Feeling morally confused right now....

[IgniteChu_15]

Youever have one of those days where you reminisce the good ol'days of your youth,only for reality to take a large dump on it? Well yeah, its just happened to merecently.

Thispost's going to have something of a rant here people, so I advise you all braceyourselves for a bit of a read. This post might also potentially bother some ofyou, so as a heads up, if your the type that's into something, say, "lighthearted", then I recommend reading something else on this site.

Soanyways, a favourable pastime of mine is looking up Bulbapedia. It's a greatwiki website dedicated to the Pokemon franchise itself. You can look up Pokemonstats, legendary Pokemon locations and anything on the anime. It seemed likeyou can look up just about ANYTHING, it was that awesome…….sadly, I only trulyfound that out the hard way.

Feelingthe need to broaden my horizons and such, I decided to tackle the "controversy"section of the site. It began as a fun read at first, but then I came acrosscontent that, quite frankly, had me feeling painfully nervous long after I shutmy laptop closed.

Thelong story short is during the 90's, the time Pokemon's popularity was at itsheight, apparently the Christian community had quite a few words of backlash onthe innocent series. Here below is a list of the most common accusations:




Pokémon are like demons. They are captured and must be called upon to perform tasks.
Magical talismans (supposedly a reference to Gym Badges) are needed to control them.
Pokémon evolve. Though this transformation is more akin to metamorphosis in most Pokémon, the theory of evolution is denied entirely by the most fundamentalist creationists, who believe that all things as they are presently were divinely inspired.

• Some Pokémon evolution even requires the use of certain magical stones.

Many Pokémon have extraordinary paranormal powers, notably Phychic-types. Those with Psychic powers are labeled as having been given these powers by Satan in the Bible itself.
Many Pokémon embody or practice East Asian spiritual or mystical concepts, being that the franchise originated in Japan. Some Christian groups denounce these as pagan rituals.
Some claim that if one were to play backward the Pokerap, "Gotta Catch em all" can be heard as "I love you, Satan".




WhenI first saw this, I literally wasn't sure how to react. I myself am aChristian, and yet, Pokemon's been my childhood since……..well, forever. I knowit seems kinda pointless focusing on events left in the past, but all thisreally did bother me, especially after being a diehard fan after all theseyears. So I figured a better understanding on both sides of the issue seemed tobe in order.

WhileI can't say much for most of the points, I know for a fact the "evolution"accusation is just wrong since the actual process in the games is more akin tothe life cycle of, say, a butterfly, that having phychic powers being bad isabout on par with saying "having super speed is bad" or "having ice breath isbad". The truth of the matter is that Christians simply don't believe in theidea of human beings having abilities beyond that of what we can already donaturally, as well as the lies and deception behind those ideas (they don'tapprove of false advertising in other words, I guess.) As for the PokeRap…..well, let's just say I personally think they were trying WAY too hardtrying to find things they wanted to see rather than the other way around. Ibelieve in conclusion that the reasoning for all this backlash was that the"evolution" term stuck out like a sore thumb, and that things pretty muchsnowballed downhill from there.

Nowas much as I would defend Nintendo on a tall tall mountain (Mt. Moon for one),there's something that really gets me about all this. Over the years Nintendo'sactually gone out of their way to change and censor a number of things in orderto make people feel happy. Changing Jynx's appearance a tad, censoring/banningcertain episodes in the anime (I suppose one of the few decent services 4kidscan be credited for) etc.

Andyet…….why didn't they ever change the term "evolution" into something more tothe people's FREAKIN APPROVAL!?!? Seriously, we're now at the sixth Generation,and the idea STILL never came across their minds!? I mean, WTF!?!? I guess theterm "Poke-Puberty" doesn't exactly have a great ring to it…….but COME ON, whenyour planning to ship and sell a video game with the term "evolution" in it,your basically asking for trouble! One can only defend Nintendo so much bearingthese idiot facts in mind.

Ialso can't help but wonder why this kind of backlash wasn't ever present in anyother similar franchise over the years. Digimon, oddly enough, was okay,Dragonball Z was somehow skipped over, Sailor Moon, One Piece and Narutoapparently did no wrong. Even something American like Avatar the Last AirBender, a series chuck FULL of stuff that's supernatural and foreign, gotnothing. Then there's video games. Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda, Kirby. Am Imissing something here?

Isuppose I can accept that maybe tolerance for Japanese entertainment rosedramatically over the years, but I can only assume so much. I also think if yougo through the trouble of squinting through the cracks of anything in popculture, your bound to find anything offensive (perfect example? AVGN's SuperMario Bros 3 review, a video based on a game from the 80's no one took forgranted, and that video was done for laughs!)

Ithink the lack of any consideration for the idea that video games are "art" inthe 90's also didn't help much. Nowadays, you can talk hours why BioshockInfinite is worthy of that category. Pokemon never had such benefits then.There was no Extra Credits or Jimquisition back in the day to defend suchtopics. Most of us, at best, were just kids at the time.

Finally,I'm aware that an Italian Catholic TV station claimed the series was just fine,and that apparently, the Pope himself thought the series was okay despite theaccusations. As much as that would kick ass, there's been no official statementfrom the guy himself, and honestly, that's a major downer for me.

Sorryif this post went on for a while, but I'm honestly disturbed by these accusations.I'd like to believe in my theories, I just don't know how much merit they hold.So my question to you guys is: Was all this just a simple case of a big fatmisunderstanding? Should I not let any of this bother me? If it doesn't to you,care to explain why that is? Cause I certainly would like a reason.

 

[moon]

I am not exactly a believing Christian. I don't know if that's the reason but the things you bring up are not bothering me the least.

Andyet…….why didn't they ever change the term "evolution" into something more tothe people's FREAKIN APPROVAL!?!? Seriously, we're now at the sixth Generation,and the idea STILL never came across their minds!? I mean, WTF!?!? I guess theterm "Poke-Puberty" doesn't exactly have a great ring to it…….but COME ON, whenyour planning to ship and sell a video game with the term "evolution" in it,your basically asking for trouble! One can only defend Nintendo so much bearingthese idiot facts in mind.

Evolution is a fitting term for what happens when the pokémon change shape; perhaps a more scientifically correct term could have been used but evolution has a cool ring to it, while "metamorphosis" for example is even a bit difficult to say. Imo!

Pokémon are like demons. They are captured and must be called upon to perform tasks.
Magical talismans (supposedly a reference to Gym Badges) are needed to control them.
Pokémon evolve. Though this transformation is more akin to metamorphosis in most Pokémon, the theory of evolution is denied entirely by the most fundamentalist creationists, who believe that all things as they are presently were divinely inspired.
Some Pokémon evolution even requires the use of certain magical stones.
Many Pokémon have extraordinary paranormal powers, notably Phychic-types. Those with Psychic powers are labeled as having been given these powers by Satan in the Bible itself.
Many Pokémon embody or practice East Asian spiritual or mystical concepts, being that the franchise originated in Japan. Some Christian groups denounce these as pagan rituals.

This sounds, to me, like some people are looking too hard for reasons to dislike a big franchise. I don't feel like trying to understand why they would do that, but I seriously doubt Nintendo or the Pokémon Company or Gamefreak constructed the pokémon franchise to oppose Christianity in any way. On the opposite - you mention that they changed Jynx' color and some other things to not seem offensive or racist. They want people to like the pokémon franchise so of course they do their best to not offend anyone. But religion is a sort of special thing that can be even more touchy.

There will always be people, not at all just Christians, who want to try and condemn others for opposing them. Regardless if there are actual reasons to do so or not. Maybe these people actually believe that they are right, but I don't think Nintendo should change their games because of one group's religious opinions. In my country, for example, I don't know anyone who would really be bothered by talk of "evolution" in a game, even if they call themselves a believing Christian.

Some claim that if one were to play backward the Pokerap, "Gotta Catch em all" can be heard as "I love you, Satan".

I actually listened to it now and even though the poster of this video on youtube claims if to be proof that that's not the case, I think I hear "Love satan" or something in there, haha. PURE COINCIDENCE though! You should not believe that they chose the slogan "Gotta catch 'em all" just because it sounds like something satanic backwards. It's no fun living with worries like that and I seriously think it's just a coincidence. A lot of people don't even think it sounds like that. :=)

Sorryif this post went on for a while, but I'm honestly disturbed by these accusations.I'd like to believe in my theories, I just don't know how much merit they hold.So my question to you guys is: Was all this just a simple case of a big fatmisunderstanding? Should I not let any of this bother me? If it doesn't to you,care to explain why that is? Cause I certainly would like a reason.

Nothing wrong with long posts! I honestly think you should stop worry though. Pokémon is a game, a popular one sure, but not an anti-Christian campaign.

A word to anyone else who wants to reply to this: no religion-related arguing here. No arguing at all, actually. Comments and thoughts and decent replies, if anything.​

 

[bobandbill]

No was much as I would defend Nintendo on a tall tall mountain (Mt. Moon for one),there's something that really gets me about all this. Over the years Nintendo's actually gone out of their way to change and censor a number of things in order to make people feel happy. Changing Jynx's appearance a tad, censoring/banning certain episodes in the anime (I suppose one of the few decent services 4kidscan be credited for) etc.

A few points - iirc, Jynx's appearance was changed after a court case, and to avoid it happening again (public relations are pretty important for companies!), and Nintendo have naught to do with what the anime/4kids did. In fact, the former might have been just on Game Freak's part too, as it is they who make the games, not Nintendo (they just publish).

Andyet…….why didn't they ever change the term "evolution" into something more to the people's FREAKIN APPROVAL!?!? Seriously, we're now at the sixth
Generation, and the idea STILL never came across their minds!? I mean, WTF!?!? I
guess the term "Poke-Puberty" doesn't exactly have a great ring to it…….but COME
ON, when your planning to ship and sell a video game with the term "evolution" in
it, your basically asking for trouble! One can only defend Nintendo so much
bearing these idiot facts in mind.

Because it hasn't actually been a big enough issue for them by far. I don't believe there has been any court case regarding it, for example. And the people who have issue with the term evolution used is actually few and far between.

After all, as you mentioned when the Pope has spoken about Pokemon and stated that it is perfectly fine (a point you'll see on bulbapedia as well and only a small amount of searching will show that it was an official statement by him), I think that on the whole Christianity/Catholics and the likes are alright with Pokemon. There's always going to be a few people who say it is the work of the devil or the like, and Pokemon is not the only one with that nigh unavoidable problem (e.g. look at Harry Potter!). The video games you mentioned have also had their share of such criticism - you just don't know about it because like Pokemon it's really a very minor part of their history. After all, you only found out by looking at a page on bulbapedia; it's not a commonly known set of facts. That's more an issue with a few individuals than any religion, I think.

So no, this really is not a thing you should worry yourself over. If it was significant enough then Game Freak/Nintendo would have done something about it, worry not.

 

[Guest123_x1]

Needless to say, I am a Christian also, and got turned off from Pokémon for awhile because of some of the accusations made against it back in the day. Picking up on some of the points brought up by the OP:

Pokémon evolve. Though this transformation is more akin to metamorphosis in most Pokémon, the theory of evolution is denied entirely by the most fundamentalist creationists, who believe that all things as they are presently were divinely inspired.
...
While I can't say much for most of the points, I know for a fact the "evolution"accusation is just wrong since the actual process in the games is more akin to the life cycle of, say, a butterfly,
[snip]
I believe in conclusion that the reasoning for all this backlash was that the "evolution" term stuck out like a sore thumb, and that things pretty much snowballed downhill from there.

Indeed, the process of Pokémon changing form doesn't exactly fall under the definition of 'evolution' as evolution in the 'real' sense of the term (as taught in schools) takes place over a very long time (millions of years) over many 'generations' (covering many lifespans), with the being's form changing gradually over such a period of time, whereas with metamorphosis, a living thing changes its form relatively quickly within its individual lifespan. This is best illustrated with the 'egg-larva-pupa-adult' Pokémon, such as the Caterpie and Weedle lines (with Caterpie after hatching from its 'egg' stage being the 'larva' stage, Metapod being the 'pupa', then Butterfree being the final, 'adult' stage-a process which by no stretch of the term falls under the true definition of 'evolution').

Some claim that if one were to play backward the Pokerap, "Gotta Catch em all" can be heard as "I love you, Satan".

A lot of other songs have been accused of having "satanic" messages 'backmasked' into them that can allegedly be heard when played backwards-probably since the beginning of time. One notable example is the theme song "A Horse is a Horse", from the 1960s sitcom 'Mister Ed', which some people claim that, when played backwards, says "sing this song for Satan". I'm sure that's not what Jay Livingston and Ray Evans intended when they wrote that song, however.
Numerous other artists have been accused of backmasking satanic messages into their songs over the years as well, including Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and Britney Spears.

why didn't they ever change the term "evolution" into something more to the people's FREAKIN APPROVAL!?!? Seriously, we're now at the sixth Generation,and the idea STILL never came across their minds!?

It's partially because the mainstream media, governments across the world, and educationists of all levels have pounded the "evolution is a proven fact" line into everybody's heads over the past several years, especially with the advent of one-world government.

 

[WingedDragon]

Seriously I think you are overthinking it. Just like State and church should be separated so do Church and Pokemon. You are other thinking something that is suppose to be fun in nature

 

[Sableye~]

There has been a lot of controversy over Pokemon, obviously, especially involving religion and racism.

I have the same beliefs as the OP, but I don't see a real problem with evolution and the like. It is like metamorphosis, rather than actual evolution. I honestly think that no matter what Pokemon does, people will always have a problem with it because of religious beliefs. If they were to change evolution solely to please creationists, then evolutionists would complain, instead. There is no real way for them to win, in my opinion.

On the topic of Pokemon and religion, I find this to be interesting:

In the Japanese edition of the Christian Bible, Mount Zion is called シオンの山 Shion no San, which is the same as the Japanese name of Lavender Town.

(From the Pokemon Wikia page on Lavender Town)

 

[IgniteChu_15]

I'd given some thought after reading the replies. Yeah, I guess I had been overthinking all this a bit (kinda like the Christians, oh the irony), but you know, sometimes you have this question at the back of your mind that refuses to take a hike, and you just want it answered and done with.

Needless to say, I enjoyed reading all your posts. Nicely written and informative.
So, thanks a bunch, I'll keep your points in mind.

btw-sorry for the post oddly keeping sentences glued together. I swear I triple checked the writing, due to my OCD and whatnot.

 

[AkameTheBulbasaur]

I've heard about all the things people have said about Pokemon being "satanic" or whatever. People have claimed similar things about lots of series/franchises, from Harry Potter to even My Little Pony. It appears to me that the people that claim such things are taking things that they personally do not like and putting the "anti-christian" or "satanic" label on it, but that's just what I have seen. In reality, these series are not truly satanic, and eventually most people realize that. There will still be some who stand by these claims, as some people will stick by a belief no matter what, even when evidence points to the contrary. However, as long as Nintendo doesn't ban Pokemon or something of that nature because of it, I will be okay. People are allowed to voice their opinion and others are allowed to respond.

As for the "playing the song backwards and hearing subliminal messages" thing, how many people, when they write a song, play it backwards so they can put "I love satan" or something like that in it? It seems rather impractical to me.