religious beliefs exclusive to the pokemon world

[uncutpokemon]

it has been suggested plenty of times in the games (though the Anime tends to avoid it a bit). back in GS there was a shrine were people worship a giant Belsprout (go figure) which i guess we can for now call "Belsproutism". also in DP in i believe was Eterna City (correct me if i'm wrong) that has a small building with a temple of worship inside. and although never said, i'm betting that their is likely a whole bunch of religions similar to our own, only it being Arceus that they worship instead of god! and plenty of others too. feel free to come up with additional beliefs, or even say what kind of beliefs you would likely have if you lived in the pokemon world.

 

[Porygon]

Arceus -Creationism
Mew- Evolutionary belief

I'm sure the Pokemon world has the same debates we do on this.

 

[Bird of Ice]

I never saw that giant Belsprout as the center of its own religon ("Belsproutism" as you suggest, uncutpokemon) but rather as a local sprit or deity who is considered sacred along with several other dieties in the pantheon of Pokemon religion.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Well, there's Suicune worship, but that seems to be followed only by Eusine.

Remember that pseudo-Buddhist temple in Enlighten Up!? With the giant golden Slowpoke?

And I wonder if the religion of Shamouti Island took off after the events of the second movie. Tobias said it was presently just a show for the tourists, but it was based off their older religion, so they could pick it up again after the movie proved Lugia was real.

 

[ImJessieTR]

And there's the meowth cult ... the people involved with the festival of the maiden (can't remember if that's what it's called, it's with the talking gastly and the dead chick) ... practically all of Ecruteak ... possible dead-worship in the ghost towns (Lavender, etc) ...

 

[Habunake]

There pretty much seems to be a habit of celebrating whatever the hell you can think of in the Anime.

Well, there's Suicune worship, but that seems to be followed only by Eusine.

I remember a girl praying for it's help in the Drifloon episode, irc.

 

[Shuko]

Remember the manga that Toshihiro Ono did of Pokemon? There was a story arc in there that involved a gigantic haunter that nearly killed Sabrina with the dream eater attack. They discovered at the end of the arc that that particular haunter had been worshipped in older times as a deity.

Seems that Poke-ligions are just plot devices, lol.

 

[Lex]

There pretty much seems to be a habit of celebrating whatever the hell you can think of in the Anime.

This seems to be the standard religious practice of Japanese citizens. They do not worship gods in quite the same way that westerners do. There are many "gods", but they are more like saints or angels than what we would think of as a god, even by Greek standards.

A common saying is that Japan is 80% Shinto, 80% Buddhist, and 80% Non-religious. That seems like an odd statement, but it approximately sums up the way that religion works over there. I would imagine the Pokemon world is not terribly different.

 

[eX.A.K.R.]

Well, you must remember that Japan's religion is traditionally a Buddhist and Shinto. "Western" religions (Christianity, Catholicism, etc.) - or rather, their stylistic influences - are a result of the west forcing Japan to modernise in the 19th century, and the younger generation happily lapping up any bit of western culture that comes into their grasp; don't forget that Japan has a lot of so-called Shinshūkyō (new religions).

I once read somewhere that the Japanese people are born as a Shinto, marry as a Christian, and die as a Buddhist; according to Wikipedia, this kind of religion practice is called syncretism i.e. practising the beliefs of several religions at once. If you look carefully, you will find edvidence of this everywhere mirrored in many other Japanese anime, and not just Pokémon.

 

[Habunake]

This seems to be the standard religious practice of Japanese citizens. They do not worship gods in quite the same way that westerners do. There are many "gods", but they are more like saints or angels than what we would think of as a god, even by Greek standards.

A common saying is that Japan is 80% Shinto, 80% Buddhist, and 80% Non-religious. That seems like an odd statement, but it approximately sums up the way that religion works over there. I would imagine the Pokemon world is not terribly differen

I was more referring to how in the Anime, particularly during the Johto fillers, Ash and Co. would come across a random festival celebrating a particular Pokemon or some other very specific event that just so happens as they pass through.

 

[Ash's Pika Pal]

Does anyone remember the cross Misty held up against a Ghastly in the first season? That could count as something.

Also, did anyone read what the statue of Dialgia/Palkia said in D/P?

Another, thing that might be eye catching is if you go into the Library you'll find some books on the legendaries (I think they mentioned how Aruces is the "creator" or something like that.) Also, in Harthome (sp) city there's a church.

 

[Jonah]

I'd imagine that the majority of the Pokeworld practices Arceism, with the other legendaries being less major gods.

@Porygon: I've always seen Arceus as having created Mew, then Mew having kids who were a little less like Mew and so on, meaning both evolution and creationism would be true.

@Ash's SOVA Pika Pal: I have it recorded somewhere, let me see...ah, here.

“...creation of Dia...giver of time...In laughter, there is tears...and likewise...The same time flows...the blessing of Dia...” - Dialga statue

“...birth of Pal...creator of parallel dimensions...Alive, yet not alive...rifts in space...To arrive in the same univer...the blessing of Pal...” - Palkia statue

 

[Lex]

I was more referring to how in the Anime, particularly during the Johto fillers, Ash and Co. would come across a random festival celebrating a particular Pokemon or some other very specific event that just so happens as they pass through.

Haven't seen those, but they are probably similar to festivals thrown for local Shinto gods across Japan.

 

[Kriegsaffe No. 9]

Some other religions one might stumble across:

Element worship. Perhaps Pokemon gyms emerged from ancient practices of elemental temples being erected at geomantically favorable locations, with students of that particular element taking up residence. The modern gym would usually be less religious in approach and more functional or studious.

Not quite a religion, but evolution stone geomancy. Get your Fung Shui all proper by arranging evolution stones in proper ritual alignment.

 

[Yamato-san]

This seems to be the standard religious practice of Japanese citizens. They do not worship gods in quite the same way that westerners do. There are many "gods", but they are more like saints or angels than what we would think of as a god, even by Greek standards.

I hear that Shinto has a god for literally everything, including man-made household objects (which explains the Kasa-obake, clearly a god of umbrellas). And with so many gods, they even freely accept the gods of other religions without contradicting their own. Obviously, with a number too insane for any human to count, several of these gods would be unnamed, unmentioned, and/or unnoticed.

 

[The Outrage]

They have a Cathedral in Hearthrome. If I remember correctly, the music stops playing when you enter it (either that or the sound is never on when I enter it)

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Yeah, but the specific religion of the cathedral isn't given.

 

[xRubyx]

I always thought that they belived in a Satanic Pikachu? They have to sacrafise people and Pokemon alike!

 

[empoleon dynamite]

with devil pokemon like houndoom and witches like misdreavus the pokemon world must centralise itself around satanism

 

[Typhlosion In Repose]

that cathedral has no purpose in the game. they could have made it important. no one says anything interesting, either.