A SHAME!!! EXPOSED!!!

My son likes to watch Dragon Tales sometimes and I had a thought to research info about this show and I came across this.....

Dragon Tales THE "SUPPOSED" AGENDA OF DRAGON TALES
Once parents and children have familiarized themselves with occult symbols, they can easily see the New Age agenda of Dragon Tales.
First let us look at what the Dragon Tales web site says about the show. It gives the following summary:
"In Dragon Tales, an animated adventure series for preschoolers, children join six-year-old Emmy and her four-year-old brother Max as they explore Dragon Land -- a magical place with Stickleback Mountains, Singing Springs, and Whispering Woods.
"In their adventures, Emmy, Max and four dragon friends help each other face fears and find ways to cope with every day problems, like making friend and learning new skills."
The source code for the web site states:
"The DRAGON TALES Web site on PBS Online introduces visitors to six-year-old Emmy and her four-year-old brother Max on their visits to Dragon Land. In the course of their adventures, the children and their young dragon friends help each other face fears, build confidence, and learn new ways to deal with problems they encounter. DRAGON TALES' unique format and characters are designed to help preschoolers handle everyday challenges such as making friends, coping with fear of the dark, and learning new skills. This Web site offers materials to complement the PBS children's television program including character and place descriptions, games, printable coloring pages, information for parents and other."
DRAGON CHARACTERS
Look at two of the four dragon characters:
1) Quetzal, The Dragon Tales web site is being very deceptive here. The Quetzalcoatl culture is NOT the same as the nice-sounding term "Mexican culture." The following description reveals the true occult meaning of the term Quetzalcoatl. See http://www.quetzalcoatl.com/serpent.html
"Quetzalcoatl, represented by the plumed serpent, was a legendary Toltec and Aztec ruling deity of ancient Mexico. He was much revered as creator and as the god of civilization, encompassing learning, culture, philosophy, fertility, holiness and gentility. ... After many years of wandering he reached his homeland on the east coast of Mexico where he was consumed by divine fire. His ashes were turned into birds and his heart into the morning star. He set sail over the ocean, promising his devoted followers that he would return again from over the sea. ... There are many ancient temples dedicated to Quetzalcoatl in Mexico [the web site provides photos of these temples].
If you will recall, the terms "serpent" and "morning star" above are also used for Lucifer in the Bible. So this Mexican god Quetzalcoatl - AS WELL AS the dragon character Quetzal in Dragon Tales - can be viewed as a representation of Lucifer!

Zak and Wheezie, the two headed dragon, can be seen as portraying the New Age principle of yin and yang. The description of this dragon, with its opposite personalities, is found at: http://www.pbs.org/dragontales/characters/0,4278,zak,00.html
OTHER OCCULT CONCEPTS IN DRAGON TALES
Dragon Tails also includes numerous references to astral travel (out-of-body experiences). At the top of one Dragon Tales web page is the following lyric:
"Wish I wish with all my heart,
To fly with dragons in a land apart."

Now that's a scary thought, that children are encouraged to wish they can fly (take part in astral travel) with dragons ("friendly" demons) in a land apart (a supernatural realm apart from this physical world).
Also consider the following limerick (click here)
Dragon Land is a wondrous place
Where dragons and kids fly through space.
From Rainbow Canyon to Dragoon Lagoon,
Discover a world beyond the moon.
Again, a not-so-hidden reference to astral travel, as well as to rainbows and a supernatural realm. New Agers use these kinds of TV shows and lyrics to indoctrinate their children (and the children of other parents) into the politically correct global spirituality through images that clash with Biblical truth. [See Establishing a Global Spirituality]
Another New Age concept, found here, brings children to Turtle Rock where kids and dragons rule! The turtle-shaped rocks are really cool. In spite of the fact that PBS addresses parents on this web site, the lyrics here illustrate that kids and dragons (i.e. occult spirits) rule, NOT parents. This is the same message New Age and liberal teachers convey in our public schools. Namely, that children are "little adults" capable of making their own decisions, independently and in spite of their parents' guidelines.
Also note that Dragon Tales (like Teletubbies, Barney, and some other preschool shows) do not include the characters of parents in their TV shows. Rather, odd-looking, fantasy oriented (i.e. occult) characters are the children's teachers and role models.
Let's take a look at occult references in various episodes of Dragon Tales, as listed here:
Please note that there are most certainly more occult symbols in the episodes than what are described in the following summaries.
1) 'To Fly with Dragons'/'The Forest of Darkness' Air Dates: 02/17/00
"Max and Emmy aren't sure how they feel about their new home until they discover the playroom with dragon wallpaper -- and a secret drawer! Inside is a shiny dragon scale, and a poem whose words transport them magically to Dragon Land. Max is a little nervous at first, but soon he and Emmy fly on Ord's and Cassie's backs to see this wondrous new place. In the second adventure, Quetzal opens his Big Storybook and gives Ord a very special assignment -- to locate the Star Tree in the Forest of Darkness and bring back one of its Star Seeds. There's only one problem: Ord is afraid of the dark! With a little help from his friends, Ord learns some creative new ways to cope with his fear."
Occult references: 1) "a poem whose words transport them magically to Dragon Land" - similar to mantras and other verbal tools used in visualization, which children are taught by New Agers; 2) "he and Emmy fly on Ord's and Cassie's backs" - astral travel, 3) "bring back one of its Star Seeds" - an Internet search on the term "star seed" shows it to be a common term among New Agers.
2) 'To Kingdom Come'/'Goodbye Little Caterpoozle' Air Dates: 2/17/00
"Emmy and Max are excited to attend the beach bash in Dragon Land. Ord uses the rare Wish Shell he's found to transport himself to Kingdom Come, so he won't have to share his wishes or anything else with the others. In the second story, everyone loves to play with Cassie's fuzzy pet caterpoozle, especially Cassie. When Cassie discovers a transparent cocoon in the cage, they all believe that Poozie has died. To help Cassie feel better, the friends share favorite memories of Poozie and offer to help find another pet. None will do, until a caterpoozle a lot like Poozie crawls up Cassie's arm, nuzzles her neck and smiles up at her."
Occult references: 1) The title of one episode is "To Kingdom Come"; this could perhaps be considered a mockery of the phrase in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy Kingdom come"; 2) "Ord uses the rare Wish Shell he's found to transport himself to Kingdom Come" - a common tool in visualization and astral travel is to "make a wish" and then to become "transported." Picture Samantha twitching her nose in the TV Show "Bewitched."
6) 'Snow Dragons'/'The Fury is Out on This One' Air Dates: 02/24/00
"Cassie is sick with a cold, so Emmy keeps her company while Quetzal [Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec ”Feathered Serpent,” god of creation and destruction] leads Max and Ord on an adventure to find the giant Snow Dragon slide. Quetzal says they must stay together at Snowy Summit, but the boys spot a hollowed-out log and hop in for a ride. When they land, they've lost Quetzal. Searching high and low, they encounter a Burping Rock who points them in the right direction for the Snow Dragon. In the second story, Max is 'It' in a competitive game of Dragon Tag. He races around in hot pursuit of the others, but they delight in remaining just out of reach. In anger, he hurls a pinecone-like pod and out pops Fury, an intimidating little man with steam rising from his head. The madder Max gets, the bigger (and happier) Fury becomes until eventually he even towers over Ord! Quetzal explains that Furies love to see people mad and that only Max, by controlling his anger, has the power to send Fury back into his pod."
Occult reference: "In anger, he hurls a pinecone-like pod and out pops Fury, an intimidating little man with steam rising from his head." - Fury, or "Furies", is an obviously occult term. Carol Rose writes in her book _Spirits, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia_(pp. 121-122) that the Furies is a collective name given to the avenging spirits in Roman and Greek mythology. The name "Furies" means the Angry Ones. These evil spirits "avenge the unpunished wrongs committed by humans with horrible zeal, to exact revenge even after death."
7) 'The Giant of Nod'/'The Big Sleepover' Air Dates: 02/25/00
"Zak and Wheezie are starring in tonight's concert at Singing Springs Amphitheater, but they can't stop bickering over which song to perform. Zak votes for something slow and melodic, while Wheezie likes it loud and rockin'. In their dueling attempts to outsing and outplay each other, they awaken the napping Giant of Nod who actually turns out to be a tiny gnome (but with extraordinary strength)! In the second story, everyone is invited to a big sleepover at Zak and Wheezie's. Cassie, who's never spent the night away from home before, is a little scared. At Emmy's suggestion, she brings along a favorite family photo as a reminder of home. Although she has lots of fun popping dragon corn, playing games, waging pillow fights and making shadow puppets, she misses her parents."
Occult references: 1) "Zak votes for something slow and melodic, while Wheezie likes it loud and rockin'" - the conflicting sides of this two-headed dragon illustrate the New Age concept of yin and yang. 2) Giant of Nod - In the Old Testament, the Philistines and other giants were superhuman and supernatural, the descendants of the demonic "sons of god" who married the daughters of men. The term "Nod" is seen in Genesis 4:16: "And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden." "Land of Nod" is a common term among New Agers today.
8) 'A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words'/'The Talent Pool' Air Dates: 02/28/00
"In anticipation of his mother's birthday celebration, Ord sets off on an adventure with his friends to find some 'giggle flowers,' his mom's favorite. While searching high and low, the gang encounters a tiny 'doodle fairy' who holds talent show takes place tonight. All the dragons are fine-tuning their acts, but Cassie fears she doesn't have any special talent to contribute. At Quetzal's suggestion, Cassie consults the Talent Pool, a magical talking pond that awards talents to all who seek them."
Occult reference: "encounters a tiny 'doodle fairy'" - Carol Rose (pp. 107-112) gives a detailed discussion of fairies as spirit beings, appearing as tiny creatures and using mystical powers.
9) 'Emmy's Dream House'/'Dragon Sails' Air Dates: 02/29/00
"Emmy and Max decide to enlist their dragon friends' help in building the treehouse of their dreams. Bubbling with excitement, the group unites in a race against the clock to finish their project as purple goo stormclouds loom on the horizon. When self-appointed boss Emmy focuses only on her own plans, ignoring the others' needs and ideas, her friends march off in protest. In part 2, the group sets sail for Rainbow Canyon in search of a special rainbow-colored crystal to complete Cassie's shimmering crystal set. When Ord's heavy weight rocks their little boat and they all fall into the water, he's sad because he fears they'll have to continue on their adventure without him. The gang solves the dilemma by crafting a bigger, Ord-size boat and off they go again."
Occult references: "The group sets sail for Rainbow Canyon in search of a special rainbow-colored crystal to complete Cassie's shimmering crystal set" - Note the three New Age terms in this one sentence: rainbow, color (as in color therapy), and crystal.
12) Follow the Dots/Wheezie's Hairball Air Dates: 02/19/00
"During a badminton-like game of 'Whack-It-Back,' Ord hits the whistling birdie so hard that it disappears over the trees. Norm the Number Gnome presents a challenge: number and connect the 10 black dots that he scatters across the land and they'll find the birdie. Using what Max remembers from his puzzle book at home, they track down dots represented by various numbers of cactuses and watermelons, chili peppers and Dandylions, Do-Re-Mi birds and Stinky Dink bugs. When they connect all 10 in the correct order, the lines form an arrow pointing to Ord's whistler in a tree! Emmy and Max are greeted in Dragon Land by a strange orange fur ball, Zak and Wheezie's new pet, Slurpy. They're learning how to take care of him, and it isn't easy! Since he can't talk, Slurpy tries to communicate by bouncing twice and spinning around."
Occult references: 1) "Norm the Number Gnome presents a challenge" - Carol Rose (p. 128) defines gnomes as nature spirits or elementals (terms common in Wicca i.e. witchcraft). Some gnomes are able to shapeshift or morph into giants. 2) "Emmy and Max are greeted in Dragon Land by a strange orange fur ball" - this fur ball appears to be a "cute" demonic creature, like the "good" demons in the movie "Gremlins."
16) Do Not Pass Gnome/Treasure Hunt Air Dates: 02/3/00
"Emmy tells Max not to play with her yo-yo, but he doesn't listen and accidentally breaks it. In Dragon Land, an elfin fellow named Simon says he can fix it if they reach the end of a checkered gameboard path while playing his version of Simon Says. But it won't be easy because to move forward, they must follow his instructions only when they begin with the words Simon says. -Emmy reads about dragon treasures and can't wait to discover them. In Dragon Land, Quetzal shows everybody pictures of Treasure Trove and explains that it can be entered only by inserting special jewels into its magic door. He gives them the jewels along with an important instruction: be sure to bring them inside because they are also needed to unlock the exit door. But when they arrive, they're so awestruck by the beautiful sight, they forget and leave the jewels outside."
Occult references: 1) One of the two segments in this episode is called "Do Not Pass Gnome" - "gnome" is a spirit creature; 2) "an elfin fellow named Simon" - Carol Rose (p. 99) defines elves as "tiny human-shaped supernaturals who can shape shift at will."
19) The Greatest Show in Dragon Land/Prepare According to Instructions Air Dates: 02/8/00
"The kids and dragons are really excited about flying to Wonder World amusement park. When they find out Zak and Wheezie have a broken wing and are unable to fly, however, they agree to accommodate their friends by walking there instead. Quetzal sends the gang to see one of the most special sights in all of Dragon Land: the dancing crystals at Crystal Cave! He gives them precise instructions for things they must collect along the way. In a rush to make it there before sundown, Emmy dismisses the need for a map and a first aid kit. After they complete the first two instructions (with the help of the first aid supplies that Zak and Wheezie grabbed just in case), they head for Turtle Rock … but they don't know know how to get there. As Cassie gets ready to fly home to retrieve the map, Emmy begins to understand the importance of thinking ahead and suggests she bring back one more item as well."
Occult references: 1) "flying to Wonder World amusement park" - flying, another reference to astral travel; 2) "the dancing crystals at Crystal Cave" - crystals are a favorite New Age tool
22) Quetzal's Magic Pop-up Book/My Way or Snow Way Air Dates: 02/11/00
"Quetzal [Remember, Quetzalcoatl, Aztec god of creation and destruction] pulls out his special magic book that allows the kids and dragons to go inside its blank pages, where they can create and become part of tales that come to life just by thinking about them. Once inside, however, all start thinking different thoughts at once and chaos ensues. They recognize the need for taking turns and appoint Cassie director of one big story in which each will tell a small part. Now the storytelling is fun. And everyone lives happily ever after when they save the Doodle Fairy Princess from Mungus the Giant. The gang meets Chilly, a snowman who's frantically searching for his pet snow-puppy. Wheezie suggests using one of her special whistles to call Nippy because dogs can hear certain sounds that kids and dragons can't. Her friends insist her idea will never work, but Chilly encourages Wheezie not to give up -- after all, she knows more about whistles than they do. When her friends' strategies don't work, Wheezie blows her whistle in spite of their disapproval."
Occult references: This episode is full of occult concepts. 1) "Quetzal pulls out his special magic book that allows the kids and dragons to go inside its blank pages, where they can create and become part of tales that come to life just by thinking about them" - this phrase involves several major occult concepts: a book of spells and incantations, astral travel, and visualization/guided imagery....
REFERENCES TO "DRAGON" IN THE BIBLE
What does the Bible say about dragons? In the KJV translation, "dragon" is a term used almost exclusively for Satan and his demon helpers. Children in a Christian home could easily be confused when reading the Bible and seeing dragons portrayed as demonic, then viewing Dragon Tales on TV and seeing dragons as friendly supernatural beings.
Following are the KJV verses which appear to use the term "dragon" for Satan and the demons:
Psalms 91:13 - Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Isaiah 27:1 - In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
Isaiah 51:9 - Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
Jeremiah 51:34 - Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.
Ezekiel 29:3 - Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.
Revelation 12:3 - And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Revelation 12:4 - And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Revelation 12:7 - And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Revelation 12:9 - And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation 12:13 - And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Revelation 12:16 - And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Revelation 12:17 - And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 13:2 - And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Revelation 13:4 - And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Revelation 13:11 - And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Revelation 16:13 - And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Revelation 20:2 - And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.

SO NO MORE DRAGON TALES!!!!!

Source:http://www.crossroad.to/Q&A/Anime&TV/DragonTales.htm



Here is another show that is most popular with little girls......
Dora The Explorer

UH OH!!!!(SHAKING MY HEAD)

For those who are unfamiliar with the series, the plotline of each story, both on television and in books, follows a similar formula. Dora and her monkey friend named Boots (who incidentally wears nothing but boots) encounter some animal that needs help getting somewhere, and with aid of a talking map and backpack, they find directions, ready supplies, and begin their adventure. Along the way, they encounter numerous talking animals and trees, small animals who appear from nowhere to play a transitional-scene theme song, and other marvelous creatures on their enchanted romp through the (super)natural world. One common plot element involves the entrance of the villain Swiper the Fox, who inventively appears and attempts to steal something from the adventurers. However, they are usually able to foil his plans by calling out, “Swiper, no swiping!” three times in succession. After this, Swiper cries out, “Oh mannn!” and sulks back into the unmapped forest.
While watching an episode with my kids one day, it dawned on me: Swiper was being expelled with an incantation to ward off demons. Is Swiper to be understood as a demonic figure?
Since the year 2000, when the series began, Dora has been entertaining 2-5 year-old (and older) boys and girls with an exciting, though predictable, premise that is fun, educational and interactive. My favorite DVD episode is called “Dora’s Search for the Seasons”, in which Dora and Boots encounter Baby Flamingo, who, lost, wants to find his way back to Summer Lake. Dora and Boots consult the magical talking Map, who explains that in order to get to Summer Lake, first they need to go through Fall Forest, then Winter Mountain, Spring Meadow, then finally they can get to Summer Lake. This, of course, is designed for children to memorize the seasons in succession and get an idea about the kind of weather typically associated with each one. SPOILER ALERT: They eventually get to Summer Lake, where Baby Flamingo is gloriously reunited with his family, while dancing and singing breaks out (“We did it!”).
But before they can get there, they encounter Swiper the Fox, who they need to dispense with before they can continue their journey. The adventurers run into Swiper in Fall Forest after they pick some apples for the trip. Then some interesting Biblical themes spring out, but with an interesting twist. Here the creature of the forest wants to take the apples from the main characters.
Then we catch a glimpse of Swiper lurking in the background with his blue mask and gloves—and his appearance is usually accompanied by a sound best described as scratching or shaking and a distinctive sequence of keyboard notes (though not ominous sounding)—sneaking around in the background as Dora and her companions look to the audience for help. Swiper sneaks up on the explorers while we are reminded of the only way to get rid of him. We must yell, “Swiper, No swiping!” And it must be repeated, “Three times!” Along with Dora, Boots, and Baby Flamingo, every child is asked to repeat this directive. Fortunately, in “The Search of the Seasons,” Swiper is stopped after the third incantation. After this, Swiper cries out, “Oh mannn!” and creeps back into the woods.
As the Nick Jr. website indicates, the whole point of Dora the Explorer is to teach problem-solving skills:
Preschoolers are our least powerful citizens. They can’t reach the light switch; they have trouble pouring the milk on their cereal. They’re faced with obstacles throughout their day and it can get pretty discouraging. Problem-solving strategies like stopping to think, asking for help, and using what you know are modeled in every Dora show.
Indeed, children become empowered by Dora the Explorer. Children are asked to memorize directions and repeat phrases, often at disarming decibels—watching Dora’s adventures rarely coincides with quiet time. But if problem-solving skills are the desired outcome, then what problem-solving skills are children actually being taught when it comes to Swiper the Fox?
After many more viewings and readings of Dora the Explorer than I can ever count, the figure of Swiper began to seem hauntingly familiar to me. To me, a professor and scholar of the history of Christianity, I saw this problem-solving strategy of dealing with Swiper within a larger, historical contest. He is an archetypal image of the diabolical fox-spirit in the history of religions. The words to ward him off are similar in pattern to spells or exorcistic formulae used to ward off evil spirits throughout history. And not only may children be learning how best to deal with the demonic, but they’re doing so in a very sophisticated way. For Dora does not completely cast out her demon, but rather allows for its redemption.
The fox holds a peculiar place within our collective consciousness. In Aesop’s Fables, the fox is often the trickster, and a dangerous one at that. Take for example the story of the Hare and the Fox, when, after the fox invited him to experience his culinary arts, the unfortunate rabbit discovers that he is the main course. Indeed, the fox appears throughout world cultures as a trickster, often with sinister implications. The common English expression “like a fox” implies both sly and powerful; Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” made him “wanna get up and scream!”
Fox dressed as a monk in role as deceiver in a medieval bestiary. (British Library, Stowe MS 17, Folio 84r.)
Indeed, the fox is a common symbol for the evil and chaotic presence in European culture. The seventh century encyclopedist Isidore of Seville, Spain, writes that foxes “are deceptive animals that never run on a direct course, but only follow a winding path. To get food fox pretends to be dead, then captures birds that come to feed on what they suppose to be its corpse.” In some episodes, Swiper curls up into a ball to hide from the unsuspecting Dora and Boots, only to pounce on them and go for the goods they are carrying, reminiscent of this ploy attributed to the fox by medieval peoples.
Further, this deceptive nature made the fox a logical form for the devil to take on earth. In fact, for medieval Europeans, the fox was a common symbol for the devil himself. In the ninth century Life of Leoba by Rodolf of Folda, there is a story of a nun who loses the key to the church and, after looking all over for it, goes to Abbess Leoba to confess her negligence. The abbess, however, is convinced that the sister is not to blame: it is the work of the devil. So, she and the other nuns set themselves to reciting Matins and Lauds and gave themselves to prayer in order to defeat the swiper-demon through the power of God. While they were praying, they heard a sound at the door of the church, where was discovered a dead fox with the missing keys in his mouth. The abbess identified this fox as the “old enemy” himself, Satan, who transformed into a fox but was defeated by prayer. Swiper’s most demonic attributes display themselves when he is successful in his swiping, before the incantation can be repeated. “You’re too late!” the fox yells, or, mockingly, “You’ll never find it now! Ha, ha, ha!”
The formula, “Swiper, no swiping!” even has precedence in Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian demonology. In the pre-modern world, as well as in the modern magical tradition, the knowledge of a demon’s name meant the ability to have powers over it. For example, the Testament of Solomon (written before the 3rd century CE) is filled with interactions between Solomon and demons. One demon in particular, which Solomon learns is named Ornias, attempts to “swipe” money and food from the master artisan of the Temple. Once Solomon learns the demon’s name, he easily thwarts his plans.
Medieval demon in composite animal form. Notice its foxtail. (Photo: T.Marshall, Paintedchurch.org)
Demons in antiquity could also take possession of humans and run away with them. Take, for example, Mark 5:9, when Jesus meets the man who was taken by demons to the tombs in the country of the Gerasenes. Before he can properly expel the evil presence in the man, Jesus asks, “What is your name,” to which the demons replied, “My name is Legion.” It is at this point that Jesus gains control of the demons, expelling them into nearby pigs, which subsequently drown themselves in a lake. This exorcist formula has strong cultural modern resonances as well. Recall in the film The Exorcist when Father Karras first meets Regan, the possessed girl tied to her bed, and asks the name of the person inside her: “I am the Devil, now kindly undo these straps!” Of course, Dora already knows the name of her “demon” and so they can easily repel Swiper with the command to stop before he can swipe anything—and no one needs to commit suicide by jumping from a bedroom window. Recall, too, in The Exorcist the dramatic repetition of the formula, “The power of Christ compels you!” which was effective for expelling the Babylonian Pazuzu demon from Regan. Although Swiper needs much less repetition to be expelled, the sacred words are no less effective.
However, there is also a sympathetic view of the fox in the middle ages, as seen in the twelfth century French romance, Le Roman de Renart, aka, Raynard the Fox, who is a trickster character praised for his cunning for getting out of tight situations. Nevertheless, he often resorts to deception to get his way, and thus his association with demons is always right below the surface of the narrative. Swiper, like Raynard, is a lovable but conniving character.
Japanese Oinari shrine with fox-spirits represented.
The fox is a potent trickster figure in Asia too. The fox-demon, húlijīng, is common in “Liao Zhai” tales in Chinese folklore, where they terrorize the countryside with their shape-shifting powers. They are sexual vampires, often blamed for stealing the sexual energy of monks, both male and female. Japanese fox-spirits, kitsune, appear in many stories as bringers of havoc. They mainly attempt to trick their prey using their ability to take many forms. As late as 1995, the New York Times ran a story about a man who was considered by the inhabitants of his small Japanese town to have been killed by a fox-demon after he beat a fox to death for wreaking havoc on his property and threatening his livestock. Western-trained doctors maintain that he most likely died of natural causes, but his neighbors would have none of such theories. Foxes are not always evil in Japan, however. They are also protective deities whose images are depicted in domestic shrines in honor of Oinari, the god of rice—the fox is this god’s messenger protector. In fact, the Asian tradition regarding foxes is one of great ambivalence, lacking the distinct dichotomies of good and evil beings so common in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Swiper, too, is somewhat ambivalent as portrayed in the cartoon.
While researching this article, I asked an expert—my oldest son, who is five—for his opinion.
“So, is Swiper a bad guy?” I asked.
“No,” he answered, “Just when he’s swiping.”
“Why does he steal stuff from Dora?”
“He doesn’t steal!” he clarified. “He swipes!”
“Oh, yeah. He swipes!” I could sense his disgust in my ignorance. I should have realized it was a poorly phrased question.
“Why does he swipe?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is he scary?” I asked.
“No.”
It is obvious that my son is just showing off his keen analytical skills and attention to the cultural import of this familiar yet novel embodiment of the fox in the historical record.
It turns out that the unanswered and mysterious motivations for Swipers’s swiping were built into the show. In a howstuffworks.com interview with the show’s creator, Valerie Walsh, Swiper’s role is explained:
Swiper is a one-dimensional character. You don’t know why he steals, and we did that on purpose. Kids this age are learning about more complex thinking. The emotional and psychological reasons behind someone being bad have to be explained so thoroughly that we didn’t want the back-story…. We’ve had this discussion with advisors who wanted us to get into the motivation behind Swiper’s bad behavior. We decided that it’s cleaner without it. Similar to villains in fairy tales, we don’t get into the why.
Leaving this opening led me right in: that’s just what the demonic spirit, in this instance the fox-demon, does.
At first I thought my son’s insistence that Swiper does not steal but swipes was meaningless semantics. However, his insistence on the distinction appears to be an important one. We all know stealing is bad, but swiping? As the typical Swiper narrative shows, his swiping is easily foiled by the incantation, “Swiper, no swiping!” Also, even if Swiper does swipe something from Dora and Boots, it turns into an adventure in which our heroes, as my son informed me, are always able to get their stuff back. Swiping is an offence of a different order. It is undoable, impermanent, and unthreatening.
My son’s response to whether Swiper is scary or not is also insightful. It seems most children view Swiper more as an ambivalent, even friendly figure, rather than a menacing one, such as the Smurfs’ Gargamel or Inspector Gadget’s Dr. Claw. Indeed, Swiper is marketed as one of the main characters in Dora’s universe. One can purchase stuffed, plastic posable, and helicopter-equipped Swipers, along with books, CDs, and DVDs that showcase this important character of Dora the Explorer cosmology.
It’s not clear whether the creators of Dora the Explorer were thinking about this rich demonological tradition when they created Swiper—they did not need to. The image of the fox-demon has molded our religious consciousness for centuries. Dora the Explorer provides a wonderful opportunity to engage children in the enchanted worldview in which the universe is alive and communicates to us, and they can control it through the power of words. But Dora is not content to simply relegate the fox to the dark wilderness. Indeed, Dora’s demonology is not about absolute evils, but of the redeeming quality of all life, even pesky demon-foxes. On several occasions, Dora and her friends help Swiper to get out of traps and other sticky situations, showing grace and compassion even for such a historically maligned creature. Swiper, we discover, is not as evil as he thinks he is, but welcomes Dora’s help and evens learns the value of compassion.
The theological position that even the Devil and his demons will be saved with the death and resurrection of Christ has gathered dust on the cutting-room floor of early Christian history. The otherwise celebrated Christian theologian Origen of Alexandria, who died in AD 254, held this position. For Origen, the mercy of God extended to all creation. Salvation for all, including the demonic, allows for a view of the world in which no beings should be excluded, thus being more tolerant of even the most extreme differences in the world. I wonder what our history might have looked like if the Western traditions had adopted the concept of the salvation of the Devil. It would certainly have been more difficult for these groups to justify the destruction of “evil doers” in its midst.
Through such portrayals, perhaps children might see that such “demonic” presences are not absolutely evil, but have a value and worth beyond simply being ostracized and counted as “other”. We tend to use the power of words today to demonize rather than exorcise. If we could get children to treat all such “old enemies” with compassion and understanding, they might indeed understand one of the central tenants of the Christian tradition, unfortunately lost by the most “pious” among us: “Love thy enemy.” Then, perhaps, we adults may all learn from our children to do the same to our foes, whether we conceive of them as demonic or not.





Source:http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/swiper-no-swiping-the-demonology-of-dora-the-explorer

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CNN) — James Cameron’s completely immersive spectacle “Avatar” may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.


On the fan forum site “Avatar Forums,” a topic thread entitled “Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible,” has received more than 1,000 posts from people experiencing depression and fans trying to help them cope. The topic became so popular last month that forum administrator Philippe Baghdassarian had to create a second thread so people could continue to post their confused feelings about the movie.
“I wasn’t depressed myself. In fact the movie made me happy ,” Baghdassarian said. “But I can understand why it made people depressed. The movie was so beautiful and it showed something we don’t have here on Earth. I think people saw we could be living in a completely different world and that caused them to be depressed.”
A post by a user called Elequin expresses an almost obsessive relationship with the film.
“That’s all I have been doing as of late, searching the Internet for more info about ‘Avatar.’ I guess that helps. It’s so hard I can’t force myself to think that it’s just a movie, and to get over it, that living like the Na’vi will never happen. I think I need a rebound movie,” Elequin posted.
A user named Mike wrote on the fan Web site “Naviblue” that he contemplated suicide after seeing the movie.
“Ever since I went to see Avatar I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na’vi made me want to be one of them. I can’t stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it,” Mike posted. “I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in ‘Avatar.’ “





Other fans have expressed feelings of disgust with the human race and disengagement with reality.
Cameron’s movie, which has pulled in more than $1.4 billion in worldwide box office sales and could be on track to be the highest grossing film of all time, is set in the future when the Earth’s resources have been pillaged by the human race. A greedy corporation is trying to mine the rare mineral unobtainium from the planet Pandora, which is inhabited by a peace-loving race of 7-foot tall, blue-skinned natives called the Na’vi.



In their race to mine for Pandora’s resources, the humans clash with the Na’vi, leading to casualties on both sides. The world of Pandora is reminiscent of a prehistoric fantasyland, filled with dinosaur-like creatures mixed with the kinds of fauna you may find in the deep reaches of the ocean. Compared with life on Earth, Pandora is a beautiful, glowing utopia.
Ivar Hill posts to the Avatar forum page under the name Eltu. He wrote about his post-Avatar depression after he first saw the film earlier this month.
“When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed … gray. It was like my whole life, everything I’ve done and worked for, lost its meaning,” Hill wrote on the forum. “It just seems so … meaningless. I still don’t really see any reason to keep … doing things at all. I live in a dying world.”
Reached via e-mail in Sweden where he is studying game design, Hill, 17, explained that his feelings of despair made him desperately want to escape reality.
“One can say my depression was twofold: I was depressed because I really wanted to live in Pandora, which seemed like such a perfect place, but I was also depressed and disgusted with the sight of our world, what we have done to Earth. I so much wanted to escape reality,” Hill said.
Cameron’s special effects masterpiece is very lifelike and the 3-D performance capture and CGI effects essentially allow the viewer to enter the alien world of Pandora for the movie’s 2½-hour run-time, which only lends to the separation anxiety some individuals experience when they depart the movie theater.
“Virtual life is not real life and it never will be, but this is the pinnacle of what we can build in a virtual presentation so far,” said Dr. Stephan Quentzel, psychiatrist and Medical Director for the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. “It has taken the best of our technology to create this virtual world and real life will never be as utopian as it seems onscreen. It makes real life seem more imperfect.”Fans of the movie may find actor Stephen Lang, who plays the villainous Col. Miles Quaritch in the film, an enemy of the Na’vi people and their sacred ground, an unlikely sympathizer, but Lang says he can understand the connection people are feeling with the movie.
“Pandora is a pristine world and there is the synergy between all of the creatures of the planet and I think that strikes a deep cord within people that has a wishfulness and a wistfulness to it,” Lang said. “James Cameron had the technical resources to go along with this incredibly fertile imagination of his and his dream is built out of the same things that other peoples’ dreams are made of.”
The bright side is that for Hill and others like him who became dissatisfied with their own lives and with our imperfect world after enjoying the fictional creation of James Cameron, becoming a part of a community of like-minded people on an online forum has helped them emerge from the darkness.
“After discussing on the forums for a while now, my depression is beginning to fade away. Having taken a part in many discussions concerning all this has really, really helped me,” Hill said. “Before, I had lost the reason to keep on living — but now it feels like these feelings are gradually being replaced with others.”
Quentzel said creating relationships with others is one of the keys to human happiness and that even if those connections are occurring online they are better than nothing.
“Obviously there is community building in these forums,” Quentzel said. “It may be technologically different from other community building, but it serves the same purpose.”
Within the fan community, suggestions for battling feelings of depression after seeing the movie include things like playing “Avatar” video games or downloading the movie soundtrack in addition to encouraging members to relate to other people outside the virtual realm and to seek out positive and constructive activities.


Source:http://www.exministries.com/new.html