Recently an entertainment fad has been increasingly capturing the hearts and minds of children. The craze, called Pokemon®, began some years ago in Japan, exploded in popularity and has spread to Western lands. Its immense profit-making potential is evidenced by the number of well-known companies using Pokemon® cards as incentives to motivate consumers to buy their products.
While we do not intend to present the profitless details of this frenzy, we do feel exercised to warn our readers—especially parents who have young children—of the very real and solemn dangers involved in this supposedly harmless entertainment. It is definitely not, as many may think, a “harmless fad.” The moral and spiritual danger of Pokemon® is real, though very subtle, especially as it affects the hearts and minds of its target audience—children.
Briefly, Pokemon® is a game conceived by a Japanese teenager, supposedly based on a group of imaginary, harmless creatures. Each is displayed in color on small cards. He used the concept of role-playing games to create a fantasy world in which a small group of fictitious children chase these little creatures, seeking to capture all of them. But even these imaginary children in the original game are given godless, immoral character traits. A main purpose of this fantasy is to draw children into the same imaginary world, where they too will try to capture (collect) all the Pokemon® creature cards.
Let us all remember that “evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. 15:3333Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. (1 Corinthians 15:33)). Neither the imaginary Pokemon® creatures nor the fictional band of children which chase them will draw the hearts of our little ones closer to the blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Hidden Dangers
Some Pokemon® monsters are vaguely fashioned after common animals while others may depict forces of nature or other mystical themes. In every case the bright, colorful Pokemon® creatures appear harmless. However, the very name Pokemon® betrays the hidden wickedness of these imaginary creatures. The name Pokemon® is a combination of two Japanese words literally meaning “pocket demons.” Each pocket demon (there are at least 150 different kinds) supposedly possesses certain abilities, strengths and weaknesses. These abilities are usually supernatural or mystical and can be developed into even greater abilities by fighting and winning battles with other Pokemon® creatures.
“Hold aloof from every form of wickedness” (1 Thess. 5:2222Abstain from all appearance of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:22) JND). “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Gal. 5:22-2322But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22‑23)).
Lulling Young Minds to Accept Evil
Such a name given to this fantasy, role-playing game ought in itself to serve as a warning to parents concerned with what occupies childrens’ minds. Pokemon® cards—in reality depictions of demons (imaginary or real)—are small enough to be carried in a child’s pocket and can quickly gain influence over their fertile imaginations.
Surely, one of Satan’s goals in Pokemon® is to fill childrens’ tender minds with images of demons as cute, small and harmless. Once this is achieved, they will more easily accept without fear the influences and effects of real, wicked spirits that are becoming more openly active in so-called Christian lands.
An Angel of Light
Let none be fooled by the harmless-looking pictures and bright colors with which these imaginary demons are presented to impressionable children. We read in 2 Corinthians 11:1414And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14) that “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” It was as a beautiful creature of light that the serpent presented himself to Eve in the garden—a form calculated to fool her, not trouble or terrify her. We believe that it is this very same character in which the enemy now seeks to corrupt and defile young childrens’ minds through such things as Pokemon® cards.
No Agreement Between Light and Darkness
Most Christian parents—aware of the demonic influences involved in role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons®—would never willingly allow their children to become involved with such evil. Yet we believe that Pokemon® is nothing more than an innocent-looking version of these very kinds of games—intended by the enemy of our souls to harden the tender hearts of young children into accepting the gross evils connected with other openly satanic role-playing games. “Exhort one another daily . . . lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:1313But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13)).
Be Content
In closing, it should be noted that the trademark phrase of Pokemon® is “gotta catch ’em all”—an obvious effort to encourage children to continually buy more cards as they try to capture every pocket demon available. Of course, man looks upon such a thing as harmless—a clever way to market and sell more Pokemon® cards and related merchandise.
But in reality, such efforts instill discontent in young childrens’ tender hearts—a fleshly principle of covetousness which is wholly at odds with the admonition found in 1 Timothy 6:88And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. (1 Timothy 6:8), “Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content,” and 1 Timothy 6:66But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6), “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
There are multitudes of activities and hobbies which parents may encourage their children in, enjoying fellowship with them in that realm of nature. But much parental wisdom is needed to discern whether new forms of entertainment such as Pokemon® are harmless, innocent fun or part of the “smoke of the pit” (Rev. 9:22And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. (Revelation 9:2)). “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God” (1 John 4:11Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)). “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:55If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5)).
May parents heed the warning, “Because the days are evil . . . be not foolish, but understanding what is the will of the Lord,” in the kinds of entertainment they allow their children to experience.
Ed.