Not a deity, not a god, but similar otherwise: The Machinations of Irabu Ichiro…?
When I was trying to write my first post for Suspended Animation Dreams, I was stumped, since most of the ideas for the posts are those that I want to post here in Rainbowsphere instead of in SAD. So I asked SAD co-writer Digitalboy for a good idea, which he answered with this. However, the notions for heavy self-evaluation and the general interest on the idea stuck onto me so bad, I told him I’d still post it in here rather than on SAD, hence this post.
Long ago, I have come into terms with myself on what to believe. Man has the inclination for curiosity, and that includes his curiosity on how he came to be, who created him, why he was created, and what will become of him. I found myself with this curiosity, and because of it, I don’t believe in a single point of view, nor do I believe in all of them. It’s not atheism. It never was. It’s just that, if I were to come to terms on who or what my God or Supreme Being is, I want the entity or entities in question say it to me clearly. It’s not being indecisive, it’s being open-minded, and being proven wrong by God himself WILL be a big disgrace, if not a graceful way to attain absolute enlightenment.
Goddess of Death, Goddess of the Moon. Goddess of Humanity, Goddess of Inhumanity. How they ironically share the insanity amidst their individual powers…
“Science and Religion Agree to Disagree”. That’s a similar case on the relationship between God and Everything Else, it seems to be an iron rule that passively implements itself. Like other material in general, trying to mix Anime and God is like the paradox of achieving the impossible, wherein the person who achieved the impossible cannot say he actually achieved the impossible because it is impossible. It’s like the debate on the division of zero, where people try to solve it, achieve something from it, and be mighty proud of it, even though everyone else dunks it in the waste bin and calls mathematical bullshit on it. This, and they’re still trying.
So what, then? Give it up on the idea of discovering who God really is? Of course not. We need not compare our MAL lists for that (simply because I don’t have one). We’ve seen various depictions of Norse gods and their envoys (Belldandy, Skuld, and Urd of Aa! Megami-sama!), Japanese deities and their governance over the world that spawned them (the entities Gaia and Alaya of Rakkyo, Nagi of Kannagi), gods of Science and Technology spawned using man’s tendency to play god (Gundams of the Gundam franchise, the Aluminum and Steel Cans of Akikan!), reverse-gods formed by the Universe using man’s own image (Suzumiya Haruhi of Haruhi), man playing as the Messiah (Kyon of Haruhi, Irabu Ichiro of Kuchu Buranko), otherworldly existences possessing unimaginable power (the Crimson Moon/BRUNESTUD of Tsukihime), anti-gods spawned from the unending void of man’s paradoxical insanity and folly (Alucard of Hellsing, Ryogi Shiki of Rakkyo), and all the other iterations of the classic relationships between the entities of good, evil, and everything in between. The characters have captured and lost my heart, then lost and recaptured it along the way with their stories, and continuing to believe the entire thing still seemed in order.
A Goddess by Personal Preference, aside from the fact that she can be a goddess by her own right.
And so I humbly state: God is not one, nor is God legion. God is not me, not you, not anybody else, but God can be you, me or anybody else. God is not everything, nor is God nothing. Man is but a creation from God, therefore its relationship with God is not of utter importance, including man’s regards on how he sees God. Therefore, I will continue trying to believe, thinking I can achieve the impossible even though it is impossible, because it’s impossible.
God, where are you anyway?
I for one am not necessarily opposed to the idea of God or similar beings; I have a goddess born of people in my story after all. However I don’t believe in the existence of one myself given my heavy scientific background. There could be one for all I know but until there is scientific evidence to substantiate such claims I don’t have a reason to believe in one as science by itself has the power to explain all phenomena.
However if I were to choose a deity to worship from the otaku world, it would probably be Yakumo Yukari assuming she counts. Hooray for gaps.
Yeah, I have no idea what the hell you are talking about in this post. It would have been perfect for SAD. And… I don’t have anything else to say, because I don’t really know what you’re on about or how to respond, lol.
digi, I think he’s agnostic.
Honya: Still, non-godly phenomena such as the debate between the mind and the existence of the soul are also there. Scientists have tried proving something about it, and failed to do so. It’s the same as the theology one has.
Also, LOLGAPS. She’s a youkai, though, so she counts as a malevolent entity rather than a deity.
digitalboy: animekritik’s right, I’m agnostic. So simply put, I’ll answer your post suggestion with a single summarizing sentence for the post: I’m not sure who God is, therefore, I don’t have an prominent theology. As long as there is proof that there are gods, I’m uncertain who’s going to be who for me.
animekritik: Now you know the reason why I love existentialism, the origin, and the origin of the origins. Those grimoire e-books were quite an interesting handful, too. Thanks!
I suppose I’m in the opposite boat of you. I’m a Christian and I believe there is a God. I’m not arrogant to say that there isn’t evidence against God’s existence. Believe me a lot of people, friendly and unfriendly, has told me that. It’s a bit irritating because I do consider the information on both sides of the argument. However, it is always refreshing to see someone who is open to the possibility of a greater intelligence compared to those who do not.
As for digitalboy’s suggestion, my favorite anime is Irresponsible Captain Tylor. The theme I drew from the series is faith in the unknown even if it may also go against reason.
I also give importance to facts (or at least testimonies behind them), whether existentialistic or gnostic. It’s fine to believe there is a God, I can give anybody that since I believe there is a God or Supreme Being myself. The interesting part is how we fashion God according to what has, what is, and what will. It’s good to know that there are people like you who have firm beliefs, and still consider the beliefs of others. Kudos for that.
This feels like some chapter in philosophical studies (Western, because Eastern philosophy is far less abstract), particularly that last paragraph, way to send my head in circles xD
I’m an agnostic also, but unfortunately to the rest of society, Steven Colbert put it nicely as “Agnostics are simply Atheists without balls”. A Christian Methodist (I think) put it far more nicely to be once as “having the faith, but lost in direction”. I guess that like you, I’m also waiting for that sign from God, Allah, Budda, or whatever he or she wishes to be called by.
Steven Colbert may or may not be an idiot… or just someone with high spiritual beliefs. It would be fun to see if he gets proven wrong on most things he said, especially the one he said about agnostics (because atheists without balls don’t believe in God, while agnostics do, only unsure of it).
As for the Christian Methodist, we’re not really “lost in direction”, just “waiting for a sign”.
I’ve always seen the conflict between science and religion (or at least, Christianity) to be an obvious false dichotomy. Science doesn’t challenge the existence of God, it challenges preconceptions about the nature of his creation. My belief in God is just that- a belief, one flawed human being’s best attempt to make sense of our existence. I can stand by it without having to deny the possibility that I could be wrong.
To put it another way: “Agree to disagree”? Screw that noise, and stop participating in an artificial argument that wastes everyone’s time.
(On a more on-topic note: Believe it or not, I would actually hold up Fap Note as a fantastic illustration of Christian values and beliefs.)
… Actually, you just lost me…
Regarding what, Fap Note?
EVERYTHING.
The first part of my post is just an argument that you can believe in the christian God without giving up your scientific curiosity and integrity. It’s more of a tangent than anything, don’t worry about it.
The story of the protagonist of Fap Note (or Onani Master Kurosawa, as it’s actually called) is actually a textbook example of Christianity’s ideas regarding sin and atonement. It’s not like the protagonist has a dream one night where an angel tells him “masturbation is inherently wrong, because God said so.” Instead, what happens is that he starts to see how these things he’s been doing have been hurtful and destructive to others, and ultimately to himself as well. Because of that, he builds up the courage to come clean and admit what he’s done- the idea of confession. This makes his life hell in alot of ways, thanks to fellow students who’re focused on meting out punishment; but there are also those who instead do what the bible says you’re supposed to do, i.e. forgive and support him without first considering whether he ‘deserves’ it. In the end, going through this painful process allows him to change who he is as a person; he grows into someone who’s living a much more fulfilling life.
Hope that at least makes *some* sense.