Manga Messiah
January 7, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
I Love Japan. I’ve spent a fair amount of time there over the years, and am impressed by its natural beauty, cleanliness, modernity, and culture.
And the Japanese people, well, I love them, too. They are very clever and industrious, sometimes in peculiar ways, and for my money, they come up with some of the weirdest, funniest humor I’ve come across in my years (think of me as an Anthony Bourdain connoiseur of humor). If you don’t believe me, check this out. There’s quite a bit more where that came from.
The problem with Japan, though, is that it is a thoroughly secular country and God has virtually no place there. Sure, there are some, mostly cultural, Shinto and Buddhist religious overtones in Japanese society, but those have always struck me as primarily ornamental and ceremonial in their value to the Japanese people, in particular regarding how they cherish and honor the memories of their anscestors, no matter how recently deceased.
But Japan’s intense secularism and seeming imperviousness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ was not an inevitability. Catholic missionaries were thrivingly active across Japan in the 16th century and, had the Shoguns not panicked at the swift spread of Catholicisim among their people and, therefore, unleashed a fierce persecution against the Church there, Japan very likely would be a thoroghly Catholic country today, much like the Philippines.
So, how, you ask, can we break through Japan’s hard shell of disinterest in the message of Jesus? One group of creative Christians says the answer is: Manga. And they’ve recently produced Manga Messiah which is . . .
“a 300-page comic book that depicts Jesus’ life from birth to resurrection. Unlike their Western counterparts, young and old Japanese alike love comics, and it’s not unusual to observe a train full of commuters in the Tokyo rush-hour with their heads buried in the latest manga. ‘For reaching Japanese, this book is far more effective than showing The Jesus Film,’ stated one long-term missionary based in the country.
“Once details of a website for readers to request more information was stamped inside, OM Japan partnered with The Evangelical Alliance Mission to distribute the Manga Messiah far and wide. Over 80 short-term volunteers from a dozen countries spent two weeks in festive costumes handing out the comic to shoppers in the town of Karuizawa. The idea of dressing up as an elf or Santa Claus might seem a strange way to communicate the real meaning of Christmas, but Joel Kaufman, an OM worker from the US, immediately saw the benefit. ‘When a child receives a copy of Manga Messiah from Santa, that is something they are going to cherish and keep,’he noted. With adaptations of the books of Genesis and Acts now published, the comics are certain to travel further than Japan’s shores. English-language translations are also available, and interest in these international versions is expected to be huge. For now though, the Manga Messiah is one Christmas present that every Japanese person who received it is unlikely to forget.” (read more)
Also: The New Life League Japan website and also see their presentation on how to use Manga to evangelize Japanese.
Manga Messiah
January 7, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
I Love Japan. I’ve spent a fair amount of time there over the years, and am impressed by its natural beauty, cleanliness, modernity, and culture.
And the Japanese people, well, I love them, too. They are very clever and industrious, sometimes in peculiar ways, and for my money, they come up with some of the weirdest, funniest humor I’ve come across in my years (think of me as an Anthony Bourdain connoiseur of humor). If you don’t believe me, check this out. There’s quite a bit more where that came from.
The problem with Japan, though, is that it is a thoroughly secular country and God has virtually no place there. Sure, there are some, mostly cultural, Shinto and Buddhist religious overtones in Japanese society, but those have always struck me as primarily ornamental and ceremonial in their value to the Japanese people, in particular regarding how they cherish and honor the memories of their anscestors, no matter how recently deceased.
But Japan’s intense secularism and seeming imperviousness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ was not an inevitability. Catholic missionaries were thrivingly active across Japan in the 16th century and, had the Shoguns not panicked at the swift spread of Catholicisim among their people and, therefore, unleashed a fierce persecution against the Church there, Japan very likely would be a thoroghly Catholic country today, much like the Philippines.
So, how, you ask, can we break through Japan’s hard shell of disinterest in the message of Jesus? One group of creative Christians says the answer is: Manga. And they’ve recently produced Manga Messiah which is . . .
“a 300-page comic book that depicts Jesus’ life from birth to resurrection. Unlike their Western counterparts, young and old Japanese alike love comics, and it’s not unusual to observe a train full of commuters in the Tokyo rush-hour with their heads buried in the latest manga. ‘For reaching Japanese, this book is far more effective than showing The Jesus Film,’ stated one long-term missionary based in the country.
“Once details of a website for readers to request more information was stamped inside, OM Japan partnered with The Evangelical Alliance Mission to distribute the Manga Messiah far and wide. Over 80 short-term volunteers from a dozen countries spent two weeks in festive costumes handing out the comic to shoppers in the town of Karuizawa. The idea of dressing up as an elf or Santa Claus might seem a strange way to communicate the real meaning of Christmas, but Joel Kaufman, an OM worker from the US, immediately saw the benefit. ‘When a child receives a copy of Manga Messiah from Santa, that is something they are going to cherish and keep,’he noted. With adaptations of the books of Genesis and Acts now published, the comics are certain to travel further than Japan’s shores. English-language translations are also available, and interest in these international versions is expected to be huge. For now though, the Manga Messiah is one Christmas present that every Japanese person who received it is unlikely to forget.” (read more)
Also: The New Life League Japan website and also see their presentation on how to use Manga to evangelize Japanese.
Could You Help My Friend Patty?
January 6, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
My dear friend and sister in Christ, Patty Bonds, is a single mother who has had a very rough few years since she converted to the Catholic Church from Protestantism. Coming from a virulently anti-Catholic background (overcoming those religious prejudices was a gargantuan task in itself), when she became Catholic, some in her family simply turned their backs on her. But Patty loves the Truth more than mere human respect, and she has faithfully trusted in Christ’s promise to all who love Him:
“He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37-39).
Patty trusts in the Lord’s will for her life, even as she has struggled to overcome a series of difficult financial setbacks in recent months. She works for a relatively low-paying public service job in Arizona, which provides a modest income that one person could manage to live frugally on, but Patty has also been very generous in supporting other family members who have turned to her in their times of need, which means that she’s in a difficult spot right now with some pressing bills she really needs to pay. Among other things, her ancient used car just went kaput, and she needs to find a way to raise the money to get it repaired.
I know Patty personally. I can vouch for her. And I can assure you that any donation you can make to help her out, be it large or small, will help her get through this difficult time.
If you can help, please go to her blog and click the PayPal button on the right side to make a donation. $10, $20, $50, $100? No amount is too small, of course, and no amount is too large, either. If you’re in a position to be really generous with funds God has blessed you with, please do so and give what you can. Above all, please keep Patty in your prayers.
“The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, ‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever.’
“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God; for the rendering of this service not only supplies the wants of the saints but also overflows in many thanksgivings to God. Under the test of this service, you will glorify God by your obedience in acknowledging the gospel of Christ, and by the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others” (2 Corinthians 9:6-14)
This Site (My Site) Is Under the Patronage and Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary
January 5, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
My thanks go out to Nancy at her Traditional Motherhood blog for finding and posting this glorious icon of Our Lady!
Talk to Your Daughter Before the Beauty Industry Does
January 5, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Warning: Contains very suggestive, though not pornographic, images:
A New Year’s Message From the Religion of Peace
January 5, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Religion of Peace Alerts
Worth watching all the way through. And listen closely to what they’re saying:
A New Year's Message From the Religion of Peace
January 5, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
Worth watching all the way through. And listen closely to what they’re saying:
How Atheism Is Being Sold to Your Children
January 1, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
David Kupelian, author of the best-selling The Marketing of Evil, offers a meaty analysis of how militant atheism is gaining ground — lots of ground — across the United States, particularly in our schools and universities.
One technique employed by atheists to discredit religion is to constantly equate the ongoing violence of Muslims around the world with “religion.” The fallacy runs along these lines: Muslims believe in God and are religious fanatics who murder people in the name of God and religion. Catholics, Protestants, and others also believe in God and are therefore also religious fanatics who [would if they felt they needed to] murder people in the name of God and religion.” That’s not a true categorical syllogism, but you get the idea.
Kupelian says:
“Remember, to atheists, Christianity, Judaism and Islam are all pretty much the same —dangerous monotheistic fairy tales that induce people to oppress and kill each other — the only difference being the particular myths, superstitions and rules they impose on followers based on each religion’s traditions and supposed ‘holy books.’
“Thus, the pathological fanaticism and hair-trigger violence exhibited by brainwashed jihadists around the world today are easily associated by atheists with all religions, especially when they call to mind abuses committed in past centuries — say, the Inquisition or the Salem witch trials – in the name of Christianity.
“Another major, if more long-term, factor contributing to the popularity of atheist books, Prager notes, is the ‘secular indoctrination of a generation,’ thanks to our de facto atheistic public school system:
“‘Unless one receives a strong religious grounding in a religious school and/or religious home, the average young person in the Western world is immersed in a secular cocoon. From elementary school through graduate school, only one way of looking at the world – the secular — is presented.
“‘The typical individual in the Western world receives as secular an indoctrination as the typical European received a religious one in the Middle Ages. I have taught college students and have found that their ignorance not only of the Bible but of the most elementary religious arguments and concepts — such as the truism that if there is no God, morality is subjective — is total. So the generation that has been secularly brainwashed is now buying books that reconfirm that brainwash – especially now, given the evil coming from religious people.’
“Finally, observes Prager, Christianity and Judaism have, with some notable exceptions, failed to effectively counter the ever-rising tide of atheistic secularism in the Western world. Pointing out that ‘it is virtually impossible to distinguish between a liberal Christian or Jew and a liberal secularist,’ he notes that all three ‘regard the human fetus as morally worthless; regard the man-woman definition of marriage as a form of bigotry; and come close to holding pacifist beliefs, to cite but a few examples.’
“Thus, with religious evil increasing in the world – thanks to Islam — and fewer and fewer people willing and able to confront it, Prager concludes ‘the case for atheism will seem even more compelling.’”
