[EVA] Moura interviews with Gainax people & others

[Ray Miller]

>>> "Aaron Clark" <aaronc1 at umbc.edu> 12/16/2009 3:43 PM >>>
If you want any further proof that you CANNOT just say that the religious
aspects in Evangelion mean nothing, read this:<

Aaron - if that's the case, then one could argue that Ray Harryhausen's CLASH OF THE TITANS offers a large amount of religious significance, as does Disney's ALADDIN films, for that matter.  They both draw enormous amounts of material from the religions and religious cultures of the ancient Greeks and middle-eastern cultures respectively.

>you're not even allowed to talk about Evangelion over at Christian
Anime Alliance.  Try convincing those people it "means nothing" while
you're at it.<

I'd suggest these groups are simply irrationally over-sensitive and myopic in their viewpoint.  As Christians, they may have concerns regarding the trappings Eva derives from the Abrahamic religions (...there are several involved, and all of them are not inherently Christian, in spite of Christianity's own appropriation of them throughout the centuries.),  however Evangelion's creators have stated on record otherwise.   The fact that some individuals say otherwise (re: your crossroads.to link)  doesn't offer any proof. [Candidly, I found the commentary at the crossroads link to be idiotic.]   That's offering a rather narrow band of opinion from a very partisan group of observers against the facts of the matter offered by the works' creators.    If the opinions of "Christians" are going to be offered as some sort of proof, then I know numerous "church-going christians" and at least one actual Freemason who doesn't find any religious significance in Evangelion's Abrahamic trappings other than colorful iconography.

"Piss Christ" is an exercise in provocaturism, directed specifically toward Christian culture.  I don't think that comparison holds water (heh) applied to Evangelion, which isn't intended to provoke any reaction from members of Christian culture.

>People take religion very seriously.  You don't just dick around with
someone's religion and then retcon it. <

"People" take Star Trek, and even Evangelion very seriously.   So am I also prevented from 'dicking around' with those, maybe with a fanfic, a 2.0, or by fictionally going back in time and killing Kirk's father?  Am I not allowed to play my Playstation 2 OKAMI game, because it distorts some matters of Japanese religion?

> Try convincing those people it "means nothing" while you're at it.<

And try convincing them of the validity of any non-Christian viewpoint while you're there.  You'll quickly find, I expect, of how well founded their opinions in those other matters are as well.

Honestly, I have little tolerance for hyper-sensitive, evangelical-leaning Christian complaints on the matter of Evangelion.  I've heard the same twisted justifications for critical cautions about the religious concerns of everything from D&D to THUNDERCATS to the SMURFS.  Those persons represent only one cultural perspective, in spite of their in ability to contextualize the world realistically in any other sensible manner.

- AcroRay
[A non-Christian with a culturally Christian background.]

>>> "Aaron Clark" <aaronc1 at umbc.edu> 12/16/2009 3:43 PM >>>
If you want any further proof that you CANNOT just say that the religious
aspects in Evangelion mean nothing, read this:

http://www.crossroad.to/text/responses/Evangelion.htm 

People take religion very seriously.  You don't just dick around with
someone's religion and then retcon it.  I'm sure there are people out
there that would consider Evangelion as tantamount in offensiveness to
Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ 

Also, you're not even allowed to talk about Evangelion over at Christian
Anime Alliance.  Try convincing those people it "means nothing" while
you're at it.

--Aaron