Assertive and free-spirited, the new Disney heroine models today’s feminist ideal. Pocahontas follows her dreams and submits to no one. Brave and athletic, she scales mountains, climbs trees, and steers a canoe better than a man. Like “women who run with wolves,” she does what she wants–and does it well.

“What is my path?” she asks the wise old spirit of Grandmother Willow, a magical tree in the forest. “How am I ever going to find it?”

“Listen…” says her enchanted counselor. “All around you are spirits, child. They live in the earth, the water, the sky. If you listen, they will guide you.”

The Indian maiden believes. Why shouldn’t she? Not only does the tree spirit’s advice fit the context of Disney’s fictionalized history, it also fits today’s cultural shift toward a global spirituality, a seductive blend of all the world’s religions. Few realize that when children learn to see the world through a pantheistic[1] lens, our Christian words take on a new universalist meaning.

The villains in Disney’s new fantasy are the greedy white males who have come to exploit the land and steal its gold. Even the best of them, handsome John Smith, is made to look foolish compared to the nature-wise woman he loves. Their exchange of wisdom flows one way only: from Indian to European. So when Smith unwittingly offers to build an English civilization on Indian lands, Pocahontas shows her disgust, then teaches him a lesson on pagan oneness. Her message now echoes in the hearts of children everywhere through the hit song “The Colors of the Wind”, which keeps reminding them that mountains, trees… everything is filled with spiritual life and linked in a never-ending circle.

It all makes sense when you watch the movie. With subtle mastery, its makers highlight the anti-Western message and stir predictable indignation: How can the crude British sailors, so ignorant of the spiritual things, call natives “heathen”? Those Christian intruders are the real savages who batter the earth and rob its friends.

In contrast, the Indians seem flawless. They care for the land. They commune with its spirits. They love each other. Kekata, the tribal shaman or medicine man provides spiritual protection and guidance. The ghostly images in the smoke from his magic fire warn the tribe to shun the newcomers who “prowl the earth like ravenous wolves.” The only exception is John Smith who learned to see life and nature from Pocahonta’s perspective. In the end, he risks his life to stop the war.

In line with today’s quest for gender “equity”, the deep spiritual insights come from women. As multicultural lessons tell us: patriarchy brings war and oppression; matriarchy brings wisdom and peace — especially if the female heroines are non-Western. It doesn’t matter if the source of matriarchal wisdom comes from humans, ancestral spirits, or nature spirits. So when chief Powhatan feels the spirit of Pocahontas dead mother guiding him, he heeds her lofty wisdom: “…there will be no more killing. Let us be guided instead to a place of peace.”

The true story about Pocahontas would have undermined Disney’s politically correct message. It tells about a girl between 10 and 14 years old, who helped the settlers of the Jamestown colony. They, in turn, shared their Christian faith with her. Pocahontas apparently accepted Christ and was baptized. After she married John Rolfe, the two traveled to England where she was “received at the court.”[2] On the return trip, the brave 22-year-old died of smallpox.

Pocahontas’ tribe belonged to the Algonkin family, a nation at war long before European settlers came. Dr. Clark Wissler, an anthropologist recognized as a world authority on the American Indian, tells how the “warlike” Iroquois invaded Algonkin country. Like other nations throughout history–Greek, Aztec, English, etc.–they expanded into new territories. “The Algonkin were not merely at war with Iroquois but often with each other. There were about a hundred Algonkin tribes… In revenge for past injuries, a few members of one tribe would stealthily approach the camp of a hostile tribe, take a scalp or two and escape…. [T]he highest honors went to the man who was the most daring and ruthless in such raids….”[3]

Not unique to Indians, brutality has characterized all cultures inspired by occult powers–Norse, Aztec, Babylonian, Nazi…. Disney simply twisted the fact. Remember, history documents Pocahontas’ conversion to Christianity, not Smith’s conversion to pantheism.

But do the facts really matter? After all, this is only a Disney movie!

Columnist Thomas Sowell, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, has an insightful response: “The curriculum, the movie screen, the art gallery… are all ideological battlefields — and in most of these institutions, only one side is battling. That is why they are winning…. Being factually wrong does not matter to those who are politically correct…. charges which turn out to be hoaxes do not bother them because these charges serve to raise consciousness….[4]

To shift America’s consciousness from a Judeo/Christian world view to a global/earth-centered perspective, Disney and other social engineers have invented new role models not tainted by an uncompromising reality. They know that rational arguments do less to change consciousness than an incessant flood of ideas and impressions. Advertisers wouldn’t pay millions for minute-long televised exposure if it didn’t help sell their product. Facts matters little compared to the perceived goodness and subjective feelings of the viewer.

Since Pocahontas majors in spectacular scenery, delightful animals, and feel good sentiments, its subtle seductions are difficult to resist. People ask, “Why shouldn’t we all be one family? How can it be wrong to love and respect all religions? So much is good — why focus on the bad?

The most seductive deceptions hide behind “good” ideals. God calls His people be in the world but not of the world, to be missionaries but not mission fields, to share His love without compromising His truth. That love must point the way to Christ, not conform His message to the world. Spirituality without the cross[5] can only lead to disillusionment in the present life and separation from God for eternity. While this politically incorrect message may divide and disturb, we cannot change reality to fit popular beliefs. Pocahontas does just that.

Don’t be discouraged. “Blessed are you,” said Jesus, “when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven….”[6]

To equip your family to recognize and resist the earth-centered spirituality that permeates movies, music, and public schools, read Under the Spell of Mother Earth, Your Child and the New Age, and A Wardrobe from the King by Berit Kjos. Available through Christian bookstores or order direct from Victor Books (800-323-9409)

1. Pantheism: all is god or god is in all. Usually found with polytheism: many gods or spirits.

2. Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 18 (Chicago: William Benton, 1968), 85.

3. Clark Wissler, Indians of the United States (New York: Anchor Book, 1940), 70-71.

4. Thomas Sowell, “The right to infiltrate,” Forbes (March 13, 1995); 74.

5. Christ’s death on the cross to cleanse and free us from sin is the heart of the gospel. The Native American promise of unconditional entrance to heavenly bliss–taught as multicultural education–is deadly as well as deceptive.

6. Matthew 24:12, 5:11-12.

Note: The author has granted permission for this article to appear on the Logos Web Page

Links to Topics:

INTRODUCTION
THE POKEMON MESSAGE
MARKETING A NEW LIFESTYLE
CHANGING BELIEFS AND VALUES
ROLE-PLAY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ADDICTION
WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?
ENDNOTES

INTRODUCTION

Who are the strange little creatures from Japan that have suddenly become global super-stars? Most kids know the answer well: They are called Pokemon (short for POCKEt MONster and pronounced Pokeymon), and they have stirred up some mixed reactions.

“We just sent a letter home today saying Pokemon cards are no longer allowed on campus,” said Paula Williams, a second-grade teacher in Danville, California. “The kids know they’re supposed to be put away when they come in from recess, but they’re often in the middle of a trade, so they don’t come in on time. In the more extreme cases, the older kids are getting little kids to trade away valuable cards . . . . It drives a teacher crazy.” 1

It concerns parents even more. “Recently, my children were given a set of Pokemon cards,” said DiAnna Brannan, a Seattle mom. “They are very popular with the children at our church and elsewhere. I was instantly suspicious but couldn’t discern the problem. We have since been told that they are stepping stones to the ‘Magic cards’ that have been popular for the last few years, which we do not allow.”

She is right. For instance, any child exploring the most popular Pokemon websites ” 2 will be linked to a selection of occult games such as Sailor Moon, Star Wars, and others more overtly evil. A click on the ad for “Magic: the Gathering” brings Pokemon fans to a site offering promotions such as this:

“A global games phenomenon, Magic: The Gathering is to the 1990s what Dungeons and Dragons was to the 1980s, but with the added dimension of collectibility. Here is the official reference to the biggest new teen/young adult fantasy game of the decade, complete with full-color reproductions of every existing Magic card.”

THE POKEMON MESSAGE

The above websites gives us glimpse of the mysterious little creatures called Pokemon. Ponder the suggestions in this greeting:

“Welcome to the world of Pokemon, a special place where people just like you train to become the number-one Pokemon Master in the World!”

“But what is a Pokemon, you ask. ‘Pokemon are incredible creatures that share the world with humans,’ says Professor Oak, the leading authority on these monsters. “There are currently 150 documented species of Pokemon. . . . Each Pokemon has its own special fighting abilities. . . . Some grow, or evolve, into even more powerful creatures.. . . Carry your pokemon with you, and you’re ready for anything! You’ve got the power in your hands, so use it!”. ” 3

What if children try to follow this advice? What if they carry their favorite monsters like magical charms or fetishes in their pockets, trusting them to bring power in times of need?

Many do. It makes sense to those who watch the television show. In a recent episode, Ash, the boy hero, had just captured his fifth little Pokemon. But that wasn’t good enough, said his mentor. He must catch lots more if he wants to be a Pokemon master. And the more he catches and trains, the more power he will have for future battles.

So Ash sets out again in search for more of the reclusive, power-filled, little Pokemon. His first step is to find the “psychic Pokemon” called Kadabra and snatch it from its telepathic, pink-eyed trainer, Sabrina. With the ghost Haunter on his side, it should be a cinch!

But Ash had underestimated the power of his opponent. When he and Sabrina meet for the battle, both hurl their chosen Pokemon into the air, but only Kadabra evolves into a super-monster with a magic flash. Haunter hides. “Looks like your ghost Pokemon got spooked,” taunts Sabrina.

Obviously, Ash didn’t understand the supernatural powers he had confronted. Neither do most young Pokeman fans today. Unless they know God and His warnings, they cannot understand the forces that have captivated children around the world. And if parents underestimate the psychological strategies behind its seductive mass marketing ploys, they are likely to dismiss the Pokemon craze as harmless fun and innocent fantasy. In reality, the problem is far more complex.

MARKETING A NEW LIFESTYLE

The Pokemon mania supports a financial conglomerate that knows how to feed the frenzy. The television series is free, but it drives the multi-billion dollar business. It also inspires the obsessive new games that disrupt schools and families by giving the children —

• a seductive vision: to become Pokemon masters
• a tempting promise: supernatural power
• a new objective: keep collecting Pokemon
• an urgent command: “gotta catch them all”

These enticements are drilled into young minds through clever ads, snappy slogans, and the “Pokeman rap” at the end of each TV episode:

“I will travel across the land
Searching far and wide
Each Pokeman to understand
The power that’s inside.
Gotta catch them all!”

The last line, the Pokemon mantra, fuels the craving for more occult cards, games, toys, gadgets, and comic books. There’s no end to the supply, for where the Pokemon world ends, there beckons an ever-growing empire of new, more thrilling, occult, and violent products. Each can transport the child into a fantasy world that eventually seems far more normal and exciting than the real world. Here, evil looks good and good is dismissed as boring. Family, relationships, and responsibilities diminish in the wake of the social and media pressures to master the powers unleashed by the massive global entertainment industry.

No wonder children caught up in the Pokemon craze beg for more games and gadgets. The Japanese makers count on it. Since the means often justify the economic ends in the entertainment industry, the Pokemon website is full of tips, explanations, and ads that encourage the urge to splurge – and to express the darker side of human nature. Ponder their influence:

“You can catch a Mew by cheating with a Gameshark.”

Ahhh. The Gameshark. . . Cheating is not honorable. But many of you have requested and sent me this information, so I have put it up for all you cheaters.”

“The Moon Stone evolves certain Pokemon, such as Clefairy.”

“Select your desired attack. Hold down the button until your opponent’s life stops draining.”

“Once you have captured Zapados, you can use it to quickly lower the health level of Articuno. . . .”

“Super Smash Brothers. . . . This unique fighting game features all of Nintendo’s biggest stars in a bruising brawl-fest . . . .”

While children delight in these mysterious realms, concerned parents worry and wonder. What kinds of beliefs and values does the Pokemon world and its links teach? Why the emphasis on evolution, supernatural power, and poisoning your opponent?

CHANGING BELIEFS AND VALUES

Barbara Whitehorse started seeking answers after her son asked a typical question: “Mom, can I get Pokemon cards? A lot of my friends from church have them.” Much as she wanted Matthew to have fun with his friends, she gave a loving refusal. Matthew’s tutor had already warned her that the Pokemon craze could stir interest in other kinds of occult role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. At the time, she wondered if the tutor had just over-reacted to some harmless entertainment. After all, the cute little Pokemon creatures looked nothing like the dark demonic creatures of D&D. But when she learned that a local Christian school had banned them because of their link to the occult, she changed her mind.

Later, during a recent party for Matthew, Barbara heard two of the boys discussing their little pocket monsters. One said, “I’ll just use my psychic powers.” Already, the world of fantasy had colored his real world. So when some of the kids wanted to watch the afternoon Pokemon cartoon on television, Barb again had to say “no.” It’s not easy to be parents these days.

Cecile DiNozzi would agree. Back in 1995, her son’s elementary school had found a new, exciting way to teach math. The Pound Ridge Elementary school was using Magic: the Gathering, the role-playing game called which, like Dungeons and Dragons, has built a cult following among people of all ages across the country.

Mrs. DiNozzi refused to let her son participate in the “Magic club.” But a classmate gave him one of the magic cards, which he showed his mother. It was called “Soul exchange” and pictured spirits rising from graves. Like all the other cards in this ghastly game, it offered a morbid instruction: “Sacrifice a white creature.”

“What does ‘summon’ mean?” he asked his mother after school one day.

“Summon? Why do you ask?”

He told her that during recess on the playground the children would “summon” the forces on the cards they collect by raising sticks into the air and saying, “‘Spirits enter me.’ They call it ‘being possessed.'” 5

Strange as it may sound to American ears, demonic possession is no longer confined to distant lands. Today, government schools from coast to coast are teaching students the skills once reserved for the tribal witchdoctor or shaman in distant lands. Children everywhere are learning the pagan formulas for invoking “angelic” or demonic spirits through multicultural education, popular books, movies, and television. It’s not surprising that deadly explosions of untamed violence suddenly erupt from “normal” teens across our land.

Occult role-playing games teach the same dangerous lessons. They also add a sense of personal power and authority through personal identification with godlike superheroes. Though the demonic realm hasn’t changed, today’s technology, media, and multicultural climate makes it easier to access, and harder than ever to resist its appeal.

ROLE-PLAY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ADDICTION

The televised Pokemon show brings suggestions and images that set the stage for the next steps of entanglement. It beckons the young spectator to enter the manipulative realm of role-play, where fantasy simulates reality, and the buyer becomes a slave to their programmer.

Remember, in the realm of popular role-playing games – whether it’s Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, or other selections — the child becomes the master. As in contemporary witchcraft, he or she wields the power. Their arm, mind, or power-symbol (the pokemon or other action figure) become the channel for the spiritual forces. Children from Christian homes may have learned to say, “Thy will be done,” but in the role-playing world, this prayer is twisted into “My will be done!” God, parents, and pastors no longer fit into the picture fantasized by the child.

Psychologists have warned that role-playing can cause the participant to actually experience, emotionally, the role being played. Again, “the child becomes the master.” Or so it seems to the player.

Actually, the programmer who writes the rules is the master. And when the game includes occultism and violence, the child-hero is trained to use “his” or “her” spiritual power to kill, poison, evolve, and destroy — over and over. Not only does this repetitive practice blur the line between reality and fantasy, it also sears the conscience and causes the player to devalue life. The child learns to accept unthinkable behavior as “normal” .

To be a winner within this system, the committed player must know and follow the rules of the game. Obedience becomes a reflex, strengthened by instant rewards or positive reinforcement. The rules and rewards force the child to develop new habits and patterned responses to certain stimuli. Day after day, this powerful psychological process manipulates the child’s thoughts, feelings, and actions, until his or her personality changes and, as many parents confirm, interest in ordinary family life begins to wither away.

You may have recognized those preceding terms as those often used by behavioral psychologists. They point to a sophisticated system of operant conditioning or behavior modification. The child must exercise his own intelligent mind to learn the complex rules. But after learning the rules, the programmed stimuli produce conditioned responses in the player. These responses become increasingly automatic, a reflex action. Naturally, this can leads to psychological addiction, a craving for ever greater (and more expensive) thrills and darker forces.

WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?

It’s hard to teach restraint to children who are begging for gratification. Wanting to please rather than overreact, we flinch at the thought of being called censors once again. Parental authority simply doesn’t fit the fast-spreading new views of social equality taught through the media and schools. Yet, we must obey God. He has told us to train our children to choose His way (Proverbs 22:6), and we can’t turn back now.

If you share my concerns, you may want to follow these suggestions. They will help you equip your child with the awareness needed to resist occult entertainment:

1. First, look at God’s view of contemporary toys, games and cartoons. As a family, read Scriptures such as Ephesians 5:8-16, 6:10-18 (the armor of God); Philippians 4:8-9; and Colossians 2:9. Compare them with the values encouraged by Pokemon and other role-playing games.

2. Share your observations. Spark awareness in a young child with comments such as, “That monster looks mean!” or “That creature reminds me of a dragon,” along with “Did you know that in the Bible, serpents and dragons always represent Satan and evil?”

3. To teach young children a Biblical attitude toward evil before they learn to delight in gross, ugly characters, make comments such as, “Who would want to play with that evil monster? I don’t even like to look at him. Let’s find something that makes us feel happy inside.”

4. Model wise decision-making. Tell your child why you wouldn’t want to buy certain things for yourself.

When your child wants a questionable game or toy, ask questions that are prayerfully adapted to your child’s age, such as:

1. What does this game teach you (about power, about magic, about God, about yourself)? Discuss both obvious and subtle messages.

2. Does it have anything to do with supernatural power? If so, what is the source of that power? Does it oppose or agree with God’s Word?

3. What does it teach about violence or immorality and their consequences?

4. Does the game or toy have symbols or characteristics that link it to New Age or occult powers?

5. Does it build godly character?

In a nation consumed with self-indulgence, self-fulfillment, and self-empowerment, godly self-denial seems strangely out of place. But God commanded it, and Jesus demonstrated it. Dare we refuse to acknowledge it? According to the age of your child, discuss Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:24-26, then allow the Holy Spirit to direct your application.

Far more than earthly parents, God wants His children to be content and full of joy. But He knows better than to give us all the things we want. Instead, He gave us His word as a standard for what brings genuine peace and happiness. The apostle Paul summarized it well:

“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

After hearing God’s warning and praying for His wisdom, nine-year-old Alan Brannan decided to throw away all his Pokemon cards. “My friend did the same,” said his mother. “Her twelve year old son had been having nightmares. But after a discussion with his parents about the game and its symbols, he was convicted to burn his cards and return his Gameboy game. That night slept well for the first time in a month.”

“It seemed to us that these cards had some sort of power,” continued DiAnna Brannan. “Another nine-year-boy had stolen money from his mother’s purse ($7.00) to buy more cards. When questioned, he confessed and said he had heard the devil urging him to do it. The family quickly gathered in prayer, then saw God’s answer. Both the boy and his little sister burned their cards, warned their friends, and discovered the joy and freedom that only comes from following their Shepherd.

ENDNOTES

1. Laura Evenson, “Seeing Red and Blue at Schools,” San Francisco Chronicle, April 20, 1999.

2. http://www.pokemon.com and http://www.wizards.com/Pokemon/Rules/Welcome.html (Apparently, the latter site has changed since I downloaded and printed the original pages. Now, if you click on the above URL, you will probably face a sign saying “The page you have requested can not be located.” If so, just click on the Wizard banner in the upper left corner, and you will enter the site. Notice the links to “Magic: the Gathering” and “Dungeons and Dragons” on the right side. However, the Pokemon rules seems to have disappeared.)

3. http://www.wizards.com/Pokemon/Rules/Welcome.html (See note above)

4. “Haunter versus Kadabra,” aired on May 20, 1999.

5. Transcribed from a recorded interview with Cecile DiNozzi in Pound Ridge, New York.