CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

PostPosted: **Mon May 08, 2006 12:55 am**

Ok, so on Friday I picked up a copy of Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex SAC: 2nd Gig OST.

ANY Whoo I LOVE THIS MUSIC! Everything in it is beautiful,
however, sound and meaning are too different things to me, and there are two songs that I really enjoy but aren't too clear on the meaning.

The first one is called "WHATS IT REALLY FOR?" and here are the lyrics.

I'm not too sure that I can go much father
I'm really not sure things are even getting better
I'm so tired of the me that has to disagree
And so tired of the me that's in control

I woke up to see the sun shining all around
How could it shine down on me?
You'd think that it would notice
I can't take anymore
I had to ask myself
"What's it really for?"

Everything I tried to do, it didn't matter
and now I might be better off just rollling over
'cause you know I tried to hard but couldn't change a thing
And it hurts so much I might as well let go

I can't really take the sun shining all around me
Why would it shine down on me?
You'd think that it would notice
I no longer believe
Can't help telling myself
"It don't mean a thing"

I woke up to see the sun shining all around me
How could it shine down on me?
Sun shining all its beauty
Why would it shine down on me
You'd think that it would notice
I can't take anymore
Just had to ask myself
"What's it really for?"

the choruses, confuse me. What is the Sun she is talking about? Is that Sun really God? (When she sings I no longer believe) that kinda worries me.
I really like the sound of this, but like I said, the meaning is important.

The next one is also confusing and slightly iffy...it's called "Living inside the Shell" and here are it's lyrics.

Roaming inbetween the worlds of sleep and awake
Seems so far away from where I've been and untrue but unafraid
Intrusting -- my soul -- I know I must be taken to see the world that is
Not so far from now

Imaginations come and sweep the shores of my mind
Letting it be, visions pass, and emotions arise--
Letting them go, and beyond are doors I've never seen, opening one by one

(Wake up and show the light, wake up the time is right)
I hear a voice, hear a voice calling out to me
Look inside, see the light now ever holding you
All the truth is all you need to make of your reality, its right here
Look deep within your shell

Finding out a galaxy of planets and stars within me
Listening to each of them singing the same silent melody
I've never seen such beauty in possibility -- no speck of doubt or fear

(Wake up and show the light, wake up the time is right)
I hear a voice, hear a voice calling out to me
I see inside, see the light now ever holding me
All the truth, all I need to make of this reality it's -- beauty within the shell

(Wake up and show the light, wake up the time is right)
I hear a voice, hear a voice calling out to me
I see inside, see the light now ever holding me
All the truth, all I need to make of this reality, it's inside
Right here within this shell

The sandglass starts for another time's beginning from within
Cotton fields, mama's arms are gently unfolding me into the new...

(Wake up and show the light, wake up the time is right)
[Reading]
Here from behind my sight, my thoughts my mind
Show from the light
The time is right
And from the depth within show the balance
Of outer and inner harmony
Mind and heart, soul and spirit undivided
Here's where teh true strength and beauty lies
We'll see this before us with our own eyes
We'll see, with our own eyes... LOVE

(Wake up and show the light, wake up the time is right)
I hear a voice, hear a voice calling out to me
I see inside, see the light now ever holding me
All the truth, all I need to make of this reality it's -- beauty within the shell.

When I first heard this song, I only heard a clip, and it was one of the reason why I bought this CD was because I knew this would be on it. I thought it could have some Christian Like Meaning... (if you wanted to interpret that way..

But after listening to this I also realized that not only could it have A christian Meaning, it could have a really really new agey, almost buddist meaning too...

what do you guys think? AM i just uber paranoid?

thanks for your imput, it's really helpful!

IN ChRIST!
CRCHAN

PostPosted: **Mon May 08, 2006 8:05 am**

The first one does not seem to be making any reference to Christianity. I think that the sun may be in some way symbolic of life or happiness.

The second has some elements consistent with pantheism and eastern religious thought. However, it is not terribly explicit about it if that was the intent. It could easily just be poetic nonsense or vague spiritualism. You are right, though, that its tone and some of what it says do have a similarity to something like Buddhism or Hindu. Given the source, one would imagine that this was an influence at the least for the writer.

PostPosted: **Mon May 08, 2006 8:13 am**

I think the first one sounds fine. Like Steel said, I don't think it's refering to the sun as God.
I think what the song is getting at is, "How could the sun shine all around me like everything is fine, when life is feeling so pointless" that's just the way I took it.

I don't know about the second song though.

PostPosted: **Mon May 08, 2006 7:33 pm**

I second or third the notion that the first set of lyrics is not contrary to Christianity or what not (well...it is "sun" and not "son" sooo...)

As for the second, they are pretty confusing and i can't offer really any idea on what they are getting at. I like it though. Hmmm...maybe it's trying to find what is inside myself and what is beautiful? Knowing some of the lyrics usued in SAC, that theme reoccurs many times that thier ia beautifulness within everyone but we may not even be aware of it. In fact, those lyrics seem pretty uplifting and positive.

PostPosted: **Mon May 08, 2006 8:05 pm**

well, small wonder if it is Buddhist-like in meaning. Buddhism being one of the religions practiced by Japanese.

Most likely this is an Eastern spirituality yes. However that doesn't mean the songs are demeaning to Christianity. More likely the songwriter simply does not know the truth of Christianity.

Hostility to Christianity can be seen in things like Ninja Resurection.

PostPosted: **Wed May 10, 2006 9:57 pm**

OK thanks everyone! ^_^

PostPosted: **Fri Jun 02, 2006 1:57 pm**

I'm sorry, but I don't really think they took Christianity into consideration at all when they wrote the songs...they wrote them from their points of view. I would add a rant that it confuses me why so many christians think songs are christian when they aren't(Or get angry becuase they think a song mocks God that really has nothing to do with Him), but I'll skip that.

PostPosted: **Fri Jun 02, 2006 5:19 pm**

Dimmu Borgir. Those lyrics are even scary even for me with it being so anti-christian.

PostPosted: **Fri Jun 02, 2006 5:59 pm**

Zarn Ishtare wrote:I'm sorry, but I don't really think they took Christianity into consideration at all when they wrote the songs...they wrote them from their points of view. I would add a rant that it confuses me why so many christians think songs are christian when they aren't(Or get angry becuase they think a song mocks God that really has nothing to do with Him), but I'll skip that.

Well I haven't seen GitS series so I don't know if its the same as it was in the movie, but the original movie did have a lot of Christian imagery somewhat misapplied. As I recall Mamoru Oshii had been reading about Christianity and incorporated some themes, though he rejected Christianity itself.

Of course Oshii did a lot of things I think that kind of wrecked the original manga from Shirow

CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Are the meaning to these songs demeaning to Christians?`

Are the meaning to these songs demeaning to Christians?`