

He knows I like anime such as Love Hina, Hellsing, and Ghost in the Shell. He, however says, that I shouldn't call myself a Christian yet like anime that is clearly for some of the stuff a Christian should be against (Love Hina = sexual desire, Hellsing = blasphemy, Ghost in the Shell = nudity and alot of violence as well as cybernetic ennchancements which he thinks is likened to the anti-christ).

He told me a Christian should not allow themself to watch it and I'm not being a good Chistian for watching it more or less actually liking it. He doesn't seem to have a problem with anime such as Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin, and Trigun which are as extreme as the above mentioned titles but to contain several hiccups.

Your guys take on this?

[Mangafanatic]

Gee, that's a bit of a pointed thing to say.

My take? Oh, this is gonna be hard to put on paper, but I'll try my best. Okay *deep cleansing breath*

I (being a woman who isn't in ANYWAY sexually aroused by the presentation of women in a provacative light) could probably read Love Hina without being caused to stumble. For that reason, I could probably read the whole things without "sinning". Note that I haven't read it so I can't be sure just how sexual Love Hina is, but if the sexuality in this manga is limited to the presentation of women in a provacative manner, then I could easily read it without sinning, IMHO.

But I haven't. Why? Well, I [i]could[i] read Love Hina and probably come away from it without trampling on the innocents of my mind, but I don't because of what people would think seeing me reading a manga with bikini-clad girl on the cover. I refrain from reading alot of manga for the same reason I refrain from using some curse words that aren't probited explicitely by the scriptures. I don't want any manga I read reflecting bad on Christ who people should see in me.

But I will say in your defense that your friend may be being a bit severe and judgemental. I know alot of people whose consciences aren't violated by "this or that" where as my conscience would be. Likewise, there might be things your friend would watch that would be detremental for you.

For any of us to make sin out of things that aren't deemed as such in the scriptures in unfair. [/young-and-naive-opinion-of-Osaka]

[Ashley]

For any of us to make sin out of things that aren't deemed as such in the scriptures in unfair. [/young-and-naive-opinion-of-Osaka]

And Ash, for that matter. I agree whole heartedly with Osaka here. While I agree, there IS a stumbling block to be careful for, there is also freedom in Christ. How good of friends are you with this guy? If you're close, you could always share how there IS some titles you'll stay away from, but that the Holy Spirit hasn't convicted you on these things yet. It's ok for your friend to say, in LOVE, that perhaps you should reconsider some titles--but it's not his place to say any further. Otherwise he's trying to be your conscience/Holy Spirit. Where exactly the line between "freedom" and "stumbling block" is is for you to determine for you.

For the record, a class full of adults was debating this passionately in my sunday school class today.

[Scribs]

I think that Osaka is right on the mark by saying that even though she is not sinning by reading a certain manga or watching a certain anime, if it makes someone think less of christians becasue they deem it as an unchristian activity, then it would be better for her to not read that manga or watch that anime.

we have to try not to be stumbling blocks for others. If someone is caused to question christianity because of the action of one christian then that is not a good thing.

(I hope that doesn't border on theological)

[Shipuh]

anime has nothing to do with being christian or not. most anime is secular. its like going to a movie...some are purposely christian, but most arent. does that stop you from watching a movie? usually...no.

its up to the viewer to make disernment and judge the good from the bad.

and there is also such thing as christian anime...maybe take a look at these titles some time that are purposely christian.

Flying House
Superbook

there are also many other titles that have christian connections. im not going to post a list here...but you might want to look into that yourself. its all about good judgement. what is acceptable and what is not. and how strong of a christian you are.

[Ashley]

One last thought--exactly why is he ok with RK, Trigun, etc.? From what I know, the unedited versions of those aren't exactly crystal clean either. So, unless he has some other reason for it, it's wrong for him to say "blood is not as bad as nudity" or whatever; that's categorizing sin and God doesn't like that at ALL. A liar is just as lost as a psycho mass murderer. I would perhaps point this out to him in love and with gentility.

[Kaligraphic]

Okay, I think your friend has things a little mixed up. You see, back in the day, you would read stuff like "Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye [even] to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he [is] gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil." (Joel 2:12-13) Basically, God's saying "just change your heart" (read the rest of the chapter, too.) Unfortunately, humans can't change their own hearts. Thus, the blessings that are listed afterwards cannot be achieved. (indeed, they were not, and Israel was defeated) Pretty much all of the prophets were saying the same thing - change your hearts.

One of the reasons for this was to convey to people that you can't just change your own heart. That's why you need help. With the new covenant, God says, "Okay, you saw that you couldn't fix your own heart. Now, just sign here, and I'll replace it for you." It's not a matter of "you have to like only pre-approved, Vatican-endorsed, Republican-party-certified, things." (note: no offense intended to the Vatican or to the Republican Party.) It's about having a particular spirit inside of you. Essentially what your friend is saying compares to saying "that bottle of water isn't a bottle of water because it's facing the wrong way." He's pretty much just being picky about things that aren't relevant to the main issue.

(for the record, I have enjoyed the three anime you listed. Granted, they aren't really my favorites, but they're okay. The thing I most dislike about Love Hina is actually the opening (it's really kind of annoying.). But why should a Christian be against sexual desire? If all Christians opposed sexual desire, none of them would ever get married! (There's kind of a reason that God Himself created sexual desire in the first place.) And anti-christ refers to false concepts of what Christ is, not to some X-files techno-conspiracy.)

On the other hand, it may be better to avoid partaking of certain things around this friend, to avoid straining his faith unnecessarily. Perhaps it would even be necessary to forgo or delay seeing certain series, to avoid causing your friend problems. This is a matter that I am not able to judge for you, but you should be aware of its existance.

Finally, I'd suggest having a talk with your friend about what is required for salvation. (anything other than faith in God's work is an insult to the cross)

[Fireproof]

Kaligraphic, you renew my faith in this place. I agree with 99% of your post. (I don't mind offending the republican party. )
If I had a friend who criticized my favorite animes, I'd probably go on watching them anyway. What they don't know won't hurt me.

[Arnobius]

My flippant side would suggest reminding this individual that Jesus didn't have much to say about anime, but did have a few choice words about being judgemental.

However, that's not the sort of thing that makes or keeps friends so that's probably not the way to go. On one hand, anime is made by a non-Christian nation, so it's rather likely that the more you watch, the more likely you will come across something contrary to Christian values.

I think there *is* a sense of American values (which may not always be in tune with Christian values) that is more tolerant of some things than others. We seem to have more tolerance exposing younger viewers to violence than we do to sex for example. I imagine that for someone with no prior experience with anime will probably be more offended by the sex than they are with the violence. Many people I know view anime/manga nudity as being on par with "Playboy" magazine

Also, the reputation of anime can affect people who have no real first hand knowledge of it due to the releases of the early days which tended towards the extreme sex and violence. ALso poor judgement with self-imposed ratings make some parents dubious (nudity in the Tenchi OVA getting a 13+ rating was a bad call for example). Much of the internet tends to support this sex and violence view as anyone looking for anime clips on line may have discovered.

I, myself have acquired an unsavory reputation in the extended family when some parents I know discovered some hentai drawings of Sailor Moon on line after hearing me discuss the show with younger viewers. I have made it clear to them that I believe that I am quite aware that porn and Christianity are incompatible and therefore I don't watch porn anime. That got them away from questioning my personal credentials as a Christian, but I can tell they really don't believe me and they flat out told me that they don't want me sharing my stuff with kids anymore. My youngest brother and my nephew were really ticked off by this, and I actually had to go take them aside and tell them: Don't blame Christianity for what [the parents] were doing. (They were so ticked, I also had to remind them of the commandment stating they need to honor their father and mother)

So, to make a long post short (too late), so long as you follow your conscience and do your best to form it within the teachings of Christianity; trying to be honest when confronting questionable material (am I *really* not affected by the nudity or do I just not want to give it up), you're probably doing the best you can. As for others, there's not much you can do except try to avoid causing scandal.

[agasfas]

He knows I like anime such as Love Hina, Hellsing, and Ghost in the Shell. He, however says, that I shouldn't call myself a Christian yet like anime that is clearly for some of the stuff a Christian should be against (Love Hina = sexual desire, Hellsing = blasphemy, Ghost in the Shell = nudity and alot of violence as well as cybernetic ennchancements which he thinks is likened to the anti-christ).

Does your friend watch regular movies, or an ever a PG-13 or "R" rated movie? Most people tend to pick and choose what is acceptable and what is not. I know people who really like the Matrix (all 3) yet condemn anime for their themes of sex, action etc. Or what about primetime TV (The OC, reality TV etc), I doubt that is any better. So by those standards I don't believe anime is any worse.. there is the bad, and the good. The same applies to movies and tv shows. I really hate when people pick and choose on different levels of acceptiblity of morality. Like, watching a bloody fight, yet being offened by an love/romance scenes. Or watch AKira, Harry Potter, Scrapped Princess, Full metal Alchemist and condem Kimi ga Nozomu Eien or His and Her Circumstances for the ida or implying the pre-marital sex. PIcking and choosing....Personally, I think he is being hyprocritical given he watches Kenshin or Trigun- which both contain blood and violence. Just follow your conscience...

[Kireihana]

The thing is a lot of people are used to seeing sex, nudity and violence at the movies, but it's a little disconcerting to them to find it so graphically in a "cartoon." This still doesn't mean it's right to judge anime as worse than movies, but I can kind of see where they're coming from. But in your friend's case, he already is into anime, so he should be above things like that...

What I learned in church the other day is, there are no requirements to being a "good Christian" other than accepting Jesus and believing in Him. Nothing you can do can make you a "better" Christian in God's eyes, because you're already flawed. The cool thing is Jesus already took care of your salvation by dying on the cross; no extra good deeds (though nice as they are) are required on your part to get you to heaven. But this doesn't mean that you can just go out and sin, because that leads you away from God. The reason Christians should be discerning is because of what Osaka said; A.) You want to be an example of Jesus for others and B.) Of course you don't want to lose sight of God.

Basically what I'm getting to is, your friend has no right to say you're a "bad" Christian, because there is no such thing. You're either a true Christian, or someone who says they're a Christian but is in reality not grounded in Christ. If you feel like you're truly connected to God and everything's A-okay on the Spirit-O-Meter, then you have nothing to worry about.

[Jeikobu]

It all comes down to one thing: what God is telling you. I ask about alot of anime on here for Christian opinions on anime so I may know more about it and if other Christians like me find it acceptable. But I also try to remember to pray about it. And if it's a tough one to decide on, then I may go into my room alone and pray about it and just try to listen for God's voice, setting aside what I want. All that matters is what God is telling you, since He obviously knows what is best for you. Some anime may be acceptable to one person, and unacceptable to another. God speaks differently to different people. I will say one thing though, don't only judge an anime by whether you think it makes you stumble or not. This is certainly a factor, but plain and simple, the Bible says to meditate on good, wholesome things. You may watch something that has alot of objectional material and it may not cause you to stumble, but that still doesn't mean that it's right to watch. Remember that God is always there in the same room as you, and he knows what you watch. What anime do you think are acceptable in His eyes? Granted, no anime is fully pure. Most will certainly have their cons. It depends on what they are, how they are presented, what your standards are, and over everything else, what God wants for you.

[rocklobster]

Not all "Christian" values are unique to Christianity. I read somewhere that nearly every religion you can think of has its own variation of the Golden Rule. Interesting, huh?

[Jeikobu]

The best source of information is the Bible. That lays down the law on what is right and wrong. Also prayer and listening for God's voice are very important, of course. Everyone can have different limitations and standards, they just need to make sure that they are right with God first.

[kaji]

I could probably write a long time about this (and surely we would never find a consensus among us), for this reason I am going to swing for the fence with Mangafanatic’s point that:

Well, I could read Love Hina and probably come away from it without trampling on the innocents of my mind, but I don't because of what people would think seeing me reading a manga with bikini-clad girl on the cover. I refrain from reading alot of manga for the same reason I refrain from using some curse words that aren't probited explicitely by the scriptures. I don't want any manga I read reflecting bad on Christ who people should see in me.

Followed closely by the writings of Paul to the Corinthians: [quote="Bible"] 1 Corinthians 10: 23All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful] In short, it’s not about whether we can ‘handle’ something, or where we have our own personal convictions. It’s whether or not what we do is edifying to God. Sure, probably most ‘past times’ or hobbies have little positive effect for Gods Glory. But it’s when they have the potential cause some one to stumble or spoil that Glory, that we need to evaluate if its really beneficial.

If we were all seeking the greater good for others, we probably would not have this problem. Its only when the betterment of others interferes with our own selfish desires that we become agitated.

-kaji

[Ryoko]

I would have to reiterate that your friend doesn't know what's in your heart.

You also do not know what's in your friends' heart.

We as members of Christ's body cannot point fingers at either of them or judge his friend for being judgemental. That's God's job.

Personally I find that (this is out of my own experience It may have no bearin gon you whatsoever) I can become addicted to anime very easily. I have to watch what I watch and how into it I am, or I literally end up letting my life revolve around a certain story line. I personally have to limit myself.

Of course, I don't watch any uncut anime so.... *big grin* I'm one of the few people that actually liked funimation!!!