CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:35 pm**

Three, four or five years ago I started rewatching some episodes of Sailor Moon again uncut in japanese for the first time since I watched it in english. when I was a kid, I use to talk about it a lots because I loved the anime so much. in fact, I talked about it to my mother, step father and front of a former pastor in our house. our former pastor said that the sailor scouts did "devil signs" with there hands, so my step father forbid me from watching it, but I snuck and watch it anyway and got my uncle to tape it for (he also told me about the show and was telling me that the main character had the same name I had which was of course, Serena on the english dubbed :sweat:

.) my grandmother had told me when I was in my early teens, that I shouldn't watch it because the brooch that saior moon wore in sailor moon r, was a pagan symbol. so, the 3, 4 or 5 years later I mentioned at the top, I started to watch it again and my neice was (I think) 10,11 or 12 (I'll say 11) saw me watching it and said "you shouldn't be watching sailor moon beacause her brooch is a circle with a star" I told her to mind her own business.(me and my niece are almost ten years apart.) So, now here I am 23 years old and my niece is 14, and I'm recently watching sailor moon again a fews years later and she saw me watching it again on friday and telling me again the same thing today that how I shouldn't watch it and blah,blah,blah.
Now, I understand that paganism is evil and that you shouldn't practice magic because I was told about it at a younger age by my christian grandparents and I don't practice these methods, I just simply watch the anime. It just gets on my nerves that my niece keeps bringing up the brooch sailor moon wears with the star everytime I watch the anime.when she brings it up again, she's not joking, she's serious and even if I tell her that all anime don't have these elements, she doesn't believe me because (I guess) she's use to me watching anything that has magic and/or have demons in them, so there for she doesn't think there are any anime without these things.

So, did any of you been told by an adult not to watch sailor moon because of their powers, the hand signs or the star brooch that sailor moon wore when you were kid?

what do you think about the anime now as christians? especially as older christians.

p.s. I don't think you'll go to hell if you watch anime like this, but I understand that it's corrupting.

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:40 pm**

Lolz I was told not to watch it because they were "Naked" when they transformed XD

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:48 pm**

What in the world does her decorative brooch have anything to do with anything?

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 2:00 pm**

I thought that the "evil" circle-star symbol had an upside-down star in it.

Anyway, I've been a Sailor Moon fan for a long time, and I don't find anything wrong with the things in it. It's just a fantasy show.

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 2:27 pm**

I have heard all of that before and while I think the fundies should mind their own business I'm not going to deny the fact that Sailor Moon, like most anime, does have some bad stuff like that in it. I always find it funny how Christians complain more about Sailor Moon than other super heroes, but I guess anything foreign is evil to some people.

One thing I don't get is the devil hand sign thing. I thought the devil hand sign was just the index and pinky fingers sticking up. Sailor Moon has her index, pinky, and thumb sticking out, sooo. But that being said, hand signs have a zillion different meanings anyway.

I don't know if it's just me, but in retrospect I usually don't remember all the bad magic stuff in anime. What I remeber more are the overall themes of the series and the characters. Also, even though I don't know much about witchcraft, I'm pretty sure you can't say "Moon Tiara Action" and have your prom tiara turn into a shiny frisbee that turns things into dust, XD.

Sailor Moon is only corrupting if you let it corrupt you, and believe me I've been there. You know those people who actually think they are Sailor Senshi? Yeah, I was one of them when I was 13-14 (it's a long story, XD). Now, since I am much stronger in my faith and I am fully aware of what is of God and what isn't of God, those things that show up in anime don't usually affect me (unless it's like potent and deals with more real stuff as opposed to shooting fire out of your fingers). The nice thing about having Jesus in me is that when I come across things that are not of God I get this little warning flag that lets me know that something is evil. When I see the senshi use their powers, I don't get this at all, but when I see things like tarot cards, pentagrams, etc., I do. Sailor Moon's brooch in R actually does bother me a little bit, but I think the reason why I'm still okay with the series is because she doesn't use it to summon demons or anything like that. People are convicted in different ways, so someone's holy warning flag may go off at something that mine doesn't and vice versa.

I think if you explain that you understand that there are evil things in anime and that you don't let them influence you and say what you take away from any series, then they'll leave you alone. When I was really getting into Sailor Moon in my early teen years, my mother would not shut up about this "anime is evil" business until I finally told her that I don't let whatever weird mythology, theology, or any other ology in a given series influence me and take me away from God.

Also, God has personally shown me that I can watch anime (again, He convicts people differently) and He has shown me ways that He shines through them. If God can be glorified through anime, which is basically not Christian, then it isn't inherently evil.

And the conviction thing goes both ways. Some people are convicted not to watch anime at all. They don't have the right to tell us not to and we don't have the right to shove it in their faces or laugh off their feelings. So, if after you explain that you're not going to become a pagan from watching a T.V. show, your neice still bothers you, open up your bible and read Romans chapter 14.

EDIT:

ShiroiHikari wrote:I thought that the "evil" circle-star symbol had an upside-down star in it.

The one with the rightside-up star is for paganism and wicca while the upside-down star is for satanism.

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 2:37 pm**

I've often wished we could get that final part of Sailor Moon, but it looks about as likely as the dinosaurs coming back.

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 2:44 pm**

Good post, Rushiar.

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 3:29 pm**

LadyRushia (post: 1244521) wrote:I have heard all of that before and while I think the fundies should mind their own business I'm not going to deny the fact that Sailor Moon, like most anime, does have some bad stuff like that in it. I always find it funny how Christians complain more about Sailor Moon than other super heroes, but I guess anything foreign is evil to some people.

One thing I don't get is the devil hand sign thing. I thought the devil hand sign was just the index and pinky fingers sticking up. Sailor Moon has her index, pinky, and thumb sticking out, sooo. But that being said, hand signs have a zillion different meanings anyway.

I don't know if it's just me, but in retrospect I usually don't remember all the bad magic stuff in anime. What I remeber more are the overall themes of the series and the characters. Also, even though I don't know much about witchcraft, I'm pretty sure you can't say "Moon Tiara Action" and have your prom tiara turn into a shiny frisbee that turns things into dust, XD.

Sailor Moon is only corrupting if you let it corrupt you, and believe me I've been there. You know those people who actually think they are Sailor Senshi? Yeah, I was one of them when I was 13-14 (it's a long story, XD). Now, since I am much stronger in my faith and I am fully aware of what is of God and what isn't of God, those things that show up in anime don't usually affect me (unless it's like potent and deals with more real stuff as opposed to shooting fire out of your fingers). The nice thing about having Jesus in me is that when I come across things that are not of God I get this little warning flag that lets me know that something is evil. When I see the senshi use their powers, I don't get this at all, but when I see things like tarot cards, pentagrams, etc., I do. Sailor Moon's brooch in R actually does bother me a little bit, but I think the reason why I'm still okay with the series is because she doesn't use it to summon demons or anything like that. People are convicted in different ways, so someone's holy warning flag may go off at something that mine doesn't and vice versa.

I think if you explain that you understand that there are evil things in anime and that you don't let them influence you and say what you take away from any series, then they'll leave you alone. When I was really getting into Sailor Moon in my early teen years, my mother would not shut up about this "anime is evil" business until I finally told her that I don't let whatever weird mythology, theology, or any other ology in a given series influence me and take me away from God.

Also, God has personally shown me that I can watch anime (again, He convicts people differently) and He has shown me ways that He shines through them. If God can be glorified through anime, which is basically not Christian, then it isn't inherently evil.

And the conviction thing goes both ways. Some people are convicted not to watch anime at all. They don't have the right to tell us not to and we don't have the right to shove it in their faces or laugh off their feelings. So, if after you explain that you're not going to become a pagan from watching a T.V. show, your neice still bothers you, open up your bible and read Romans chapter 14.

Thank you Lady Rushia, this is really helpful.

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:15 pm**

LadyRushia (post: 1244521) wrote:One thing I don't get is the devil hand sign thing. I thought the devil hand sign was just the index and pinky fingers sticking up. Sailor Moon has her index, pinky, and thumb sticking out, sooo. But that being said, hand signs have a zillion different meanings anyway.

LOL, Index + pinky + thumb = "I love you" in American sign language. XD I think she's pretty much just posing. XD

Anyways, good post! I'm willing to bet though, that half of the stuff in that show is just there to "look cool," not to carry any sort of underlying devil meaning. XD

Also, I was never told not to watch Sailor Moon (my mom was more concerned with my brother and I watching Dragon Ball Z but she let us keep watching it regardless XD). I actually didn't even start watching Sailor Moon until my senior year of high school (when I was able to get ahold of some of the subbed episodes), and I still enjoy it.

Nine times out of ten, magical girl stuff just doesn't bother me, because it's all fantasy and it's meant to be fantasy. There's generally nothing in it that says "hey, you could try this out in real life, you know." Honestly, I see it as no different than Mario shooting fireballs. It's just fantasy, and it's usually pretty harmless if you don't take it too far. XD

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:29 pm**

LadyRushia (post: 1244521) wrote:One thing I don't get is the devil hand sign thing. I thought the devil hand sign was just the index and pinky fingers sticking up. Sailor Moon has her index, pinky, and thumb sticking out, sooo. But that being said, hand signs have a zillion different meanings.

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:43 pm**

Fish and Chips (post: 1244545) wrote:

My point exactly, XD.

Radical Dreamer wrote:LOL, Index + pinky + thumb = "I love you" in American sign language. XD I think she's pretty much just posing. XD

Anyways, good post! I'm willing to bet though, that half of the stuff in that show is just there to "look cool," not to carry any sort of underlying devil meaning. XD

Yeah really. Sometimes I think people just read into foreign stuff more. You don't see anyone calling Spider Man satanic even though he uses the same sign as Sailor Moon (as Fish so kindly demonstrated, XD).

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:23 pm**

maybe the hand signs they were talking about were of sailor mars...her being..uhm a priestess (is that right)? I know that my parents got a little concerned over the crystal parts, but we didn't really have cable when i was growing up, so it was when I was in my mid teens that I finally got to watch more. And when I married micah, he bought me the entire series as a wedding gift.

Still have yet to watch all of stars.

PostPosted: **Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:29 pm**

ShiroiHikari (post: 1244511) wrote:I thought that the "evil" circle-star symbol had an upside-down star in it.

Satanists and various witchery adherents have used it both ways.

So have Kabbalists, both Judaic and Christian. So have the Masons, and various Far Eastern occultists. It's one of the most universal 'magic' symbols out there.

The usual explanations are that it resembles the five points of a human being (head and four extremities) or that it represents the five visible planets (mercury, venus, mars, jupiter, saturn.) Both of these are universal symbols, visible to all segments of humanity, so it isn't surprising they've shown up in so many different places.

Both the Cross and the Swaztika are also found in other places than the philosophies they are normally understood to us to represent. We should try not to be too Eurocentric when interpreting the presence of such symbols in art coming from outside our culture.

LadyRushia (post: 1244551) wrote:My point exactly, XD.

Yeah really. Sometimes I think people just read into foreign stuff more. You don't see anyone calling Spider Man satanic even though he uses the same sign as Sailor Moon (as Fish so kindly demonstrated, XD).

Heck, here I thought she was just a Texas Longhorns fan!!!

Of course, any Texas A&M student can tell you, that's satanic, anyway.

PostPosted: **Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:50 am**

bakura_fan wrote:maybe the hand signs they were talking about were of sailor mars...her being..uhm a priestess (is that right)?

She's a miko, which more or less translates to "shrine maiden" I think. And I'm pretty sure the hand signs during Rin Pyo To Sha Kai Chin Retsu Zai Zen aren't anything bad.

PostPosted: **Mon Jul 14, 2008 12:25 pm**

Fish and Chips (post: 1244545) wrote:

That's also the number 25 in American Sign Language. Just wiggle the middle and ring fingers.

PostPosted: **Mon Jul 14, 2008 2:42 pm**

Nate (post: 1244682) wrote:She's a miko, which more or less translates to "shrine maiden" I think. And I'm pretty sure the hand signs during Rin Pyo To Sha Kai Chin Retsu Zai Zen aren't anything bad.

i didn't think so either. Just those were the only actual hand signs I could remember that might have seemed a little weird to those just watching it.

PostPosted: **Mon Jul 14, 2008 2:58 pm**

My thoughts on Sailor Moon? She's pretty cute. I was more of a Saturn fan when I was a kid, but Usagi was much cuter in the live action.

PostPosted: **Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:02 pm**

I think LadyRushia has done a fine job of stating what I already believe. It's simply a repeat of a mistaken understanding of what anime can do. This leads to the fact that people automatically assume that anime is bad for religious reasons despite the fact that really deep and dangerous religious mangas or animes are rather small in number compared to the number of safe ones. That's why Sailor Moon's symbol sticks in their head.

PostPosted: **Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:41 pm**

The post and the responses here are one of the few reasons why there is a Religion in Anime panel at Kumoricon, which is one of the few top attractions there.

The more information given to the people who are willing to listen will help in a better understanding of the use of religious symbols in Anime.

PostPosted: **Mon Jul 14, 2008 11:18 pm**

ShiroiHikari (post: 1244511) wrote:I thought that the "evil" circle-star symbol had an upside-down star in it.

Hmm, I didn't notice anything. just looks like a regular star to me.

PostPosted: **Mon Jul 14, 2008 11:40 pm**

Nate (post: 1244682) wrote:She's a miko, which more or less translates to "shrine maiden" I think. And I'm pretty sure the hand signs during Rin Pyo To Sha Kai Chin Retsu Zai Zen aren't anything bad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuji-in

The signs are mudra, or hand positions used in Buddhism, usually used for meditation and prayer. Or, if you want an anime simile, they're like the jutsu signs in Naruto.

But yes, unless you're offended by Buddhist elements in anime, the Kuji-in is nothing bad, considering it's a chant used for exorcism and protection.

>_> S-Sorry, this nerd couldn't pass up an opportunity to post about the Kuji-in.

PostPosted: **Tue Jul 15, 2008 3:02 pm**

Radical Dreamer (post: 1244540) wrote:LOL, Index + pinky + thumb = "I love you" in American sign language. XD I think she's pretty much just posing. XD

Anyways, good post! I'm willing to bet though, that half of the stuff in that show is just there to "look cool," not to carry any sort of underlying devil meaning. XD

Also, I was never told not to watch Sailor Moon (my mom was more concerned with my brother and I watching Dragon Ball Z but she let us keep watching it regardless XD). I actually didn't even start watching Sailor Moon until my senior year of high school (when I was able to get ahold of some of the subbed episodes), and I still enjoy it.

Nine times out of ten, magical girl stuff just doesn't bother me, because it's all fantasy and it's meant to be fantasy. There's generally nothing in it that says "hey, you could try this out in real life, you know." Honestly, I see it as no different than Mario shooting fireballs. It's just fantasy, and it's usually pretty harmless if you don't take it too far. XD

Thats how my mom was. She forbid my brother and I from watching DBZ for a while, but repealed that command later on (don't know what changed her mind).

As for Sailor Moon, I never saw those signs as anything bad. Lady Rushia made some very good points. But you have to remember, with all anime there are going to be bad things. Its because of the culture that it comes from. After all, Japan is only 1% professing christian, and they have a lot of paganism and Buddhism in their history. But if your going to worry about something Sailor Moon I'd say forget the hand signs and the pendants and focus more on the blatant homosexuality in the later seasons. It seems a lot of people tend to nit pick about the little things and ignore the bigger things. But as for the homosexuality, I still watch Sailor Moon, because that's not the main theme of the show. Its in a few episodes here and there, more so in some than in others, but not the main theme. However, I don't condone it.

I say, if you can spot the 'bad'/'evil' things in the anime, no why they're wrong and that you shouldn't do them (so long as its not the main theme), I'd say you can still watch it. But if those bad things influence to to go do or want to do them, you might not want to watch that anime anymore.

PostPosted: **Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:16 am**

When I look at fantasy, I am far more interested in the themes of the show themselves than in how they are portrayed on screen.

Can anyone who actually watches Sailor Moon really say honestly that Sailor Moon is promoting idolatry? It’s ridiculous. Sailor Moon’s main themes are all about the bonds of friendship, love, compassion and sacrifice. She’s a great example for children.

If there is a single theme in Sailor Moon, it's "Love Conquers All." Oh yes. Very dangerous to spread that around.

PostPosted: **Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:49 am**

termyt wrote:If there is a single theme in Sailor Moon, it's "Love Conquers All." Oh yes. Very dangerous to spread that around.

**gasp** We can't let that happen!

I mean, I remember loving Sailor Moon as a kid and as a little girl my biggest impression of her was that she was strong and caring even though the dub made her out to be a total idiot off the battle field (and yeah, she was like that at first but that sort of stopped after she got used to being Sailor Moon. Sort of, XD).

PostPosted: **Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:11 am**

termyt (post: 1245397) wrote:Can anyone who actually watches Sailor Moon really say honestly that Sailor Moon is promoting idolatry? Itâ€™s ridiculous. Sailor Moonâ€™s main themes are all about the bonds of friendship, love, compassion and sacrifice. Sheâ€™s a great example for children.

I agree. It's not really about moon goddesses and reincarnation and Shinto and magic, it's about all those things you said: love, sacrifice, friendship. Kinda like how Star Wars isn't about supernatural Force powers, it's about friendship and fighting evil and doing what's right.

PostPosted: **Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:23 am**

I've said this before, but I'm thinking I never said it here on CAA.

Saying that Anime shows are aimed at spreading Eastern religion or any other spiritual focus makes about as much sense as saying that "The Flying Nun" was aimed at spreading Catholicism. Most of the time, the anime creators are being as inaccurate about those religions as you often see Hollywood being about Christianity.

Now, does that mean it isn't possible for the forces of darkness to use Anime as a means to confuse the weak? Of course not. But you won't see that confusion coming from trivial symbols, gestures, and what not. It will be coming from somewhere much deeper and more significant.

And, at the bottom of things, shows like Sailor Moon tend to be about caring, about sticking to your principles, and about having courage in the face of adversity. What in the heck are the forces of darkness supposed to do with that?

PostPosted: **Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:31 am**

You could also counter argue with the fact that the bible talks about sorcery and false gods (of course it's portrayed in a negative light but still. There are some people who are extreme enough to say that even sin portrayed negatively will influence you to do it).

ShiroiHikari wrote:I agree. It's not really about moon goddesses and reincarnation and Shinto and magic, it's about all those things you said: love, sacrifice, friendship. Kinda like how Star Wars isn't about supernatural Force powers, it's about friendship and fighting evil and doing what's right.

And that why I think God is able to shine through so many series. I find that a lot of what I like, though it may have magic and stuff in it, doesn't focus on that as much as the themes that the creator is trying to get across; and that really goes across the board for all types of entertainment.

PostPosted: **Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:23 am**

This goes with what I said. Its not the main theme. The focus of the story is the lessons taught in about every episode. Which are good lessons!

PostPosted: **Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:00 pm**

Fantasy Dreamer (post: 1245715) wrote:This goes with what I said. Its not the main theme. The focus of the story is the lessons taught in about every episode. Which are good lessons!

Good point. i remmber my cousin always told me not to watch but I did it anyway, I watched it sometimes with even my most religious grandmother. :grin:

It was just a show.

PostPosted: **Thu Jul 17, 2008 4:09 pm**

Fantasy Dreamer (post: 1245715) wrote:This goes with what I said. Its not the main theme. The focus of the story is the lessons taught in about every episode. Which are good lessons!

Oh, oh yes. The messages that sailor moon carried were invaluable!

CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Your Thoughts On Sailor Moon

Your Thoughts On Sailor Moon