Customer Reviews

Buying and Selling the Souls of Our Children

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Hello, I'm a 12-year-old who has been a fan of Pokémon since I was in kindergarten (That would be 1999, I believe). And, trust me, I don't think I'm getting guided 'down the wrong path'. I think I would know if I was doing anything that would guide me to the devil, or whatever.

Let me tell the world one thing. I do not care if people hate Pokémon. Pokémon haters are okay with me; I'm mature enough to realize that not everyone likes the same things I do. What I do care about is when people blindly make misconceptions about the subject matter of their concerns. This is a case of the latter.

I am not obviously going to buy the book to read every single thing that it discusses, but I will try to string together some sense of the matter from all the information I know, as well as online newspaper articles from other concerned adults.

First of all, the Excerpt from the Look Inside This Book. The title of the chapter is 'The War Over Souls'. And, nothing in the excerpt mentions Pokemon. They could be talking about Magic: The Gathering in the introduction (which I don't play or even know that much about, by the way), but it all sounds very fishy.

The way it's described attempts to hook its readers in and change their opinions using the propaganda technique (I learned about that recently, and I was indeed paying attention, which is pretty surprising for a Pokemon player, huuuh?). The words are ever so slightly tuned negatively. 'Battling for control' implies warmongers like Genghis Khan and 'channeling white spirits' invokes images of evil witches. But nobody is fooling me. (I'm not talking about Pokemon, by the way. Even if I was a Magic the Gathering player, I would still not be fooled, for all I know it's not as seductive as made out to be.)

Now let's look at some key phrases.

using psychic powers, various psychic powers, selling the souls, using rage, using electric shock, using poison, penetrating stare, body slams

So, obviously, at one point in this book, it discusses the 'elements' of Pokemon. Psychic powers, first of all. I went on to one of my favorite unofficial Pokemon websites, where the creator of the website faces a similar challenge of tackling the adversary's claims. First of all, 'psychic powers'. The general claim is that one character, Kadabra, has a pentagram on his head, a spoon (mimicking a Jewish man named Uri Geller) and his stomach looks like a Nazi symbol. But, all three of those claims are not true. Most art of Kadabra is small, so it's hard to tell which direction the star on Kadabra's head is facing, but an episode featuring it recently aired and I can verify it's a star. The spoon was an unintentional coincidence and signifies Kadabra's intelligence, and the stomach has one too many lines to look like the Nazi symbol, so that's also a false claim. Kadabra is simply an intelligent Pokemon which uses psychic power (which, according to a quick search on Wikipedia, has nothing to do with speaking with the devil, or any such claims - psychic power, according to the Wikipedia article on Psychic, simply means using the power of mind over matter to a point where it transcends the confines of your brain and causes ESP) to conquer difficult problems; that's all there is to it.

Using rage - this is simply a matter of wildlife - in my opinion Rage does not specifically refer to the strong emotion in humans, but a more animal-level, primal thing, like how a rhinoceros feels it must mark its territory and thus it is prompted to attack. Electric shocks, well, I don't see any kids running around with stun guns yet. Surely it must control some primal, spiritual element - but really, I just rubbed my hair against the back of my chair and created static electricity. Does that make me evil?

Poison, penetrating stares, and body slams are all things that animals do, and more often than not, they do it to protect themselves. I won't use the example of a snake for poison since snakes are often associated with the devil, and I won't even use a spider for bonus points. Instead I'll use the bombardier beetle. It can spray acid from its abdomen to defend itself. And it's practically the lowest life form you can get. I doubt it has any connection with anything shady. Many animals use penetrating stares or other self-defensive maneuvers in order to ward an opponent off of its territory. Take the frill-necked lizard. Yes, I know this one is somehow more 'evil' due to its reptilian nature, but the frill-necked lizard simply opens its frill when it's scared, and makes it look bigger so a predator can't come any closer. And a body slam is something I'd do in a pillow fight.

Now, I know that these things (especially poisoning and using weapons, which I will discuss now) could still possibly influence children. But here's a little wake-up call to people who still think the fictional characters are controlling kid's minds.

Yes, I have heard that there have been kids who have fought and seriously injured other children to gain posession of Pokemon cards. But, as far as I know, these kids have also had prior problems, usually getting abused by their parents or socially inept due to the things around them. That said, they have suffered psychological abuse and want to feel more respected. They found a medium in Pokemon cards. But, Pokemon cards are not the seductionists (if that's even a word; I am unsure of the word for 'one who seduces'). Even the already popular kids, ones who are happy with their lives and already feel good, collect Pokemon cards, so Pokemon cards can't really be devices to draw lonely kids in. It's a kid-side problem; the poor kids saw all the other ones playing Pokemon and wanted to join in to to feel better. But, due to previously said psychological trauma, they took out their frustration on the other kids to get what they wanted.

And, plus, I know some people who have blamed Pokemon on the Columbine incident. That is a total lie. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (I'm sure that's what their names were) faced severe psychological trauma and had trouble fitting in; nobody has ever proved that they played the (as far as I'm concerned) innocent cards.

More and more controversies surround Pokemon. There was a woman who believed that a Pokemon named Jynx was a black stereotype, when really it was based off of a viking, and the 'black skin' is really purple (It used to be a very dark purple, almost black, but was lightened to prevent more controversy).

People even say that the Pokerap says "I love Satan" when played backwards. With my parent's permission, I recorded my voice singing along to the Pokerap as a test, and backwards, it sounded like "I Mash The Kay Reck". It's really bologna.

People have said Pokemon like Murkrow and Houndoom are evil, but really, I've never seen kids going around chanting "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble".

Many people say EVOLUTION is bad, because either a) it's Darwin's evolution or b) it loses its personality and gets a different psyche. Pokemon evolution is... get this... GROWING UP. Seriously. An evolved Pokemon is just a little bigger, older and stronger than the form before. Some evolution is more drastic, like Wurmple into Silcoon/Cascoon and then Beautifly/Dustox, but that mimics the life cycle of the butterfly. There is no natural selection or 'changing spirits' or whatever involved.

And many things in Pokemon teach positive values. I know many people who have called Pokemon cockfighting before, or animal cruelty, but did you know that Pokemon can actually refuse to fight if they wish? Ash's Charizard refused to fight for a large amount of the series. If the trainer (which is normally just an unarmed ten year old kid) really had total domination over their 'slave', wouldn't their Pokemon (which can be very powerful) usually refuse to fight?

Some people have even resorted to saying that the Pokeball is a mind control device, and only really strong-willed ones like Charizard can escape the mind control. But Charizard doesn't try to get away from Ash. He merely falls asleep, which means he can't be bothered to battle. All Pokemon have their own free will.

And Pokemon are respected; they are buried in decorative graves when they die; which signifies that their trainer really cares about them.

But wait, why do they even die in the first place? Shouldn't trainers know when to call off the battle?

Simple, they stop it. Trainers can recall their Pokemon if they're getting hurt, and sometimes, Pokemon can be knocked out. But the trainers run immediately to the Pokemon Center (which is like a Pokemon hospital) if it gets to that. They really do care about the wellbeing of their Pokemon, even though they do battle. And really, the Pokemon don't seem to mind that much. They have their own free wills, and usually don't care about battling, so the Pokemon think it's okay.

I'm one of the biggest Pokemon fans you'll ever see; I know every creature. But I wouldn't harm a fly, I am not affected negatively by these wonderful creatures which I love so much. In fact, my life has been enriched by these characters, and through Pokemon I have gained many friends, none of which have any bad intentions either. I am walking proof of Pokemon's true effect on children.

So, I do not harbor any evil spirits that have drawn me in to take control. I am not being turned evil; I think I would know if I was killing people with poison, or laughing cruelly as Ash's Pikachu falls in the show. But I'm not.

However, I do want to try and spread the word about the unfortunate misconceptions that surround the Pokemon franchise. That is my crusade.

And I hope I have fulfilled a purpose in explaining this today.

For more information on the virtues, rather than vices, in Pokemon's games, cards, show and more, search the web for "We All Live in A Pokemon World", in quotes. You may find a very informative website. Read every last bit, and after the read, I hope you will feel enlightened...

This is 'Officer' Jordan, signing out. (Yes, I'm really 12.)

As a young girl, I must admit i wasn't popular. As i used to remain on my own, I remember everything was bad for me and I used to question my christian religion. One day though, I watched an episode of pokemon, and it taught me three things:
friendship
loyalty
hope
After this i got hooked onto pokemon, made a bunch of new friends, and life seemed to get better each day. At the end of this I was so happy,
I prayed each night to thank the lord for my glorious life.

As I began to hear stuff like this though, I got upset.
My mum is one of the vicors at our church, and i showed her this article about
'pokemon evil'
After a discussion at the church meeting, my mother rubbed my head and said
'God wishes us to be happy dear, and to follow in the path of jesus.
Jesus wants us to feel special, to be loyal, and to have a great life before we proceed above.'

I don't recommend this book because a true parent should want their children to enjoy their lives, and to have fun. The lord, the son and the holy spirit love you anyway for what you do' and abit of friendship and fun won't hurt a fly.

I read the entire book the same day I received it. As a Christian parent, I found the information in this book to be invaluable. It is a book of integrity, substantiated by the Word of God. The author has indeed done his research well and this book clearly reveals the dangers of participating in Pokemon. To quote the author, "If we love God we prove our devotion by being obedient to His commandments" (John 14:15) Games like Pokemon, books like Harry Potter and TV programs like Sabrina the Teenage Witch all desensitize us to witchcraft and the occult making them seem like harmless entertainment. The Bible tells us clearly to "have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them" (Ephesians 5:11) Thank you John Paul Jackson for exposing the darkness of Pokemon and other games like it!

As an architect with 6 years of graduate education, I have spent years studying the symbols created in the things we design, write and discuss. John Paul Jackson has exposed the demonic rituals that far eastern (and American!) cultures have allowed into our everyday life. Hollywood is also packaging this myth that is so bad for our children (and our adults!) I am ordering 25 copies of this book for all of my friends with children, because it is one of the ten best books I have ever read on how to discern what our children are being fed by society! The people who don't like this book need to open their eyes! Very well written and documented.

As the varying reviews of this book point out...This is a very HOT topic ....There is a need of Godly wisdom in our country. It is time that the body of Christ began to speak...IN LOVE...what this nation needs to hear.

This is an excellent book, bringing to light the seduction and lies of the occult. Which is the counterfeit the enemy offers to a hungry world.

For everyone who has a child, you must constantly be aware of the images and ideologies that surround your children. TO say that Pokemon is evil may sound crazy, but how many people would let their child watch a horror movie at age three? For those who won't they do allow their child to watch a Chinese demi god who speaks the language of demons.

God fearing people do not create these shows, nor own the broadcast companies that air them. Their creators can be regualr people, but the themes of the shows can still be dark and abominable. If Pokemon is evil, then putting a cursed idol on the pajamas of your child, or as underwear, toothpaste, or pillow case, is just about as brilliant as deception can be.

Parents everywhere need to realize that demons exist. Your child knows they exist. And telling them that a friendly invisible being is not out to hurt them is a dangerous illusion that TV creates. We all remember the fear of childhood and the monsters. They are not figments.

To all the reveiwers who are so angry and foolish in their reply, do some research and educate your blind opinion. My information comes first hand from employees within Disney, and Nickelodeon. You'd be surprised what they are aware of, that you are not!

Before I begin, this product deserves ZERO STARS.

I would like to say to my credibility that I do not like Pokemon. I once liked Pokemon but when I could no longer pay to maintain my habit, I fell out of it. When I tried to play it again, I just couldn't get as excited as I used to. Now, I don't like it for it's never-ending lifespan of its repetitive material and its over-merchandising.

With all of this said, I am less than halfway through the book and am irate at this. I at least have a legitimate reason that I can back up with evidence. This guy's reasons, on the other hand, are either baseless or false conjecture. He describes Pokemon as spirits that we channel our spirits through in order to perform wiccan arts. This is completely wrong. Except for the super powers that they are naturally born with, Pokemon are no different than regular animals. They are taught to use their abilities on command no different than teaching a dog to bark or sit on command. I feel that John Paul Jackson did not do his research and that he is on par with anti-video game activist Jack Thompson.

In the spirit of keeping this review short, all I have to say overall is that this book is garbage and should not be read.

I'm 11 in age and I must say this book is full of lies. In pokemon you don't become a 'pokegod' and you evolve your pokemon with codes, you don't turn them into 'pokegods'. Also, pokemon contains no violence. When pokemon battle not a single tear or drop of blood is dropped. It is all peaceful. Pokemon teaches us children not about 'satan' or 'war' but about friendship, loyalty, and having rights to express ourselves.
I don't believe this book is stating anything nessecery here about pokemon, and there is nothing wrong with abit of harmless fun.
Who the hell would make up this junk to stop parents from letting some childrens have fun with cute imaginary animals? Also, the three headed bird, in one of the pokemon episodes he rescues an abandoned skitty (a little pokemon kitten) and saves Ashes life. Is that evil to you?
I am a christian, and also from the UK, and I don't believe this book is good enough to say that pokemon is from the devil!

At seven I went to an after school bible study. There I was told that children in countries that know nothing of Jesus were nevertheless condemned to hell. That's when I knew that Christianity was poisonous and dangerous. This book truly helps my argument. Thank you.

This book is pure lies. I am 18, a Christan, and I have been playing Pokemon since I was in Kindergarten. It never challenged my faith, nor did it induce any violence in me. I am a believe in peace above all else, and it has done nothing to change that. Things like this, filled with misconceptions and misdirection, make me angry. I'm all for giving power to parents, not to the government, nor to authors such as this. If you don't want your kids playing Pokemon, it should be because you have a problem with the games, not because you read a book by someone who has a problem with them.