Evil comic books?

[Lost_Wanderer]

Yes we have a free will, but God wants us to chose the right path. If your career brings you into conflict with the theachings of the church, maybe its time to change careers. We are not supposed to conform to the world. (Romans 12:1-2) So my question to you is this. You admit that my way of thinking is spiritually correct, yet you fail to do what you know is right. Why?

I’ve long realized the my career and what I’ve been taught would occasionally clash and I’m perfectly willing to deal with it.

However… I am not for full resistance to the world. It just gives people an excuse to seclude themselves instead of finding ways of planting their views without anti-religious sentiment catching on.

I have seen many sad cases where outright religious comics have been regarded with little interest. What good is my talent if I restrict myself to things that are only appreciated by people within the safety zone of my religion? It’s pointless, I’m just reiterating the same message over and over to the same people.

I don’t want to face God knowing I simply wasted my gift preaching to the choir. I want to reach out and the only way I can do that is for me is to appeal to my audience. Which means I have to conform to them, one way or another. Otherwise, my work would just be a disgraceful imitation of Jack Chick.

 

[CWBetts]

Use your talent as an artidt to be a commercial artist or illustrator for christian books. I have a talent for writing and photography, but I seek to find ways to use thise talents that do not come into conflict with Catholic principles. By succumbing to the expectations of the genre, you have earned your 30 pieces of silver.

 

[JSSebastianoP]

My answers explained why. Plato and Aristotle changed the way people thought. They were teachers who gave us philosophy, logic and the beginnings of scientific inquiry. Comics are light fluff to pass the time.

Once again, I am obliged to say thank you for explaining what you meant.
However, I disagree with the point that comics are light fluff to pass the time, especially in Japanese culture. The Japanese manga evolved from traditional forms of Japanese art and is now in fact popular among adults as well as children. Manga is just a way to put pictures to words; reading manga is no different from reading a novel. Many manga, although they do include action, comment on various themes such as loyalty, friendship, love, sorrow, et cetera. Of Akamatsu’s works, Negima deals with the mental pain of a boy who’s father went missing years ago and his search to find his father. Along the way, we learn about how being obsessed with any goal is dangerous; we explore love triangles (which, historically, usually end in someone’s death); we explore friendship, trust, and loyalty. There are many moments in which are shown philosophical debates, such as one about what evil is and about the possible consequences of our actions. I can name many more examples from Akamatsu’s works and from other authors if you don’t think that is enough to prove my point that comics are not just stories to pass time.

Peace.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Use your talent as an artidt to be a commercial artist or illustrator for christian books. I have a talent for writing and photography, but I seek to find ways to use thise talents that do not come into conflict with Catholic principles. By succumbing to the expectations of the genre, you have earned your 30 pieces of silver.

As JSSebastianoP said, comics and anime aren’t just about “drawing”. They’re literature too. My signature says it all. I’m a guy who writes anime-style stories. I’ll even go as far as to say I’m a visual/graphic writer (meaning I paint pictures with words). My talent involves making storylines and situations as much as design.

Honestly man, you really need to more about manga and anime because you clearly are not grasping what you’re judging here.

And another thing, are you calling me a sell-out? That’s insulting, seriously. You have no idea how hard it is to wrap a story in a way that snags your modern day manga reader at the same time, not compromise the message. Its like trying to send a package into enemy territory. I’m asking you again, what good is it to write something that only the few people in your safety zone will patronize? You think God would appreciate you using your talent just preaching to the choir and not risking it out in the wider (and more secular) audiences? That’s a fine example of the the third lazy servant in my opinion.

Besides, I’m a realist when it comes to writing. So its not really succumbing to the genre that I’m doing. It’s just how the style works. Its only a coincidence that people like stories that are somewhat realistic nowadays. Even in my fictional fantasy pieces, my settings and events aren’t renditions of Paradise. I make situations that reflect more of the reality we have here. Family friendly stuff just butters it all down and paints a false picture of the world that show it as deceptively “safe”.

When depicting the wrongs of this world, we should make it a believable depiction so that the solutions to make them right are also believable. Otherwise you’ll just have many people rolling their eyes at your manga.

 

[CWBetts]

I have tried to be tactful to this point, so now I will lay it out clearly. If you cannot perform your career in a way that honors Christ, then you must re-evaluate, or of necessary, change careers. Anyone who hides their faith to be accepted by the world or even worse, for the sake of profit has become Judas Iscariot. I refuse to believe that the comics of any style cannot be written without cheap tittilation or over the top violence. You cannot serve two masters.

 

[JSSebastianoP]

Anyone who hides their faith to be accepted by the world or even worse, for the sake of profit has become Judas Iscariot. I refuse to believe that the comics of any style cannot be written without cheap tittilation or over the top violence. You cannot serve two masters.

I believe by Lost Wanderer’s comment,

I don’t want to face God knowing I simply wasted my gift preaching to the choir. I want to reach out and the only way I can do that is for me is to appeal to my audience. Which means I have to conform to them, one way or another.

that instead of completely catering to these modern manga audiences, he uses manga as a platform to convey Christian themes. As he said in one of his earlier posts, it is necessary to compromise in some areas to get people to understand the broader picture. A story that comes off as too religious to a modern audience might turn it away.

Peace.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

I refuse to believe that the comics of any style cannot be written without cheap tittilation or over the top violence. You cannot serve two masters.

I don’t put that stuff excessively either. Excess is unrealistic and I’ve seen a few manga that breaks that rule. However, I’ve had more than enough experience with people who consider even the slightest amount of fan service or violence as “excess”. You are giving me that impression.

Neither however do I intend to cage myself with the demands of the “family friendly” crowd. I mean if Mel Gibson could get away with the violence in Passion of the Christ, then so can I with my own work.

 

[CWBetts]

So what you are telling me id that you don’t want to put forth the effort to produce a work that is pleasing to God? The problem with the Church today is that people refuse to dedicate their livelyhood to God. Spirituaity is just something to be taken out of the closet and dusted off on sundays, but doesn’t need to be bothered with the rest of the week.

 

[edwest2]

This is exactly true. As a professional writer, everything I write needs to be acceptable to God. God knows my heart and how imperfect I am, but I don’t want to ‘get away’ with anything. God knows I want to be with Him. The world needs to see a good example from all Catholics 7 days a week.

Peace,
Ed

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

So what you are telling me id that you don’t want to put forth the effort to produce a work that is pleasing to God? The problem with the Church today is that people refuse to dedicate their livelyhood to God. Spirituaity is just something to be taken out of the closet and dusted off on sundays, but doesn’t need to be bothered with the rest of the week.

This is exactly true. As a professional writer, everything I write needs to be acceptable to God. God knows my heart and how imperfect I am, but I don’t want to ‘get away’ with anything. God knows I want to be with Him. The world needs to see a good example from all Catholics 7 days a week.

Peace,
Ed

God’s also not stupid. He also knows just how sensitively anti-religious this world is (You of all people ed oughta know that). You guys just don’t seem to wanna face the fact that unless we start talking in a different language, we’ll all be stuck just preaching our message to the same people who already believe in it. You can glorify God by staying in your safety zone but it takes a lot more brain and guts to go out of it and sneak the message into the minds of people who don’t care about Him.

 

[CWBetts]

God’s also not stupid. He also knows just how sensitively anti-religious this world is (You of all people ed oughta know that). You guys just don’t seem to wanna face the fact that unless we start talking in a different language, we’ll all be stuck just preaching our message to the same people who already believe in it. You can glorify God by staying in your safety zone but it takes a lot more brain and guts to go out of it and sneak the message into the minds of people who don’t care about Him.

You don’t reach out to the world by conforming. The Church grows when people see thre is a difference between the faithful and the faithless. “When I was a child, I thought as a child, spoke as a chilld. When I became a man, I gave up childish things”
As long as you cling to the things of the world, your work for Christ will be limited. I understand it is hard to turn your back on things you love, but your talents must be directed by prayer. You can be safe and put out work that is more commercially viable, but in the end what has happened? God has seen no return on his investment. If you only produce work that honors God, you will be earning eternal rewards. You need to have the courage to proclaim your faith.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

You don’t reach out to the world by conforming. The Church grows when people see thre is a difference between the faithful and the faithless. “When I was a child, I thought as a child, spoke as a chilld. When I became a man, I gave up childish things”
As long as you cling to the things of the world, your work for Christ will be limited. I understand it is hard to turn your back on things you love, but your talents must be directed by prayer. You can be safe and put out work that is more commercially viable, but in the end what has happened? God has seen no return on his investment. If you only produce work that honors God, you will be earning eternal rewards. You need to have the courage to proclaim your faith.

We are all called to spread God’s messages and teachings. We’re not supposed to just keep it to ourselves. However, neither must we be too bold and direct and start speaking in ways that the people we preach to don’t understand (or worse, reject). It’s just the same way nobody goes to a foreign country without learning about its language and culture.

I don’t believe God would give me a strong affinity for this culture and to have skill as a writer if it wasn’t his intention for me to put what I know to good use.

 

[CWBetts]

I guess you have chosen which master is more important to you

 

[Julianna]

Disagree if you want but have you actually read them? I have and the more I read, the less attention I paid to the nudity and more to what was happening. Manga does that. (Its the same with the fight scenes)

My son reads manga all the time and I see nothing wrong with it. I find that people who jump the gun and state that something is sinful have no clue what they are talking about.

great post

 

[Julianna]

God’s also not stupid. He also knows just how sensitively anti-religious this world is (You of all people ed oughta know that). You guys just don’t seem to wanna face the fact that unless we start talking in a different language, we’ll all be stuck just preaching our message to the same people who already believe in it. You can glorify God by staying in your safety zone but it takes a lot more brain and guts to go out of it and sneak the message into the minds of people who don’t care about Him.

It’s called living in a fish bowl. It is refreshing to see people who are willing to venture out into the ocean…unafraid and sneak the message into the minds of people who don’t know or care about Him.

Great post:thumbsup:

 

[edwest2]

My son reads manga all the time and I see nothing wrong with it. I find that people who jump the gun and state that something is sinful have no clue what they are talking about.

great post

I have read manga for some time. I also work in the media. Recently, there has been a flood of sexually perverted manga.

The same people who want to sexualize everything in American want to do the same by selecting oversexualized manga and bringing it to this country.

Peace,
Ed

 

[edwest2]

It’s called living in a fish bowl. It is refreshing to see people who are willing to venture out into the ocean…unafraid and sneak the message into the minds of people who don’t know or care about Him.

Great post:thumbsup:

Sneak? Christ did not sneak but spoke openly. He spent most of His time among the people in the streets.

Peace,
Ed

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

I guess you have chosen which master is more important to you

You know it’s this type of extreme black-and-white thinking that gave birth to Chick Publications.

I have read manga for some time. I also work in the media. Recently, there has been a flood of sexually perverted manga.

The same people who want to sexualize everything in American want to do the same by selecting oversexualized manga and bringing it to this country.

Peace,
Ed

I admit some manga take fan service over the top (coughIkki Tousencough) However, rejecting a manga with a potentially good story just on the grounds of it having fan service is just as bad as rejecting the many violent (yet inspiring) movies just because you’re not comfortable with gore.

Sneak? Christ did not sneak but spoke openly. He spent most of His time among the people in the streets.

Peace,
Ed

Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. Crowds gathered around Him. He performed countless miracles. In a way, He was the poor Hebrew’s celebrity! What’s more, He was a man possessing vast knowledge. Look what happened to every single bunch of skeptics (from the Scribes to the Pharisees) who challenged Him and His teachings. His responses left them without the slightest rebuttal. That’s like a guy wiping out a whole party of high-level players with one sweep. He had every right to be confident and be open about His views because He knows He can defend them. If Christ were to take on every single skeptic today (from the Rational Response Squad all the way to Richard Dawkins himself) He’d leave them all tongue-tied after one session.

What about us? We’re nothing compared to someone capable of such divine rhetoric or charisma and we’ll never will be. Look what happens when we “openly” express our faith in the way you suggest. Nobody’s paying attention. They automatically think: “Oh religious stuff, snore” or worse, you’ll get the “This is [insert profanity]” from the rising population of hot-headed atheists.

In our increasingly secular society, people have also become increasingly anti-religious and you know this ed. If you wave anything that instantly screams “Christian” you know what response you’ll get. None. The only people who’ll pay attention to you would be those who already believe. You’re stuck preaching to the choir.

And personally, I’m getting tired of that trend.

 

[CWBetts]

FInd me, in the Chatechism, the Scriptures, Enyclical, or othe Church document where it is ok to go along with the immorality of the secular world. I am not passing judgement on all anime and manga, but the anime and manga that is overly violent or contains nudity.For example, “Initial D” ans “Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.” The use of nudity just to broaden your sales base is selling out to the Prince of Darkness. Period. Reaching out to the world is not making them think that we are just like them, but showing how we are different. I am an author as well, and I have come to terms with the fact that my books will never be best sellers in a world hostile to the Catholic Church. If no one can tell the difference between your work and the work of someone who isn’t Catholic, you are doing something wrong.

 

[edwest2]

You know it’s this type of extreme black-and-white thinking that gave birth to Chick Publications.

I admit some manga take fan service over the top (coughIkki Tousencough) However, rejecting a manga with a potentially good story just on the grounds of it having fan service is just as bad as rejecting the many violent (yet inspiring) movies just because you’re not comfortable with gore.

Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. Crowds gathered around Him. He performed countless miracles. In a way, He was the poor Hebrew’s celebrity! What’s more, He was a man possessing vast knowledge. Look what happened to every single bunch of skeptics (from the Scribes to the Pharisees) who challenged Him and His teachings. His responses left them without the slightest rebuttal. That’s like a guy wiping out a whole party of high-level players with one sweep. He had every right to be confident and be open about His views because He knows He can defend them. If Christ were to take on every single skeptic today (from the Rational Response Squad all the way to Richard Dawkins himself) He’d leave them all tongue-tied after one session.

What about us? We’re nothing compared to someone capable of such divine rhetoric or charisma and we’ll never will be. Look what happens when we “openly” express our faith in the way you suggest. Nobody’s paying attention. They automatically think: “Oh religious stuff, snore” or worse, you’ll get the “This is [insert profanity]” from the rising population of hot-headed atheists.

In our increasingly secular society, people have also become increasingly anti-religious and you know this ed. If you wave anything that instantly screams “Christian” you know what response you’ll get. None. The only people who’ll pay attention to you would be those who already believe. You’re stuck preaching to the choir.

And personally, I’m getting tired of that trend.

You are too cynical. Pray and ask God for the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s promises to help us are more powerful than any barrier that stands in our way. In order to do good, we must imitate Christ who spoke to men he identified as having faith and those he identified as evil. There are atheists here; some out of curiosity, others to stir up trouble. I assure you, I am not only talking to Catholics.

Peace,
Ed