Questions
Non-Christian Questions
- What does anime have to do with Christianity?
- Aren’t Christians hypocritical, right-winged, illogical Bible thumpers?
- What does it mean to be Christian?
- How does one become a Christian?
Christian Questions
- Can I watch anime and still be a Christian?
- Are there any Christian anime?
- Are there any Christian manga?
- Anime fans often seem to be vehemently anti-Christian. How do I deal with this?
- Where can I find other Christian anime fans?
Answers
Non-Christian Questions
1. Anime has nothing and everything to do with anime. Very, very few anime are written with Christian ideas in mind (though a mankaga or animator here and there may have attended a Catholic school). That said, Christian spirituality is not a separate, compartmentalized idea in the life of believers; it’s an attitribute that informs one’s entire life. That said, God (or more specifically, ideals and truths about Him) can be found in all sorts of things, including anime. For instance, Bleach was not written with any intent to focus on the Christian God, but discussions about God can overflow from events and characters in that series.
2. Many who identify themselves as Christians are indeed right-winged, illogical and Bible thumpers. But none of those ideas are present in Bible, where Jesus is apolitical (He refuses to become embroiled in anti-Roman groups of turn-of-the-millenium Palestine), the Bible encourages us to worship God with our minds, and the Bible is quoted by Jesus with authority and with explanation, rather than shoved down others’ throats. As for hypocrisy, yes, we are hypocrites. We don’t practice what we preach to perfection (and some worse than others). That’s because…(drumroll)…we are human. We are imperfect. God calls us to approach the perfection with Christ, but we can’t make it to 100% perfection. But a true believer will strive to avoid hypocrisy, to admit mistakes and correct them, and to treat all with love.
3. A Christian is a follower of Christ, one who follows his words and precepts.
4. Are you convicted to become a follower of Christ? In a nutshell, you must confess that you are a sinner and ask God to forgive you for where you have failed. Then, accept Jesus Christ as Savior, He who is able to bridge the gap that sin created between man and God. Accept Him as LORD, striving to live a changed life. There’s more to it than all that, and spiritual growth after becoming a Christian is essential. Here is a good resource for taking the step in becoming Christian.
Christian Questions
1. Absolutely – one does not preclude the other. However, there are varying topics on this issue, falling from a very conservative end of the spectrum to a more liberal one. I’m of the belief that God can be glorified through many non-Christian topics, including anime (hence my blog). However, I also think that one should carefully consider what he or she consumes. Look at my post about Viewing Anime Through a Christian Lens to get an idea of various viewpoints on this topic.
2. There aren’t too many. One real interesting collaboration was one between Tezuka Osamu and the Vatican entitled In the Beginning: The Bible Stories. Others include Superbook and The Flying House, both of which aired in Japan in the early 1980s. And although explicitly Christian anime series are rare, fans of anime know that Christian symbolism abounds in series like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Toaru Majutsu no Index. These are no modern “Christian anime,” but there are instead anime containing some Christian elements.
3. As is the case with anime, there are Christian manga. In fact, there are probably more Christian manga than anime. Some are obvious, like The Manga Bible. Others simply contains Christian elements used in an artistic or story-driven manner. There are also a number of Original English Language manga made by American artists and fans, the best of which, in my opinion, are published by Manga Hero.
4. With love and truth. Turn to the Bible to find out how Jesus asks us to respond. We should love others, even those that persecute us, understanding that Christians will be laughed at for our beliefs. However, we’re not to fight back like the world; instead, tell others about the love of Christ and live a life that exemplifies this love.
5. There are a lot of Christian anime fans out on the Internet – go to any forum, and you’ll find some. There are, however, a number of specifically Christian communities in anime fandom. Look at my list of Christian anime sites for more information.