Very interesting. Reminds me of The Man in Black in LOST. Characters are tasked with killing him the second they happen upon him because the moment he opens his mouth, it’s already too late. Deception is a foregone conclusion.
I appreciate this corrective to our storytelling, but worry about its practical application. Yes, we should treat evil as evil and as a Christian I do believe in a force of evil beyond the flesh. However, what does this mean for relationship with people? I don’t think any one person is purely an evil, demonic force. We may perceive an ideology someone believes as evil, but can we separate the ideology from the person? If not, I fear the dark application here is to annihilate the person. Thoughts?
There is a difference between the deceived and the deceiver. Who you are dealing with should temper your approach.
But one application is that we shouldn't even debate nonsense like trans ideology. It's evil. Full stop. I don't have to give it a fair hearing in the public square. There is no reasoning with it, because it is beyond reason.
In current times, the person is not divisible from the evil, way, way too often. If ur up against them/the demon inhabiting, u may have time to converse but I’m thinking not. We’re told to go out into the byways to meet up with these ppl while we still can give the choice of dividing. The Gospel breaks the bonds. It’s so fearful, so dreadful, POWERFUL that govts literally legislate & decree against it.
This is good stuff. An emphasis should be placed on demons being spiritual. It is not other people that we should turn into demons, that would just be to acquiesce to the demons and further strengthen them. We should regain a classical (perhaps Augustinian?) view of the demonic — it is a power that is invited into man and can operate through man but is never to identified with man. Romano Guardini writes very well on this, as well.
Also, opposite of the making evil not so bad happens as well. In the LotR movies they make Faramir more of a “gray area” character than the model of virtue he is in the books. Or in our tendency to downplay the heroic virtue of the saints for some “they’re just people like you and me!” presentation. Though there is some validity to that point, it is starting to become wildly overstated in an effort to erase any ideas of true good and evil, light and darkness, etc and replace it all with a muted grayness.
I started reading the Frieren manga after this post. It is very gripping and presents pure evil in a fascinating way. So often, modern writers make the villains evil by having really brutal violence take place. While such brutality is obviously evil, it seems like a cheap way of conveying the theme. However, the coldly clinical approach the demons take to figuring out how to disarm the humans’ psychological defenses was much creepier and sinister. My favorite part was when one elder demon mentioned his own father being killed by humans in a similar room to draw pity from the angry human. Later, the lesser demon asked what a “father” was because the whole thing was a ruse.
I’ll probably tear through the whole series. Have you been reading the manga as well or focused on the anime? Another that just came out was “Drama Queen” by Kuraku Ichikawa that is very intriguing as earth is saved from an asteroid by a suddenly appearing race of aliens, but one human believes that the aliens either concocted the whole thing or are overstaying their welcome.
Awesome. Thanks for the recommend. I'll add this manga/anime to my TBR.
Uncompromising destruction of the demonic, and a complete unwillingness to parlay with monsters are, imo, both admirable things in characters real and fictional. Weirdly unpopular in this day and age, but I love it when it shows up. I'm tired of all the inversions of good and evil.
I think that trend stems from a desperateness to be original, but also to look smart and open-minded. Everybody wants to be a hero, and that's a cheap, lazy way to seem like one. After all, didn't Jesus turn the other cheek? Problem is, that won't really make them heros because:
1. It doesn't actually take any courage to praise evil, unlike fighting it. Originality is NOT bravery.
2. By praising evil, they are incentivizing even more evil to appear in this world.
Unfortunately this trend of compassion towards demons isn't just in entertainment. For example, in the real world, when savage terrorists commit mass rape and behead babies, they're called "brave resistance fighters".
My diagnosis is that in the modern world, with social media especially, the greatest value is to be liked. Not being brave, intelligent, hard-working, benevolent or honest. No: being liked by other, random people. So it's easy to abandon fundamental values just for being liked and accepted by others. Humanity needs to realize once again that courage isn't doing what you'll be applauded for — but what you'll be booed for.
Yeshua also declared the Pharisees white throated sepulchres and made a tricord whip which He used to scourge the money-changers in the Temple while they ran. He announced those that harmed just 1 child needed a millstone tied round them while they sunk in the river. If a man simply hated another they were murderers.
Turning the other cheek was a specified response. He’s coming back with a sword in His mouth.
I really appreciate that Demon Slayer has themes of redemption in what is essentially a zombie story. I believe the common idea that friends and neighbors can suddenly turn into irredeemable monsters that need to be put down in the most violent way possible to be inherently antisocial and actively harmful.
In these days when people have been brainwashed into believing their neighbors or family members are literally Nazis...maybe a message of courage and loyalty can help inspire people to mend relationships.
They don’t turn into it suddenly, it’s who they were all along.
If they choose to become evil also, evil doesn’t just leave lol it entrenches tighter w/o a care to the physical shell it’s in. To take down the psyche is just gravy to it.
The person may learn this all and regret it. Only an equal force can free him. That’s Yeshua. THAT thought appalls modern man.
I think you misunderstand where I'm coming from here.
There is no zombie story where someone was a zombie all along. They turn into monsters somehow. In most of the stories, the monsters are irredeemable.
And no, that is not a parallel to any part of Christianity.
Because Jesus tells us to love our neighbors and help them find redemption. NOT to declare they are past hope and dismember them.
Jesus brings the dead back to life.
Now Demon Slayer is written from a Japanese viewpoint so I don't think you will find overt Christian ideas in there, but I think that the redemptive power of the siblings' love and loyalty toward each other is much more in line with a Biblical world view than most contemporary American zombie lore.
Really interesting article. I didn’t take you as an anime guy.
Not really an anime guy, but I do stay abreast of the popular ones, when I have the time.
I respect that.
Very interesting. I didn't realise the trend to "make nice with evil". I hope you're wrong, because if true, it implies not so nice things.
Very interesting. Reminds me of The Man in Black in LOST. Characters are tasked with killing him the second they happen upon him because the moment he opens his mouth, it’s already too late. Deception is a foregone conclusion.
I appreciate this corrective to our storytelling, but worry about its practical application. Yes, we should treat evil as evil and as a Christian I do believe in a force of evil beyond the flesh. However, what does this mean for relationship with people? I don’t think any one person is purely an evil, demonic force. We may perceive an ideology someone believes as evil, but can we separate the ideology from the person? If not, I fear the dark application here is to annihilate the person. Thoughts?
There is a difference between the deceived and the deceiver. Who you are dealing with should temper your approach.
But one application is that we shouldn't even debate nonsense like trans ideology. It's evil. Full stop. I don't have to give it a fair hearing in the public square. There is no reasoning with it, because it is beyond reason.
In current times, the person is not divisible from the evil, way, way too often. If ur up against them/the demon inhabiting, u may have time to converse but I’m thinking not. We’re told to go out into the byways to meet up with these ppl while we still can give the choice of dividing. The Gospel breaks the bonds. It’s so fearful, so dreadful, POWERFUL that govts literally legislate & decree against it.
Frieren and Vinland Saga give me hope for modern anime.
I really enjoyed Frieren.
I think that Ransom was meant to argue for a time, but not forever. Certainly argue less than he would prefer.
It’s notable that the Unman’s argument is very much in the vein of Wicked like female protagonists.
This has opened my eyes. I will now be on the lookout for this. Thanks for the insight!
This is good stuff. An emphasis should be placed on demons being spiritual. It is not other people that we should turn into demons, that would just be to acquiesce to the demons and further strengthen them. We should regain a classical (perhaps Augustinian?) view of the demonic — it is a power that is invited into man and can operate through man but is never to identified with man. Romano Guardini writes very well on this, as well.
Also, opposite of the making evil not so bad happens as well. In the LotR movies they make Faramir more of a “gray area” character than the model of virtue he is in the books. Or in our tendency to downplay the heroic virtue of the saints for some “they’re just people like you and me!” presentation. Though there is some validity to that point, it is starting to become wildly overstated in an effort to erase any ideas of true good and evil, light and darkness, etc and replace it all with a muted grayness.
This has been going on even longer with dragons in popular culture.
Hey Bro! Don't take away my awesome dragon riding fantasy. Hahaha
This was good!
I think there may be translation issues involved, and the Japanese term does not map neatly.
I started reading the Frieren manga after this post. It is very gripping and presents pure evil in a fascinating way. So often, modern writers make the villains evil by having really brutal violence take place. While such brutality is obviously evil, it seems like a cheap way of conveying the theme. However, the coldly clinical approach the demons take to figuring out how to disarm the humans’ psychological defenses was much creepier and sinister. My favorite part was when one elder demon mentioned his own father being killed by humans in a similar room to draw pity from the angry human. Later, the lesser demon asked what a “father” was because the whole thing was a ruse.
I’ll probably tear through the whole series. Have you been reading the manga as well or focused on the anime? Another that just came out was “Drama Queen” by Kuraku Ichikawa that is very intriguing as earth is saved from an asteroid by a suddenly appearing race of aliens, but one human believes that the aliens either concocted the whole thing or are overstaying their welcome.
You would like Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis. The “psychology” of evil has been around eons.
The best! It started me on the road to faith!
Awesome. Thanks for the recommend. I'll add this manga/anime to my TBR.
Uncompromising destruction of the demonic, and a complete unwillingness to parlay with monsters are, imo, both admirable things in characters real and fictional. Weirdly unpopular in this day and age, but I love it when it shows up. I'm tired of all the inversions of good and evil.
You cannot redeem the irredeemable.
We strive out of love to redeem those who make the mistake of listening to & trusting the irredeemable.
I think that trend stems from a desperateness to be original, but also to look smart and open-minded. Everybody wants to be a hero, and that's a cheap, lazy way to seem like one. After all, didn't Jesus turn the other cheek? Problem is, that won't really make them heros because:
1. It doesn't actually take any courage to praise evil, unlike fighting it. Originality is NOT bravery.
2. By praising evil, they are incentivizing even more evil to appear in this world.
Unfortunately this trend of compassion towards demons isn't just in entertainment. For example, in the real world, when savage terrorists commit mass rape and behead babies, they're called "brave resistance fighters".
My diagnosis is that in the modern world, with social media especially, the greatest value is to be liked. Not being brave, intelligent, hard-working, benevolent or honest. No: being liked by other, random people. So it's easy to abandon fundamental values just for being liked and accepted by others. Humanity needs to realize once again that courage isn't doing what you'll be applauded for — but what you'll be booed for.
Yeshua also declared the Pharisees white throated sepulchres and made a tricord whip which He used to scourge the money-changers in the Temple while they ran. He announced those that harmed just 1 child needed a millstone tied round them while they sunk in the river. If a man simply hated another they were murderers.
Turning the other cheek was a specified response. He’s coming back with a sword in His mouth.
I really appreciate that Demon Slayer has themes of redemption in what is essentially a zombie story. I believe the common idea that friends and neighbors can suddenly turn into irredeemable monsters that need to be put down in the most violent way possible to be inherently antisocial and actively harmful.
In these days when people have been brainwashed into believing their neighbors or family members are literally Nazis...maybe a message of courage and loyalty can help inspire people to mend relationships.
They don’t turn into it suddenly, it’s who they were all along.
If they choose to become evil also, evil doesn’t just leave lol it entrenches tighter w/o a care to the physical shell it’s in. To take down the psyche is just gravy to it.
The person may learn this all and regret it. Only an equal force can free him. That’s Yeshua. THAT thought appalls modern man.
I think you misunderstand where I'm coming from here.
There is no zombie story where someone was a zombie all along. They turn into monsters somehow. In most of the stories, the monsters are irredeemable.
And no, that is not a parallel to any part of Christianity.
Because Jesus tells us to love our neighbors and help them find redemption. NOT to declare they are past hope and dismember them.
Jesus brings the dead back to life.
Now Demon Slayer is written from a Japanese viewpoint so I don't think you will find overt Christian ideas in there, but I think that the redemptive power of the siblings' love and loyalty toward each other is much more in line with a Biblical world view than most contemporary American zombie lore.