Have you ever heard this one? Three Christians and an atheist walk into a…
Oh wait. That’s actually not a joke – it’s our next podcast episode. At the end of this month, I’ll be joining The Tangles’ hosts, Japes and Sean, and a special guest as we talk about anime, religion, and the intersection between the two.
This is where you come in. We need your questions to help stimulate discussion for the podcast. Please leave one or two (or more) below. Here’s what we’re looking for:
- Questions about Christianity, atheism, or anything else related to religion – feel free to get personal if you’d like.
- Questions religion in anime, whether superficially or thematically
Thanks in advance, all!
Husband. Dad. Occasionally Korean. Enjoys Star Wars, ASOIAF, and Meg Ryan movies. Tweets before proofreading. Ghibli. Oregairuuuuu. Jesus is King. Follow me on Twitter (@thetangles).
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Reblogged this on Japesland.
2 Questions from Lazarinth –
For the religious:
Some parts in anime transparently praise or trash religion, but do you ever feel that you are stretching your observation of certain anime to put a religious spin on it, and do you ever feel that maybe these views are not always shared by your other religious readers, even by those of the same faith?
For the secularist:
Do you think your opinions on media have any more importance considering your rejection on religion or do you think it’s a non-issue when it comes to anime unless the anime itself has pro or anti-religious references?
Awesome – thank you!
For the Christians:
1) Do you feel that an anime needs to have an obvious narrative of your understanding of salvation/atonement for you to consider it possibly Christian (with the full understanding that anime creators are likely using Christianity as a cool flair more than anything else)?
2) Related to that, do you feel that an anime character is only a Christ figure if they die and resurrect? What requirements must a character meet to be called a Christ figure, based on your understanding?
3) How do you feel about crucifixion scenes in anime or any seen where a character is hanging on a cross or cross-shape?
For the atheist:
1) Christian anime fans often talk about the portrayal of Christians or Christian/religious beliefs in anime. Sometimes those portrayals are good and sometimes not. Have you found any examples, either in anime or any other kind of media, of atheists or atheism portrayed as negative or evil (excluding blatantly Christian media, e.g. “God is Not Dead”)? On the flip side, have you found any stories that you feel portrays atheism or atheists fairly/accurately/positively?
2) Do you think an atheist narrative could exist/win/be dominant in a story without destroying or dismissing whatever religious establishment exists?
3) Are there any stories that portray religion positively that you like or would consider a favorite?
For all:
What color is the dress?
Thank you! But not for the last question! Hehe.