[EVA]Jesus, Jesus Everywhere

[once at ix.netcom.com]

-----Original Message-----
>From: Chris Kim <guncannondetector at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Aug 8, 2006 11:41 AM
>To: "The english-language evangelion mailing list." <evangelion at eva.onegeek.org>
>Subject: Re: [EVA]Jesus, Jesus Everywhere
>
>Gnosticsm is the only tradition I know of that uses both Christian and Kabbalistic sources extensively.  Thus, when you get the Kabbalic/Gnostic tree of life, plus the Christian/Gnostic crucifixion imagery, I assume they are drawing on Gnosticism, instead of going to the trouble of investigating both Jewish mysticism and Christianity.
>   
>  Basically:
>  Kabbalism:Judaism::Gnosticism:Christianity
>  Gnosticism - Christian influence = Kabbalism
>   
>  Certainly, Christian phraseology and imagery were widely used in Eva, but because of the statements made by the aformentioned person who worked on the series, I would think that their use was asthetic, and thus carries no "deep literary significance".
>
>  Walker, Texas Ranger used buddhist ideology in some of it's episodes, but we're not supposed to assume that it's some fancy schmancy metaphorical portayal of Siddhartha or the Eighfold path.  Rather, they use buddhism because most americans see it as mystic and exotic, thus bolstering the "cool factor" of the show.


Asuka *does* do a few Chuck Norris-type kicks in the movie. But, to be fair, the (ostensible) main plot of EVANGELION revolves around the prevention/activation/control of an apocalypse, one that seems basically religious and not scientific (i.e., meteor, plague, nuclear war...) in appearance. Characters in the series itself insist on using religious terminology to describe events. It's more reasonable under such circumstances to see the show in terms of its relevance to real-world beliefs, even if the creators themselves are not part of Western religious culture.

—C.