Religion/Anti-Science Message in Pokemon/Kid's Shows

[NathanielZhu]

Has anyone else noticed the way kid's shows like Pokemon and yugioh insult science and promote faith?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3azbcAXN18

[Will]

That kind of stuff is bound to happen. America is a majority religious country. Same with Japan, last I checked. Some writers are bound to be religious.

Take the opportunity to point it out to kids and suddenly you're an awesome parent.

[Heretical Rants]

Yea, the "Flatland Atheist" plot has even turned up in my most beloved show about ponies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8vKnG8CmcY

In this case, it could be interpreted to support rational thought, though it would require a bit of rationalization (haha )
The problem with this one is that trying to actively disprove something you know nothing about rather than trying to understand it is not a sound logical process.

[NathanielZhu]

Yea, the "Flatland Atheist" plot has even turned up in my most beloved show about ponies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8vKnG8CmcY

In this case, it could be interpreted to support rational thought, though it would require a bit of rationalization (haha )
The problem with this one is that trying to actively disprove something you know nothing about rather than trying to understand it is not a sound logical process.

haha. That reminds me.
For 2 years when I was a Christian I tried to do what that pony did - telekinesis and magick.
I assume that my a priori belief that magick is possible was due to my lack of education, these TV shows, and the influence of the church.

[Cooper20]

Shows that promote Religion make me laugh.

[original_gender]

For 2 years when I was a Christian I tried to do what that pony did - telekinesis and magick.
I assume that my a priori belief that magick is possible was due to my lack of education, these TV shows, and the influence of the church.

I remember hearing our baptist pastor say that a person with even a mustard seed of faith could move a mountain – I was probably five or six at the time. From that point on, I spent a tremendous amount of time trying to faith my toys around the room. In retrospect, it was exhausting work.

I figured if Mustard Seed / Mountain = x / Plastic Action Figure, than X would be such an insignificant amount, that my inability to muster (zing) even that quantity would have eternal consequences lol.

[Whitney]

I remember hearing our baptist pastor say that a person with even a mustard seed of faith could move a mountain – I was probably five or six at the time. From that point on, I spent a tremendous amount of time trying to faith my toys around the room. In retrospect, it was exhausting work.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who took it that way...I forgot what I was told when I asked why I couldn't do it.

[thedport]

"Since God created man, and man created the Transformers, the Transformers are like a gift from God, Randal!"- Elias

[original_gender]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who took it that way...I forgot what I was told when I asked why I couldn't do it.

Was the desire to realize your telekinetic powers exacerbated by the movie Matilda also?

[thedport]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who took it that way...I forgot what I was told when I asked why I couldn't do it.

Was the desire to realize your telekinetic powers exacerbated by the movie Matilda also?

I loved that movie, but I did always think it was a little twisted, Kinda like James and the Giant peach.

[answerquestionable]

Way to literal!

[Melmoth]

I don't think they're trying to indoctrinate children into an anti-science mode of thinking. It's just a common literary device, that's all.

If you want any kind of story - magical or not - to be engrossing for an audience, then you need to suspend their disbelief and discourage any kind of skepticism. It just so happens that one of the cheapest ways of doing this is by having a deeply skeptical character knocking about that you can constantly cast in a stubborn, naive and slightly foolish light. Think Skully from the X-Files, always having to second-guess herself in the face of all so many supernatural shenanigans. It doesn't mean that the people who wrote the X-Files actually believe any of it, or want you to after it's over. And this is just one of the more obvious methods; all fiction has to discourage skepticism to some extent, otherwise you just wouldn't buy any of it.

[Whitney]

I'm happy to say that I haven't had to watch enough pokemon to know anything about the plot or what they say...all I know if that their animals live in balls which are thrown to fight and that little kids (boys especially) seem to really like it.

[Melmoth]

I'm happy to say that I haven't had to watch enough pokemon to know anything about the plot or what they say

My sister used to watch it all the time when we were kids. Believe me when I say that you could never be happy enough.

[Davin]

@Melmoth: That's the way I see it, except I did see somewhere that PokeMon is the devil trying to lead children away from the lord and into witchcraft.