Okay... as much as I'dd like to go on last post on this (at least to the
list) from me.
When WRITING (see I'm still talking about this in the context of writing
a fic.) ;)
anything that contains religion one is a) bound to step on some toes
b) make some *literary* divisions
form the litugical text.
Kenshin (to give some spice and allow me to talk about religion in other
anime and manga which could also use religion ) is an other series which
uses Christianity as a plot-developer.
The Shinobara Saga looks at a Christian sect as a "strange cult" which,
in a land populated by mostly Buddism and Shintoism it is.
From this distanced perception as writers and animators things are not as
"written in stone" Use of symbols and icons are used in ways which
"Western" thinkers might consider either odd (in the mildest) or
blasphemous (in the "worst case" ) Thus Sailor Moon can be crucified, die
on the cross and then libe again.
Then again there are things like R.G.Veda and "X/1999" where the HERO is
seen with leathery batlike wings and his opposite has the pinions of
pearl.
This would argue (from one possible standpoint) that GOD was the heavy
who wanted to remake the world swept clean of Mankind.
Hmmmmm.
As a matter of fact I've been considering a Kenshin lemon based on one of
the lines in the intro of that part of the series.
On Thu, 14 Oct 1999, Trevor
Laughlin wrote: > Subject: [FFML] Re: [Query]Evangelion... Fact vs Fiction
Please warn me if I'm entering tempban territory here :)
Really. The Catholic/Anglican/Episcopalian tradition calls upon Michael
to guard the front, Gabriel to guard the right, Uriel to guard the left,
and Raphael to guard the rear in some of their blessings and prayers.
Catholic tradition and biblical tradition are not the same things.
A divergmet always occurs when both the Chuch (whatever favor of the
week) and the State use religion (or a text)
BTW: an earlier comment was made about an Islamic text contributing to the
description of Micheal. Um,... I'm not intending any disrespect here, but
is that a valid reference. What I mean is that from NGE we clearly see ref
to Judaic and Christian (I'm assuming R. Catholic) symbology. I'm not aware
of any reference to Islam in the series.
Kabbalic tradition as well...Hebrew magic and philosophy.
The "Tree of Life" and the fact that sounds or words make things real or
cause them which defers back to the primal Logos which is God.
Hrm,... certainly a point to think on. And, to add to your point, Lilith is
not really a Catholic endorsed legend, therefore lending to the idea that
we may have to delve into with Christian offshoots to find the full imagery
of the series.
Lilith got trashed.
BUT, some in the modern feminist movement see Lilith as the "first
strike" and threat to the patriarchy.
Thus by some (I was watching a thing on Hebraic Feminism on Vision T.V.
our local multi-religious channel) of her more....um nasty aspects are
swept under the carpet and she is seen as a liberator.
As a side note...
The phrase "Queen of Heaven" occurs before it was taken by Catholisism
and the cult of Mary to mean the mother of God.
It was a protest (In Psalms I think) about the people "baking cakes for
the Queen of Heaven" refering to Ishtar.
oddly Mr. "Thou Shalt Have No other Gods before me" was pretty quiet on
that matter.
One possible interpitation of this is that other Gods were o.k.
just as long as they were secondary.
As a side note to this, the "fallen angels" (like Salachiel, the angel of
the northern winds I believe) were taken into christianity from a specific
sub-sect of the Jewish faith (the exact name of which escapes me at the
moment). These were "cast down from heaven and given dominion" over certain
aspects of the earth.
The whole "war in heaven" thing in the bible is quite small... something
like 2 or 3 verses if I'm not mistaken.
"Modern" demons occured more as amianistic religions were seen as a
threat to the religion of the bible. That and the whole "witch" thing.
-I've seen one site (I lost the URL in a hard drive crash)
-which had 10 different lists of the seven archangels'
-names, Michael and Gabriel being the only ones common to
-all of them. It all depends on the source you're dealing
-with.
The Dictionary of Angels (I forget which one) also contains
"Angelic script" or writing.
this shows up in the opening credits of NGE.
-And humans have 98% similar DNA to monkeys. Charles Darwin,
-the second coming of Christ? ^_^
*snickers* har-har. But we can't be throwing Darwin into this; a series
clearly, or at least predominantly based in the mystic. Besides, who's to
say that in the NGE world, god didn't try to perfect his creations as time
past. Heck, maybe monkey was like Man v1.0?
That's whe whole thing....it's a mystical "forced evoloution"
perhaps with those who are not (possibly) geneticly or spiritually fit
being dragged up the evolutionary ladder by the whole Human
Instermentality progect.
>
-Another biblical legend says that humans and seraphim are
-capable of producing offspring, but are forbidden by God
-from doing so (they couldn't if they weren't made of a
-similar substance).
Then there is the "Sons of Giants and Daughters of Men" thing in Genisis.
They are not specifuily described as Angels.
PEOPLE becoming angels is a realatively new idea.
Heaven used to have Saints. Angels (in their Orders) and everyone else.
The legend also says that angels are
-hermaphroditic.
Again this is where religion meets science.
Early alchemists saw Angels as being the perfect androgene.
and of course since they most likely reproduced by partogenisis they were
either both or none (gender-wise)
Now, I'm not about to start a "Shinji and
-Kaoru are gay lovers" argument, but there may be a basis
-for why they have an attraction.
There is no sin with God.
:)
or it could simply be that Kaoru was one of the few people to be nice to
Shinji in the first place; a brother, someone who granted him unconditional
love after all the shit he'd been put through. *shurgs*
Some have
postulated that the AT field is what man uses to keep himself alone (out of
the minds of others). The ultimate end of the human instrumentality project
was to have Shinji (or one of "the children") reunify mankind into a
collective entity of pure thought/spirit. Rei, the "dummy plug", was to act
as a vessel for humanity's souls
AS to the Eva's, they are simply soulless angel-human hybrids (note I say
soulless, not mindless). The pilots are the souls which are linked to the
eva's (which are in fact, clones of the pilot's mothers [except Rei]) which
were intended to guide the Eva's actions without awakening them. In fact,
that is why most evas have no internal power supply {ie. an S2 engine or
Angel's core}, that would lead to a full awakenning. Further, the armor
(as Rit mentioned again) acts to restrain the Eva, not necessarily protect
it.
-My point in saying that was to suggest that the seven archangels
-*are* surrounding God, if you assume that's what Gendo is, and
-that NERV HQ is heaven.
"God's in his Heaven ?
Then there is Lorenze....the "wandering Jew" of myth.
Well I could go on but I won't....
Needless to say NGE is pehaps more easy for fic-writers to play with
because of it's *possible* meanings.
Haunted Junctionm on the other hand.... wellI'dd have to see the fic to
judge.
Neil
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Seraphim, the Restless Angel with a (borrowed) sword.
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Nene, Ami,
Girls with glasses. girls with computers. Pink hair. blue hair
_______________________
Robyn, Duke of Amber. Agent of Chaos.
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