Symbolic parallels between KH and Christianity

[Eternal Dream]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

Some connections to Christianity? Yes, but that's because Square takes inspiration from all over the place for characters and stories. Need I mention Sephiroth? Then again, considering his Messiah Complex...

Anyway, point is, Kingdom Hearts isn't 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. While there may be some aspects that have been borrowed from Christian mythology/history, *maybe* honestly? Anyone that reads into it so far as to say Sora has a similar complex to Mr. Silver Hair, even if subconsciously, seriously has too much time on their hands and needs to get out more. ;p

 

[JustSnilloc]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

Some Biblical concepts in the Story? Sure, is that what it's referring to? No... Look, I'm not bashing on you TC, I'm glad you can get something like that from this series, but this game is produced by Japanese people... The Eastern world generally isn't considering "Biblical concepts" when writing their fiction, it's true source is elsewhere

 

[Valiant Heart]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

lol wow you guys are brutal. But thanks for your input. I take it mentioning "christian" = Instant roast signal i guess. yeah, Kingdom hearts isnt straight bible and there may not be more that a handful of similarities to the the christian faith....it was just a personal view into it...especially at this time and in my beliefs. That doesnt make what i think "actual" though... Just thoughts. I'm excited about the story's progression and how i "feel" i can relate to it.

 

[billyzanesucks]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

Yeah, Kingdom Hearts is no where near as bad as the Bible, not until we see slavery, rape, incest, genocide, and ect.

The yaoi fangirls must be saints.

 

[Wehrmacht]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

lol wow you guys are brutal. But thanks for your input. I take it mentioning "christian" = Instant roast signal i guess. yeah, Kingdom hearts isnt straight bible and there may not be more that a handful of similarities to the the christian faith....it was just a personal view into it...especially at this time and in my beliefs. That doesnt make what i think "actual" though... Just thoughts. I'm excited about the story's progression and how i "feel" i can relate to it.

it doesn't really have anything to do with your faith, just that you're stretching a connection that isn't there to begin with.

 

[Ikkin]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

The Eastern world generally isn't considering "Biblical concepts" when writing their fiction, it's true source is elsewhere

That may hold true... if we weren't talking about Mr. Tetsuya "Resolve Advent Children by having Cloud baptize kids in a church" Nomura. =P

There are actually quite a few parallels in Kingdom Hearts, most of which have come up on this board in the past:

- The X-blade rather closely parallels the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven:

A pair of crossed keys that represent the power to bind and loose everything in heaven and on earth? That sounds kind of familiar... (The use of the Greek "chi" does nothing to make that parallel less apparent =P )

- Xion's explanation of what she is: "I came from you and Sora. I am you, just as I am Sora." There are three people who "are" Sora, which at the very least provides an interesting starting-place for discussion about what it means for several individuals to be the same person.

- The tale of the Children of Light is highly analogous to the concept of Original Sin -- in the beginning, everyone's hearts were pure and the Light was with them. Then they grew jealous, desiring the Light for themselves, and lost their paradise in the process of trying to obtain that Light, leaving those who remained in a broken world in which darkness existed in every heart. Not entirely dissimilar to losing paradise through an attempt to know everything and become like God, is it?

- Riku's Reverse/Rebirth arc could easily be interpreted as a Christian redemption arc, because Riku's own power to save himself is sabotaged at every turn and he's forced to rely on someone else's unconditional assistance to save him more often than not. That could, of course, just be a "that's what friends are there for" sort of thing... but the guy Riku relies on is referred to simply as "The King" more often than not, is one of only a few characters in the series known for using Holy magic, and his intervention (in the form of friend cards) is the only way to heal Riku through that entire plotline.

And, last but not least, the most obvious (and least interesting) parallel:
- Sora willingly sacrifices himself to save those he cared about, and is restored to life not too long after.

...so, yeah. There are plenty of interesting symbolic connections there if you're looking for them, and they're a lot more interesting than simply "good vs. evil" (or the completely out-of-context faux symbolism that anime/J-games like to throw in sometimes). It isn't a full-on allegory like The Chronicles of Narnia, but not many things are.

 

[Valiant Heart]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

stretching something that isnt there?

 

[ajmrowland]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

To the Believers and Followers of Christ,
I've always wondered if others saw a tie between KH and Christianity...or as it was called in older days ..."The Way".
If you do see or feel a connection go ahead and write about it. I'd Like to see your view.
Its funny How My "liking" to this story....and how i was captivated by it seemed to work for a greater good. As the story progressed through time I could see it Being an "aid" placed in my path By God ...a sort of "PUSH" to go onward and to do well In the Faith. To me Kingdom Hearts Gave a better insight to the "war on sin" and war between light and dark. It's a story that still goes on and is still being brought to fruition....yet is already finished. Just like God's Plan.
I see this story as awesome. The battle & war. The Characters. The falling away & redemption. ha
At first it just seemed to be an awesome game that had my attention...To think that it would help THIS much in my belief and resolve....How wise My God is.

Yeah............................................................................................................no

 

[theirlosthearts]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

Actually, I agree with this thread. Ikkin pretty much said everything already, but I have two points to add.

-All hearts (with a very defined exception, that's the next point) have darkness in them. That's exactly the same as Christian theology. (ie, everyone's a sinner)

-Only the Princesses of Heart have pure hearts, and they are the key to opening the door to Kingdom Hearts. This one's pretty obvious, but I'll say it anyway. Only Jesus is without sin, and he is the way to salvation/heaven. The pure-hearted people/person are the key to salvation/Kingdom Hearts.

And yes, not everything in KH is a parallel of Christianity, but enough of them are there that it is legitimate to say that the parallels exist.

Oh, before I forget. Some people have basically said, "It's just a videogame. You're not going to find anything deep in a videogame." Medium doesn't matter, content does.

 

[Valiant Heart]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

Actually, I agree with this thread. Ikkin pretty much said everything already, but I have two points to add.

-All hearts (with a very defined exception, that's the next point) have darkness in them. That's exactly the same as Christian theology. (ie, everyone's a sinner)

-Only the Princesses of Heart have pure hearts, and they are the key to opening the door to Kingdom Hearts. This one's pretty obvious, but I'll say it anyway. Only Jesus is without sin, and he is the way to salvation/heaven. The pure-hearted people/person are the key to salvation/Kingdom Hearts.

And yes, not everything in KH is a parallel of Christianity, but enough of them are there that it is legitimate to say that the parallels exist.

Oh, before I forget. Some people have basically said, "It's just a videogame. You're not going to find anything deep in a videogame." Medium doesn't matter, content does.

Agreed. I may have just been a little over zealous when i wrote this...but what youve said pretty much summarizes my view.

 

[JustSnilloc]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

That may hold true... if we weren't talking about Mr. Tetsuya "Resolve Advent Children by having Cloud baptize kids in a church" Nomura. =P

There are actually quite a few parallels in Kingdom Hearts, most of which have come up on this board in the past:

- The X-blade rather closely parallels the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven:

A pair of crossed keys that represent the power to bind and loose everything in heaven and on earth? That sounds kind of familiar... (The use of the Greek "chi" does nothing to make that parallel less apparent =P )

- Xion's explanation of what she is: "I came from you and Sora. I am you, just as I am Sora." There are three people who "are" Sora, which at the very least provides an interesting starting-place for discussion about what it means for several individuals to be the same person.

- The tale of the Children of Light is highly analogous to the concept of Original Sin -- in the beginning, everyone's hearts were pure and the Light was with them. Then they grew jealous, desiring the Light for themselves, and lost their paradise in the process of trying to obtain that Light, leaving those who remained in a broken world in which darkness existed in every heart. Not entirely dissimilar to losing paradise through an attempt to know everything and become like God, is it?

- Riku's Reverse/Rebirth arc could easily be interpreted as a Christian redemption arc, because Riku's own power to save himself is sabotaged at every turn and he's forced to rely on someone else's unconditional assistance to save him more often than not. That could, of course, just be a "that's what friends are there for" sort of thing... but the guy Riku relies on is referred to simply as "The King" more often than not, is one of only a few characters in the series known for using Holy magic, and his intervention (in the form of friend cards) is the only way to heal Riku through that entire plotline.

And, last but not least, the most obvious (and least interesting) parallel:
- Sora willingly sacrifices himself to save those he cared about, and is restored to life not too long after.

...so, yeah. There are plenty of interesting symbolic connections there if you're looking for them, and they're a lot more interesting than simply "good vs. evil" (or the completely out-of-context faux symbolism that anime/J-games like to throw in sometimes). It isn't a full-on allegory like The Chronicles of Narnia, but not many things are.

Actually, I agree with this thread. Ikkin pretty much said everything already, but I have two points to add.

-All hearts (with a very defined exception, that's the next point) have darkness in them. That's exactly the same as Christian theology. (ie, everyone's a sinner)

-Only the Princesses of Heart have pure hearts, and they are the key to opening the door to Kingdom Hearts. This one's pretty obvious, but I'll say it anyway. Only Jesus is without sin, and he is the way to salvation/heaven. The pure-hearted people/person are the key to salvation/Kingdom Hearts.

And yes, not everything in KH is a parallel of Christianity, but enough of them are there that it is legitimate to say that the parallels exist.

Oh, before I forget. Some people have basically said, "It's just a videogame. You're not going to find anything deep in a videogame." Medium doesn't matter, content does.

Hmm... Perhaps there are quite a bit more than I noticed >.>

Agreed. I may have just been a little over zealous when i wrote this...but what youve said pretty much summarizes my view.

It just came across as "Kingdom Hearts mirrors Christianity"... not exactly what you said or meant, but yeah...

 

[Silh]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

sora died for your sins

 

[easy93]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

sora died for your sins

You're taking it a bit too far.

 

[Silver_Soul]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

sure, there are some similarities, but i guess you can interpret it as you like

 

[gelandporn]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

 

[waifu-desu]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

That may hold true... if we weren't talking about Mr. Tetsuya "Resolve Advent Children by having Cloud baptize kids in a church" Nomura. =P

the concept of water as a medium for cleansing was a shinto concept looooong before it was christian

 

[.Oji]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

 

[Hillboy]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

Sounds just like Kingdom Hearts

 

[Ikkin]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

the concept of water as a medium for cleansing was a shinto concept looooong before it was christian

Wikipedia doesn't seem to want to confirm one way or the other who had that as a tradition first, but it doesn't really matter all that much, because of this:

The basic performance of this is the hand and mouth washing (Temizu 手水) done at the entrance to a shrine. The more dedicated believer may purify him- or herself by standing beneath a waterfall or performing ritual ablutions in a river.

If Nomura wanted to make a Shinto reference, it probably would have involved one of those things, rather than Cloud cupping water in his hands and pouring it over Denzel's forehead.

Also, Advent Children. Just saying.

 

[Sorax 122]

Re: A symbolic connection between Kingdom Hearts And Christianity...

Sounds just like Kingdom Hearts

lol that's funny


P.s Maybe you guys are just reading into this whole thing a bit much. Some of the stuff are just common themes to a story.