Pokemon Go- A Christian's "No Go"

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Things aren't always as they appear.

Call me skeptical and paranoid, I don't care, but I believe this statement to be true in almost every circumstance; especially when the circumstance involves overly popular fads.

Fads such as the new Pokemon Go.


Pokemon. It's always been a battle amongst "christian culture," hasn't it? For as long as I can remember, which is basically since Pokemon came to be, there has been this tug-of-war in the (little c) church over the purity (or lack thereof) hidden within that game. What I thought had been laid to rest, has now resurfaced again; and we're faced with many of the same issues all over- but worse.

Pokemon is wicked.

Please, don't tell me I'm overreacting. Even if I am, does it really matter? No, the problem doesn't lie in the few that "overreact", rather it breeds among the masses that underreact. I've heard all the justifications. I've been subject to the many praises that the new Pokemon Go fad has to its name. Apparently is encourages movement. It's said to induce team-building skills. Getting out and about is always a good thing, right? Oh, and dare I forget, the resurface of this industry brings back so many fond memories for those raised by the red, blue, silver and diamond packs. All good things, huh?

Pokemon Go scares me. It makes me afraid for the gullibility of this nation; and it really makes me question the sincerity of our (capital c) Church. Really my paranoia all boils down to two things: Pokemon's affect on our physical state and on our spiritual state.

Setting all things spiritual aside for the moment, let's just focus on our physical person. What harm can this do to me in reality? Maybe nothing. You may download that free app and never suffer a single side effect. Good for you. BUT let's use reason for a minute. Nothing in life is ever truly free. Nothing. Either someone else is paying for it for you, or that other person(s) is receiving some kind of benefit to make it worth their while. This is true with everything, even our phone apps. When I install a free weather app, I'm allowing those in charge of that app to monitor my location (at least!). Side note- Free flashlight apps have been known to be a major source of hacking. So... what benefit do you think the creators of this app are receiving from you? Do you honestly think that they actually care whether or not you get up and move around or have the enjoyment of reliving your childhood? Probably not. They're out to get something.

I'm not even going to mention the pure absence of common sense this country is facing thanks to this game. I mean is it really necessary for police departments to issue warnings and bulletins not to trespass or break regular traffic laws in search of these animated creatures? Come on! #mentioned

Do I dare bring up the spiritual aspect of this whole thing? Yeah, I do. The Lord has placed a burden on my heart to say this, so here goes.

Pokemon is wicked.

Pokemon is a game that makes evil seem fun. Ultimately that is always the goal of The Deceiver, AKA Satan. He doesn't even need to make wrong seem right anymore; if he can just convince people that wrong is okay, he wins. But I regress, just beginning with the names of some of the characters: Haunter, Hypno, Gastly, Charmander, Psychic, and the list goes on; What about those names references anything good, let alone right and pure? I could list the ways that Pokemon pulls concepts and ideas from eastern mysticism and occults, but I won't. We could study the various ways that the game references evil (ie- evolving characters, mind control, magic summoning), but we won't. Just knowing that the game has parts that aren't completely "true, noble, right, and pure" [Philippians 4:8], let alone downright evil, should make true believers question their involvement in it.

I had a whole litany of Scriptures lined up to use in this portion of the post; but then, during my morning quiet time with the Lord, He spoke something different. 1 John 4, where my devotions were from, is very much applicable to this debate. The Lord, through John's pen, tells us:

"Dear Friends (fellow believers in Christ), do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist (in other translations the Deceiver), which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children (still fellow believers), are from God and have overcome them, because the One (The Holy Spirit) who is in you is greater than the one (Satan) who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of falsehood." {1 John 4:1-6} 

We are not alone in this world- there are spirits of light (Angels) and spirits of darkness (demons) roaming through it. The spirits of darkness have one goal, to keep people away from Christ. Even if they have lost the "battle" and you've become saved, they don't quit. Their job then is to keep your focus off of Christ so that, although you are saved, you've become downright ineffective in fulfilling the Great Commission- a child of God's greatest goal; and they're really good at it. So we need to be very vigilant in what we, as those children of God, set our focus on. We need to test the spirits. 

Everything that we do during the day is either glorifying God or glorifying ourselves. I've found that there are basically 4 categories that everything we do during the day can slide into: Great things- things of God or that directly pertain to Him (i.e.-reading His Word, prayer, Bible study, worship...). Good things- these are things we do during the day that can't specifically be found in the Bible, but can be linked back to God (i.e.- personal hygiene, education, rest). Acceptable things- these are things that really have nothing to do with anything spiritual, but as long as they don't go against God's Word in any way AND they are put in their proper place moderation-wise, they are acceptable (i.e.- hobbies, games, recreation). Unacceptable things- things that simply go against God's Word; this can be in one big way or in many small ways, but ultimately it just becomes wrong for a believer to participate (i.e.- could be almost anything). 

It can be pretty obvious to determine what is great and what is good, but the last two options are where the "grey areas" begin. Pokemon falls into one of these two categories. It certainly isn't either great or good! 

Ultimately whether you deem Pokemon Go acceptable or unacceptable is between you and the Lord. I cannot convince or persuade you either way. I know that for me, Pokemon is unacceptable. It just crosses too many lines to place it anywhere else. Test the spirits for yourself, but do it with ALL of the facts, not just the ones you want to see. 

And Be Vigilant, my friends. 

There's a reason the phrase "Playing with fire" is popular, because it's true. Messing around near the warmth of the flames is always fun and exciting until you get burned.  

"Foolishness brings joy to those with no sense;
    a sensible person stays on the right path." {Proverbs 15:21 NLT}