Can Christians Watch Demon Slayer? Is It a Sin?

Bramblewild said:

It's not a series that is completely problem-free. The spirituality it pushes, even if one accepts that the demons are non-spiritual, is not Christian. There are times when it seems like reincarnation is promoted.

So, while I pretty much enjoyed it, I can understand why others might not like it so much.

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Also found in Jewish Myths....

Did you know that Japanese Anime is full of Jewish (Judaist / Kabbalist) principles in them, including even the symbols, icons used???

It is very strange indeed.....The Japanese might as well be Jews and ironically, the notion can't be ruled out.

I have quite many encounters with spiritual entities, supernatural/paranormal stuff as a Christian.

I don't trust Jewish beliefs and myths... But I can't rule out certain things seem to agree more with Jewish/Kabbalist myths than Christian teachings on the same subject.

Particularly concerning demons being possibly physical beings (just in a highly unfamiliar form or physical make up). And I'm not talking about deformed monsters but rather entities that can only be described through Quantum Mechanics or "fuzzy logic" in computing. Unseen / invisible but still defined by natural physical laws or simply science.

I do believe as a matter of fact (observations and experiences) and personal belief that demons can be killed either by God or by ourselves directly or indirectly. They can even be reasoned with in a cordial, kind, polite manner as Jesus demonstrated in the Bible.

Certain paranormal/demonic manifestations can be defeated using direct, physical methods. Some of these methods are described in the Bible like the physical equivalent of "consecration" using the metals gold and silver.

Bramblewild said:

For a while, I didn't follow the series Demon Slayer, which started earlier this year. But with many people I know commenting about it, and saying a lot positive about it, I finally gave it a shot.

And it was one well worth watching.

One of the things that works so well about the series is how the story develops the main character, Tanjiro.

(Btw, the "demons" in this series seem to be something like ghouls, not spiritual beings)

Tanjiro is a kind of character that I haven't noticed much, but that I could like.


On the one hand, as one of the Demon Slayers, he's committed to doing his duty. He's seen the kind of harm these demons can cause, and experienced it very personally.

On the other hand, he's not some kind of machine, but shows compassion even to the creatures he's fighting.

It's not a series that is completely problem-free. The spirituality it pushes, even if one accepts that the demons are non-spiritual, is not Christian. There are times when it seems like reincarnation is promoted.

So, while I pretty much enjoyed it, I can understand why others might not like it so much.

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The demons are oni in the Japanese and that's vague enough that it can apply to various demonic things. Demon has a few variations in Japanese, like mamono, mazoku, majin and akuma (which all have the oni kanji in common, interestingly enough, while akuma <devil> specifically means evil oni, which reflects Japan's reasonable idea that monsters are not innately evil). I think you mean material in terms of non-spiritual, which would've just been the easier term, since spiritual even amongst Christians, isn't necessarily agreed upon, when the term non material/immaterial would suffice just as well in talking about something that doesn't have a material/physical existence

I think Tanjiro's appeal is that balance he strikes between giri and ninjou, two things that are a common struggle in Japanese society to follow through with, since there's the homogeneous culture that expects conformity and adherence to tradition, but as any human does, there are bonds and feelings that come into conflict with it, but aren't necessarily always at odds, except in an attitude where tradition is more important than personal emotion, etc.

He acknowledges that he has a duty as a Demon Slayer and also is a very filial son, esp. being the oldest, but he's also a humanitarian and sees the humanity even in the demons, that they are still people and often have a bad past that has twisted them, but kindness shown to them, a strongly Buddhist concept of karuna, understanding and empathizing with the suffering of others and treating them with dignity as much as possible while also seeking to reduce human suffering in general, even if it means killing someone to save many others (a moral parable from Buddhism suggesting something like situational ethics)

The spirituality is vague at best, and it's not like even in the manga they really have addressed the afterlife in any way, there's been flashbacks regarding what happens as a demon dies, which has happened in the anime even (a pattern I forget, since I read the manga faster originally). and the ghost kids have still not really been addressed, the whole thing could just as easily have been some vague paranormal thing and the reincarnation aspect is just Japanese culture with a Buddhist influence, not really emphasized as reality (and arguably they may not be common Zen/Mahayana Buddhists, they seem to have elements of Pure Land Buddhism, which is actually fairly close to Christianity in some elements, mostly in the having faith in an entity to achieve this rebirth into a heavenly realm likened to nirvana, but religious elements are fairly limited even with the introduction of Gyomei, the monk stereotype character

If people are complaining about those elements, then it seems like they're not really enjoying a series in its own status as fiction and trying to apply whatever they perceive as bad within it as something that a viewer will necessarily latch onto as reflecting onto reality, when most people don't do that, I'm almost certain.

I appreciated the general character depth that was given with the Catholic Christian characters in Vatican Miracle Examiner, I didn't take offense or issue with the whole religious aspect, though the Christian elements are emphasized in varying ways, not to mention the miracles are often anything but supernatural (but that's kind of implied in the title)

timewerx said:

Also found in Jewish Myths....

Did you know that Japanese Anime is full of Jewish (Judaist / Kabbalist) principles in them, including even the symbols, icons used???

It is very strange indeed.....The Japanese might as well be Jews and ironically, the notion can't be ruled out.

I have quite many encounters with spiritual entities, supernatural/paranormal stuff as a Christian.

I don't trust Jewish beliefs and myths... But I can't rule out certain things seem to agree more with Jewish/Kabbalist myths than Christian teachings on the same subject.

Particularly concerning demons being possibly physical beings (just in a highly unfamiliar form or physical make up). And I'm not talking about deformed monsters but rather entities that can only be described through Quantum Mechanics or "fuzzy logic" in computing. Unseen / invisible but still defined by natural physical laws or simply science.

I do believe as a matter of fact (observations and experiences) and personal belief that demons can be killed either by God or by ourselves directly or indirectly. They can even be reasoned with in a cordial, kind, polite manner as Jesus demonstrated in the Bible.

Certain paranormal/demonic manifestations can be defeated using direct, physical methods. Some of these methods are described in the Bible like the physical equivalent of "consecration" using the metals gold and silver.

Click to expand...

The Japanese don't really have religiosity as being rooted in affiliation, it's more praxis than teaching and they're also fairly syncretic. Using imagery in fiction from a religion that one might not be as familiar with doesn't reflect the religiosity or even loyalty in any sense to that religion, it's often just a foreign exotic thing that works for the fantastical elements in a story, same with Christianity and their traditions, mostly from Catholicism in the ecclesiology and exorcism aspects.

Kabbalah is mystic Judaism, it's fairly esoteric and nonsensical, though the practitioners argue you have to be in your 30s or so to even start practicing, because it's so complicated

Sounds like the demons there aren't really physical in the sense that they can propagate in any sense (Malleus Maleficarum supposedly emphasizes that, which is why incubi and succubi have to work together to supposedly impregnate a woman and thus bring a cambion into the world, though I forget exact details on how you can even tell a cambion from a regular human)

Killed is distinct from subdued or thwarted, getting into the whole notion of killing a "ghost" or other spiritual/immaterial entity. And they would just go back to hell? The nature of hell is not even necessarily unified in how it functions, since theoretically, the demons aren't just stuck there, or are at least able to get out in some limited sense, though that gets into the issue of a physical body if hell is supposed to be a spiritual/immaterial realm, how would that physical form subsist?

The major way to beat demons in Demon Slayer is either the sun or blades that, iirc, have basically been made from a special iron that's been exposed to lots of solar energy and thus the wounds will kill a demon, or at least severely damage them, some actually can survive being beheaded, though that's slight spoilers in regards to future battles we won't see for years in the anime

muichimotsu said:

The Japanese don't really have religiosity as being rooted in affiliation, it's more praxis than teaching and they're also fairly syncretic.

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To be more specific -

A significant issue when it comes to studies of religion in Japan is that many people who *are* Japanese don't officially consider themselves to be "religious" even though they at least nominally follow Shinto and Buddhist traditions and teachings. This is because these individuals equate "religion" with membership in an organized, formal belief system like Judaism or Christianity.

Rather, Japan is a place where many, many religious groups co-exist, so many that the average person is going to get a blitz of names, ideas, and concepts from across multiple faiths without also receiving any significant understanding of what they are or what they mean.

For example, Christmas is celebrated in Japan, but it's mostly celebrated as a secular holiday centered on gathering together, giving gifts, and renewing bonds. It's common for people to go out for the holiday, but whether people go out or stay in both cake and fried chicken are common foods. The former is so synonymous with the holiday that it's led to some cliches, while the latter is the result of Kentucky Fried Chicken convincing much of the country that it's how things are done in the US.

When it comes to religion in anime, you have to dig a bit into the production itself and the people behind it, as dollars to donuts what you're seeing is mostly one individual person's conceptualization thereof.

Ironhold said:

To be more specific -

A significant issue when it comes to studies of religion in Japan is that many people who *are* Japanese don't officially consider themselves to be "religious" even though they at least nominally follow Shinto and Buddhist traditions and teachings. This is because these individuals equate "religion" with membership in an organized, formal belief system like Judaism or Christianity.

Rather, Japan is a place where many, many religious groups co-exist, so many that the average person is going to get a blitz of names, ideas, and concepts from across multiple faiths without also receiving any significant understanding of what they are or what they mean.

For example, Christmas is celebrated in Japan, but it's mostly celebrated as a secular holiday centered on gathering together, giving gifts, and renewing bonds. It's common for people to go out for the holiday, but whether people go out or stay in both cake and fried chicken are common foods. The former is so synonymous with the holiday that it's led to some cliches, while the latter is the result of Kentucky Fried Chicken convincing much of the country that it's how things are done in the US.

When it comes to religion in anime, you have to dig a bit into the production itself and the people behind it, as dollars to donuts what you're seeing is mostly one individual person's conceptualization thereof.

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Even religion's kanji entail more teaching in a sense, the doxa rather than praxis

Eclectric and syncretic are apt descriptions for religious literacy in Japan

Christmas varies a bit, and there is the emphasis on togetherness, but it feels like moreso in pop culture, it's for lovers and such, that may just be a particular thing pushed, while New Years is more sharing time with loved ones by comparison. And Valentine's is about young love, Christmas sort of more for couples to share time together and such rather than just the confession

Sometimes it's more just a religious seeming thing because of some association in the culture or norms, like Black Clover's church that we really haven't heard anything about in detail, just that it's seemingly Catholic-ish in some sense.

muichimotsu said:

Sometimes it's more just a religious seeming thing because of some association in the culture or norms, like Black Clover's church that we really haven't heard anything about in detail, just that it's seemingly Catholic-ish in some sense.

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Pretty much.

Whenever Christianity comes up in Japanese works, Catholicism is generally the default standard.