" Gotta catch em' all " This kids phenomenon began as a hand-held video game and exploded across the globe, from trading cards to becoming the number one rated television kids' show on the popular cartoon programming Kids' WB! The TV program is drawn in the manner of the old speed racer cartoon with similar type voices. It began showing in syndication in September 1998 and within a few months shot to the top of the ratings chart for children's programs. The Pokémon phenomenon began in Japan in 1996, with Nintendo inciting a national craze when it introduced software for its Game Boy portable video game system called "Pocket Monsters." The name Pokémon, is short for POcKEt MONster, each have there own special fighting abilities. Pokémon is marketed as a creative strategy game based on mythical creatures. Sounds like fun but its more than that, much more. You work your way to the top, perfecting your skills by using your Pokémon to fight against other Pokémon trainers. The Pokémon game does get the kids to think, strategize and use their memory skills. But thinking on what is the question that needs to be asked. " Pokémon are incredible creatures that share the world with humans,' says Professor Oak (on the program), the leading authority on these monsters." There are currently over 150 documented species of Pokémon. The professor says "We need to deal with poke'mon as individuals just as we deal with people." Pokémon frequently take on the characteristics of the human who captured them. The Pokémon song and mantra is heard on the program and written in the materials. "I want to be the very best like no one ever was, to catch them is my real test to train them is my cause ."I will travel across the land Searching far and wide Each Pokémon to understand the power that's inside. "Gotta catch them all!" Its you and me I know I know, its my destiny." Just about every child has memorized this stanza.



The last line of the Pokémon mantra, "Gotta catch them all!" is used over and over again to have the kids desire and crave for collecting more Pokémon paraphernalia. Whatever the creators of these Pocket monsters come out with the kids want they are hooked. Between the TV commercial breaks a Poke'mon comes flashed in a shadow shape and they all say in unison "Whose that Pokémon." The kids are to recognize the certain character by its shape. Now remember there are over 150 of them so to do this takes quite some time to familiarize themselves with the creatures. This becomes a whole new education for them to learn of these mythical creatures. A Look at The characters The story revolves around a 10 year old boy named Ash Ketchum (a boy and his friends). He is energetic and determined to become the world's greatest Pokémon Master." Ash's goal and your child's is to become the greatest trainer in the world by collecting and raising Pokémon. His pet is Pikachu who looks like across between a cuddly rabbit and a rat. He has a lightning bolt shaped tail. (Raichu also has a lightning bolt tail) Misty a girl who is Ash's friend is described as "headstrong and stubborn . . . constantly quibbling with Ash." She is always giving him a hard time, they are constantly arguing. Ash says she's always putting him down. Then there is the third member of the adventurous trio, Brock who has uncontrolled hormones. Brock who is Ashes trouble making partner is girl crazy, he is infatuated with their perfume, dress and shape. Every girl he sees he is in love with. Brock's fascination with the opposite sex often gets him and the gang into trouble. Brock also has a temper (have you seen your child develop one?) and sometimes will hit Misty, who is his friend on the head, as in one case because she wanted to reveal that he loves a certain girl. Competition drives Ash making him obsessed with catching all the Pokémon. But it is not that easy he has enemies, Team rocket. A boy girl team called Jessie & James (Jessie James remember him, the outlaw). Meoth is a Pokémon on team rocket who are the enemy are the nemesis of Ash, they want to steal all the Pokémon's from the people and trying to steal Pikachu from Ash, and at times they do, but Ash always gets him back. "Prepare for trouble, make it double.... Jessie, James . . . they are an evil gang following Ash and friends looking to steal rare Pokémon. Jessie and James are stuck up, fashion conscious, trouble makers. Jesse the girl is dressed in a scanty short skirt. These characters do not portray good values much less moral that the Bible asks us and our children to have. Yet they are the villain's in the story. They have a song they often sing that is quite revealing, "To protect the world from devastation to unite all peoples within our nations. To announce the evils of truth and love to extend our reach to the stars above." To unite the world and reach the stars was the goal of the tower of Babel. To announce the evils of love and truth make this quite a deceptive, evil message, even from the bad guys of the cartoon. The Bible says, to "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Thessalonians 5:21. To "... Reject that which is evil; hold to that which is good." If you are a Christian you know the invisible war often times can become visible and you can be engaged in it. This one has touched our homes and it happened very quickly. In some respects it came under the radar screen of many parents . We do battle , but not with creature against creature. Behind these creatures is a spiritual power trying to influence the children. We are in the midst of a battle going on for the hearts and minds of our children, and this has become an all out assault. Consider that Pokémon" is the sixth most-searched-for word on the Internet and is the fastest-selling Game Boy game. The video game has sold more than 4 million Nintendo Game Boy games in the United States, with the Pokémon game cartridges topping all others in the first and second best-selling slots. In Japan were four versions that are not found in America, yellow, green, silver, and gold, yellow was recently released here. There are lots of Poke'mon that haven't been seen or captured, nor made by Nintendo, But they will be! Why stop such a good thing? "Pokémon has since become the largest children phenomenon of the decade, Since the Pokémon trading card game's debut in January 1999, over 2 million copies of the game have been sold in North America." Nintendo, its Japanese creator, puts the total retail value of the animated cartoon, Gameboy video games, promotional toys and cards at $1 billion in the U.S. and $7 billion worldwide in just one year. Other merchandise to put your money into their pockets are: comic books, coloring books, videos, compact disks, etc. Instead of the phrase "gotta catch em all" it should say "gotta take all your money" because thats what they are doing as people are pouring hundreds if not thousands of dollars to quench the desire of their kids to "catch em all." This fad does not come cheap, as there were originally 150 now the number is increasing as they see they can offer more to the naïve children. Pokemon #151 is Mewtwo, who is psychic Pokémon. The "holo" (shinies) cards are the rarest to catch and collect since there is a limited quantity of each set of Pokémon cards. Each is printed with the symbol which shows the cards are first-edition cards from that set. The cards may have future reprints but never with the symbol which assures that first-edition cards will maintain their value! The cards are of the highest quality with artistic pictures and information on them. On the cards they describe the creatures by their genetic type, weight, and height, such as haunter who is a gas Pokémon, length 5'3'', weight 0.2 lbs. He is used to hypnotize his opponent. On the upper left hand corner of the card it will tell you what stage of evolving it is in on the right hand corner grass, fire , water lightning etc. At the bottom it shows it weaknesses and resistance. This is a complicated strategy game that introduces one to a pantheistic worldview and the child is exposed to the power of the occult. This has become very big money and not just baseball cards are counterfeited anymore. In July, Customs seized $250,000 worth of counterfeit Pokémon products at the docks in Elizabeth, N.J. They seem to be counterfeits surfacing everywhere. Genuine Pokémon cards are made in the United States and can be worth $50 each for the rare first editions. Most parents can spend at the least $100 to over $1,000. Cards can cost From $3.50 to $7 for a single pack, theme packs can run up to $25. Prices can get really high, the rarest cards run anywhere from $100-$400 on the Pokémon black market. The news reports that Parents of two kids in L.I. are suing Nintendo for "conspiring to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity" and "engaging in an illegal gambling enterprise." They seem to believe Nintendo that offers rare cards in undisclosed packs and prompts the kids to "catch em all" going on a buying spree to get the rare card and resell them to the collectors for a greater markup. So they are accusing Nintendo of promoting gambling. They do have a point. However the parents have spent, thousands of dollars on Pokémon cards. Now anyone who has seen how these children act that are into this fad can sympathize, but somewhere along the line the parents need to take control and put their foot down. Better to be before, than to deal with it in the middle, losing money and your children to Nintendo's toys. The goal is to "catch em all. And the kids seek these cards in sometimes an aggressive fashion. They have been stolen from school to homes. One child I know had his whole card collection stolen, it had to be worth a couple hundred dollars. The children get into fights over the cards? Some parents and educators say kids are becoming obsessed, even brainwashed. The Elementary aged children are being manipulated to crave and beg for more Pokémon paraphernalia, they don't know how to stop. Many of these Pokémon creatures look like they came right out of your kids nightmares, but now they want to carry in their pocket. A few examples Himonlee, Jolteon, Pincer, Golbat, Gastly all look like Holloween refuges at best, at worst like little demons from horror films. Students in school are not able to leave their playtime outside the classroom, they are so engrossed with the game it captures their attention which the teacher has to compete with during class. Because of the activity of the kids, some schools have banned Pokémon from the premises. It has become an epidemic among the children and not a good influence. This can come from the TV program where we find things like Misty is asked to fight over a Pokémon who Ash and her both saw at the same time as to who will capture the Pokémon first. This fighting is a consistent foundation in the game. Ash is also in competition to catch more Pokémon than Professor Oaks grandson Gary. When Ash sees a new creature he refers to his Poke'dex, a small hand held computer which immediately identifies it. They certainly are not learning zoology from this game but about mythical creatures. (all the imaginary creatures are in it so there is no educational value in learning of them, but lots of learning about these fantasy creatures to help in Pokémon fights). Now if our kids were this serious in remembering and identifying the real animals and creatures they learn in school, they would literally be geniuses. The Pokémon: morals and ethics Pokémon Game Boy game and watching the TV Pokémon show gives the kids the basic ideas and goals of the trading card game. The interactive, role-playing game of Pokémon offers young "trainers" a chance to an ever-increasing number of collectible species and engage in Pokémon battles with other trainers. The trainer's goal is to increase his status through battles with other trainers until he earns the ultimate badge of honor by becoming "The World's Greatest Pokémon Master." To capture a Pokémon they throw the Poké ball at them and sometimes it gets teleported to professor Oaks Lab. In the complicated Fable world of Pokémon, each creature possesses its own special powers and abilities based on its association with certain elements (earth, wind, fire, water). Trainers must know their creatures problem using solving strategy skills to win battles. To do this they need to commit to memory a list of arcane knowledge which will fit the battle. Which creature will they use, what they decide can mean victory or defeat. Trainers are also encouraged to teach and care for their captured Pokémon in order to become more successful. The kids are told to Carry your Pokémon with you, and you're ready for anything! You've got the power in your hands, so use it!' Captured Pokémon can evolve and become even more powerful. As they immediately evolve, morphing (changing) into another creature. In Pokémon, the monsters transform the old self and evolve into a new more powerful Pokémon when they win. The Pokémon evolve and take on new characteristics and one can evolve into one of two completely different Pokémon, indicating a complete change. Caterpie who is a caterpillar evolves into Metapod who evolves into Butterfree a butterfly. This is the teaching of eastern religions, the Shinto beliefs have evolution and re-incarnation, these are the ideas presented in Pokémon. We live in a post Christian era in America, and what is coming in is the old paganism, with a vengeance. There are different cards used in the game for ones warfare; They can resemble a supernatural chicken fight. Machop, Machoke, Machamp are all fighters. Machoke is the final stage of evolution for Machop.There are 151 Pokémon (Pocket Monsters) that must be engaged in battle and defeated. Many of these evolve, some to the fourth level, into other creatures more powerful than the original Pokemon. They possess different levels of power and can become more powerful with the use of crystals, thunderstones, and other evolving techniques Evolution cards are played on top of your Basic Pokémon (or sometimes on top of other Evolution cards). They make your Pokémon bigger and more powerful. Energy cards are attached to your Pokémon to give them the Energy they need to use their attacks. Basic Energy card: A Grass , Fire , Water , Lightning , Psychic , or Fighting Energy card. The "Energy cards" "make your Pokémon bigger and more powerful." They draw on natures elements - Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. Trainer cards are one-shot cards that do something once and are then discarded. Its all about fighting, intense competition and being numero uno. In the song "Each Pokémon to understand the power that's inside" Each Pokémon exhibits its own supernatural powers, so we need to ask what is the source origin of those powers? An introduction to the occult worldview and participating in it Are occult practices or New Age symbols found in the characters and cards? Yes for both. Ash the main character who is wanting become a Poke'mon master has a - Z - lightning bolt across both his cheeks disguised as cheek indentations. The Lightening Bolt is used as a Satanic symbol representing the gods of thunder (Thor, Set, Zeus, and Jupiter). Satanists use the lightening or thunderbolt, It is destructive. Meoth learned to talk a long time ago so he can say his full name (most Poke'mon cannot) For example Picachu says P Chu Charmander says Char. In the game and the cartoon the creatures can only say their name or part of it, so they chant their name over and over - chanting is a form of self hypnosis and shuts down our conscious mind opening one up to suggestions. Sometimes they will say their name to point out something like a barking dog would, other times they say it over and over before they enter battle. There are a few cards are used that have familiar magic terms, Alakazam who is the final stage of Abra is a psychic Pokémon with an intelligence of 5,000. There is Abra, and Kadabra. Abracadabra is a familiar word associated wit the occult magic. Webster's dictionary defines it this way - 1) a word supposed to have magic powers and hence used in incantations, on amulets,etc. 2) a magic spell or formula. It is listed as a word under sorcery. The American Heritage Dictionary states Abracadabra was a magic word, the letters of which were arranged in an inverted pyramid and worn as an amulet around the neck to protect the wearer against disease or trouble. One fewer letter appeared in each line of the pyramid, until only a remained to form the vertex of the triangle. As the letters disappeared, so supposedly did the disease or trouble." The word "abracadabra" is associated today with gibberish but it has always been used in magic and conjuring I don't think it is a coincidence that the two Pokémon called Abra and Kadabra are psychic cards with magical powers . On the Abra card it reads "Using its ability to read minds, it will identify impending danger and teleport to safety." Then there are occult symbols on Kadabra as well. He has a witches pentagram on his forehead (symbolizing the 5 elements, SSS on his chest that is disguised, and some would identify him giving the Satanic salute with his left hand. He omits special alpha waves that induce headaches even to those nearby (I think I'm getting one) All of the above have occult implications. the Bible Deut.18:10-12 explicitly states that we are neither to participate in nor associate with activities related to the Occult, this is not just a game of fun. In the episode Haunter versus Kadabra, Ash and friends go to lavender city to fight Sabrina who is a Pokémon has psychic powers. She communicates to her Pokémon telepathically. At one point in the story she turns misty and Brock into dolls and they meet Sabrinas mom who was also turned into a midget doll. She says, "please don't think bad of Sabrina shes really a good daughter." This good daughter had her powers overtake her as a child and her personality split into 2 people. One stayed a young child while the other grew up. As she enters into battle with Ash who wants to rescue his friends who are now dolls her eyes glow red and she has Kadabra send psi waves against Pikachu. Instead of Pokémon these creatures may be better named poltergeist's. Wicca, or Witchcraft is popular and a fast growing religion throughout the world today. symbols and signs used in magic. (Runes.) Like Witchcraft, and sorcery Pokémon trainers must go through training and ritual type actions to become 'Master Trainers', become powerful in the 'craft' with the ability to control the Pokémon and their powers. participating in magic means demanding that a spiritual force, spirits will do ones bidding. Ash summons the Pokémon from the ball. The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia says witchcraft is exercise of supernatural powers through occult arts such as magic, sorcery, and even Satanism. Its origins are in the belief in separate powers of good and evil in ancient pagan cults and in religions . Pagans use nature powers and demonic spirits, shamans use animal spirits. In the Pokémon game trainers summon one of their Pokémon to battle other monsters and they use them as guardians. In Wicca, guardians spirits are called by them to protect them from (other) 'evil' spirits as they during rituals stay in the 'safe' area circle, the pentagram, The similarity is the Pokémon monsters are held safe in a Pokeball until the trainer summons them and they use natures powers. You have "evil" demons/monsters (pocket monsters) fighting the "good" monsters (pikachu's, etc.). Grolier Encyclopedia says magic is-The use of a certain ritual action to bring about the intervention of a supernatural force, either in human affairs or in the natural environment, In casting spells, the appropriate use of words is sufficient to release or activate a power.Often times natures 5 elements are used in battle ( fire, water, air or wind, earth, void-symbol of the star in the occult) . They teach that these powers can be manipulated by the Pokémon. Many of the Pagan and earth based religions find power in these same Elements that are the energy cards in the Pokemon game! In one episode Ash has his spirit taken out of his body by haunter, of course he later puts him back in. Children are subtly being indoctrinated in the theory of evolution, mysticism and pagan beliefs in the Pokémon game.They are being opened to accepting humanistic wisdom and occult spirituality. The Bible says, "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" 1 Cor. 10:31. Does this game bring glory to God? This game is not even neutral, it opposes him in many different ways. Pocket monsters of the occult that you child can carry and do battles with, think about it. In 1997 hundreds of children went into epileptic seizures while watching the Pokémon cartoon in Japan. Here are excerpts of 2 reports Dec. 17,1997 TOKYO -As many as 700 schoolchildren reportedly suffered convulsions, vomiting, and other symptoms while watching the Pokemon cartoon. Japanese mass dailies Mainichi, Yomiuri and Asahi carried front-page stories Wednesday reporting the seizures, which they said took place about 20 minutes into the 30-minute show, watched by millions of kids across Japan. Japan's Home Affairs Ministry said 208 people, from age 3 upward, including a 58-year-old man, were still in hospital with epilepsy-type symptoms more than 24 hours after the showing . The blame was put on a scene depicting an explosion followed by five seconds of flashing red lights from the eyes of the most popular character, Pikachu, a rat-like creature. The episode centered on characters getting inside a computer to fight each other, while the explosion was set off by a "vaccine bomb" detonated to destroy a computer virus. December 17, 1997 Web posted at: 4:15 a.m. EST TOKYO (CNN) In a national survey, the Tokyo fire department found that at least 618 children had suffered convulsions, vomiting, irritated eyes, and other symptoms after watching "Pokemon." . Psychologist Rika Kayama, author of a book on video games and health, said that "there is the possibility of photosensitive epilepsy or group hysterics." "The children must have been totally immersed in the program," Kayama said. (Nintendo's games carry a health warning about this) So how can a TV cartoon affect children so adversely? If the cartoon is able to do this from a few short seconds of viewing, what is the potential in practicing the gaming and cards for a long time? There have been and continue to be many popular toys board games, PC games with occult themes. If one looks at the computer games they seem to be getting more violent with occult themes strewn throughout. You can now add the world of Poke'mon to the parade of Multiple gods, aliens, Ouji boards, Psychic powers, magic cards, mind control, astral travel, teleportation, casting spells, transforming evolution toys, mesmerization games. Nintendo a Japanese company has a past record of introducing a supernatural pagan world in their games. The kids, youth, are not just playing fun games when they participate with Poke'mon, its basis is found in the occult. It is a primer for the occult worldview and initiates the unsuspecting child into being open. The good creatures use their occultic powers to overcome the evil creatures. So what message does that send to children? The Poke'mon uses powers energies to consume their opponents, they have magical psychic powers that are supernatural who can evolve into more powerful Poke'mon. Poke'mon trainers send their Poke'mon out to fight like wizards. They order them to do different attacks. The Poke'mon never die, if damaged or incapacitated they are brought back to life as nurse Joy heals them back at the Poke'mon center. In one episode Bill a Poke'mon researcher said to Ash and friends, "The planet is created 4.6 billion years ago. During that time all kinds of Poke'mon existed, they had many ways of living On this planet there are over 150 species of Pok e'mon." This teaches a fable not only of evolution but intelligent species throughout the universe. They are learning how to play with mythical creatures, who have magical supernatural powers. They are being taught that they can make these creatures subject to them. They order the Poke'mon who fly through the air into battle to fight for them against their enemies. The children are challenged to become "masters" by conquering more and more Poke'mon monsters with the powers that are in these creatures. The Poke'mon travel in Poke' balls when released from the Poke'balls the Poke'mon announces who he is and will sometimes do so aggressively before the attack. The children are told to. . . Carry your Poke'mon with you, and you're ready for anything! You've got the power in your hands, so use it!"

Grolier Encyclopedia- defines magic as "The use of a certain ritual action to bring about the intervention of a supernatural force, either in human affairs or in the natural environment, In casting spells, the appropriate use of words is sufficient to release or activate a power." Here some suggestions for battle off a Pokémon web site. "When I try to attack with my Pokémon, it just ignores me. Why wont my Pokémon Obey me? That Pokémon'ss level is too high for you to control it. Until you get the corresponding Badge for its level, you will not be able to control it." "Can I stop my Pokémon from evolving? Will they be able to evolve later? Yes, just press the B Button while they are changing to stop the evolution. As the character continues to gain levels, they will attempt to evolve again." (from Pokémon website at <www.pokemon.com.>) The websites explain that some attacks cause the Defending Pokémon to be Asleep, Confused, Paralyzed, or Poisoned. Pokémon Masters are the leaders of fighting schools or battling gangs that solve their problems by beating their opponents. And how do they do this? The booklet says, "Some attacks cause the Defending Pokémon to be Asleep, Confused, Paralyzed, or Poisoned."

If a Pokémon is Paralyzed, it can't attack or retreat. Turn the Pokémon sideways to show it's Paralyzed. If an Active Pokémon is Paralyzed, it recovers after its player's next turn. Turn the card right-side up again. For example Weepingbell - Razor Leaf A Pokémon card says, "It spits out poison powder to immobilize the enemy, and then finishes the enemy with a spray of acid." The creatures turn into warriors when they fight, some of which look somewhat cute like a fish, a crab, a butterfly ,dinosaurs, eagles, etc. But don't let that fool you. As much fun as it looks on the surface, underneath is a volcano of occult indoctrination. The game is also filled with dragons, ghosts, wizards, which shows the obvious dark side of it. This is teaching the opposite of the Bible has to say about how to handle our enemies in Romans 12:14-22? I Think not! It is clear that Pokémon leads the player's imagination down the wrong path. The Bible says that we are to abhor that which is evil, and hold to that which is good (Romans 12:9). The influence of the game is for the children to confuse, Poison, paralyze, your enemies. Is what we want our kids to occupy there time and minds with. Would Christ approves of this? (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). We need to ask what exactly is this game teaching my child? It becomes quite obvious when we take the time to look. There are ghost-like Poke'mon s, Ganger is a ghost Poke'mon . Pychic Poke'mon , Poke'mon that can "teleport" or use astral travel to escape capture. This interactive card game, with gameboy, TV, has Nintendo bring many of the basics of sorcery into the game. Lets look closer at some of these lovely "pocket monsters" creatures power's and abilities: Abra - "Using its ability to read minds, it will identify impending danger and teleport to safety." Giggly puff- sings a song to put people and other poke'mon to sleep, the sound puts them in a trance. Then he gets mad and colors them. Mankey- in his second stage of evolution becomes Primeape. He has an incredible temper is extremly quick to anger, changes from one moment to the next.( he looks like the cartoon character the Tasmanian Devil ) Omanyte- The Pokemon Lab must clone this monster from the Helix Fossil. The description of the second evolution of this monster states that, "although long extinct in rare cases it can be genetically resurrected from fossils." Poliwag - Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl, which can evolve into Poliwrath. This creature uses "mental techniques" to increase its power to attack and destroy. Psyduck - "A Psyduck defeats its opponents by mesmerizing them with a piercing stare and unleashing a barrage of pent-up mental energy." Drowzee -These Poke'mon "will use their psychic abilities to make other Pokemon fall asleep during combat." Drowzee evolves into Hypno, who "survives by putting its prey to sleep and consuming their dreams." Hypno uses a a swinging pendulum in his hand to put them to sleep.(used in hypnosis) can get sick from eating bad dreams. Koffing- is a gas Poke'mon has a poison sign on his belly he can poison other Poke'mon. So much for peace between the species. Pikachu -"triggers electrical disturbances in the atmosphere." Oddish- can "poison or stun its opponents." Charizard looks like a dragon "Spits fire hot enough to melt boulders, " causes forest fire unintentionally. Clefable- can be taught "new abilities with a TM or HM" Rattata- a 1" mouse that "bites anything when it attacks. Golbat- "will not stop draining energy from the victim even if it gets to heavy to fly." Like a vampire. Jolteon- "accumulates negative ions from the atmosphere to blast out 10,000 volt lightning bolts". In other words electrocute its victim to win a fight. Ponyta- with hooves ten time harder than diamonds it can trample anything flat in moments Eevee - a cute ultimate monster. "The Water Stone changes Eevee into Vaporeon, a water-type Pokemon whose tail can be mistaken for a mermaid; the Thunder Stone converts Eevee into the Electric-type Jolteon; and the Fire Stone transforms Eevee into Flareon.""Its genetic code is irregular, it may mutate if it is exposed to radiation from elemental stones." Ghost and Haunter- a psychic Pokemon an evolved spirit can hypnotize and has 'dream eater' power (powered by the purple Pokemon energy cards which is the psychic energy). This power lets him drain the energy from his opponents. Haunter is said to be from another dimension. Gyarados-huge and vivious is capable of destroying entire cities in a rage. Dragonair- a mystical Pokemon with a gentle aura, has the ability to change the climate. Some of the creatures release electric and magnetic energy to overcome their opponents. Starhawk, founder of the Covenant of the Goddess, a wiccan says "To cast a spell is to project energy through a symbol," the similarities can't be overlooked. It is opening the children to a occult spiritual worldview. Encarta Encyclopedia Magic (sorcery), the art of attaining objectives, acquiring knowledge, or performing works of wonder through supernatural or nonrational means. Techniques used in magic typically include chants and spells, gestures or actions that often have a symbolic relation to the desired result (for example, acting out a successful hunt of the past to make a future hunt successful), and the use of substances believed to have a special relationship with the powers needed to accomplish the intended purpose. All the Pokémon game is doing is training the kids to fight with powers the creatures absorb or use. Children do not have the maturity to deal with this or the exposure to a pantheistic, occult world view through the games. The Marketing of the phenomenon The Pokémon Movie opened on November 12 and brought in 32.4 million this last weekend and 52 million in the first week. By Nov.15.It was the 4th-highest Wednesday opening behind "Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace," "Independence Day" and "Men in Black." And these three were summer blockbusters. "Pokémon: The First Movie" Originally animated in Japan, Pokémon: The First Movie" had to be virtually reimagined for American audiences. Nintendo, which owns all rights to Pokémon in America, had 4Kids Entertainment come on board to help make it suitable for "American" audiences movie. Pokémon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back" was the fourth highest-grossing film in Japan last year. How popular is this fad? In Los Angeles, the Warner Brothers switchboards were jammed with 70,000 calls per minute after the studio offered free tickets for the movie's West Coast premiere at Mann's Chinese Theater. From what I understand the movie is about A group of scientists have been working in a secret laboratory, attempting to create the strongest Pokémon yet in existence. They have taken DNA from a fossilized hair sample (found in the Amazon) of the legendary Pokémon Mew, they use the creature's genetic code to bio-engineer Mewtwo. Unaware of their creation's power, the scientists and their laboratory are destroyed by the awakening Mewtwo. Mewtwo is Angry at his creators for making him into a Pokémon Frankenstein monster, so he swears revenge on the world. I'm sure you get the rest of the plot. Burger King offered to give away Pokémon gold cards in a metallic poke- ball case with their meals. In 5 days of the offer of Pokémon gold cards Burger king ran out of them. The commercialization of these cute and not so cute supernatural creatures is only just beginning, if your child is into it, start saving. You can find them on the back of cereal boxes Quaker Oats is offering Poke'mon watches. Pokémon Tales are the next step in the Pokémon phenomenon! As Viz Communications offers full-color story and activity books for kids and fans of all ages, which will be soon be available at comic and book stores. Monopoly Poke'mon has recently been introduced before the Christmas shopping sprees. In the mid-80s it was 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, thenToy Story, Then Star Wars and several others in between. I suspect that all this will wear thin on the kids soon like all the other commercialized toys and movies. But for now its on top and will be there for a while. We can see the fads come and go. Were adults now, we should know the drill. But what affect will it leave on the children? The Learning Company, recently developed Pokémon Project Studio. A software program that gives you the tools to create hundreds of different Pokémon projects with over 600 different Pokémon graphics and 250 unique Pokémon projects Like the original Game Boy Pokémon games. It comes in two versions: Red and Blue. Each version features 81 of the 151 total Pokémon, divided in the same way as the video games. Using a virtual Pokédex, users are guided through the process of creating custom Pokémon goodies. The projects have 15 categories, and each category contains a number of related projects. Here are some the different categories: You can now make Greeting Cards, invitations, Signs:, Banners: for events. Stationary: diary pages, letterhead Calendars Postcards: announcements, characters. Wearables: badges, masks, bracelets, tattoos. Paper: airplanes, fortune tellers. Decorative: key chains, decals. Certificates: achievement awards, gift certificates Stickers. Just about anything will have these creatures on it. This is not Gumby On Nov.18 the TV program who wants to be a millionaire one of the questions was "which of the following characters is not considered a Pokémon? The adult passed on answering not knowing his Pokémon, but surely every child knew the answer. Wizards of the coast / wizards in your home Wizards of the Coast Inc. is the largest publisher of hobby games in the world, a leading publisher of fantasy literature. They are owners of one of the nation's largest specialty game retail store chains. They have five international offices, Antwerp Belgium; London U.K.; Paris France; Milan Italy; and Beijing China. The company employs more than 1,200 people worldwide. The founder is Peter D. Adkison , president, and CEO of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. It is a multimillion-dollar game company Located in Renton, Washington just outside Seattle. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Walla Walla College in 1985 and is a recent MBA graduate from the University of Washington. [Walla Walla is a Seventh Day Adventists liberal arts college located in Southeast Washington state] After graduation from Walla Walla College, Adkison moved to Seattle and worked as a systems analyst from 1987 to 1993. In 1990, while still employed at Boeing, Adkison founded Wizards of the Coast with six other young professionals, who were creating and developing role playing games in their spare time. They all shared a vision of establishing careers in the adventure gaming business. With a vision is to establish games as an intellectual, fun entertainment choice for people of all ages. Wizards of the Coast has opened and purchased various retail locations. This includes the premier Wizards of the Coast Game Center, Wizards of the Coast national retail stores, and The Game Keeper game retail chain. <www.wizards.com>. Isa.5:20-21Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Things are about to get darker. I believe this is all a primer for something bigger. All one has to do is look at the site that hosts this, which they are dubbed as, "the Wizards of the Coast ." The maker of Pokémon cards, is also the leading publisher of game-based entertainment products including Dungeons & Dragons and Magic the Gathering. Holding an exclusive patent on the play mechanic of trading card games and Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering trading card games. Publisher of adventure games such as the classic Dungeons & Dragons games the original fantasy role-playing game." On the site they offer to "change the way you play Magic" Magic: The Gathering." is a heavily occult laced trading card game that became popular in the 1990's, it was another step past Dungeon and dragons. It is available in nine languages and sold in 52 countries, is played by six million people worldwide. Popularity does not make it right. Does this sound familiar? "In this intense game of strategy, players command powerful creatures as they do battle to reduce each other's score from 20 to 0. Each player uses a unique deck of cards designed with plenty of strategic game play options. You choose how to battle, but don't underestimate the luck of the draw! Magic strategy is always changing, and there's no telling what combination of cards an inventive wizard will come up with next ." Sounds like Pokémon, the difference is the cards shows a man plunging a knife into its victim with the statement underneath" Sacrifice one of your creatures to add to your mana pool 1 number of black mana equal to the creatures casting cost. "wonderful isn't this. This game is filled with satanic imagery, signs, and rituals are portrayed such as human sacrifice and the casting of spells. "Mercadian Masques expansion brings on Mercenary and Rebel cards that will redefine the horde; get one on the table, then root through your deck for others every turn. Tired of that four-card limit? With the new Spellshapers you can turn any card in your hand into a timely spell like Unsummon or Stone Rain. Mercadian Masques booster packs bring power to the table with 15 additional game cards. Round out your collection, add new strategies to your advanced-level decks, or build a deck of your own creation! Mercadian Masques. Instant gratification. Age Level: 10+" (demons faces are on the cover) They also offer the New and improved Dungeons and dragons. So it appears Pokémon which is designed for kids can be a stepping stone to more sophisticated occult games. It fosters there appetite for more intense fantasy role playing games,(which is probably the hope of the manufacturers.) This is common with kids in Jr. and Sr. high school who are into magic cards and other occult type games. Hasbro Inc. recently has acquired acquisition of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., the world's largest publisher of hobby games and a leading publisher of fantasy and science fiction literature. (September 30, 1999) Hasbro is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys, games, interactive software, puzzles and infant products. Playskool, Kenner, Tonka, Oddzon, Super Soaker, Milton Bradley, Parker Brothers, Tiger, Hasbro Interactive, and Galoob. Hasbro recently announced the retirement of two collectible Pokémon Battle Figures. This may be upsetting, no worries there will be more, much more. Removing the children from this game is not easy since everyone is into it. When you decide to distance your child in playing the game, it would be best to do it slowly limiting the they spend playing. Explain why the game is not spiritually healthy for them. Expect your child to do their homework or chores first before they can play don't let the game interfere with the family settings. Replace the game with something more suitable. God wants his children to have a completely different focus. We are even told where our thoughts should be directed in Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, 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." They should not be spending their time (majority of it spent) playing and learning about magic, psychic power and a world of fantasy that teaches contrary to the bible. Imagine a young generation that would be for God like they are for Pokémon and magic. The Bible warns us to be careful with what we see and hear (Proverbs 4:23). The games a child spends time with, the television programs he watches, and the things that he listens to (music) have a powerful influence shaping their minds and hearts when they are young. We are to be guardians over them since they don't know better. Unfortunately sometimes neither do we. These things do affect us. This does not mean we become so careful that we reject everything but we certainly need to be more careful than we have been. How many of you remember a special toy or comic book you read when you were little that affected your outlook or way of doing things. Maybe it was a song on the transistor radio (If you say what's that, don't ask). Evil is subtle and can be wrapped in different packages, sometimes looking beautiful. Its best to sing a new song, "Gotta get rid of em all." Here's something of interest from the Washington Post about a pokemon crimewave

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991210/aponline164808_000.htm



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