I Pray for the Day

I pray for the day that the last three Japanese films are released. This is just one example of how people can use religious terminology to describe their feelings towards Godzilla, its true that when this was written there was probably no real religious intention towards the subject of Godzilla, however the use of the word to 'pray' is in the Christian sense of the word, to "commune" or "speak" to God, By praying for something it emphasises the importance of the subject. The subject matter becomes in someway divine and almost necessary to the person who is praying. If we look at Godzilla in a functionalist way there are many ways that the beast ticks many of the fundamentals that are important to a functionalist religion (http://www.hewett.norfolk.sch.uk/curric/soc/religion/funct2.htm for more information)

Those who follow the story of Godzilla do so with a plethora of many different peoples from all walks of life, however it is the activity of sharing in something "normal" that can be seen as a functionalist religious activity. threw sharing their experiences the participant legitimise there whole belief system. It would be incorrect to state that all those who follow the Godzilla story believe that the monster exists in the physical sense, but for many, what the beast represents is far more real than any message held with in an existing religious text. A functionalists view is interdependent upon those who have similar ideas or feeling towards the subject. It is a an integrated set of values. Which in this case is that of Godzilla. As Durkheim said a functionalist religion is a 'Group Mind'. And “[Religion is a] unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden – beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them.” Durkheim was not studying the affects of a cult classic, but the religions of Aboriginal culture. There is however many simularities betweemn the two very different subjects.

readhttp://www.hewett.norfolk.sch.uk/curric/soc/durkheim/durkw5.htm

Godzilla through the ages

The history of Godzilla

This first Godzilla Film 'Gojira' as he was first known was directed by Ishiro Honda and is believed to have been a reaction to the USA's use of the nuclear bomb. The monster was created to represent the nuclear treat that affected Japan and was a direct result of nuclear testing performed by the United States during the 50's. When in at Bikini Atoll, a Thermo Nuclear bomb code named Castle Bravo was tested on March 1, 1954. This led to the accidental contamination of a tuna fish trawler (Daigo Fukuryū Maru) that was covered in radio active fall out killing Kuboyama Aikichi, the boat's chief radioman.

This same test was also blamed for the adverse weather that was recorded at that time. For many Japanese felt they had become test subjects in something they had no control over. Godzilla was the creation of a nation that had been devastated by war, Japan was now policed by the USA and therefore needed a way to express the fears of the people this came in the form of Godzilla who, as a result of a later American version of the film, is now a house hold name through out the world and has gained a cult status with many followers. This blog shall also look at the development of Godzilla himself throughout the decades, the hope being that it shall show the cultural changes from Japans fear of the nuclear bomb through to the 90s ideas towards technology and the creation of 'Generation X'.

This blog will explore the ideas in more detail using, comparisons and parallels of other 'real' or 'traditional' religions. It will be possible to compare the adventures of Godzilla with those of the Greek myths, Biblical texts and Newage theories towards nature. This Blog also welcomes the interaction of those who read it and hopes for your input upon the subject. So this would consist of the first entry.

I will leave you with a question. Is it wrong to Compare Godzilla to Religions?