Christian and Spiritual Elements in Neon Genesis Evangelion - Carter Jobe

 Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of my favorite pieces of media of all time; its introspective storytelling offers insight into what it means to be human, with its diverse characters having immense depth that adds to this.

The elements of the series display themes of Christianity, with the monsters that the characters fight labeled as Angels, and being a direct creation of God and the creator of life in this world, Adam. The Human Instrumentality project is a form of mythological Apocalypse, like the Christian book of revelations, where the world comes to an end through divine means. The ideas of salvation and instrumentality are similar in that they would end all of the suffering that comes with the real world.

Beyond the action-packed battles, the show truly follows the three main protagonists and how they each engage in their own spiritual journeys. Asuka learns to control her rage, and through self-emptying, she slowly works through her ego issues. Rei faces a confusing past, and she finds who she is and how to create purpose in her life. And Shinji faces a deep hatred and insecurity for himself, which leads to him battling depression alongside the Angels. All three characters dealt with different forms of trauma, which are explored throughout the show.

In the ending of the anime, Shinji, through deep introspection, faces his problems and realizes that the world is truly in his control. He reshapes the world and life through the power of God himself, which is a metaphor for how we are in control of our own worlds, and that is how we experience it; it is ultimately up to us. He chooses the suffering of the real world over the numbness of instrumentality, which is spiritually very heavy and indicates that suffering is a valuable part of the human condition, which makes us alive and unique.

Overall, Evangelion was very touching to me, and there is a lot more one can learn about themself through watching the show.

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