Way back in 1995, this was the type of story found on many concerned Christian forums.
Barbara Whitehorse started seeking answers after her son asked a typical question: “Mom, can I get Pokémon 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 Pokémon craze could stir interest in other kinds of occult role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons.
One of her son’s friends was playing outside and said, “I’ll just use my psychic powers.” Already, the world of fantasy had coloured his real world. So when some of the kids wanted to watch the afternoon Pokémon cartoon on television, Barb again had to say “no.” It’s not easy to be parents these days.
Some schools in the US back in 1995 had banned the cards from school grounds.
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, say some church leaders.
With some of the creatures having the power to summon others or be sacrificed to transform, the similarity with a cult-type language is clearly evident in the older games, card games and TV series.
The question now is does Pokémon Go fall into the above category? While many would argue no, each Pokémon caught has abilities, just like the old card game.
What do you think?
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