Pokémon. It is a craze that sweeps the nation, where the player tries to "catch 'em all," them being the 150 Pokémon available in Red, Blue, Yellow, Pinball, and soon to be released Gold and Silver (with even more pokemon than before). There is Pokémon Snap for those who like to take pics, Pokémon TCG for those who have a thing for cards, and even the Pokémon TV show and movie for those who love to watch the antics of Ash, an aspiring Pokémon master. Just type in Pokémon in any decent search engine, and you'll be blasted with Site ranging from the official site to professional sites to the run-of-the-mill fan page.
However, not all like the idea of dealing with Pikachu and the rest of these sometimes adorable, sometimes powerful Pokémon. Some religious groups have gone so far as to say that Pokémon are evil and should be destroyed, citing things such as psychic powers, the occult, the dangers of pretending to lord and rule over other creatures, and the fact that Some Pokémon use moves such as Absorb and Dream Eater in order to make the other Pokémon faint.
*snicker* Pardon me a moment. *turns away and cracks up laughing for at least ten minutes*
I don't think so. Poor misguided people....
For one, they cite that it uses psychic powers, and man does not have these capabilities. We cannot prove this for a fact. Man may very well have psychic intuitions, and God does not wish us to know we have that capacity. After all, man did not know for years that the sun was the center of the solar system, though it is a well-known fact nowadays. Man also did know know about cells, medicine, and the fact that there were other planets floating around in space somewhere. This is not a valid argument--just because the idea is not confirmed does not mean that it is totally wrong.
Another thing they point out is that Pokémon evolve, changing from a previous form to a new one with stronger capabilities. And evolution is untrue, right? Wrong. I am Christian too, and I believe that God created the heavens and earth. But I do not think that he took a literal six days in order to do this. To God, a thousand years is like a day and a day can be as a thousand years. For all we know, God could have spend eons upon eons just designing the birds. I look at the grace of a cheetah or the beauty of a elephant or the delicate helplessness of a newborn and see that God did make these things. But I do not rule out that God may very well be the driving force behind evolution. A quote I have read goes as such: "Science with religion is a lost cause and religion without science is a blind fool." Things change over time. Evolution may be the change of a certain species, not the changing of one to the other as some people narrowly classify this topic.
As for the Japanese influence and the claims of the occult, I do not believe that Eastern religions are wrong in some of their philosophies. Sure, I don't go for the whole polytheism thing, but I do like those ideas of harmony with your surroundings and not trying to change things to suit your fancy. Japanese culture is not evil. Using the same logic these people are using, I could say Catholics are evil for saying nuns are avowed to Christ (thus making him a polygamist). *I have nothing against Catholics by the way; just making a point.*
As for all the Bible verses thrown to back this idea, I turn and say this: The Bible has been used to endorse everything from slavery to murder of "pagans" to the KKK, as well as slavery and the "holy" wars that took the lives of innocents for no reason other than they were not of a certain religion. Don't yank a handful of unrelated verses and wag your finger at me; I can do the same thing and hurt your feelings a lot worse, using the same medium. It's sad, really. God had his Word written to teach and aid us, not to condemn the basis of a game.
Thus, let me end by saying: All this time these preachers and so-called Christians are spending yanking verses to fuss about Pokémon could be used in better ways. Every time you point the finger, the other four point back at you, making you look the worse for it. Please, in the name of all that is wrong with society, put down the Bible and leave the Pokémon alone.