This article was nicked from http://www.crossroad.to
-Moo
Fox Kids Television explains that: "Seven kids at summer camp are unexpectedly
transported
by 'digivices' to a colorful and enigmatic world. Lost and alone, they
are befriended by
small digital monsters, Digimons. The kids and their Digimon partners quickly
become
inseparable, and the little creatures guide their human friends through
the wondrous
DigiWorld, protecting them from the hordes of evil Digimons."
DigiMon Virtual Pet Page: "DigiMon was originally called by several other
names including:
Digital Demon, Digi Demon, Digital Monster, and Tama-Hawk.... Digimon is
a linkable
fighting pet by Bandai.... The pet is similar to other keychain virtual
pets, except these are
raised to fight and kill."
"My son said that
he doesn't have any friends to play with, because they all like to play
DigiMon,"
wrote a concerned
mother, "and he doesn't like to play that game. From what I can see,
it looks
very similar to
Pokemon."
She is right. Children
with the courage to say "no" to Pokemon face a new challenge: a parallel
set
of cute-ugly monsters,
battle cards, digital games, and television episodes. Like the Pokemon
creatures, the
Digital monsters can be good or bad. But if they are bad, it's not
their fault. The
introduction to
the Fox Kids series explains why:
"The group soon discovers that some of the giant Digimons they encounter
are not evil
Digimons but good Digimons gone bad. A dark power is corrupting even the
most gentle
of Digimons by embedding Black Gears into them, turning them into vicious
monsters.
Creating chaos and destruction wherever it goes, the evil power threatens
all of
DigiWorld."
"As they try to find their way back home, the seven kids are drawn further
and
further into the mystery. Through teamwork and trust, they help their newfound
Digimon friends digivolve from 'monsters in training' to giant champions
that must save
the DigiWorld from the powerful evil intent on destroying it."
Every Digimon has
unique strengths and weaknesses, and the battle cards shows the specific
ways players can
use their monsters to defeat an enemy. Like MewTwo and other psychic Pokemon,
many transmit supernatural
power. Some can evolve or transform (a Native American shaman might
call it "shape-shifting").
You can watch a few of these transformations at toy maker Bandai's
website.
One of these shape-shifting
evolutions shows how the cute pig-like Patamon becomes Angemon -- a
muscular and majestic
male angel with power to defeat all kinds of vicious enemies. (Yes, in
contrast to the
earlier quote, some digimon are inherently evil.) He and his shapely female
partner
may stand as moral
judges, prosecuting and punishing the worst perpetrators of evil. Sounds
almost
Biblical doesn't
it?
But don't let the
angelic assault on digital evils deceive you. Remember, a good counterfeit
is far
more dangerous
to truth than a bad imitation. While the Digimon world appeals to young
thrill-seeking
TV viewers in every land, it carries traits from the culture that created
it. Different
kinds of angels
fit into most of the world's religions, and these digital, evolving angels
have nothing
to do with Christianity
-- even when they fight the most devilish-looking creatures.
"I saw a digimon
wrap-up, where they say all that happened in that episode, and it was talking
about how a digimon
named Angemon defeated another digimon named Devimon," said Derek
Wilson, a Christian
father who had watched the show with his son. "I personally thought
it was
pretty strange."
Those who base their
views of reality on the Bible will indeed find the digiworld strange. But
to
many young digifans,
this weird world of supermonsters becomes more comfortable than reality.
In
today's world of
bewildering high tech wonders, the supernatural feats of human and digital
heroes may even
feel normal while ordinary earth-bound days seem boring.
Today's emphasis
on soaring imaginations frees kids to do just that: soar like superman
into an
imaginary world
without parents. Helping with dishes and cleaning the yard has to wait.
Such
demeaning jobs
clash with the digifan vision of power and their mission to save two worlds.
Identifying with
the TV characters, children cross that mystical line between the earth
and the
digital world at
will. That is, unless an evil
monsters -- such as Devimon, the "ruler of the bad
Digimon" -- threatens
lives or holds a team-member captive. If so, the more psychically attuned
kids will walk
through walls, float into the air, transmit power through their hands,
and use mental
telepathy as well
as digital technology to communicate with each other. Supernatural power
--
manipulated at
the whim and will of a child -- wins the day.
"But that's no worse
than the old books and fairy tales we used to read," some might argue.
Perhaps not, but
back when today's parents were reading those mystical tales they were usually
isolated from the
reality behind the mystical stories. Unlike today's children, they couldn't
surf
the Internet for
a group of practicing psychics or find occult formulas for magic and spell
casting
in their school
library.
As the nations of
the world gradually ratify the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child, parents
will not even have
the legal right to stop their children from joining occult groups or reading
their
manuals.
Instead, schools and communities will pressure children to participate
in all kinds of
"multicultural"
rituals and celebrations in order to break down barriers to global oneness.
(See The
U.N.
Plan For Global Control)
THE SPIRIT BEHIND
THE FORCE. The USA is the world's biggest exporter of
decadent and
occult entertainment,
but every nation involved in today's mind-changing amusement industry sells
its beliefs and
biases along with its product. Japan's entertainment is colored by its
religious
roots, spiritual
practices, and warrior traditions. No wonder Digimon -- like Pokemon,
DragonBall,
and other Japanese
games and cartoons -- reflects a society rooted in a unique blend of religions
and disciplines.
While shamanism
reigned in early Japan, Shintoism and Buddhism have dominated the spiritual
landscape for centuries.
Most Japanese see no problem in blending the two sets of rituals, gods,
goddesses and Bodhisattwas,
A typical home displays both a Shinto family shrine and the Buddhist
family altar, and
it's not unusual for Buddhist priests to chant their sutras at Shinto
shrines.
Meanwhile, behind
the scenes, ancient Chinese Confucianism still guides private and public
morality.
These three religions
share a common belief. In the midst of the diverse rites and traditions,
most
Japanese trust
in a pantheistic force called Ki. describes its practical
value:
"The concept of Ki is one of the most important in Japanese philosophy.
It directly
concerns everyone's daily life, since it is nothing less than the vital
energy of that life.
In Chinese philosophy, the equivalent concept is known as Qi (Ch'i),
an energy whose
'home' is the Dantian point located below the navel.... As
the concept of Ki is found
that the root of all Japanese activities, it is also found at the root
of all the
martial arts. The nature of this universal and fundamental energy
is such that it
penetrates everywhere, uniting all the manifestations of the universe,
visible or
invisible. It is a creative energy, the divine 'breath' in every being,
which... can,
according to certain writers, be projected outside oneself. " (Emphasis
added)
Japanese martial
arts shows the intimate union between the above spirituality and the lingering
effects of the
old Samurai warrior culture. Before and during World War II, students
of all ages
were steeped in
these warrior traditions and trained in martial arts disciplines. The result
was a
fierce loyalty
to the vision of ethnic supremacy and to the emperor as a god. Nothing
illustrates
the Japanese fighting
spirit and tolerance of violence better than the horrors of the Japanese
occupation of Nanking
and the suicide missions of Kamikaze pilots during World War II.
According to the
Encyclopedia
Britannica,
The sword exercised a potent influence on the life of the Japanese nation.
The
distinction of wearing it, the rights that it conferred, the deeds wrought
it the fame
attached to special skills in its use, the superstitions connected with
it... all these things
combined to give the katana an importance beyond the limit of ordinary
comprehension.
This warrior spirit
permeates the full-length feature film (Anime), Princess
Mononoke. But
Digimon, like Pokemon,
adds a new twist that fits 21st Century dreams. It trades the sword, not
simply for a light
saber as in the Star Wars epic, but for unlimited psychic forces. These
can
destroy
civilizations and defeat enemies far beyond the reach of any human
weapon. When human
heroes falter,
their evolving flock of friendly monsters will finish the job. Who
needs God in such a
world?
It may be hard to
understand how a nation of gentle Buddhists and nature-loving Shintos could
breed such real
and imagined violence. But Japan's religious and military history offers
some
clues. First, the
Tibetan Buddhism taught by the Dalai Lama may sound peaceful, but
historically
this Tantric form
of Buddhism involved deadly rivalries, wars, and human sacrifice. (See
kundalini
yoga)
Jesse, a student of martial arts in the tradition of Japanese Shingon
Mikkyo Vajrayana
Buddhism explains
its link to Japan:
Actually, what the Dalai lama practices is basically the same as what you
will find in the
Ninpo martial arts. The Tibetans usually call it Tibetan Buddhism or Tantric
Buddhism,
in Japan they call it Mikkyo. The only difference between the Mikkyo of
Japan and
Tibet is the Mikkyo in Japan was brought to China on the silk road, and
the Mikkyo in
Tibet was brought directly over the Himalayas into Tibet. The origin in
India is the
same. As time went on, of course, the two evolved some differences, but
the heart
remains the same.
Most people think that Zen was the sect of Buddhism that had the most influence
on
Japanese martial arts. Though, Zen did have an influence on the Japanese
arts, when it
comes to the classical Japanese arts of Koryu Bujutsu, Mikkyo had a much
stronger
influence. The influence wasn't on the ninja only, but on the Samurai
class also.
... some schools of esoteric meditations have mantras for the mudras (hand
formed
symbols) and visualizations. Well, according to my teacher, a man who has
been a
Shingon monk for about thirty years, all schools of Mikkyo meditation practice
mantras,
mudras, and visualizations together.... This technique of the mantra,
mudra,
and visualization is called sanmitsu in Japanese; the mystery of
voice, mind, and
body.
PAGANISM
AROUND THE WORLD: Since the beginning of time, human migrations
and traveling
merchants have
spread earth-centered religions around the world, blending beliefs and
molding
new ones according
to needs and wishes. One would rightly expect earth-centered religions
around the world
to share some common traits.
Looking back, we
discover that primitive animists as well as sophisticated religious civilizations
have worshiped
the sun and the stars. They used similar rituals and rhythms for producing
trance
states and invoking
their favorite gods and spirits. They used the same four-fold formula for
magic and spell-casting
that Wiccan leader Starhawk describes in the Spiral Dance: visualization,
concentration,
relaxation, and (mental) projection. They use similar symbols, and most
ancient
groups link sexual
rites to fertility or enlightenment.
All these systems
-- now idealized through multicultural education -- brought violence, not
peace.
They usually saw
people in other nations as subhuman, and their moral code honored human
sacrifice.
Tragically, many of the unbiblical counterfeits of Christianity fared little
better (see Biblical
versus Cultural Christianity).
Common
Practices of Earth-Centered Religions
In most of these cultures, the value
of a human life would depend, not on inherent worth, but on its
functional value
to the community or family. Thus human sacrifice was commonly practiced,
and
infanticide was
acceptable in many pagan cultures. Women were replaceable, and countless
wives --
both among royalty
and peasants -- were killed and buried with deceased husbands. Ritual killing
could be seen as
a game or as public entertainment. This was true in my native Norway as
well as in
feudal Japan.
Today, the world
is once again linking killing to fun entertainment. Popular games, films,
books, and
classroom curricula
fascinate children with shocking stories that change their values and
desensitize them
to violence. Addicted to violent thrills, many crave ever more bloody and
shocking
brutality. Small
wonder then, that J.K. Rowling, author of the top-selling Harry
Potter books, has
promised that the
fourth book in the series will involve killing someone her fans have learned
to
love. Kids around
the world can hardly wait to find out who and how. In this context,
it seems
perfectly natural
that the DigiMon
Virtual Pet Page would equate intentional killing with fun
entertainment through
deadly digital battles:
"It is obviously much more 'boy' oriented than the earlier pets. You can
hook your pet
to a friend's pet and fight to the death or be seriously wounded."
A far more subtle
problem is the popular practice of attributing human worth and characteristics
to plants and animals
-- including digital monsters and animals -- thus impressing young minds
with
images that support
today's politically correct visions of a global bio-family linked through
a
universal spirit.
In this context, the life of a worm is as valuable as a human baby.
And its no
surprise that an
Internet cybercemetery
offers a final resting place for beloved "virtual pets."
GOD'S
WAY IN A PAGAN WORLD. Contrary to the teachings of Al
Gore, Native American
writers, and others
who tout a universal spirit in all parts of creation, God has given His
people
special moral responsibilities
as well as a unique place in His creation. Our higher position came with
commands to care
for both trees and animals, wild ones as well as domestic, as He would.
He also tells us
to be humble, faithful, and kind to everyone -- even to our enemies.
But such love is
only possible when
we first love God. That means reading about His love in the Bible, trusting
Him
to fill us with
His love, and choosing to follow Him no matter what happens. (See
our
beliefs)
The Digimon world
and other popular Animes teach a different way of life. Unlike
Biblical
Christianity, their
ways fit right into the new global culture. Only when children learn God's
Word,
know what they
believe, and choose to stand firmly on their convictions, will they be
able to resist
today's pressure
to conform to the new beliefs. To help clarify the differences and
strengthen
your child's faith,
consider these contrasts:
