Christian Universalists within Online Fandoms

[Song]

A friend named Sailor Writer asks me if it?s okay for Christians to be fans of fan culture works, like Star Wars, Touhou, Megaman, rock music, video games, etc. The truth is that all Star Wars fans, all Touhou Gensokyo gamers, all Megaman speedrunners, rock and roll musicians, video game streamers will become Christian by having faith alone in Christ and be saved. And they will act as a light of Christ within their respective fan communities. Here?s my response.

Muslims oftentimes call Jesus merely a "prophet" and falsely deny the deity of Christ. The truth is that Jesus and the Father God are one, Jesus = God. Jesus is much greater than all the other prophets.

Assuming that by Seiga, a Touhou character?s quote of "foreign prophet who resurrected three days after his execution" is referring to Jesus Christ, then it's literally impossible for anything to be "more divine and magnificent" than Christ's resurrection, since that's the only way that we are saved by sins, faith alone in His sacrifice.

In this case, as a Christian it's important to recognize that Seiga is wrong and evil in this context and that Touhou is fictional, not real. Being a fan of Touhou works when you view Seiga as an antagonist to Christ.

An example, I've met Christians who are Star Wars fans and are able to recognize when the Sith do sinful things, such as murder. Yet some of them even cosplay as Jedi with names, and some even cosplay as "Sith" for the purpose of roleplaying, for telling a story. Take Christian movies about Exodus, one actor has to play Moses and another has to play Pharaoh. In the Bible, the Pharaoh is evil, since he disobeys God, but is it evil for someone to act as the Pharaoh for a movie or a story? No, as long as that person does not worship the Pharaoh. So, for Touhou, someone can even pretend to be a "Seiga" who is evil against Christ, like the Pharaoh, in order to show the point that they are evil. As long as they don't worship Seiga.

For me, I am a fan of what is good about Touhou. Like an Undertale fan can be a fan of the good aspects of Toriel, yet be against the evil aspects of Flowey. Or a Sonic fan can be a fan of the good aspects of Sonic, yet be against the evil aspects of Dr. Robotnik

Also, I checked your profile, and to answer your other threads

?Is rock music demonic?? My answer: No. Music that sounds good with ?rock instruments? is just music. It?s up to the mind to worship the Lord. In fact, I listen to some instrumental rock music to work out, helps train my body when going soulwinning spreading Bible tracts in the city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI-cYpd_YDs
https://christianforums.net/threads/is-rock-music-demonic.95684/post-1745912
?Is Megaman a sinful game?. My answer: No. The creator of Five Nights at Freddy?s Scott Cawthon is a Christian and a fan of the Megaman games. Video games are just a tool, like music, it?s like saying all books are sinful, it doesn?t make sense.
The 8bitdrummer has very energizing remixes of songs, and his icon is in a pixel art icon style of Megaman with a cross on it. To quote his website "Jesus rocks and He is where my love comes from!"

https://the8bitdrummer.com/
https://christianforums.net/threads/is-megaman-a-sinful-game.95490/post-1742484

And lastly ?Is Touhou a sinful game?? My answer: No. As a Christian, we can recognize idols and know that they?re fake. Touhou?s obviously fictional. But we can still appreciate the gameplay, as a video game, and how it sounds, as a music genre.
https://christianforums.net/threads/is-touhou-a-sinful-game.95078/

We don't have to wait for someone else to spread Christianity into a genre. When Ken Hisuag brought Christianity into Touhou, or Scott Cawthon a Christian made horror games or the 8 Bit drummer made Christian rock music, there's bound to be someone who's doing something for the first time. The truth is that, as Ecclesiastes tells us, anything without Christ is meaningless. Therefore, we must put Christ into everything and transform these things into good.

For instance, with that Touhou quote you mentioned, if all the Christians stayed away from Touhou, who would be there to rebuke that quote? That's my purpose in being a Touhou fan, to go into Touhou communities and bring Christ to them with love <3

Rom. 5:20 "Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more."

It is okay for born-again Christians to play Touhou, as long as they realize and tell others that Touhou is not real.
And as long as they don't commit any sins in the name of Touhou, of course, like evil sexual misconduct with minors the Genshin Impact voice actor for Tighnari "Eliot Ghindi" did. (I've been playing Genshin since Oct 2020 and have evanegelized them because of my knowledge of the series).

Touhou has aspects that are derived from Buddhism, Shintoism, Hinduism, which are all fake, but some people worship them as though they were real "gods" which is wrong. For me, I use Touhou to worship the Lord. I oftentimes go into Touhou communities and evangelize them to Christianity, so having a knowledge of Touhou is useful to relate to them. When I listen to Touhou music, like piano, rock, metal, anime vocals, while spreading the Gospel, it motivates me, because music is music. Good music sounds good regardless of what person made it, or what series it comes from. Why? Because the Lord is the true author of all good music. He created sounds, instruments,

1 Corinthians 8 is a good chapter on the topic.

"So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that ?An idol is nothing at all in the world? and that ?There is no God but one.?

And we know the Touhou characters are idols because, literally, Keiki Haniyasushin's theme is "Idolatrize World"


Being a fan of fictional works is like eating meat. Some people are vegan because their conscious can't handle eating meat. And that's fine. And other people eat meat, like me, because my conscious can handle it. And that's fine.

Look, my friend. I've noticed your threads on the topic too. And I feel for you. When I was younger, I would obsessively search online for answers to topics, like if playing videogames was acceptable (it is) or watching anime is acceptable (it is). But that's referring to the medium. Video games and anime are tools, like technology. I also asked for more faith, and I was tormented by feelings of panic, scrupulosity, fear. But eventually, the Lord allowed me to overcome my feelings. In fact, many of the questions you're asking here, reminds me of my past self a lot. So I really feel for you.

Here's one post I made back in 2017 where I would worry about the topic too
https://jesus-saves-all.com/JE/JE78.htm

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

[AshaMithra]

This is just my opinion, but look at it this way. In a way, authors, artists, content creators, etc are mimicking a supreme Creator, and that?s not a bad thing, IMO. Humans are capable of conceiving amazing worlds and universes in their stories and expressions of art, and I think God blessed us with those abilities. Powerful characters in fiction are also emulating amazing abilities and powers of God and the angels.

I?m writing a book set in a Verse in which beings evolved (through divine and super dimensional influence) to the point where the characters each basically have the power of God (they have so called omnipotence, or nigh omnipotence)  but God is still God and omnipotent when compared to them, and it is alluded to that He saves everyone by the end of the series.

I agree that ideas can be used for more nefarious purposes, though I think all creativity comes from God, and He will use everything for a greater purpose.

Maybe He?s planning for everyone to eventually undergo some kind of theosis. Jesus Christ is the ultimate exemplar for that.

I have a similar interest in anime and video games, and I got a lot of my ideas for my stories from the Vs. Battles Wiki fandom. Tier 0 is insane in terms of power, though I don?t think even that tier can comprehend God or His power.

[WhiteWings]

An example, I've met Christians who are Star Wars fans and are able to recognize when the Sith do sinful things, such as murder. Yet some of them even cosplay as Jedi with names, and some even cosplay as "Sith" for the purpose of roleplaying, for telling a story. Take Christian movies about Exodus, one actor has to play Moses and another has to play Pharaoh. In the Bible, the Pharaoh is evil, since he disobeys God, but is it evil for someone to act as the Pharaoh for a movie or a story? No, as long as that person does not worship the Pharaoh. So, for Touhou, someone can even pretend to be a "Seiga" who is evil against Christ, like the Pharaoh, in order to show the point that they are evil. As long as they don't worship Seiga.

Many "holier than thee are" Christians are on a crusade pointing out the bad things of <whatever>.
For many everything they see and read is pure fiction. Demons, angels, monsters, gods, vampires, werewolves, witches, etc etc.
They enjoy it but totally reject the idea any of it exists. So obviously they don't worship any of those things.
Does someone that watches WW2 movies has plans to start WW3?

[Song]

Many "holier than thee are" Christians are on a crusade pointing out the bad things of <whatever>.
For many everything they see and read is pure fiction. Demons, angels, monsters, gods, vampires, werewolves, witches, etc etc.
They enjoy it but totally reject the idea any of it exists. So obviously they don't worship any of those things.
Does someone that watches WW2 movies has plans to start WW3?

I agree my friend  :thumbsup:

The friend who messaged me, SailorWriter, it publicly shows "15", I think that's their age. I feel bad for them, when I was younger, I worried about these things too, but then I learned the truth, which you speak of, that fiction = fiction.

Even the Bible mentions the fictional work of Greek Mythology

Acts 14:12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

So it's not wrong to watch Greek Myth movies. In fact, I think it's important for Christians to know what's true and what's fake. (Such as how ECT is from Greek Myth)

There's even some Christians online where I enjoy reading their regular works, even though they believe in ECT and mention it in others, because I'm able to recognize ECT is fictional. And I think reading Greek Myth helped me understand that.

Even in non-fiction movies, there can be depictions of violence, like showing the horror that the Nazi's put Jewish people under. But hopefully most people recognize the Nazi's were evil there. If "holier than thee" Christians removed every depiction of violence in media, then even the non-fiction news videos of Ruzzians hurting people in Ukraine would be censored.

[Song]

I?m writing a book set in a Verse in which beings evolved (through divine and super dimensional influence) to the point where the characters each basically have the power of God (they have so called omnipotence, or nigh omnipotence)  but God is still God and omnipotent when compared to them, and it is alluded to that He saves everyone by the end of the series.

I have a similar interest in anime and video games, and I got a lot of my ideas for my stories from the Vs. Battles Wiki fandom. Tier 0 is insane in terms of power, though I don?t think even that tier can comprehend God or His power.

:iagree:

I agree with your opinion my friend  :friendstu: God created us with creativity!

Interesting Verse! I look forward to reading it when it's finished. I like how you incorporated Universal Salvation into it! I also have a fantasy-esque series in my head related to Christian Universalism, where people can go inside people's heads and fight a representation of a false belief, like ECT. Kind of like Persona 5.

Yes, in terms of "nefarious ideas" I find it sad when author's write for their character's a permanently bad ending. I feel bad for characters in series, even though they're fictional. I think that speaks to the humanity and how well they're written. Of course, I believe there's a happy ending for everyone. So I think even these characters will only experience sadness for a moment and have permanent happiness. :HeartThrob: Maybe more authors will write stories like this as more come to understand UR, that's what I interpret for them as the greater purpose or theosis you mention.

Oh, I've been on the Vs. Battles Wiki fandom many times before! I enjoy seeing a classification of people's powers. Touhou characters in generally usually rank higher, I think just because of the nature of danmaku lol. Yes, I think God would need to be in a tier on His own. Even here in the non-fiction world it's hard to classify just how Almighty He is.

I'm a Christian who watches anime and plays video games and I don't see anything wrong with the medium itself. My mom and sister get together with me to enjoy these mediums and I find it as a great way to bond with people :D

[marie glen]

  👍🏼 I have a book to write! An mythical type adventure story based on UR and the bible.. But I have to recieve all the parts from Him! :Pray: for us!

[Song]

  👍🏼 I have a book to write! An mythical type adventure story based on UR and the bible.. But I have to recieve all the parts from Him! :Pray: for us!

Wow! Sounds exciting! I look forward to reading it when it's complete! You have my prayers my friend  :Pray:

[Song]

Response I sent to Sailor Writer as they replied

I have watched gameplay of Touhou 17. For me, the most fun from the game comes from dodging the danmaku and seeing the beautiful patterns that are created from the light.



For me, I worship the Lord. I do not worship any false idols, or false gods. As God says in the Ten Commandments of course.



Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD your God

If someone were to worship Touhou characters as actual real-life gods, then that would be bad. However, for me, I treat them as fictional, as fake. Just like Zeus from Greek Mythology.





Isaiah 27:13   It will come about also in that day that a great trumpet will be blown



Psalm 81:3-4 Blow the trumpet at the new moon,



Joel 2:15  Blow a trumpet in Zion





The trumpet music sounds amazing too. I do not attribute the creation of this trumpet music to fiction Touhou characters, from a pure musical standpoint, Jun'ya Ota is good at stringing together melodies. How did this Japanese composer be able to make such catchy tunes? Definitely not because of the false religions of Shintoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, that are present in Japan. Rather, it is because of the Lord who created him.





Psalm 150:1-6 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound





​In New Jerusalem, Heaven, a perfect world with all people believing in Jesus Christ, there will be trumpet sounds praising the Lord. From a purely musical standpoint, I listen to Touhou songs and they motivate me to evangelize more, to spread the Gospel. Music is music. Why does music sound good, it's because of the Lord! Why does food taste good, it's because of the Lord. Food offered to an idol is nothing, because all false gods are fake. Music offered to an idol is also nothing, because all false gods are fake.





Mark 7:19 For it doesn?t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.? (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)





Therefore, let us take all these things, food and music, and transform them into ways to worship the One True God Jesus Christ, amen SailorWriter my friend. In our hearts, let us listen to this music and praise the Only God of Truth Christ Jesus for the beautiful sounds of trumpets. The Lord blesses you with this knowledge :D





Acts 3:21: ?[Jesus] must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of ALL things, as God promised long ago through the prophets."

[Song]

  👍🏼 I have a book to write! An mythical type adventure story based on UR and the bible.. But I have to recieve all the parts from Him! :Pray: for us!

Hi marie glen!

Was looking through your two blogs, inner-monastery and gospel-truth4all and found a link to the books you've written!
https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marie_glen

I was curious to see what books you wrote about since you sent this reply last month. I assume your mythical type adventure story based on UR and the Bible would be published on your lulu spotlight as well? Sounds fun! I look forward to it :banana: