Your Comments: Multiple Topics -2

Multiple Topics - 2

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All previous letters have been moved to Multiple Topics - 1

From Dustin Mathias: I'd like to begin by saying that you have some of the dumbest statements and articles that I have read in my entire life. I have no idea what has warped your mind so, but you both sound like fanatics. You sicken me. I would point out several things that are either false or just straight out LIES on your site, but there are so many of them that would require to me write for hours. I actually cannot believe that there are people like you who live in the same world as me. Maybe you should try looking up the real facts before you do articles or post news about a topic. Remember: Lying is a sin. Sinners go to hell. Bon voyage inferior scum.

From "King Cobra: I am a Catholic teenager, and a very large Dragon Ball Z fan, along with Star Wars, and I also enjoy handling snakes. I was raised in a strong christian family. To put it bluntly, your views and mine are very different. I enjoy some of the movies, shows, and books that you claim are demonic.

You are most likely thinking that any young man who would call himself "King Cobra" must be possesed. Auctually, I have this screen name because I love snakes. They are magnificent creatures in my opinion.

Anyway, Dragon Ball Z does not replace religon. The Dragon has limited power, and as others have pointed out "more like a servant." The term serpent does not apply to dragon, in a sense.

In the Bible, serpent meant any creature that crawled on the ground. I guess I am a trifle insulted by your remarks that kids become possessed by watching this or playing that. Most teens aren't completey stupid. We are more aware than you think.

Where did you think I said "that kids become possessed by watching this or playing that?" Please go back and read my messages again.

Yeah, that's a lot of thought that is really organized, but oh well. Before I stop typing this little email, I just want to mention two things. First is a quote "Each to his own path," which means going about life on your own, and seeing things firsthand. God is waiting at the end of the trail for us, if we can navigate the path, using the wisdom God gave us as our map.

The second thing is tolerance, which God tells us to have. I am not exploding in anger, because I tolerate your ideas, much as you should tolerate mine. Hold your beliefs true, and spread them if you wish, but when some one has different views, don't call them evil or possessed.

I didn't make up the values that I share, King Cobra. They come from the Bible. Did you read any of the passages that I mention in the various articles? If not, please do so. Then try taking up your argument with God, not me. I suggest you get on your knees first.

From Ernesto Gonzalez:   I was at first a little dismayed by your stance against Star Wars, Anime, RPGs, etc., but I had no intention of responding. Indeed I find your articles well reasoned and very thought provoking. I also understand your purpose, and your zeal. I understand that you are helping parents, and I thank you for it. After all, it's frightening to think that most of the help they receive comes from our degenerated society (A society that I cannot, alas, wholly tear myself apart from. It has molded me without my knowledge.) I consider your zeal, and purpose to be very healthy and good. Thus it is a pity that most people don't see this. They don't understand that your articles are really meant to comfort others. If they don't agree with what you're saying they should just move on, and ignore you. It seems ironic that the very people who are so stubborn in their own opinions try to force yours. As I have said, I did not wholly agree with you, but I was not going to respond. I even wrote you an email asking for your stance on Tolkien. I did this because I thought your views would be interesting and quite possibly informative. However I have been forced to write this response, not to your articles, but to the responses they receive.

Thus I believe that a little back story is in order. I am, what in this country is called, a Roman Catholic. I have been raised by my parents in a most intriguing fashion. For the whole of my nineteen years on this earth my parents have had conversations with me. I mean serious conversations about life, entertainment, philosophy, and especially theology. My parents have helped my development by encouraging me to think, and then explaining their views, and the views of the faith. I honestly can't remember watching TV without my parents until I was fourteen years old. I have always had a television in my bedroom, but I enjoy being with my family. As such I don't remember not being allowed to watch anything. My first recollection of any movie is Brian De Palma's Scarface, and that was when I was six. Although I have never considered myself to be immoral, I have never considered myself to be assured a place in heaven, or even the purgatory. I do not presume to know God's judgment. I try every day to live by God's will. I enjoy entertainment. I enjoy Star Wars. I enjoy Anime (some of it, most of it like all of cinema is very bad), and I enjoy RPGs to some extent. And I do so, because I do not consider them evil.

I believe that nothing can be truly evil, because I believe that evil does not exist as a force, action, or being. What then is evil? This must be clarified first. The human being sees and understands everything through relativity. Thus to him the storm and the lightning may seem evil. This is in fact extended to all things that have an adverse reaction on man (i.e. time, age, sickness, and death). But these things are evil only from our uninformed perspective. God has forced time, age, sickness, and death unto us as a penalty for our Original Sin. "Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men. […]" (Rom, 5:12) These things are not evil as they have God as the direct cause of their existence. Indeed, death is itself the Divine Justice of the Lord. Thus, when things act according to their nature (fires burn, seasons cycle, and waters drown), or when they are the direct act of God, they are not evil.

Instead of repeating an explanation here, we refer you to our information and charts on The Nature and Tactics of Satan. Concerning "relativity", please see our chart on Three Cultural Paradigms and notice that "relative values" are part of the humanist paradigm, not the Christian worldview.

Few people would see the existence of Hell as evil, nor world they consider The Flood evil. What then is evil? Evil is a defect of will. All men have been endowed by God with free will. "God created man as a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions." (The Catechism) In giving us free will God has in effect allowed us to choose to do good or to not do good, which is sin, which is evil. What is sin, and, in effect, evil? We sin when we disobey God. "God created everything for man, but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him." (The Catechism) Evil is disobeying God, and thus turning against the absolute good. The Devil, while responsible in part for man's original fall, is not responsible for all of our sins. Our parents, Adam and Eve, chose to disobey God, and for that they were banished from his presence. For that their bodies were made the objects of the corruption of time, and in the end, death. Evil is then the effect of our sin, for in the end we are responsible for our own actions.

That's close to the truth, Ernesto. The problem is that we cannot do the right thing in our own strength. We are saved not by our own choice or attempst to live perfect lives, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Only He can free us from our sin nature (flesh), fill us with His life and strength, and enable us to follow His way. See Romans 6, 7 & 8 and Our beliefs.

Thus we have seen that evil is created by man or by angels (the Fallen). Since man and Angels are finite beings, and since they do not have the power to create other beings, we must conclude that evil does not exist as a being, but as an effect. The effect of any sin is evil. To commit a sin not only harms the person who sins but can also harm others, depending on the nature of the sin.

Now you claim that some things have an occult and satanic nature. I say that they can only have this nature if they are expressly intended to pervert people. Thus if Star Wars, RPGs, and Anime are not meant to be evil, they are not. Now people may choose to believe in these things and put them above God, thus they are committing a sin, and doing evil. We must not blame things for our actions, even if these be demons and occult forces, because in the end we are each accountable to God for ourselves. We hold the responsibility for actions. (I would here like to clarify that I do believe that demons and occult forces exist.)

Satan's main tactic is deception. He provides all kinds of alternatives to God and His promises, and the masses eat the bait. Many still believe they are following God. Not intending to do evil, they unwittingly serve "the evil one."

That being said, I will now respond to your accusers (Fanatic and Christian alike):

One thing that strikes me as odd is that people who support Magic: the Gathering, keep stating that evil and good are represented equally. This argument buys into the whole notion of Dualism. Modern culture has been saturated with such sayings as: "There can be no light without darkness." The concept of the Ying-Yang (opposing forces in nature balancing and creating equilibrium) has been absorbed into modern thinking. There is nothing Christian in this view point! God is The Ultimate Truth, and The Creator Of EVERYTHING! He has no equal! There is no opposing force that can match his. The Devil is just the chief of the fallen angles. That is all. Now some might ask: "Why then does God allow the Devil to continue in his evil?" Some would answer that it is just part of God's plan. This never seems totally satisfactory, after all it is one of our drives that we wish to understand God. (This I believe is one of the most amazing aspect of The Last Judgment, for before God's Ultimate Judgment is pronounced he will show the whole of mankind his plan so that all might understand.) I like to think that since God has given all of his intelligent beings free will, he is allowing the Devil to continue in his existence so that he may exercise his will. And though the Devil will never be saved, he may before the end, ask for forgiveness.

Another comment is on the responses to Neon Genesis. I feel that Christians are trying to defend their hobbies too eagerly. All Christian messages in EVA are just for show. Anyone who takes them seriously, learns some thing from them, or tries to defend them should think hard about what I'm going to say next. There are no Christian messages in EVA. Oh there are Gnostic messages in EVA, but these have long been deemed immoral. Don't search too deeply, just say that you enjoyed the show and be done with it. I for one do. I thought that the show was interesting, and enjoyed all the references to Gnostic teachings, since I have studied these. I especially enjoyed the fact Gainax went to the trouble of finding a copy of the Book of Enoch just to get the names for the Angles. Please don't take these shows too seriously. They are meant to make you think. They are meant to be intriguing. But they are just entertainment! Don't base your life on something you watched in movie.

On Fantasy: this really strikes me at the heart. I want to be a writer. As for all the people who call in saying that Harry Potter is just like Tolkien, please read Tolkien's "On fairy Stories". Tolkien would have hated Harry Potter because it created a fantasy world that was connected to the real one. If you must compare Harry Potter with what has come before it, compare it to Alice. You see Tolkien, as a devote Roman Catholic, believed that there was no greater art than that of sub-creation (creating a consistent and almost real imaginary world). I will not go into this here, but I advise any one who is really interested in fantasy to read Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories". Fantasy is not meant for children, and indeed when executed correctly, not as the Potter books have done by creating an alternate real reality, is mostly enjoyed by adults who fortunately have the wits not use art a guide to life (By Adults I mean Christian Adults).

You made some interesting points here. Thank you.

As for the comment in one letter which states that Tolkien is far more dangerous because it has created an entire religion, I ask once again that people think before making statements. There is little religion Tolkien's works, and this can be dived into two categories: the people who actively worship Eru (The One True God, who has no resemblence to eastern religions), and the few people who worship Morgoth (the Devil, Chief Among The Fallen Angels). All Tolkien has done is invent a cosmology. That can be shown as thus:

Eru Iluvatar (God [creator of everything])

|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|

The Valar (Angels)                     Elves                                     Man (in his Unfallen State)

Morgoth (the Devil) is fallen

Looks familiar doesn't it?   I could go on like this for hours. My point is: Don't Email People Just Because They Disagree With You! And Don't Call Other's Stubborn!

    I'm sorry Mrs. Berit for having wasted your time, but I felt that it was time that some one who did not agree with you on everything, stand up for you. Thank you for the wonderful web page, especially the bits about education, and the UN (an eye opener for sure!).

Second letter from Ernesto Gonzalez: I totally agree with you about Relative Values and their exclusive association with the humanist paradigm. I have myself written a paper about this, and that was why I did not try to explain anything in that section of my letter. Unfortunately once I write something down, I seem to think that everyone has read it (even though there is no way they could have). Once again I would like to beg your pardon for being unclear.

Thank you for actually reading my original letter. I find that other people can find the chinks in my ideas better and faster than I can myself. Thus I was shocked when you wrote: "That's close to the truth, Ernesto. The problem is that we cannot do the right thing in our own strength. We are saved not by our own choice or attempt to live perfect lives, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Only He can free us from our sin nature (flesh), fill us with His life and strength, and enable us to follow His way. See Romans 6, 7 & 8 and Our beliefs." I had never thought that anything I wrote could be interpreted in that way, but, now that you have pointed it out, I see the truth of it. I in no way intended to say that one could achieve salvation without Christ, but that is exactly what my paper seems to state at that point. Thank you very very much for pointing this out to me. I of course agree with you that it is only through faith in Christ that we can be saved. I would further suggest something that you only hint at in this response: It is Christ that gives us the strength to strive for righteousness.

Thank you once again for helping sort these ideas out, and for pointing out the errors in my writing. Thank you also for your kind response to my email. I do not object to any of my correspondence being placed on your web page.

From Vikki: Your reviews of popular cartoons, anime, games etc. are well thought out and you seem to have researched your subjects well, but you have encouraged me to wonder about Christianity. Are Christians really as persecuting as you seem to put across?

I am not saying your site is bad or non-Christian but I do think you are going a bit to far in places. Tellytubbies is a nice, colourful ( albeit dumb) show for toddlers. Yes, it is surreal and the baby's face on the sun does look a bit pagan, but toddlers bought up well should not be damaged irreparably by it ( apart form learning some irritating phrases).

Yes, I know that Disney's new movies are multi-cultural and DO have some non- (but not necessarily anti-) Christian content but, again, if the children exposed to it are bought up in a good ( you would say Christian) family, it should not damage them. It is the same with Casper, Star Wars, Matilda etc. Fantasies may influence our thinking temporarily, but if a child is bought up by good parents who have taught them the difference between right and wrong, fact and fiction and that there is actually no such thing as the tooth fairy etc. any harmful influence will vanish along with the adoration for the merchandise bought at the toyshop after visiting the cinema.

I agree with you on the Pokemon cards. The way children  treat them as some kind of wonderful treasure is disturbing to say the least, and you are right to advise parents to avoid them. The cartoon on the other hand, should be treated the same way as any 'fantasy', that is, to treat is as just that: a fantasy. Not truth or advice for life, but just a stupid but entertaining figment of the imagination. If you don't like any part of it, then just avoid it. I agree that anime and manga are not designed by Christians for Christians, but I don't see why they would have any special corrupting influence that other 'fantasies' have not . They should be treated in the same way as any other 'fantasy', as with role-playing-games.
(By the way, I am 15 years old, a fan of Dragonball, Star Wars and to a certain extent, Pokemon and my mother who is Christian does not see me as corrupted by this in any way.)

From Mike Crawley: You have no right, and i have stated this many times before in my speakings to people, to say that God is the one true way. If others want to believe that Wicca's God and Goddess, Shinto's Gods, Buddha's God, or even Greek and Roman Gods exist, THEY HAVE THAT RIGHT! It is CLEARLY stated that upon coming to this country from England, a main purpose was Religious Freedom.

Of course, everyone has the right to believe in their own God or impersonal force, Mike. How, then, can you say that I must be stripped of my freedom to express my faith? Why should Wiccans be allowed to discuss their belief in their Goddess and Muslims be free to express their faith in Allah, but I must be silent about my faith in Jesus Christ? Does that seem fair to you? Don't you see how that conflicts with the First Amendment's promise of freedom to all?

Though at that time it applied to people who wanted to believe in God without persecution, The persucuted now are the persecutors. It Happened the very second you got your freedom. You condemned any and all other religions, just for not believing in a Religion, that you yourself cannot vouche to be true. Religions are created simply for explanation. We want to believe in someone who created us and can make our lives better. Wiccans, and i bring this up only so you will find your most offensive subject to have its good points, believe in no evil God. They have no Satan, or anything of the like, because of Reincarnation, and because giving something evil a name gives it power. In that sense, you've created Satan more powerful than God, by making everything evil referring to him, the simple referrence of Hell causes a sin.

I'm not telling you what to believe. Nor did I force you to come and read our comments. You to chose to come. This website started with answers to questions from Christian parents. You are free to listen and participate -- or to leave. It's your choice. If that's persecution in your book, I would love to know which dictionary you use.

I ask you this, the Devil is responsible for Sin, correct? Well why did God allow it to happen? You simply say its a part of God's plan, or perhaps its because without evil we would have only mindless society, or that its not God's fault. Society without evil could still be managable. No one stops to ponder that. And God himself created the Devil. God created everything, therefore the Angels didn't just exist with him, he needed companions.

God is evil, yet his promise of Heaven and goodness and love of man and sacrifice of his son for people blind everyone to trying to seek and explain him. Don't explain God? Why not? Why should people just accept somthing they find problems with?

They don't have to accept it, Mike. Neither do you. God allows you to imagine your own gods and follow your path. But I am sorry you have chosen to see Him as evil and to reject His love. As He explained in Jeremiah 2:13, it makes Him sad:

"My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water."

... People who believe in God just accept the bible as the truth and preach from it to convert the damned. People who don't believe in God look into the subject, study it, and find problems. I have read so many articles and found explinations, which had i still been a Christian (I became an Athiest after my Grandfather passed away last year), I would've never found before. And i can honestly, yes, HONESTLY say that with what i know now, even seeing God couldn't change me to being a Christian, because issues and opinions, even scriptures, i find very, very wrong, repeated, and ignorant.

I myself believe the bible was written by a man who never experianced God, nor believed he existed for real, but somewhere in his twisted or mentally defected mind that told him this. Yes, i'm saying an Insane person wrote the bible. It's my opinion. You have your opinions which i argue to be wrong, and my opinions, i'm sure by now your either outraged or laughing at them, you find wrong. I suggest this. LEAVE OTHER RELIGIONS ALONE! Throughout history, if anything you've read you find to be wrong, you can never doubt this: Christianity is a racist religion. Can i explain how thats so? Yes. A white person, believing that whites are superior, condemns Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and all other races, making him a Racist.

Mike, the Bible tells us that God's family of believers is made up of people from "every tribe and nation." Jesus sent His disciples "into all the world" to share God's promise of strength, hope and salvation. He wanted people of every race and color to find hope and safety with Him -- no matter what difficulties they faced. I don't know any religion other than Christianity that has reached out to the poor and sick around the world and built hospitals and schools for people in distant lands. That meant giving up all the comforts of Western homes and risking their lives in order to show God's love to people of all colors. Does that sound like racism?

I know we have seen very selfish and violent behavior from those who call themselves Christian, but they have not been following Jesus. To see the difference, please read Biblical versus Cultural Christianity

A Christian condemns Jews, Wiccans, Shintos, and all other religions, since he believes that God is the superior.

No, that's not true. Most religions believes their God or gods or impersonal Source or Mind to be superior to other deities, but that doesn't mean that they condemn all others. The Wiccans I have walked and talked with believe in a Goddess. Shintos believe in many gods. We can all coexist in a free nation. From my Christian perspective, only God can condemn a person. He wants me to show love to people, even if I can't accept their beliefs.

Funny coincidence isn't it? How no other religions persecute God, oh sure there are the minorities that believe in other religions who personally hate God and call Christianity wrong, but you don't hear the entire religion boasting it.

No one religion will satisfy the 5 billion+ people who populate this world. Accept it! I don't want to believe in God, but i accept that people who do find comfort in it, so i don't say anything to try to change them, i only bring up my thoughts when they offend me, or start to persecute another religion. Why can you not just stop trying to show how bad things are and let people experiance things for themselves. You can't stop most smokers from smoking, they enjoy it, so let them ruin their lives. Let other people who are religious without God enjoy themselves, and let them go to Hell when they die, its not your fault that they are that way, and most likely, you can't change them.

My friend and i read your site whenever some new article pops up, and every time we find your views offensive because of how you bash others. Leave them alone, enjoy your own life with God, let them enjoy their lives with their beliefs.

Mike, where do you see me bashing a person? That certainly is not my intention. I try to critique ideas and different forms of entertainment. But I do it because I care about people. Does that make any sense to you?

I hope that my letter has changed your views on things so that you won't continue the way you go, but don't stop believing in God unless my views have corrupted the views you have, you have your rights to believe in him, no matter what others think.

From Jayne, the Wite Dragon: I read just about everything on your page, and from what I can gather, you believe that the "occult" and "satan" are in just about everything (toys, games, TV, etc.) today. You have repeatedly said this in one form or another, and you have provided parents and kids a lot of ways to "defend" themselves. But what is your goal?

This is America, land of the free. It seems to me that you want a theocracy. Everybody believes in the Bible, and nobody asks any questions. Sounds like the classic Giver story right there.

The middle ages were also a great example of a theocracy. The original people who founded that society probably had good intentions, but corruption soon settled in and the clergy were power-hungry monsters. So, if you had your way, things would start out ok, but then there would just be a repeat of what happend in the middle ages. So, in conclusion, what is the point of telling everyone about all of these "satanic" things in our society?

Jayne, if you have read most of our articles and responses, how can you believe that I would want a theocracy and silence all questions? Please notice that we are posting a diversity of opinions. We value the freedom to engage in logical discussions and to weigh information. We may speak from a Biblical perspective, but we welcome sincere questions and, with God's help, we try to provide answer. But no one has to follow our advice. It is freely given and freely taken.

The "point of telling everyone" is to warn and encourage those who want to follow God.

Second letter from Jayne: Thank you for the response, and I suppose I can understand you and your veiws a little better. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not going to be a born-again Christian now or ever, but I do understand your angle. America is all about expressing your veiws without being oppressed for it. I did go through your Gundam Wing section, and I'll tell you a little about the series too.

From Brian Pletcher: What's happened to being Jesus to the World. I guess ignorance is bliss. Guess you look deep in between the lines when you want to try and avoid the word of God. Show love instead of hate. Love thy Enemy.

The Gospels and the rest of the NT showed us how much God loved a world of sinners as said in John 3:16 For God so loved the World that he gave his one and only son that whosoever belives in him shall not perish but have Eternal Life. Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Why do this type of work? All you do is demonstrate why we as Christians are persecuted. It all comes down to parents on what there children watch.

I believe that it is more loving to warn people of spiritual and moral dangers than to ignore today's threats to our children's faith. But I realize that God's moral standards are neither popular nor politically correct these days. Actually, they have rarely been acceptable to unbelievers. That's why Jesus said, "If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you... for they do not know the One who sent Me." (John 15:20-21)

Let's use the time we have to go out and save as many souls as possible useing the TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD. Now you have that choice of course but remember though if we don't do our best what will happen to the people that are left behind.

As disciples we all are we have that responsibility, not just the Pastors at our churches. We must go out and be Jesus to the world.

From Michael: I recently read over your web page, and I'm sorry, but you guys must be nuts. I think your agenda on making everything in the world seem evil is making you see things that aren't there. It is people like you that have made christianity the joke of the 21th century. No longer does it have the influence it once had, because too many people have let their imaginations get away from them and twist the teachings of a great religion to back their insane ideas.

I was an atheist for almost 18 years and now I and a Christian. I think you need to learn more history about other religious beliefs before you put lies on the internet. I hope very few people go to your site. It may turn future Christians away, making them believe that everyone that believes in God is a joke.

Michael, you say you are a Christian, but who is Jesus is to you? What is your source of information about God and His truths? It isn't the "history about other religious beliefs," is it? Please help me to understand where you are coming from, so that I can better communicate my beliefs to you and others.

From "A Concerned Deist": Religion is a crutch for the weak minded. I believe in God, but I'm not going to have some book which is written by men mind dictate my morals.

Aristotle claims that all morals, rights, values, etc. are derived from reason. Why do you believe in Christianity? Does it make you feel better to believe in that you can look forward to heaven? Do you think an all loving God would send millions of moral non-christians to hell deserves to be worshipped.

Morality is an important virtue. I'm not a left-winger who is trying to subvert your views (I voted for Bush). However, you discuss how so many modern forms of media (i.e. magic cards) are brainwashing children. What makes religion so much different?

Religion is influencing your way of thought. Some old man in Rome or wherever (if you are anti-Catholic) teaching the Bible should not tell you how to live. In fact, religion is more subversive to individual thought than "digimon" because it commands individuals how to live exactly. I say one should find virtues in life through reason.

"Reason" like logic must be based on factual knowledge. Your statements about Christianity tell me that you don't know a lot of facts about the Bible. Yet you seen to reject the its messages on virtue.

You say that you are a Deist. Since you seek virtue through "reason" or logic, what facts have shown you a logical path toward belief in Deism. I would venture to say that if we would compare notes, I would have more archeological and historical facts to back up my belief in Jesus Christ -- an historical person who demonstrated the sacrificial love of God -- than you have to back up your faith in Deism. But I may be wrong, so feel free to respond.

From ZxNinjaxZ: Let me say first, I am a friend of Mike Crawley, and I agree with him. Things I have to say to you, there are too many to count. You are so pent up in your own religion, you NEVER EVER bother to give anything a real chance. You fail to fully study everything you write articles.

For instance, your Dragon Ball article. I had to do more research on a Term paper for the founder of my city (who did NOT share your beliefs, by the way, and was thrown out of quite a few towns because of his beliefs, which shows that your religion doesn't accept everything, I am speaking of Samuel Gorton). That term paper was Jr. High School level. 3 sources, and they were hard to find. Dragon Ball is quite popular, but you could only find ONE site? That's a bunch of bull.

Another thing, you need to stop letting a book tell you how to live. "God wants me to do this and that". Did you ever stop to think about what YOU want? Talk about MIND CONTROL. Or do you honestly want to do what God wants you to do?

Actually, yes. He knows far better than I do what is best for me and the world.

That's pathetic, I do what I want to do. I don't let anything, not a book, not a character in a book (I speak of your God) tell me how to live my life. And really, stop turning everything around. Mike said
something, and you turned it around and made HIM sound like a bad guy. That's cool.

Another thing, you go on and on about Anime and things. You don't go into Video games, you don't believe in them, right? Avoided lots of movies (The Crow, for example). Stayed away from that because the star died making it? Figured that was "punishment" enough for making a movie "against god's word?" You really need to look into things more before you "evaluate" them.

I don't try to evaluate everything. Most of my writing are simply answers to questions people ask. I don't claim to know everything. My goal is not to amass a volume of visual experiences, but to look at the influences around us through the filter of Biblical truth and values. What other trustworthy standard is there?

From Catherine P.: There is a show on Toon Disney called Gargoyles and the heroes of the shows are beings that look like devils and turn to stone when the sun rises. The show also features many gods from pagan mythology as actual beings and gods. I also found out that you can post messages to its creator, Greg Weisman, on http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/index.html. So please warn all parents about it.

Thank you, Catherine. I appreciate your information.

From Audrey: I would like to inform you that the use of your own pictures on the front page of your website is shameless self promotion, and sinful. The use of your pictures is using subliminal works to the convince the minds of good Christians that you are a powerful being. Promoting yourself before the face of God is a sin. You are destroying God's word by trying to make yourselves look like authorities! You are trying to attract Christians towards yourselves by using your picture! I suggest you remove this hateful sin from your page immediately!

I'm not sure where you are coming from, Audrey, but I tend to believe that you are simply satirizing what you consider my critical ways.

At the same time I appreciate your comment and am asking God if He wants us to remove the picture. We thought that a friendly face might help welcome all of you, but we certainly don't want to want the focus to be on us. I'm so glad the Lord is our Shepherd. He will surely lead us!

Second latter from ZxNinjaZ: I would be happy with your reply, except from what I understand, you didn't answer my questions.

Have you ever heard of the movie "The Crow" it was a great movie made in 1993 about a man and his bride to be who were killed the night before Holloween (the night before they were to marry). The small legend around the story is that they say a Crow carries a soul to heaven after the person dies. But sometimes, something so bad happens that the Crow can't carry to soul to heaven, and sometimes, the Crow can bring that person back, to right the wrongs that occurred to him or her.

Eric Draven (the man who was killed) arises from the grave a year later and kills each person of the gang that killed him and his girlfriend. He had actually gotten power from the Crow, and had become immortal. That is, as long as the crow was not harmed. At one point in the movie, the crow is shot, and Eric loses his powers. The movie is a very powerful and emotional one....

It obviously made an impact on you, ZxNinja. Like today's educational establishment, Hollywood moguls know well that when stories (books or movies) evoke strong emotions their messages will be powerful and well remembered.

Now, you're probably already saying that the Crow is shamanistic because Eric had gotten his powers from an Animal. I'd expect that. But I had noticed that it was one movie that was American made that you didn't touch.

I usually don't review a movie unless someone has asked me about it. No one asks or needs my advice on movies that are obviously contrary to our values. But some might appreciate the warnings you bring us through your descriptions. They help us understand the lures and the dangers of movies such as the Crow and games such as the ones you describe below.

I can also point out at least one video game that is American made and goes completely against your beleifs. It's a game called "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver". It's about a Vampire, named Raziel, who's master, Kain, has executed for growing wings before he did. Hundreds of years later, Raziel returns, but he isn't a vampire, he's something much worse, in fact, instead of having a blood thirst, he is now sent on a quest to kill his
former kind, and take their souls as nourishment. The game was made
completely in America, didn't touch that, but you had issues with Pokemon,
which was Japanese. Hmmm... I think I might know why, do you k! now what I'm
talking about?

Why should I write about a game that no serious Christian family would want to play? I wrote about Pokemon because it became an international phenomenon -- not because it came from Japan. I reviewed the Harry Potter books for the same reason.

Also, you say that God knows more than you do on what is best for YOU.
Now, with Bushido, (japanese for "Way of the Warrior") it stresses the quote "Know Thyself" greatly. The fact that you say that someone else knows what is best for you shows that you really know NOTHING of yourself. Now, you say that some people are blind to see things. You are blind to see yourself...

God does know me better than I know myself. That doesn't mean that I don't know anything. I just don't know all that He knows. He knows my future, my heart, His plan for me, my weaknesses, my ignorance, the things I might rationalize away.... Both He and I know that I am not perfect, but I keep asking Him to guide me and help me see everything -- including myself -- through His eyes. He shows me when I need His forgiveness, cleansing, strength, wisdom, peace.... His very life.

No matter how badly I fail, I don't have to be discouraged or in despair -- for nothing I do could ever shocks or surprise the One who made me and loves me. He is always with me, and nothing is more exciting than knowing that I belong to my Shepherd -- both now and forever! The prayer in Psalm 139 says it best:

"O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways....

If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me,"

Even the night shall be light about me...

For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well....

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them."

Psalm 139:1-3, 9

From Mike Crawley: I have read over your site many times, not many links i've taken intrest in remain untouched as i write this. I must say, i applaude you now.   And i do mean that.

You're so manipulative, it's enticing! How you've taken the minds of every, and i quote Matt (see Dragon Ball Z section in "Your Comments"), gullible Christians. Indeed, they are gullible. All people are, but Christians seem the most gullible because of their God.

I know that is what the world around us thinks, Mike. But you have turned the truth upside down. I will write more about this later.

In the Bible, God talked to everyone. It was a seemingly everyday thing. So many people were inspired to do the greatest of things in Biblical history. But that all stopped there. It's the same with novels. Many people are inspired to do the greatest of things in Science Fiction and Fantasy novels, some from Dieties, some from very intelligent friends, others from their own intellgence. This happened with God, and all famous characters in the Bible.   Back to reality..

No one has spoken to God lately, and it seems we've needed to so badly. Look how bad things are in the world, and yet God remains voiceless to the billions of those who need answers. Most religions resort to their pacifism.   Athiests and the Self-Righteous choose to take out the cause of the evil. It's safe to say the world is going all to hell, and God is no where around.

What do you mean, "no one has spoken to God lately?" His true followers talk with Him all the time. And He speaks back. We are involved in a living, personal relationship with the King of the universe, our Shepherd who leads us, and our Friend who loves us. He shows us all kinds of wonders and miracles, and He never leaves us. First Corinthians 2 explains why you can't understand this right now, but if you will earnestly seek Him, He will enable you to know Him.

Second part of Mike Crawley's letter: Oh wait! That explains Armageddon, doesn't it! The world, burning in fire. Funny how the Christians that raped the religions you call "primitive" of most of their charms. From the tale of Noah, and the fear of Armageddon, they seem to have taken the elements now as well.

Why do they have to have some special way of clensing the earth? Why doesn't God just take all his followers away now and blow the world up and get rid of everyone who is against him? Why does God let a Serial Killer convert to Christianity and be forgiven, yet a person who has never led a life following God, but could be compared to Jesus almost, be damned to hell?

God understands love and justice better than you and I do. In His order, everyone has an opportunity to repent, cry out to Him for forgiveness, and receive His gift of new life. The biggest obstacle to the peace He offers us in Himself is pride: the arrogant assumption that we don't need Him and can make it on our own

What about Greece and Rome? Let's see.. it was Zues, the King of the Gods, who came down to Earth and seduced Alcmene, and then impregnated her. From her came one who was almost Godly, persued a life of doing good deeds, even redeemed himself, but was persecuted by many people.

Why does this seem so similar to Jesus' birth and life of good deeds and persecution? Oh i know you'll answer that with how Greek is only myths, has no connection to Christianity and is not real, but you've no proof. It has only been laughed off now by Christianity's popularity, and the Roman's persecution of Christians.

The Greek and Roman myths were designed by men, with inspiration from the evil mastermind behind the scenes. 1 John 1:19 tells us that the whole world is under the sway of the evil one." He has always suggested counterfeits of God good gifts and promises, then tempted gullible people who want those "gifts" without accountability to our God.

Myself, i am a pagan, a "new ager". That is such an improper name, Pagans existed before Christians, why are we the new ones? Yet why are we also the primitive ones? I don't know that my Goddess exists, yes, i am a Wiccan, but i believe only in the Goddess. (i lost all faith in good Men, pretty much myself too, when my Grandfather died. He was a dedicated Christian, gave his whole life to it when not giving me his time. Where was God and his miracle healing when my grandfather was overtaken by cancer? I shouldn't hold a grudge to a diety, but my own personal dislike for God has brought some light to my life.) I don't know that any other dieties exist either. Religion isn't meant to be a following, it's meant to be a chance. Ofcourse, there's always the chance we're all wrong, and there's nothing after we die.

But now that i've gotten that off my chest, back to you, miss Berit.

First off, congradulations! Totally unconvincing of a previous "Wiccan" comment. Though i cannot find it's origin, i remember it's stupidity well.

"From Anonymous: You are an ignorant fool! Blessed be!"

From then you went on explaining how Blessed Be was a Wiccan Greeting and Goodbye. Sorry but no dice. I know that no real Wiccan would have put that.   We know all to well, heck, its one of the first things you learn. Wiccans do not expose themselves like that. That sort of thing caused problems in the past. It's easy to tell that you wrote it, or a reader of your site who favors you chose to aid your cause that we Wiccans are evil, or atleast, promoting Satanism.

Believe it or not, I did not write that phrase. I assure you, I don't need to write letters to myself. If you search our site, you should find other comments from Wiccans with the same greeting. I haven't posted all those letters, because I don't want to violate the privacy of hurting Wiccan women who confide in me during friendly personal communications.

I Love it though! You can take the righteous ones of your site, who put their hearts into trying to explain how wrong you are, and turn them evil. I've known the Christians to be tricky, but i'll be ____ if you aren't the most intellegent woman i've met.

I'm certainly not. All I do is learn God's wisdom then let Him lead me. I couldn't do any of this on my own. Before I knew Him and received His Life, I was so shy and quiet that I was afraid to share my name in a group. It was difficult for me to write any kind of a letter. But He changed and enabled me to whatever He called me to do. If He could do that with me, He can use anyone -- no matter how small and inadequate they might feel!

It's as if your using God as you're shield to gain strength among the Christians who'd follow you. Another Moses, shall we say. I can't wait to see the buildings part as you escape from those who would bring you down.

Sure, i make fun of you now, but i'm sure you'll use it to your advantage. You always have! I'll become another letter to fuel your trip to fame among the Christians. Always glad to help.

I Do so hope you'll post this. Oh make me the bad guy once more please, anything, i just want others to see this. I want to hear comments of this from others and be persecuted, such as seeing life how you do. Maybe my mother will ruin my life too, you've caused so many other mothers to ruin their own children's lives by taking away the most harmless things ever. Too bad the law of 18 years old frees us. We'll then rise to what we wanted, get the information you never bothered to find beyond the bible, and take away your dignity with our onslaughts.

Sorry i've had to become so offensive, but you're being exposed slowly by those who comment. Your site is destroying you, and your quest is getting boulders dropped in the paths. I leave you with my words now, rather than overuse what can destroy you.

Here is one of God's wonderful promises which I stand on:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned... For I am the Lord your God.... Isaiah 43:1-3

From Susan: I'd like to take a bit to talk about the concept of "changing our mind." I rather guess that either of us has an equal chance to come to agree with the other. Even with tons of proof, I doubt if anyone would change their minds about something they care or believe deeply. However, I do believe (with no proof) that a person can change their mind and that this occurs over time and is not spontaneous. I also believe (again with no proof) that a person won't change their mind even when presented with undeniable proof.

I assume you are referring to "changing a person's mind" about a major social, religious or philosophical issue -- not about insignificant daily decisions. The latter can easily be changed with new information. The former, which are grounded in a person's world view or point of view, may not change easily without the kinds of psycho-social tactics I mention in my article on Brainwashing in America and in Chapter 4 of Brave New Schools.

So, I guess my first question to both of us is:   1. If presented with undeniable proof that your point of view is wrong, would that change your mind?

If you could prove that I am wrong, of course I would change my mind.

Secondly, I'd like to talk a bit about our common ground. Surely we can have one. Your basis of opinion is that the Bible is absolute. My basis is that rational thought is absolute. Can both be right? Can both come together? I do not see the Bible as a rational document - so I don't know if it is possible.

We may agree on some general issues, but we don't stand on "common ground." You are inviting me to participate in the consensus or dialectic process, which calls for compromise. This already sets us apart, for I see this process as a means of manipulation.

So, I guess my second question to both of us is: 2. Can the Bible and rational thought work together?

Of course. I consider my thinking rational -- especially because I know what I believe and refuse to submit to a process that would manipulate my thinking. You may have noticed that I carefully document every fact I write in my articles, then build my arguments logically and rationally based on those and other known facts.

How do you define "rational" and demonstrate rational thinking?

If I meet a person who believes "A" then I will begin to believe "A"? Doesn't work. Isn't true. And you can't prove it! I have friends who are Muslim and they tell me about Allah. Am I Muslim? No. I have friends who love the Backstreet Boys and tell me all about it. Am I a fan? No. So, by your statement if I talk with you about D&D, then you would begin to play D&D? I very much doubt it.

Your conclusion is totally irrational. I would never make such an absurd statement.

...The Bible is fiction. You believe that it is true. However, where is your proof? Your belief is not enough. The burden of proof is on the person who makes the claim. You claim that the Bible is real, therefore you must prove that it is. Prove Adam and Eve existed. Otherwise they are fiction. Prove that Job existed. Where is his tomb? Where is his house? Otherwise he is fiction. AND using the Bible to prove the Bible is false. You need outside historical sources.

There are plenty of "outside sources" in archeology, history, climatology, and personal testimonies that corroborate the historical account. I don't have time to list the documentation here -- it would take too much space -- but I suggest your read Lee Strobel's two books: The Case for Christ and the The Case for Faith. Strobel, a former atheist, holds a Masters of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law Schools and was the award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune. When faced with overwhelming evidence for the validity of the Bible, he "changed his mind" and became a Christian.

Hi my name is Anna... Your website really makes me laugh! You armish people are sooo stupid!!! Ooohhhh Hello Kitty and the Teletubbies are wrong! Spooky! UUhhhhh... the word computer never appears in Bible! Why r u using one then?

What a good laugh! Cheers!

The rest of Susan's letter: Many use the words "family values" to mean the "traditional American values" established by our founding fathers. What traditional family values were these? Many of our founding fathers kept slaves. Is that a family value? Many were criminals from Europe. Is that a family value? If you mean "traditional Protestant Christian values" where did those go when the founding fathers dispossessed and cheated the natives? showed hatred to blacks, chinese, and irish?

I'm sorry. I can understand the confusion. I actually mean the moral values based on the teachings of the Bible, which our founders used to lay the foundation for law, education, and the way we defined our terms. They have been "traditional" in America until a few decades ago.

Slavery was an aberration to to those values. But Biblical values included the compassion and sense of justice that caused Americans to give up their lives in the battle against slavery. For the other horrors that you list, please see Biblical versus Cultural Christianity.

"Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 22:37-40

This is the only part of the Bible that I agree with. All I have to do is pay attention to this part and chuck the rest of the Bible out the window.

[Quoting your article] "It helps show the vast financial resources behind today's popular entertainment. The toy and game industry has changed. Fifty years ago, toy makers were concerned about morals and values. Today money is the bottom line, and the toy and game industry continues to expand and erode the old moral boundaries. Their current products are desensitizing their opposition, while their well-researched ads keep raising the demand for their manipulative and values-changing entertainment around the world. "

No. Fifty years ago, toymakers were concerned with money just like today. However, today children have more of a market share and so are exploited. Fifty years ago, toymakers made money making toy guns and tanks and planes and bombs. Fifty years ago, toymakers made money making dolls and tea sets and doll houses. It hasn't changed much except get more electronic and less imaginative.

Actually, it has changed. The two main global toy corporations are Mattell and Hasbro. I'm not sure the former began with any moral standards. For example, the inspiration for the Barbie doll was a sex doll the founders saw in Europe decades ago. But after reading the book, Toy Wars, I am certain that Hasbro was committed to what it considered good values until the last decade. Its founders were Jewish refugees from the Russian pogroms and persecution in Eastern Europe.

Anonymous: I came back to your page hoping that it would be shut down by now but, instead I see more hypocrisy and idiocy spouting from you and your wife's twisted minds. I can't believe that you twist the bible in such a way that it supports your warped and distorted veiws on what God really wants from us. You pick on the little things, such as games like Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, and Poke'mon, well here is a newsflash...

THEIR NOT REAL

From ~Shinigami Hime: Well isn't this just one of those Millions of SIghts that Enjoy Dissing things just becuase "They think it's not god's will" It's FICTION! F-I-C-T-I-O-N!! Enjoyable Fiction.

Now tell me, Truthfully, Did god come down and say " Anime, Star Wars, Pokeman, Harry Potter, and Dungeons and Dragons are Evil!" Now come on! If the people are stupid enough to act exactly Like the book tells them, well then they aren't to smart. I mean It's Pretend! If they're just pretending i don't care! It's not that big of a Deal!

Stop Twisting the quotes from Characters becuase it's not doing any good. And who are you to say what's good and evil? Well if you're the messanger i'd like to meet you, and then laugh at you. Half of the Info you have is twisted or not true. So if you expect to do anything your wrong. and Stop trying to brain wash kids into being like you.

May I suggest you read our article on Brainwashing, Shinigami? You would see the actual meaning of that word.

In most cultures, parents have been free to share their faith and raise their children to follow their own beliefs. Why should Christians now face contempt or accusations of "brainwashing" for simply doing what countries far less free than the USA allow?

No, God did not mention D&D or Harry Potter in the Bible. But He gave us a clear blueprint showing what is good and what is not. If you are following a map through a city, you don't need to see every house on the way. You just need to make sure you keep heading in the right direction until you reach your destination.

His Word is like a map. It shows the direction that will lead us to Him and the abundant life He promises His people from every part of the world. It also defines the kinds of obstacles that will distract, confuse, block or misdirect us.

Then He tells us to use this map to help and encourage each other along the way. That's what I try to do.

From LinkHylian: You people are ___ insane! Don't use you're Christian excuses on me, 'cause I'm Wiccan. They won't change my mind. I should put you in the Hall of Shame, which is on my web site so others will see how ___ stupid you are.

Anime is not evil. Wicca is not evil. Nothing is evil! You'd probably see a kid riding a bike and say, "It's the devil! It's the devil!" You have made me very angry. Everything you bash is one of the things I like (except for Teletubbies) I hope everyone will see how stupid you are. I can't see how Pokémon can be evil. It's a freakin' cartoon! A cartoon is not gonna make a kid be a Satanist!

When I was young, my parents showed me things on how they made movies. Because of that, I could tell the difference between reality and fantasy as a little kid, and I was able to play T and M rated games when I was eight. I suggest you tell parents to do the same. I haven't beat up anyone or became a Wiccan because of these things. It was my choice. Next you're gonna be saying Japanese people are evil. Have a ___ nice day!

You and I have different standards for good and evil. Apparently, you view me and my worldview as "insane" and "stupid." But I'm not offended by your Wiccan views nor by your anger toward me personally. You have as much right under the U.S. Constitution to choose and express your beliefs. Please allow us the same freedom.

Another letter from Kallikak: I was reading some of the comments on your site and saw a great deal of them that seemed to concern violence in anime. This, for me, is a very interesting subject. It would seem that violence is a very necessary part of almost all stories. For the most part, there is a good guy and a bad guy and they fight. This has been driven into us so much that it is very hard to even think of a 'good' story that doesn't have violence of some kind in it.

That's an interesting observation, Kallikak. But it wasn't true of the books I read as a child in Norway. Television was just beginning to divert families from reading and talking, and the books we read dealt focused more on adventure and character development in the real world than on the thrills and kills in a virtual world. Since most people become desensitized to violence, whether real or virtual, they crave increasingly graphic and shocking violence. Do you wonder where it might end?

Now, I realize everyone doesn't see things the way I do, but violence seems to put things in perspective for me. The more graphical, the more effective it is. I remember going to see 'Saving Private Ryan' in the theaters (a very good movie in my opinion) and the opening scenes of the D-day. It sickened me, but also for the first time showed me how real WWII was. It took the graphic nature of that film to show me the real horror of war. I remember thinking that everyone should have to watch this movie, as a requirement, to drill into people just how real, and terrible, the war was.

I know now that not everyone got the same feeling as me (I am sure there were kids that just thought "oh, did you see that guy get blown in half? wasn't that cool!") and I like to think this was because of my Christian upbringing. I am starting to think that if a person is brought up and taught the Bible from an early age, maybe such violence is not quite as bad.

It seemed to straighten me and my Christian morals because for the first time I learned how real death was.

Having said this I wonder if a Christian person can indeed find enjoyment in anime, since as long as there guard is up, they will notice things that contradict what the Bible teaches and in doing so train themselves to notice less obvious evils that exist elsewhere in society. *shrugs* Of course, too much of any worldly thing can be bad, so perhaps it is only the excess of anime, cards, video games, etc. that are really harmful.

After all, even the Bible has a lot of graphic violence, sexual immortality, and paganism. The Bible points it out, the world is where we test what we learned. (and just a side note, but phylosophy is definitly the devils way of confusing us *gestures at the above paragraphs*)

Yes, many do test in the real world the thrilling lessons they learn in their favorite virtual world. And the results have often been devastating.

There is a huge difference between violent entertainment and the Bible's demonstration of the consequences of evil. Entertainment produces passive, often mindless acceptance of the seductive message and values packaged by the producers.

In contrast, the teaching and examples in the Bible alert us to the dangers we would face in a world where the masses reject God and He allows them to face the consequences of going their own way.

Those who know God and value His truths will be disturbed and sickened by violence as you were. As you pointed out, many others delight in the violence, continue to crave more, but are never really satisfied.

From Jonathan: I have read much of your page. I must say that I both agree and disagree with you on many issues. I am 16, and was raised a Christian. I am active in my church, and am close to my Pastor. I am also a fan of entertainment.

I do agree with what you say about how America is becoming less christian, but the thing is, america never was christian. since the time of the colonies, there have been many religions portrayed in american society. while christianity may be the most predominant, it is not the only one. Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Confutionism are just a few. While one may be officially part of one, that does not mean that they must close the door to outside influence. If a christian agrees with some of the Islamic teachings, why not incorporate them into your philosophy. People may not be of a "pagan" religion, but if they share similar morals with them, does that make them "evil" or "wrong"?

What kind of church do you attend, Jonathan? Haven't your pastor or parents taught you the Ten Commandments? Remember, the first one tells us, "You shall have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20:3) It warns us not to worship any other gods. It doesn't matter whether they are called gods, goddesses, powers, forces or the cosmic mind. The enticing world of Harry Potter gives no name to the source of the power it manipulates, but by trusting and invoking its presence, it acknowledges its existence.

Few seem to remember the First Commandment these days. Instead many are creating their own favorite gods in their imaginations -- thinking they are still safe in the arms of the Biblical God. Instead their gods tend to be a blend of the world's popular deities -- multicultural gods that match the dreams and desires of today's politically correct masses.

Now to entertainment.    Star wars- in your message board, many people talk about how Anakin's name is similar to Anakim or Anak, symbols of evil. This make perfect sense. Anakin is originally thought to be good, but as the story progresses, he changes into the "evil" man known Darth Vader. He is not a "good" guy, but actually a "bad" one. In my youth group at church, our guide had us watch all 3 Star Wars as an afternoon. She wanted us to see the Biblical Truths in them. We discussed how the force represents God in all of us. Luke was to represent Jesus, someone to save all people from sin and oppression, the dark side and the empire. all of the characters in Star Wars have parallels to Biblical characters. try watching them again, trying to point out how the characters can be represented this way.

How can such an mental immersion in another belief system teach the truth about God?  The force -- with its light and dark sides -- represents the kind of power popularized by the Harry Potter books today and by Canaanite nations and priests in Old Testament days. Deuteronomy 18:9-12 tells us that those who practice magic, sorcery, divination, etc. are an "abomination" to Him. Instead, He tells us to "Abhor what is evil, and cling to what is good." (Rom. 2:9) Linking a "force" that represents both good and evil to "God in all of us" makes a mockery of our Lord who is can only be perfectly good.

Any comparison between Jesus and Luke Skywalker would only dishonor and degrade our King to the level of an ordinary person. It would stamp out the significance of His suffering and death on the cross. Remember God's timely warning in Psalm 5O:21. He says, "You thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you...."

Tarzan- loin cloths are now "evil"? primitive man wore nothing but loin cloths. If you were abandoned in the jungle with no cloths, what would you wear?

anime- this is where I feel you are not truly informed. your comments of Evengelion, Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, Digiman, and Gundam are as valid as anyone's. Opinions are fine, but they must be supported with evidence before they can truly be pondered on.

While Evangelion does use christian symbols, it does not twist them. calling something an angel does not make it a representation of the Angels of God. And what if they are meant to represent biblical angels? Could this be another "flood"? God punished man before, couldn't he do it again? and yes, there are imoral scenes and attiduteds in this show and manga. all teenagers tend to have sexual urges, this dates back to before man could even speak, the primordial urge to mate, this comes naturally. It is not meant for children.

Pokemon and Digimon are "evil". they do promote animals fighting, and that is wrong. I do not like them, but I will not force someone not to enjoy them.

Dragon Ball Z- I enjoy this show. While there really isn't any Christian teaching in this show, there is nothing that really opposes it either. None of the characters appear to have a religion, and any interpretaions are just that.

Gundam- Now here is an interesting topic. A series about war. War is in the world. a series about death. people die. a story about giant robots. giant robots? I've never seen any. this series is about the srtuggle mankind has had throughout history, it is an allegory. mother country found colonies to expand territory, colonies are oppressed, colonies revolt, warsh and bloody war, freedom or more control is achieved. This happens, don't try to hide it, because the Bible doesn't. he characte Duo from Gundam Wing calls himself "the great destroyer". In japan, he is called Shinigami. This word has 3 possible translation: God of Death, The Devil, or death itself. If this is meant to be death, maybe he feels that anyone he gets close to dies, and he has lots of mental problems. As for the collar, he was an orphan. Maybe he has nothing else to wear, homeless wear scavanged cloths.

To sum up, Christianity is "good", other religions are not "bad", and America is an amalgamy of cultures. Deal with it. Much of the entertainment industry is "bad", and many moveis have negative leesons influences in them, but what doesn't?

A for anime, read up, or rather watch up. The comics are usually different from the animation, so try to get both before commenting. You also tend to over generalize. Saying that teens cursing comes from anime is not true, many adults curse quite a bit. Not all anime is bad or anti-Christian-values, try watch Blue Submarine No. 6, an enjoyable series with no religious themes, just a strugle to survive. Just try to give things a chance.

Jonathan, you don't understanding my standard for evaluating what is good and what is harmful. The key to wisdom in God's kingdom is not how well you have studied a particular counterfeit. What matters is how well you know the real truth. His Word must be our filter and standard. Please guard against embracing today's politically correct standard for right and wrong. That's the warning God gave us against in Isaiah 5:20. He said,

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;

Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness....

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,

And prudent in their own sight!"

Does the Bible not teach us to love thy neighbor? Why are you then saying how any other religion beside christianity is "evil"?

God doesn't equate love with compromise. Jesus spoke truth, not feel-good assurances. He equates love with willingness to suffer and die in order to share message that God Himself gave His perfect life as atonement for our sins so that we -- who could never be good by our own strength -- can share in the life of Jesus and live with Him forever. That's divine love.

Not all movies, series, songs, and generally anything are about religion. Entertainment is designed to delight people, not convert them.
A note on desensitized people. Does violence on TV really make children think pain is OK? If children aren't exposed to violence, then how can they prevent it? If one can see just how painful violence could be, then they would be less likely to be violent.

I haven't said that TV makes children think pain is OK, nor do I believe that's usually the case. But children don't need virtual experiences in violence in order to know that violence is bad. They need to be told. If the parents are Christian, this message is best taught in a Biblical context.
Remember, you don't need to engage in promiscuous sex in order to know that it can have devastating consequences both physically and emotionally. Years ago, teenagers knew that teenage sex was wrong, and most didn't do it. With today's exposure to gratuitous sex and violence, children are becoming addicted to destructive lifestyles whether they like it or not.
I have put all the good, bad, and evil word in quotations for a reason. Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. what is good to someone is bad to another.

I agree. That's why I quoted Isaiah 5:20 earlier: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil...."

My last comment is this. Are any of those that run this website ordained ministers? Many of the post have talked how you people have ministered others. Is this allowed by a non-ordained individual? An if you aren't ordained, how can you interpret the Bible? You say only God can interpret things, so why are you? Hypocrisy is rampant in Christianity, most blatantly in the Bible.

When Jesus came to earth, the people who were least interested in His message were the religious establishment. It had its own ideas concerning the nature of God and goodness. So Jesus walked and talked with the ordinary people who longed to hear His wonderful truths. After He ascended to heaven, He sent His Spirit to teach and guide all who were willing to believe Him and follow His way. For "the secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant." (Psalm 25:14)
Andy and I are just ordinary people, and we could do nothing good apart from God's grace. He has given us a wonderful pastor who teaches us the Scriptures with amazing insight. But we, too, read, study, memorize and share it. For God tells us,

"... you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9

That's pretty special isn't it! We are not ordained by man, but we are His own special people who have received the Spirit of God and are part of a royal priesthood commissioned to proclaim His praises. What could be greater than that?
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please respond. Also, post this in the anime, and entertainment section of your site, and if you remove the paragraph directly befor this one, I will be upset.

From Rob: Does the Bible not say “Judge not least ye be judged”? I have been a Christian my whole life and have never seen a better example of judgment and bigotry than is displayed on your sight. It’s people like you who make me ashamed to be a Christian. I attended a Christian school for my whole education, from kindergarten to collage and I have never seen this much hate and intolerance preached in a place. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

After looking at you site for twenty minutes I could stand to look no longer. Your one-sided views on various topics from movies to anime to card games are almost nazi like. I pray that you may see the error of your ways and repent to God’s true gospel of love.

You remind me of a warning Jesus gave His disciples, Rob: "...the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service." John 16:2

From Anom: I found your website quite interesting but also had some concerns regarding some of the content. While I can readily agree that some concern is in order, I also worry that you implicitly support perspectives that reinforce the intolerant label so commonly attached to Christianity. It seems clear that teaching our kids the true meaning of Christian holidays and clearly differentiating these from the cultural symbols that dominate popular mindshare is an important concept, but your site goes beyond an education process and begins to sound like censorship.

Amon, I have never called for censorship or book banning. In response to multitudes of questions from Christian parents, I try to hold up a Biblical standard for what God calls right and wrong. I don't tell anyone what to do. You are prejudging my message.

Banning our kids from Pokemon? Really? You might as well attack the obviously subversive themes of Casper the Friendly Ghost or Popeye cartoons that I watched as a kid. After all, Casper is a ghost, clearly a satanic being, and the kids that fantasize about flying around with him on his various adventures are in danger of being roped into a false belief system.

And the drug culture theme of Popeye, who can't even deal with his daily problems, mainly Brutus, without a dose of his favorite "fix", is clearly evil by design. Where may we draw that line without creating a complete isolation from the real world? This is, of course, the basic dilemma that censorship leads to.

In my opinion, we do have a responsibility to teach our children how to be separate from the popular world, but we also have to teach them to live in the real world. They need to learn to differentiate good and evil using their own judgment, to build up their own values, and I can't see that restricting participation in Christmas or a good literary fantasy is really helping the process that much. I'm far more concerned that my kids are properly applying the honor system (self-control) to avoid the real dangerous content that is just a click away on any internet portal.

Have you read the first few chapters in the Proverbs lately? Children need to differentiate good and evil using God's Word and following His Spirit, not by their own judgment:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil." Proverbs 3:5-8

Jesus lived in our world, associated with sinners, and did not run and hide from sin. He dealt with sin.

The other thing that really bothers me is the accusatory tone that seems to be attached to the authors of populist themes. Apparently, this also extends to any world leader that appears to be involved in any type of globalist activity. What do we expect from these folks? They are, after all, operating in a secular world (they have this choice). While no Christian can deny that the themes of our world scene are of this world and are headed towards a predetermined result, this is quite different from implying some grand conspiracy by specific individuals. In my opinion this promotes an intolerant perspective that is both unnecessary and unchristian.

I must differentiate between individuals who simply choose popular themes over Christian ideals from those individuals committed to an anti-Christian perspective. Many politicians believe that the UN can provide a peaceful umbrella for humanity and are not, in fact, intentionally facilitating the arrival of the anti-christ. Your pages seem to blur this distinction and is therefore disparaging to the individuals mentioned. If you know a true agent of satan, name them as such. Everyone else must be considered unsuspecting participants in the mechanics of the world scheme. After all, we all are, whether we like it or not.

In my articles on the UN and international education system, I show documented facts and do not discuss who is "an agent of Satan." But I don't expect applause for exposing the erosion to our freedom and the coming controls. Those who warned God's people in Old Testament days were stoned and imprisoned for speaking out, and human nature doesn't change much over the centuries. The masses may like bad news if it titillates their senses, but not if it violates their comfort zone.

If I choose to write a fictional novel as opposed to writing a Christian book, have I sinned? My novel will clearly be about this world, likely about our popular culture since that sells copies, perhaps it's theme will include the transformation of humanity into a new, and improved, world order, after all it is fiction. Perhaps, it would be a poor decision, maybe even a sin, but I would still be offended if I was implicated in a general conspiracy against Christians, even if only by innuendo. This would be a poor way to influence my beliefs.

In general, I really like your site, but it also seemed to cross lines that do not seem right.

From Shirley Adelstein: I happened upon your website while researching the meaning of the ankh, a symbol which intrigues me. At first I thought your website merely educational, but after reading that part of the page and the "warning," it became clear to me that it is not. I fear that your website only serves to alienate Christians from other people. I applaud your devotion and your will to share it with others, but I ask you to think back to the person you worship so avidly, Jesus Christ. Would he have preached as intolerantly and narrow-mindedly as you are?

Please take a look at His "sermon on the mount" in Matthew 5-7, Shirley. Jesus showed us His standard for righteousness -- which is also His condition for spending eternity with Him. He wanted us to know how high that standard was, not because He wanted us to feel hopeless or condemned, but because it shows us how much we need Him. If our hearts are ready to listen, this knowledge breaks down our foolish pride and makes us humble before Him.

We simply can't meet His condition for goodness apart from Him. Therefore, He not only tells us what is right and wrong; He also promises to meet that impossible standard in and through us. For when we repent (not just saying I'm sorry", but actually turning from sin to Him) and trust that He died to take away our sins, we receive His righteous life. If we surrender to Him, He will live His good life through us and we may enjoy His love and nearness forever.

Now consider His standard which applies not just to wrong action but also to wrong thinking and desires. How might the sexy figures in anime and today's growing fascination with occult power affects the thoughts and values of children? What about Dungeons and Dragons, in which victory means killing lots of enemies?

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.... You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

I could quote many more passages, but this probably gives a glimpse of the popular thinking or sins that Jesus would not tolerate. But He loved the people enough to call sin what it is, "sin," then call sinners to repentance, so that He might change their hearts by giving them new life. That's love, not intolerance. Wouldn't you agree?

Perhaps you seek a world free of diversity, but we have seen a time period dominated by Christians, the Dark Ages and the period afterwards. That was a time period of war, killing "in the name of God," persecution of non-Christians (very hypocritical, wouldn't you say?), and sets back in intellectual and literary development. If this is the world you want, so be it. But don't pollute the minds of others with intolerance and prejudice.

I don't seek a world free of diversity, Shirley. Why should I, when God tells me in His Word that some will believe in Him but more will reject His love? What I seek is to know God's will from hour to hour so that I can do what He wants and encourage those who want to follow Him with me.

As for killing "in the name of God, please read Biblical versus Cultural Christianity

I agree that we must protect our children, but not from the supposed evils that surround us. We must protect our children from being too protected, from viewing the world only in one light. That's not the way the world is, and it is unfortunate that anyone would try to live this way. It would be better for all of us if you actually tried to follow the message of Christ's tolerance and free will. Most Sincerely,

Anonymous: Well, I visited your site a few times before and was surprised to find I still had the link. No offense, really...but I honestly have seen few sites worse than this in all my time on the Internet. You're spreading lies, misinformation, fear, hypocricy, and discrimination to all your visitors. I'm sure that was not your intent, but this is what religion can do...It can cloud the mind and blind people to reality. Let me spell this out for you.

1. There is no God. It's a myth. All cultures have creation myths.
2. You don't know the FIRST THING about anime, star wars, Dragonball Z, pokemon, or Gundam Wing. I guess they're over your head.
3. You don't know the first thing about science either. Honesetly, linking to a site that proclaims dinosaur bones are no more than a few thousand years old? That is absolute crap and anyone with HALF A BRAIN knows better. If you're going to insist on believing in God, at least accept facts. Or is that inconsistent with religion?

Keep living in your little fantasy world. Good KAMI-SAMA! Unbelievable.

Falconcunning here. Can you post this? I mailed this a while ago.

I think that you should become more educated about your topics before giving warning to other Christians. I believe that you have good comments and are very knowledgeable about the Bible. However, on some of your topics you do not know very much about it. I believe this is a problem. You wouldn't want me going around telling about how Christians should live, right?

I am not forcing anyone to come here, Falconcunning. People write and ask me questions. I try to answer. And everyone reads our articles by their own free will.

Here's a response I dug up and it seems you are offended by Eric's comments.

From Eric: I'm a friend of Kelly's, and when I saw this I was somewhat irritated. No offense, but these are the kind of extremist views that makes many people dislike Christians.

From Berit: Eric, since I don't know whether you are from a Christian family or not, I'm not sure what you know about true Christianity. Jesus warned us that the people of the world's wouldn't like us. Many are offended by those who live by a different standard and don't share their views. In fact, He told us to expect hatred, exclusion and persecution. (See John 15:18-21) That's why He told His disciples to "count the cost" before promising to follow Him. Years ago, I did consider the cost of uncompromising relationship with my God, and I have found the cost to be well worth it. Nothing is more exciting than being joined to Jesus and walking with Him each day.

This is because Eric does not understand you and your views, right?

Me: You know a lot about Christianity and this shows.

From Berit: I didn't make up the values that I share, King Cobra. They come from the Bible. Did you read any of the passages that I mention in the various articles? If not, please do so. Then try taking up your argument with God, not me. I suggest you get on your knees first. I didn't make up the values that I share, King Cobra. They come from the Bible. Did you read any of the passages that I mention in the various articles? If not, please do so. Then try taking up your argument with God, not me. I suggest you get on your knees first.

Even though you are just presenting your opinions, you do not understand the people who watch the shows and play the RPG's. This is reinforced by the fact you have not seen many of the shows much or played any of the Trading Card Games or played the RPG's. It takes more than one episode to truly understand many shows. Taking a show from one episode and trying to understand the show or playing 5 minutes of a game and understanding the game is like trying to understand all Christians from one church session. Maybe it's not a good analogy, since I don't know much about Christianity, but it took 5 to 7 church sessions for me to get a VERY basic understanding of Christianity.

It's not a good analogy because the goals of the two practices are so different. The understanding required to play and win a game or be entertained by a show is trivial compared to the understanding of God's Word needed to really know Him and His ways. One deals with rules and world views, the latter with a personal relationship with the King of the universe. I don't need to understand your games nor appreciate the nuances of the myths and philosophies of Anime or D&D in order to discern that they clash with the truths my God has taught me.

Why shouldn't I have this same attitude about Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Dragonball Z, or Gundam Wing?

A superior attitude does not help and credit is given where credit is due. It's obvious that you know a lot about Christianity, the UN issues, and Harry Potter. However you know only a bit about anything else, on a non-issue level. You do know how to put an article on and deal with the issues about kids, but you do not know about the TV show or the game itself, not what it is but how it works and what you experience from watching/playing it. You can't judge people by what you don't know.

That's right. And I am not judging people. But God told us repeatedly to judge or discern thoughts, myths, philosophies and ways that clash with the truths He teaches us in His Word. We discern, not by what we don't know, but by God's standard which we had better know -- if we want to follow Him. I just listed some of those Scriptures in the Star Wars comments, but I will cite them again here:

^"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For 'who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:14-16

"Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, but a man of understanding walks uprightly." Proverbs 15:21

"Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him." Malachi 3:18

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ...." Philippians 1:9-10

"...But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Hebrews 5:12-14

To discern whether a show, game, book or practice is compatible with God's Word, those who want to know and follow God (I am not speaking to those who worship other gods or follow other religions) might ask themselves these five simple questions:

1. Does the show, game or book introduce -- and/or build fascination for -- a supernatural deity, god, force or spirit other than the Biblical God?

2. Does it demonstrate practices, beliefs, attitudes, values or behavior that God tells us to shun (spells, magic, sorcery, witchcraft, divination, etc.)?

3. Does it encourage you to like, love or imagine a belief or practice that God tells us to shun?

4.Does it build the habit of seeking to please myself rather than God or other Christians God has placed in positions of authority over me (parents, grandparents, pastor, teacher, etc.?

5. Does it agree with the criteria in Philippians 4:8 ["Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble... just... pure... lovely... of good report... think on these things."]?

Falconcunning again:   Quoting Berit: "It's not a good analogy because the goals of the two practices are so different. The understanding required to play and win a game or be entertained by a show is trivial compared to the understanding of God's Word needed to really know Him and His ways. One deals with rules and world views, the latter with a personal relationship with the King of the universe. I don't need to understand your games nor appreciate the nuances of the myths and philosophies of Anime or D&D in order to discern that they clash with the truths my God has taught me."

Me: The knowledge of the game isn't everything. It's the knowledge of the experience of the game. It's the fun time you have playing/watching. An experience is real, no matter what it is. Also an experience is rightly judged only by people who have been through a similar or the same experience themselves or a God (I'm atheist). An experience is a thought, a belief, and it's tough to judge. Thank you.

That's the problem. An "experience is real" -- with actual effects and consequences -- even when only imagined. That's why a virtual experience, such as watching an exciting movie, can affect a persons emotions, blood pressure, mind, memory and moral values in ways that closely resemble an actual experience. And that's why those who love God would be wise to judge virtual as well as actual experiences according to His Word and guidelines.

Anonymous: You FEAR what you do not comprehend. Yet you do not comprehend anything.. All you can see is your world, your perfect world, in which you are perfect beings.

You claim to be perfect because Jesus is in you.. A solution of pure water, and a solution of pure orange juice, when mixed, form a balance. It becomes neither orange juice, nor water. It becomes something in between. How can an imperfect being when mixed with a perfect being become a perfect being? That is for you to answer. FEAR is who you are and the only truth. We are all products of FEAR. You FEAR what you do not understand. Which is all but yourself. So you desire to destroy it because you FEAR it. Your enemy is FEAR...

Actually, you have misunderstood my comments and twisted the truths I tried to share. Those who belong to God have nothing to fear! He has promised to be strength in our weakness, peace in any kind of turmoil, and bring hope and joy no matter what happens all around us.

From Bill Farley [Manchester UK]: My wife and I have just returned from 4 months in Ottawa/Kanata visiting our daughter & grandchildren.... The articles on Harry Potter, Tarzan etc were very useful to help us warn the children about the real purpose behind them.

Last night I came across your article on Girl Scouts. It confirmed what I had already seen happening when we were over there. The badge chart over our granddaughters bed was divided into six portions. The badges in the last portion to be attained were as follows------Aboriginal Awareness--Canadian Heritage--International Trade--Space Exploration --World Cubbing--WORLD RELIGIONS-- WORLD CITIZEN-- Language Strip-- RELIGION IN LIFE EMBLEM [saying on the badge 'my religion is:] ---and last but not least---'My level of faith is:' for which you could obtain a green- a blue- a red and finally a purple Star.

They gave them badges so easily --almost for for no work. I don't need convincing where all this is leading but I am grateful we can share and confirm things in these tempestuous days.

From Falconcunning again: [Quoting Berit] That's the problem. An "experience is real" -- with actual effects and consequences -- even when only imagined. That's why a virtual experience, such as watching an exciting movie, can affect a persons emotions, blood pressure, mind, memory and moral values in ways that closely resemble an actual experience. And that's why those who love God would be wise to judge virtual as well as actual experiences according to His Word and guidelines.

What point are you trying to make? There are few differences from watching having a virtual experience and having a real one. Most importantly, they teach you things. I know you think judging from experience is bad, <http://www.crossroad.to/text/charts/paradigm3.html but is has taught me things that are very important in life. Experiences should not be taken for granted. Every time I have had a bad experience, I have learned from it. If I didn't I would still have a horrible life. The Bible can only teach you so much. Experiences teach you the rest. To let me clarify, experiences can be anything. Learning from the Bible, to hanging with your friends, to taking a class, to going to work, and even as much what we're doing now, putting comments and responding to it are experiences.

Did you ever wonder why God forbad Adam and Eve from eating from the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil"? Or why there are so many descriptions of evil actions -- murder, deception, wars, mutilation, incest, sodomy, etc.?

He doesn't want us to be drawn to evil, learn about evil, rationalize it as the world does, or experience evil from the world's perspective. Instead, He shows it to us in the Bible, warns us against association with it, and helps us to understand it from His perspective.

Adam and Eve did eat from the forbidden tree. They were tempted by the serpent to see the forbidden fruit as good to eat, good to look at, and with power to make them wise -- like God Himself. Ignoring God's way, they learned about evil from the serpent's perspective through personal experience.

From Falconcunning again: From those last comments, I don't think your point is valid. Didn't Adam and Eve learn from that experience??? Again I don't think you answer my point upfront. You describe evil experiences alone, when there is so much more, especially hard experiences. A bad experience does not necessarily have to be an evil one. A bad experience can include having no friends, and being taunted and jerked around every day of your life, or being embarrassed because you weren't prepared to do something, having to admit the truth about something you will be punished for, or struggling to do the right thing. You probably agree with me on the hard experience part, don't you???

I do agree, Falconcunning. But I was answering in the context of our discussion. My answer dealt with the kinds of experiences -- real or virtual or imagined -- that we seek out for thrills and entertainment. Those include all our choices to watch various kinds of anime or read books such as the Harry Potter series. They bring us into mental and physiological experiences that involve the viewer or reader in the evil emotionally and experientially. My warning dealt with choosing or avoiding experiential evil.

We treat violence as entertainment. God treats it as deadly serious reality -- something He judges and deals with in order to save humanity from ever more destructive moral corruption. We have the option of being entertained by evil and learning to love it and laugh it off - or asking God to fill us with His Spirit and wisdom so that we can see from His perspective and hate evil (for its corruptive and destructive influence) as He does.

As for all the difficulties we face in life, they mean different things to different people. They can make us hard and bitter, or they can build in us patience, endurance, empathy with others who hurt .... all the disciplines God wants to build into His people. They help us to know "the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble...." (2 Cor. 1:3-4) And they help us trust Him more:

"For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God...." (1 Cor. 1:8-9)

Nightengail71: It is sad that mankind in all it's wisdom can not yet see past the end of it's nose! I thought that the Crusades were over did we not see our error then? Who are we to decide what should be and not be? If you truly believed in "God" and you put it then in your faith you would find the ability to accept that times change!

Where do you find that suggestion in God's eternal, unchanging Word?

I believe in God and I also read Harry Potter, watch Pokemon, and buy Digimon for my Niece and Nephew. I do not believe that having an imagination and the ability to use it is destructive. If parents now days took the effort to explain literature and reality to their children like my family and my friends do, then your children would not question the beliefs they hold.

Perhaps not. Perhaps they just flow with the prevailing views that beliefs and convictions are not all that important. What really matters is that everyone just "get along." That, of course, means that without "question[ing] the beliefs", people just leave their convictions behind as they move on to a new, more politically correct spiritual blend. But it won't be Biblical Christianity.

I also feel being an educated person with an extensive knowledge of world religions that in order for you to make the accusations you have made you need to educate yourself better.

Before I became a Christian, I actually made some extensive charts comparing the similarities in the world's religions. Like many others, I believed that they all served the same God. When I met God, He showed me how wrong I had been. I thank Him for opening my eyes to His truth.

You may want to look at some of our newer charts here.

Anonymous: Dear friends,

I want to thank you for your web page. You've succeeded in spreading lies further and better than even I can. Children these days are too hopeful, trusting, sympathetic and happy. Books like Harry Potter teach them lessons about despicable things like friendship and believing in oneself--who wants that? Movies Star Wars and anime like Dragonball Z try to advocate the faulty belief that good will always triumph over evil. We can't have kids exposed to stuff like that. Dragonball Z in particular infuriates me beyond all bounds. I watched every episode, and I couldn't find a SINGLE evil thing in the whole series. I was hopeful when I found that one of the characters is named Mr. Satan, but alas, Akira Toriyama only meant the name as a joke.

Same goes for the "666" on the side of the car in that image you uploaded. The series has nothing to do with Christianity...it's neither for it nor against it. (Any kid who would turn anti-Christian after seeing the number 666 is probably a lost cause anyway). Mr. Toriyama is, unfortunately, an extremely good and upright person...and his anime has been a very good influence in many people's lives. This has got to end. Thank you for helping spread lies about DBZ and other anime to the people who visit your site.

You've even managed to make such an impact on some of them that they've *turned away* from some of these things. Your "Christian" guise was a good move. Keep up the good work.

See you later,

Satan

In your first paragraph, you said you "couldn't find a single evil thing in the whole [DBZ] series." Of course not. No one who identifies with the ways and values of Satan would. But that's nothing new. Your statement demonstrates how well God's Old Testament warnings years fit our culture today:

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil. Woe to those who put light for darkness and darkness for light. ... Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight." Isaiah 5:20-21

Click here to skip down to some answers to Richard's questions. answers to Richard's questions. Click here to go the the section added on the 16th.

From Richard (Otaku): I would like to thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my previous email (which was sometime ago.)

I do have a few comments on some of the things you said in reply to my message.

First: The historical value of the Bible does not mean a thing to me. I choose to believe that whoever originally wrote the Bible simply used things that had happened in the past as a part of their book(s). Why do I think this? Because having historical truths in there make it seem more believable. With that said, I still do not see any reason to take the Bible as anything more than a good fantasy book.

That's your choice, Richard, and you have lots of company. Most people throughout history have chosen to reject the validity of God's Word -- for a variety of reasons. Mainly because it conflicts with "doing your own thing" or following the inclinations of our human nature and the promptings of Satan ("The whole world is under the sway of Satan..." 1 John 5:19), which leads right up to your next comment.

Next: "Today, as the masses are being trained to think collectively through various forms of the consensus process..." That statement was what you had said in reply to me. If anything, the people that are "being trained to think collectively" are the ones that blindly follow the Bible. You may think otherwise, but then again, I think otherwise about me "being trained to think collectively". And I know that you might not have directed that statement at me, I feel that it was meant about me.

As I see things now, I know few people who think in a way similar to me. Everyone else I know all conform to what others say and take everything on faith. I take nothing on faith unless I have a good reason to.

That statement was not directed at you, Richard. Most of my answers are general, because a lot of anime and Harry Potter fans read them -- and because human nature is generally the same around the world. That will be true for the rest of my responses as well. They may not apply to you.

You raise a very good question, one that most youth today would probably echo. I don't know anyone who actually believes they are conforming to a pre-planned consensus or following the crowd.

I don't disagree that those who choose to follow God's way share the same beliefs and values. They would probably make very similar choices when facing moral dilemmas. But -- except for the more accepting times of Cultural Christianity -- their choices are usually contrary to the crowds. Those choices would be based on a personal relationship with Jesus, not on the natural desire for acceptance and approval from people. Not many choose that road, "because [as Jesus said] narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." That's also why He also said, "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you... because they do not know the One who sent Me." (John 15:20-21)

The consensus (Hegelian dialectic) process which is now used in government, schools, compromising churches and civil society was first put to use in the Soviet Union. There it successfully indoctrinated Soviet children with Soviet ideology and helped -- through dialectic groups in which everyone had to participate -- the state monitor compliance year by year. See Brainwashing and "Education Reform" and Brainwashing in America.

Also: the thing that gets to me about you is that you say that we all have a right to have what we want on the net, then why do you cut people's messages when you had asked them to post them on your page?

While everyone has the constitutional right to post their opinion on the Internet, not everyone has the right to post it on our website. We don't have unlimited space, and I don't want to bore people with lots of repetition. Many letters are too long and repetitious, but contain some really good points that are well worth reading. Actually I delete very little.

You asked them if you could put it on your page, then you should put the ENTIRE document on the page, and not take out the bits and pieces that either refute your religion beyond doubt and leave them out, or remove everything except for what promotes your cause.

Censorship is a thing not to be used freely just because you don't like something that you see, or because you want to only get your point across. I can see a reason for you to censor words related to pornography (which by the way, should be censored to if you are trying to keep children away from it.) You do a poor job censoring your page, because you take out a few things that actually do need to be taken out (____) and you take out ALOT of stuff that doesn't need to be taken out, but is only removed because it goes against what you believe.

That's not true, Richard. See my comment above.

Along with all of that, you leave in words that can still give young children the hints they need to find "bad stuff" on the net, and you leave in things like the signs (the @ and the $$ do mean something!!!) .... All they need to do is look up "Anime Porn" and they can go for hours on what they find there. Now, this is just a suggestion, but if you are going to censor stuff for youth, then you need to be thorough, and not take out what has nothing to do with destroying little children's minds.

I have a real problem with all that stuff. I don't like to post anything that "hints" at what someone my seek, and I appreciate your suggestions. I am still not sure what to do about it. I usually just pray that God lead me day by day.

Finally: In relations to your faith, I have many things that I would like to hear your reply on. I have wanted to know the opinions of a Christian person on these. Who knows, I might return to the faith, if given acceptable answers to these questions?

1) The Tree of Knowledge: Why did God create it in the first place? If he is so all knowing and all powerful, then he would have known the trouble that it would cause. Why did he allow it to happen, knowing the pain it would bring the rest of humanity? Also, about the Tree...it is the Tree of Knowledge (or some have told me it is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil) then why did God forbid humans from eating from it? Did he want us to remain ignorant slaves, with no free thought?

No, he did not want us to remain ignorant slaves. All through the Bible He calls us to know the truth, study diligently, think logically and make personal choices -- and not trust and follow our feelings..

It begins to make sense when you consider God's character and purpose. Before I try to answer your question, its good to remember that He is a God of justice as well as love. Unlike us, He doesn't just gloss over or ignore sin. Since His standard is holiness or perfection, not just "do your best" or "be a good person" in the eyes of the world, He must judge sin. As judge and lawgiver, He must sentence those who violate His eternal law to death, but because He loves us, He provided a way out -- Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for our sin.

Here is what God said about the tree of knowledge of good and evil:

...the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.... And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:9, 16-17

All we really know is what God has revealed in His World. He does not give us a complete explanation of the two trees in the garden. We do know that the tree of life will be in heaven. The other tree will not. Beyond that, we need to rely on the overall message of the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was not a magical tree. It probably did not imparted some sort of goodness or evil nature to those who ate from it. But any area of temptation and sin would most likely have led to the same tragic consequence. In other words, it was sin, not the temptation, that drove Adam and Eve out of the garden. But the tree served as a vivid object lesson from God to the people He loved -- including us today. It illustrated the moral choice:

(1) Respect and follow God's way and walk with Him: Enjoy all the trees and fruit in His beautiful creation, except for the one He had set apart.

(2) Forget or rationalize God's command and guidelines and take what you want out of His garden. Let your desires rule your actions, not a morally trained mind and will.

Eve faced a clear choice. She knew what God has said. But the serpent twisted His words into a lie and deceived her into thinking that what was wrong was actually right. Here is what happened:

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?"

And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’

Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." Genesis 3:1-7

Eve's choice to eat from the tree came after she yielded to the temptation to see God from the serpent's twisted and deceptive perspective rather than from God's point of view. She chose to follow the new, rationalized explanation rather than God. Her choice is summarized in Isaiah 5:20-21 which warn us: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.... Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight."

The result was that both Eve and Adam ate from the tree, and both lost their innocence or perfection. Like those who pursue pornography or the thrills of magical powers and other gods today, they not only chose to do wrong, they were also changed by their rebellion. Having gained experiential knowledge of sin, they could no longer live in the presence of God, enjoy His loving grace and share in His victory. The moment they chose to obey the serpent (a name attributed to Satan throughout the Bible), they were, in a sense, subject to (or under the influence of) Satan. Only by trusting God's provision for dealing with sin, could they be free.

Today we all face a daily moral choice. Look to God for strength and peace -- or just follow our feelings, do our own thing, and habitually seek experiential "knowledge" of evil. If we do the latter, we become increasingly "open" to the deceptions of the serpent, trapped in those lusts, and blind to God's ways. Psychologists call this bondage "addiction."   But God has a way out: Jesus Christ as our rescuer, redeemer, strength and Life. Call out to Him for help, seek Him with all our heart, and He will provide.

In other words, the tree of knowledge of good and evil demonstrates the choice we all face. Joshua, who led God's people into the promised land, said it well:

"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.... But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

2) Why would such a caring and loving God send (or allow us to send ourselves) to Hell? If he is as forgiving as he is supposed to be, then why would he punish us for not believing in Him? It is slavery to punish people just because they do not worship you. There is no reason that a person who lives a good life should be sent to hell. A person should not be judged on what he believes in, but he should be judged on how they act and how they treat others. Now yes, I know you are going to say that we are inherently sinners and therefore evil, but I think that as long as a person lives a good life, then they are a good person.

The question about why a loving God would send a person to Hell is a again a very good question that I don't believe we can perfectly answer. Remember, God's ways are so much above our ways that it is impossible for us to understand. He said,

"For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor? Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him? For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever." Romans 11:32-36

Perhaps we can start by looking at your questions from a different perspective. Remember, God is the Creator. He knows how best to take care of His creation. As the sovereign King and our loving Father, He has perfect right to set the standards and write the rules of life. Those who love Him and follow His way will share in all that He is and has. According to His daily purpose for our lives, He provides His infinite love, wisdom, strength, comfort provision.... But when people mock or reject His way, He simply "gives them over" to their own limited resources and their capricious human nature with all its cravings and demands.

But don't forget that He also gives us freedom to either walk with Him or go our own way. It's our choice.

God invites everyone to be part of His family and live with Him forever. In contrast to other religions, you don't have to have lived a good life or done lots of good deeds. He makes it so simple that everyone -- no matter how broken and sinful -- can come to Him. All we have to do is believe in Jesus Christ, accept the redemption and forgiveness He won for us through His death on the cross, turn our lives over to Him, and receive His wonderful life. Then He enables us to follow Him, no matter how difficult. That's why a cannibalistic, homosexual murderer such as Dahmen (sp?) could be saved. No one who truly seeks Him will be turned away.

On the other hand, those who reject His love and choose other ways and gods, simply have to face the consequences of their choice -- which is separation from God and His blessings for all eternity.

I realize that I haven't really answered your specific question about hell, and I am not sure I am able to do that. The last few days I have read many views on hell, looking for clear answers to your question. But the different opinions only show that we -- finite humans -- cannot describe the intentions of our Maker beyond what He has already shown us in His Word. All we know for sure is that our God -- who is holy, just, all powerful, wise and full of love -- wants an eternal relationship with us, His creation.

Those who reject His invitation will face suffering. That's why Jesus tells us to reach out to the world and share the message of His love, mercy and salvation. "He is patient... not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." When we cry out to Him in faith and humility, He forgives us, fill us with His life, changes our hearts -- and draws us close to Himself for all eternity.

3) The Bible is a book, or a collection of books. Why do you place your beliefs in a book (or books), and then say that people can be led to witchcraft from a book (Harry Potter.)

It is not just a collection of books. Apart from archeological confirmation, the most persuasive argument for its validity may be the large number of clear and specific prophecies -- spoken through prophets to whom God revealed His thoughts and future plans -- that were fulfilled hundreds or thousands of years later. Would you like a list of some of the most dramatic fulfillments?

4) Christianity is a religion of blind slaves. Slaves to a book, because people fear hell, they blindly follow what a book tells them to do, and thus they hand over their freedom in exchange for chains to hang around their neck. Slaves do not need to think only to do what their master tells them to. They do not rebel out of fear of the consequences. That is Christianity in a nutshell.

The true Christians I know don't follow the Bible blindly. When a person first becomes a Christian (repents, trusts in the redemption we have through Jesus Christ and receives His gift of the Holy Spirit) his or her eyes are opened, not closed, to the truth. (^"And He [God] opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures." Luke 24:45) When their eyes are opened, they see His greatness and choose to serve Him. The fellowship of His nearness and love more than makes up for any sacrifice on their part.

"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:2

To follow the Bible, they have to know God and read His Word with the understanding that only comes through the Holy Spirit. Then they keep their eyes open to what is happening in the world, so that they might bring His love and truth into a world that has been blinded to His truth and guidelines. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) They don't have to be afraid of anything, because they understand what it means to belong to God for all eternity. He told us that, no matter what happens --

"...we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39

5) If man was created in God's image, would we not be perfect as he is? If not, then God is not perfect, because we are supposedly a representation of him on Earth.

No, the word "image" doesn't mean sameness. The Greek word, Eikon, refers to something that represents, resembles, or manifests the nature of another object or person. The variations range from resemblance to "expressed image," which only refers to Jesus Christ:

“God…has in these last days spoken to us by His Son… who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high….” Hebrews 1:1-3

Genesis 1:27 tells us that "God created man in His own image...." This likeness refers primarily to the soul and spirit of man, not the body. The soul is often understood to include the mind (or understanding), the will and the emotions. When God made man in His image, He created Him with the capacity to be filled with God's Spirit, to understand and follow truth, to see good and evil from God's perspective, and to enjoy fellowship with God Himself. In other words, God made man with the potential to be a friend and an ambassador for God on the earth.

Before the fall, Adam and Eve were perfect in the sense that they were innocent and perfectly created. But they were not like God. Their image was tainted by the fall, but the possibility of divine fellowship remained for all who, through the ages, chose to seek and follow their Creator. Thus "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." (Romans 4:3) God spoke to Him, and Abraham heard and followed. Hebrews 11 lists other men and women who -- by His spirit and strength -- manifested God's wisdom, purpose and character because they trusted their Lord..

Only Christ – our God, who came to earth to be born and to die as man for our sakes – could fully bear God’s image: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Col. 1:15

Today, believers who set their minds and hearts on Him are being conformed to His image: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

In the future, we will be fully conformed to the image of God. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son….” Romans 8:28-29

Those are just some of the reasons that I cannot allow myself to be deluded by the bible.

In closing, I will leave you with some quotes from a series of books (the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.) And then I will break them down and show how they relate to Christianity (I linked these together, not the author of these books.)

"People are stupid. People can be made to believe any lie, either because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it's true." -Wizard's First Rule

The statement contains a truth, Richard, for it matches God's Word which shows that when we don't have a firm world view based on truth and facts, we have no moral or mental standard -- no objective way of evaluating the rightness anything. As a result, people trust their feelings and peer groop -- two capricious sources of true understanding and stability. See the downward slide in Romans 1, starting with verse 18.

This quote works really well with Christianity because it does not show people the truth and say choose by this, instead it threatens them with an eternal suffering, which makes them believe out of fear.

"Reason is a choice. Wishes and whims are not facts, nor are they a means to discovering them. Reason is our only way of grasping reality--it's our basic tool of survival. We are free to evade the effort of thinking, to reject reason, but we are not free to avoid the penalty of the abyss we refuse to see." -Faith of the Fallen

God invited His foolish people who had rejected His way to "come, let us reason together." But reason or logic relies on objective facts and truth -- not the manipulative images and suggestions promoted by today's entertainment.

The only thing that I can allow to have control over my life is reason. I cannot allow wishes and hopes get in my way because I want things to be a certain way, I have to know the truth of how they are. Blind faith is merely an illusion of true faith. True faith has to be reasoned, or there is no solid grounding for it. Reasoning things out by pointing to a book and saying that everything in that one little book (which is a collection of books) is what you base your entire religion and life on is merely blindly following words of others, giving in to others, and making yourself a slave to a book.

"Knowledge is a destination - truth the journey." -Stone of Tears.   This one means exactly what it says, you must follow the truth to obtain true knowledge.

Exactly, Richard. So where to you find your truth? A lot of sincere people out there are "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." (2 Tim 3:7) Only God can open the eyes of those who have been blinded by the seductive deceptions we hear everywhere.

May I conclude with one of my favorite prayers? I^"do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.... He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:9-14.

With all of that said, let me say that I have no intentions of being hurtful to anyone with this message, I merely am stating the truth as I see it. It might not be the same truth that you see, but I cannot help that. My thoughts are not directed at anyone individual, but instead at the religion as a whole. Respectfully,

Note from Berit: Since I wasn't very satisfied with my answer to Richard's question about hell, I thought I would add this letter which just came from a Christian brother in Australia:

TRACT (THE FOLLOWING IS A TRUE STORY)

Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at their church, the pastor and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out gospel tracts. This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside as well as pouring down rain.

The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said ---"OK dad, I'm ready."   His Pastor/Dad asked - "Ready for what?"
"Dad, it's time to get our tracts together and go out."
Dad responds - "Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring down rain."
T he boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking - "But dad, aren't people still going to Hell, even though it's raining?"
Dad answered - "Son, I am not going out in this weather."
Despondently the boy asked - "Dad, can I go, Please?"
His father hesitated for a moment then said - "All right, you can go.
Here are the tracts; be careful son."
"Thanks Dad!!! " And with that he was off and out into the rain.

This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing a tract to everybody he met in the street. After 2 hours of walking in the rain he was soaking wet, bone chilled and down to his very last tract. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a tract to but the streets were totally deserted.
Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell - but nobody answered. He rang it again and again but, still no one answered. He waited but still no answer. Finally the eleven year old trooper turned to leave but something stopped him. Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch. He rang again, and this time the door slowly opened. Standing in the doorway was a very sad looking elderly lady.

She softly asked - " What can I do for you son?"
With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world this little boysaid - "Ma'am, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that Jesus really does love you, and I came to give you my very last gospel tract which will tell you all about Jesus and His great love." With that he handed her his last tract, and turned to leave.

She called to him as he departed - "Thank you son! And God Bless You!"

Well, the following Sunday morning in church, the pastor was in the pulpit and as the service began he asked - "Does anybody have a testimony or want to say anything?"

Slowly, in the back row of the Church, an elderly lady stood to her feet.As she began to speak a look of glorious radiance came from her face as she said - "None of you in this church know me. I've never been here before. You see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian. My husband passed on, some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart as I  came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live. So I took a rope and a chair and climbed up the stairs to the attic of my  home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck.
Standing on that chair, so lonely and brokenhearted, I was about to leap off when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought - 'I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away.' I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly. I thought to myself again - 'Who on earth could this be?! Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me." I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder.

When I opened the door  and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you!!! And the words that came from his mouth caused my heart, that had long been dead, toleap to life as he exclaimed with cherub like voice - Ma'am, I just came to tell you that Jesus really does love you.'

Then he gave me this tract that I now hold in my hand. As the little angel disappeared back out, into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this tract. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them any more. You see, I am now a child of the King! And since the address of your church was on the back of this gospel tract, I wanted to come here to personally say 'THANK YOU' to God's little angel who came just in the nick of time.

There were now no dry eyes in the church. And as shouts of praise and honor to the King, resounded off the very rafters of the building, the Pastor/Dad descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was seated; he took him in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Probably no church has had a more glorious moment. And probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love for his son - except for one - the Heavenly FATHER Who allowed His Son to go out into a cold & dark world. He received His Son back with joy unspeakable, and as all of heaven shouted praises and honor to the King, The FATHER sat His beloved son on a throne far above all Principality and Power.... and every name that is named....

There may be someone, reading this, who is also going through a dark, cold, lonely time in your soul. You may be a Christian, for we are not without problems, or you may not yet know the KING. Whatever the case, and whatever the problem or situation you find yourself in, and no matter how DARK it may seem, I want you to know that I sent this to tell you - JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU.

From Jeff [Pokemon & Potter]: Are you serious? Kid's are kids. Stop envoking fear in parents. Everything in life isn't so black and white. It's simply cartoon's and books. However...I know from experience, if you control children at a young age regarding entertainment and passing fads they will definately develop a
contempt for religion. Rethink what your saying. It's insane. Really.

From Aaron: Tell me have you, or Catherine P. ever actually watched and episode of Gargoyles? Have you bothered to actually talk to Mr. Wiseman, and get his take on things? And to think, some of the fans wondered where the Quarrymen would find recruits.

No, Aaron. I have never watched an episode of the Gargoyles. Nor have I said anything about them.

You may have noticed that a lot of comments have come from people who have watched shows or played games that I know little about. That's part of the value of these pages. I invite all of you add to my limited information.

Keep in mind, I have not claimed to be an expert on the stories, myths, and characters of most of today's games and shows. (See the Article page to see which I have studied] But it doesn't take much exposure to discover whether or not some of the shows and characters clash with what I do know fairly well: the guidelines God has given us in the Bible. For example, when I grew up in Norway, I didn't need to be an expert on plants and mushrooms to avoid the poisonous ones. They were usually colorful and more easy to spot than all the safe and edible plants.

From Michael: In response to your comment section on why things such as Japanese shows and the card game Magic: The Gathering are evil, I would like to pose this question. Your main argument is that they do not have specific Christian values and that they seem to show children the dark side of life is laughable.

I have been an avid player of magic for years as well as a strong Christian man. The cards you talk about come from the color black, meaning death and decay while you neglect to mention that there are cards that are white that stand for peace and kindness.

Michael, the fact that the game includes many cards that look good rather than evil doesn't make the dark evil ones any better. The two sides of this coin might be described as the dark side of evil (black occultism) and the light side of evil (New Age spirituality). Both are occult in God's eyes. (See Deuteronomy 18:9-12)

The fact is that a lot of kids love the evil scary looking cards more than the light and bright side of the occult. It's the same cultural phenomenon that made Darth Vader the favorite Star Wars action figure. Human nature delights in the thrills of evil and occult images. And the more they are exposed to it, the faster they lose Biblical spiritual discernment and the ability to evaluate good and evil from God's perspective. The Bible describes this spiritual dullness as "blind and cannot see" and "deaf and cannot hear" the truth.

While I myself have no desire to use the black cards and prefer white ones, I also understand that it is only a card game. You use an example that children shout things like "let the spirit enter me" and such but that is not the true nature of the game, those children are misguided about it. If we all judged all shows such as you have then there would be no television. An example of how you judge shows is apparent. Would you say that the CBS show "Touched by an Angel" is evil? Lets look at it such as you have judged other shows.

It does NOT specifically say that Christianity is the true religion, the angels on the show help people who are Christian, Jewish, and Cathlioc.

It shows angels as people with feelings and fears, not all opnimpotent beings there to help us only.

It shows that ALL people are loved by God, not just a select few.

I enjoy the show and do not see it as evil, though by your own resoning it must be.

Please read Touched By An Angel - But Which Kind?

I wholeheartedly support sharing your religion with others as the Bible says to do, but I do not force my opions on others by telling them they are horrible people. I have found that it is this kind or "sharing" of Christian beliefs that has turned so many people away from it. You can not force someone to become a Christian, but you can show them the way and pray they take it.

How can you "show them the way" if you, yourself, refuse to follow God's way? When you choose the easy, non-offensive and popular way of the world, you are not pointing people to Jesus. Instead you demonstrate the compromise He hates. See Romans 12:2, 3 and 9. Then look read Revelation 3:15-19.

You are not implying that I "force" people "to become Christians," are you? That wouldn't make sense. You and others choose to come to this Christian website by own free will.

Most of these shows and games you discuss take place in a fantisy world, not our own. They do not preach that you must believe in them and do not even encourage it. I feel that maybe you should take a long look at yourselves before you pass judgement on other people beliefs. Does not the Bible say "Do not judge lest ye be judged"? Or how about "Let he who is sinless cast the first stone"? I shall pray that you learn to understand people instead of forcing them away.

Remember the billion dollar ad industry in this country. Advertisers don't force anyone to believe in the products they sell through their fictional or fantasy ads. But people prove their faith in the message by spending their money and buying the product. The images become more important than the truth -- and fantasy tends to persuade the will and emotions more effectively than facts.

Oh yes, one more thing if you will, upon reading your accounts of various shows I have found that you have made many errors about them in text, plot, and image. I would hope that anyone willing to fight so hard for a belief would trust in the truth and not make it up as they go, or so it seems. Thank you.

Michael (Christian for almost 20 years, RPG video gamer for 10 years, Pokemon player for 2 years, Magic: The Gathering player for 5 years)

From ZxNinjaxZ: Alright, somehow, you seem to have ditched my other letters, with valid points. I'm going to try and remain calm, because obviously, you don't wish to have my points get out there.

Sorry about that, Ninjax. Sometimes I get so many letters during the same week that it's impossible to keep up. But if I remember correctly, your letters were very long and full of detailed information that might not be of general interest.

First off, your Religion says that they accept all. Not true, they only accept all who believe in their religion. Don't deny it, you can't.

God's invitation to become part of His family and share in His love goes out to everyone. Most people ignore His kindness or give a half-hearted, self-focused response. But all those who choose to put their trust in Him, turn from their old ways (repent) and, in humility and by faith, accept His gift of the Holy Spirit and follow His way, they will be blessed in His presence forever. Jesus tells us that "many are called but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:13). For most hearts are either hostile or lukewarm toward Him. He also assures us that,

"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

You don't accept all because you do not accept Asian art, or Anime. You do not seem to accept the fact that a fifteen year old Freshman in Highschool is making points that you can twist.

Anyone can go to Heaven if they ask for forgiveness, huh? So in other words, any coward serial killer scared enough to run to a church and confess, before he dies, gets to go to heaven? But let's say one person makes one stupid mistake, and gets drunk, and kills someone driving, let's say when they crash, they are near dead, but this person was very religious and never did something like drink and drive. What if this person couldn't confess and say how sorry he is? What if he died soon after the crash (as in, maybe 5 minutes) and didn't get to confess? He goes down to hell? Yeah, that makes sense, that makes a whole lot of sense.

Of course, it doesn't make sense from a human or worldly perspective. God God's ways and wisdom make no sense to those who don't know Him:

"For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God....

God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty... that no flesh [worldly human nature] should glory in His presence." 1 Corinthians 1:21-29

You go on about Pokemon, and Digimon, and Dragon Ball, and all other sorts of Anime. Why won't you realize that what you are doing is ignorant? You're constantly attacking (maybe only a "calm" matter at that) anything that does not agree with your religion. You point out all the other cultural influences in it too. You know what that tells me and a lot of other people? YOU CAN'T ACCEPT OTHER CULTURES.

Those who know me know that isn't true.

Anime is a large part of the culture in Japan, when it makes it's way here, you begin to attack it. It's a change.
That tells me that you do not like change. Everything has to be the same. If I lived a life where nothing changed, I'd shoot myself here and now. You say that some people go for the more politically correct ways? Good for them, but you make it sound evil.

Please read The UN Plan for Your Mental Health. That explains my concern.

You know what I have decided? If I have a choice between Christianity, or being Politically correct, I choose being Politically Correct any day. See, everything to you is probably offensive in your mind, unless it has a DIRECT link to your god. I have five cats, you would probably say something like "Egyptians worshipped cats, therefor they are occult." You know what though? I love my cats, I don't worship them. When I mentioned my Role Playing Game that I am making, I don't worship the game, in fact, I haven't worked on it in months, I have bigger projects to do.

I'm going to sign up for the wrestling team next year for my school, my school is 2 time State Champions of Rhode Island. You might say something like "Wrestling was part of the Ancient Greek Olympics that was a festival to the gods." That was the old days, things change. You know why I wrestle? To get in shape, it is a fact that Wrestling makes you lose weight, and makes you push yourself so far to your limit that you feel as if every bone in your body will snap in half. Yet, you come back for more, it teaches you dedication. Dedication to your body, and to your team.

Martial arts, I believe in being able to manipulate energy in your body, like Tai Chi. I took Karate when I was Seven. No evil in it. Only thing I can see from it is that Martial Arts is Asian, and you seem to have issues with
all of that. My beliefs come from the Samurai code of honor, Bushido, Way of The Warrior.

You may say something like "That code is based on ancient japanese philosophy which is occult and anti-christ". Really? So in a war, it's honorable to kill someone who hasn't a weapon on them? If I were in a war, and I came face to face with someone who hadn't a weapon, we would fight hand to hand.

It's cowardly to pull a trigger on someone without a gun. And that is what you are doing, you are basically pulling the trigger on Anime, which can only be defended by the Young teens and young adults who watch it. You have lived much longer than them, so you know more. But that doesn't mean that what you are doing is right, just because you know more.

You go on about Entertainment, here is one form of Entertainment for you: Music. You know who is the most controversal Rapper I've heard of? Eminem. He sings on about killing his Wife, and Killing his mother, he doesn't really mean it, but clearly it has to be against your beliefs. He's American, and quite popular. Why haven't you said anything on him?

I did. Look at the Entertainment page of the "News" section. But I haven't written an article because his hateful arrogance is obvious -- no need for me to explain it.

Visible evil is not nearly as dangerous to our minds as subtle evil cloaked in good words and sentiments. It's easy for Christians to say no to the ugly side of occultism and violence, but many are blind to the more subtle suggestions. That's why God reminds us to be alert,

"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Colossians 2:8

From Falconcunning: These are a couple of chosen, random quotes I'd like to provide an response too.

>Berit's answer: The more time people spend imagining and delighting in a world where God doesn't exist, the more quickly their minds accepts and conform to the beliefs and values of their chosen fantasy. At the same time, the real God becomes increasingly unreal and unacceptable to them.

Me: Does this means that Christians should not be exposed to any fictional world or any culture that does not have your God, and not see the way other cultures see things and where they are coming from when they do that.

No, it doesn't mean that at all. Christians should be exposed to other cultures, but they need to learn about its beliefs and values from God's perspective. To share God's love with people in the world's diverse cultures, we need to be well informed. But we also need to see the culture from God's perspective. He teaches us to love the people even when we can't accept the culture. Remember, most popular entertainment idealize pagan cultures and promote them from the world's perspective -- wanting to appeal to the desires of their customers around the world.

>From Berit: Most young people today have learned -- through the consensus process in schools, through self esteem curricula and through popular entertainment that mocks adult authority -- to believe they know best. To them, what feels good has to be right -- whether they know the facts or not. Does that mean that we should place their counsel above God's?

Continuation of Falconcunning's letter:

Me: What is god's counsel? Everyone has his or her interpretation of the Bible. There are some things that stay the same, and there are something's that are different. Yes, I have read Biblical vs. Cultural Christianity. But even within the Biblical ways, there are branches. Even you two, Andy and Berit, still have a few beliefs you disagree on. God's counsel might mean different things to different people. At least ask yourself what you ask others, "Are you truly following God?" If you're wondering, I do not believe I am right all the time. I constantly question myself, and others.

No, everyone does not have his or her interpretation of the Bible. Most of the Bible is fairly straightforward and can easily be understood literally and in the context of the whole Bible. God promises to speak through His Word to our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. He reveals God's heart and message to those who seek Him.

But people who have not been joined to Him through faith in Christ do not receive that help from His Spirit. They do interpret the Bible in whichever way best fits their view of reality, their philosophy and their wants. The difference is explained in 1 Corinthians 2:

"'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

"...no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches...."   (1 Corinthians 2:9-14)

>From Anom: Jesus lived in our world, associated with sinners, and did not run and hide from sin. He dealt with sin.

Me: You didn't have a response to this.

I suppose I was distracted by other questions and comments. That's not hard to answer. Jesus modeled the kind of life He wants us to live. He wants us to share His love and truth in the world -- among "sinners." But Jesus never engaged in sin, nor was He entertained by sin. Nor should we participate in evil or laugh at sin. His prayer shows us His will for us:

"I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." John 17:15-18

I would like to ask one thing. Why are you afraid when you have God on your side. Even though he faces Satan, you said God controls how much power Satan, and that God is perfect. Why would you be afraid of Satan??

I'm not, for the very reason your gave. The first Scripture I memorized still reminds me to trust God every time I'm tempted to fear anything: "Be strong and of good courage. Be not frightened, neither be dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

Can you prove that the UN is trying to make a new world order?

Yes, because I have plenty of documented evidence from various global and UN conferences I have attended. Just read the facts in some of my articles such as: Two UN Summits, One Millennium Goal , Local Agenda 21- The U.N. Plan for Your Community, Brainwashing in America, The UN Plan for Your Mental Health...

I have to stop again and get this site ready for tomorrow morning. Will finish later.

From John: How can you think that you are spreading God's word? Throughout your site, I see you do nothing but pervert it, and twist it into something so far from what it is intended to be that it is frightening.

You take things much too seriously, and seemingly try to make everything evil and satanic. And you think you are doing good in the process. Why? You are not. You are taking things that you as an individual may not find appealing, and denounce it "in God's name." This is not being a Christian (which I am, by the way).

I'm sorry you see it that way, John. You illustrate Falconcunning's question (above) about different interpretations of God's Word. I expect some who call themselves Christian to despise me and our ministry. God said that would happen:

"...yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service." John 16:2

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