Final Fantasy VII -- Why Japan Never Liked Christianity

by Joshua "Darien" Maciel 

Did you know that under 1% of Japan is Christian? Most people guess around 30%. Christianity never really caught on in Japan, namely because it was punishable, sometimes even by death, for 300 years. Yet the same country that only has 1% Christians has sold a game with pervading Christian themes to well over 1%. Final Fantasy VII was a huge hit on both sides of the Pacific, but it ran into fewer problems in Japan than it did here. The days of the Nintendo and Super Nintendo gave us many games, but yet some were left out because of religious themes. Final Fantasy Tactics and Xenogears were thought to have 'questionable religious themes' by many, and a mainly conservative sect of American society has demonized videogames as a whole.

So why is it that these same people who demonize videogames and equate role-playing games such as Advanced Dungeons and Dragons with Satan worship protest games when some even have Christian themes? Even Japan, the country that crucified priests who did not leave Japan after they were exiled, accepted these games with open arms, and open wallets. Was it strictly because of messages in Xenogears and Final Fantasy Tactics about the moral decay of the church and/or organized religion? Final Fantasy VII sold well in Japan, so that isn't the case.

Let me indulge this little 'Christianity in a videogame' scenario further. The people believe the world is going to end. Out of this situation rises a character that transcends humanity in being an 'Ancient' and sacrifices herself for the people. Through her sacrifice, the people get a connection to the divine, or in this case the ever-potent Lifestream. That revelation is first given to the people who have been on the side of the divine, destroying the Mako reactors in Midgar. Even the Catholic church would gladly agree that Jesus was of flesh, yet in his sacrifice acted as a mediator between man and the divine.

Apocalypse comes from the Greek words ÎApoâ and ÎCalypsoâ meaning revealing mystery. Though some may object, the ending of the world in the game could clearly be equated to the revelation of mystery. There are many Apocalyptic texts throughout the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Without boring you to tears naming and quoting them all, I will summarize general themes seen through Judeo-Christian Apocalyptic literature. Much Apocalyptic imagery revolves around beasts and monsters, specifically raising up from the sea and land. Much imagery revolves around drastic changes in nature, and times of crisis. The weapon, rising out of the ocean is very similar to the entrance Leviathan or the Dragon from Revelation would make rising up out of the sea. The Northern Crater changes, Midgar is in Chaos, and people are spending money like there is no tomorrow.

The Bible often tells about trials during apocalyptic times, and one of the most common warnings is to avoid being misled by false prophets. Jesus often talks about how difficult it is for a rich man to enter heaven -- "It is easier for a camel to pass through the Eye of the Needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" says Jesus in the synoptic Gospels. Aeris is a poor woman who lives in a church and helps all who need her, the comparison deepens and the scenario becomes fuller. Jenova is one of the false Gods, leading people astray and to believe in science over the Lifestream. Sephiroth has his hordes of followers, all following false prophets when the time is bleak.

Holy does not work to destroy the meteor, rather it delays its advance, allowing the Lifestream to prevent destruction of the world, while eliminating Midgar, and allegedly the entire human population. Most Apocalyptic texts speak of a time of closeness with God during that period, almost a recreation of the Garden of Eden. The reason that Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden was for exhibiting pride. The sin of pride spawned cities that Yahweh (the God of the Israelites) is consistently thwarting throughout Genesis: Cain's original city, the tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, etc.

Aeris is seen calling Cloud to the Lifestream, attempting to make the connection between Cloud and the divine. Although the spatial orientation is different, Aeris' image rising from the Lifestream is similar to Jesus descending from the clouds during the Apocalypse in Revelation. Within the Lifestream is the secret to eternal life. The Lifestream is constantly flowing and changing, but never disappearing. By joining it, people are returned to a state of innocence, where there is no pride, there are no cities, and all that remains are God and His garden.

Yet all this Christian imagery was accepted in Japan, and was glossed over by the Religious Right as 'just another violent videogame.' So sales do not accurately portray the religious views of a country. Japan, a country that has followed the same pattern of accepting, Japanizing, and then criticizing or challenging Christianity for 500 years is able to create games so rich in a tradition that isnât even prominent in their society. America on the other hand has a president that believes and promotes Jesus Christ and has been described by Alexis de Tocqueville as being a religiously tolerant society able to separate the pulpit from the legislature, yet canât even accept a videogame geared towards their own faith they so prominently display.

The point isnât that the Japanese are more religiously tolerant. The message isnât that FFVII is a giant ploy to get people to convert to Christianity. The lesson to be learned is about messages. Donât take them lightly, or gloss over them, because you never know what may be hiding beneath. Jesus taught through parables, where the message was not easily apparent.

Final Fantasy VII is a parable. It teaches us about Christianity, a religion named after a man who taught in parables. Yet the reactions to it may offer us the most insight of all. Japan doesnât hate Christianity, and America does not intrinsically love all that is religious. Donât believe everything you hear or read, and revel in the fact that in the simplest of pleasures there might be an unknown reward.