Does God enjoy anime.

[Wave]

Ok let me see if I can phrase this just right. Do you think God enjoys Anime on any level. If he dose, why dose he. If he dosen't, why dosen't he.

I realy don't have an ansser for this qustion. heh Wich is why I'm asking it.

wave.

[Puritan]

Hard to answer in a cut-and-dry fashion, and going too deeply into it would involve theological arguments at some point. Bascially, I believe God enjoys anime as much as he enjoys any other secular entertainment. Insofar as it is uplifting and good and provides good enjoyment to people, I believe it is a good thing, and insofar as it distracts people from Him, incites evil thoughts and deeds, and causes harm, I believe it is not a good thing. Anime spans so many genres and types that pinning it down is difficult, and as with all things humans make there are good and bad things about it. However, I believe it is reasonable to say that God likes those things which provide good enjoyment to people while either directing them to Him or His mandates, or simply enriching lives devoted to Him. That doesn't mean I think God only likes specifically Christian anime, but that He likes the good portions of anime.

[ClosetOtaku]

I suppose the real test would be if Jesus would sit down to an evening of anime. We know, in the New Testament time, that Jesus enjoyed being with people -- and not just any people, but often the refuse -- He was constantly being chided for eating with prostitutes, tax collectors, and other 'sinners'. We know he enjoyed a party, as the Pharisees labeled Him a 'glutton and a drunkard'.

But these parties were not ends to themselves, but means to an end. I don't think Jesus would sit down to an evening of anime alone. If He were to do so at all (and I'm not saying He would), He most definitely would use it to illustrate a point. Much of the anime that is out there, I would say, He wouldn't even tolerate sitting through. Some of it He might. If it engendered conversation and understanding, I think He'd use it. If it didn't, He wouldn't waste the time.

In any event, does God like anime? I don't know... does God like Bach? U2? The Eiffel Tower? Chocolate cake with vanilla icing? All these things -- anime included -- are not Real. When this Earth perishes, they will perish with it. "Reality is that which abideth unchanged" said Augustine. What will perish is, ultimately, not important, so I don't think God places any special value on anime. At the same time, as C.S. Lewis says, "God likes matter. He created it." The work of human hands, while not Real, is nevertheless a product of His creation, like the watercolor drawings of a 5-year-old are precious to the child's parents. Perhaps it is not so much the thing created, but the process of creation itself, that God honors in all things given back to Him.

[eva-boy7985]

Very insightful ClosetOtaku :-) Absolutely eloquent to the finest degree!

[Seppuku]

well im sure he would like some anime. after all there is a very large selection to choose from.

[Joshua Christopher]

I don't know. Honestly, I would say that He probably doesn't.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

well im sure he would like some anime. after all there is a very large selection to choose from.

*Imagines God sitting down with some angels to have a Superbook marathon. Then they change it to Bleach XD*

Weird thought o.o. Jokes aside, I think ClosetOtaku nailed it.

[Myoti]

Why? He can just make his own that would be beyond the imagination of anyone in existence.

[mitsuki lover]

God is an Inuyasha fan is all I know.

[Wave]

I don't know. Honestly, I would say that He probably doesn't.

Why is that?

[Myoti]

God is an Inuyasha fan is all I know.

There's just so many things wrong with that statement (except for "all I know"... jk XD ).

[CDLviking]

"Does God like anime?"

My gut reaction is yes. God enjoys it when we use the creativity he has blessed us with to express ourselves. There is a line from St. Thomas Aquinas in which he asks, what does God love most in the whole universe, and the answer is, the whole universe. Simply by its being here there is something good about anime that I'm sure God finds some amount of joy in.

"Does God like any particular anime?"

That's a little more difficult. The mind of God is inscruttable. We don't see things in the same way he does. Certainly there are many animes out there that he does not approve of, and who knows if there are any that he would hold up and say, "This is good." I would like to think that there are.

Off topic: I love the unintended parallel between the answer to St. Thomas Aquinas' question and Cloud's response to Sephiroth's in FFVII Advent Children (and I think God does too ).

[mitsuki lover]

I was being partially facetious because I believe questions like this are a bit on the silly side because they ask what we cannot really know about God.For example does God like baseball,is God a Dodgers or Yankees fan,does God like Bach or
the Beach Boys better?
Who really knows,and is it really our purpose to even ask such questions about the
Deity?
Certianly I could see Jesus enjoying some anime like Inuyasha.Think for a moment
isn't Inuyasha a bit like St.Peter,and doesn't Miroku a bit like St.John?And isn't Kikyo a Mary Magdalene character,while Kagome and Sango have a relationship like Mary and Martha?
Ok,a bit overboard there.
I think he also might like Fushigi Yugi,Rurouni Kenshin and other shows like them.
Then again anything we say either is not so much based on our faith but on our own personal tastes and we would each end up arguing that the Lord would perfer to watch what we would like ourselves to watch,not because it is necessarily true,but rather because our tastes lead us to the conclusion that he would have the same tastes as ourselves.
Maybe Jesus is more of a Flinstones kind of guy,who knows?And I am not being
facetious or sacreligious when I say it.

[Azier the Swordsman]

In my belief, relaxation and entertainment are a neccesity for the enjoyment life. So God gave humanity the gift of creativity. Some use it for good, some use it for evil, and others use it just plain wrong. (Like Uwe Boll)

So, as anime is essentially a tool, I don't believe God neither likes nor dislikes it. I do believe that God also uses anime as a tool to speak to people, but not neccesarily for his own entertaiment. I see God as more of a people person, someone who gains enjoyment from intimate relations with humanity, not through physical entertainment.

He has no problem with anime as long as it doesn't become our total life.

[blkmage]

Anime is simply a combination of different art forms: music, acting, art, etc. Does God like any of those?

[Animus Seed]

(Animus takes a break from his Chicago mission trip to add his $0.02)

I don't have much time, but let me just say:

I am firmly convinced that God ordained Fullmetal Alchemist especially for Animus Seed to enjoy. Will explain why when I get back home to L.A. in a couple days.

[Azier the Swordsman]

When I get to heaven, though, I think all of us need to go to God and ask him to personally hand craft a long running anime series. I bet it would blow our minds.

[CDLviking]

I'd rather have a nice 26 episode series, I don't like the long runners that much. Then again, if it was made by God himself...

[Syreth]

Anime in and of itself doesn't contradict with God's moral will as lined out in the Bible, however it often contains content that is contrary to His moral will. So, I would say that God likes Anime in and of itself, but doesn't approve of some of the content. I like what CDLviking said about it, including the comment about FFVII AC.

[KhakiBlueSocks]

Personally, I like to think that God likes Fruits Basket. IMHO, Tohru looks like she would be a great Christian.

[Myoti]

God could make a two episode series and it'd be different each time we watch it. =D

[Netbug009]

I think that God doesn't like or dislike ALL anime,. but I must admit a lot of it has some content he would not be happy with.

[kyouki]

I think God is happy to see his children being together (in His name)and discussing of something they like ^^

[rocklobster]

I think he probably hates Eva for its saying he wants to kill everyone.

[Wave]

So do you think that anime give God glory?

wave.

[Pan Chan]

I think God does like anime but only when he gets to watch it with his children, when his children make it and/or when it gives him glory.
I like to think that everytime I watch a anime God's sitting right beside me with his arm around me watching it and enjoying it with me. lol
I know I'm coocoo lol.

[Authority3000]

HE is ABOVE such HUMAN fallacies such as ENJOYMENT and PLEASURE.

Although I would definitely agree that He is above deriving "enjoyment" from viewing anime (or other such things; ClosetOtaku's post really summed this all up), it would be Biblicaly incorrect (it would contradict the Bible, that is) to simply state that God is "above enjoyment".

[Reba]

Are you implying GOD is petty?

I believe it states in THE BIBLE that HE is above such things.

He's above all things,He wouldent like anime since it dosent glorify him.

[Pan Chan]

It could.
We just have to make it
And if we can't then we realy should'nt watch it at all because everything should be for the glory of God and not for man.

[Authority3000]

I believe it states in THE BIBLE that HE is above such things.

I was simply referring to the fact that He may take enjoyment (a liberal word) in such things as "the happiness of his children", something of which numerous Bible versus refer to. I agree with you on the anime issue.