ok, here's the essay/article thing.
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The Theology of Chrono Trigger
by Verditer
WARNING: Chrono Trigger/Cross spoilers
Table of Contents
+ Introduction
+ Elements of Religion
+ Is there a God?
+ The Fear of Death
+ The Presence of Animatism
+ Why These Elements Exist
+ A Summary
+ Conclusion
+ Recommended Follow-Up
Intro
If you look around the video game industry nowadays, you
will encounter many comparisons between movies and games. This
is logical, as both are relatively recent developments in the
arts. Both had lowly, rather pointless beginnings as cheap
entertainment. However, as they grow older, they have
developed more and more into an art form. Surely movies can be
artistic. In my experience, video games are too.
While the industry is (and always will be) wondering just
how far video games have progressed towards being considered
an art form, I know this to be certain: games are certainly
becoming more artistic. Games like Rez and Cubivore are
definitely art, but games need not be incredibly abstract to
be artistic. Chrono Trigger is a work of art.
In this article I intend to address the religious aspects
of Chrono Trigger, an angle I feel has not been fully
explored. While religion and video games are not associated in
the average gamer's mind, Square has begun to incorporate
religious elements into their games. While these elements are
subtle enough to avoid offending anybody (as compared to say,
the Matrix), they are certainly worth addressing. Before I
start, I would like to apologize to anyone I may offend,
seeing as religion is (and has always been) a controversial
topic.
Elements of Religion
Before I begin, I want to identify the basic elements of
religion. That is, various concepts found in every major world
religion. Each religion has some kind of answer to calm the
fear of death, whether it is reincarnation, resurrection, or
the promise of an afterlife. There is also something regarding
how the world was created, which answers the question "Is
there a god?". There is also the inexplicable element of
Animatism, which I will talk about later. These are the basic
elements I will focus on. There are certainly more.
Is there a God?
The debate rages on: evolution, or creation? If evolution
is indeed true, then no god exists. If creation is proved
correct, a god does exist. The obvious message given in the
Chrono series is that evolution is correct. For me, one of the
most memorable moments in the series is Azala's final speech
before he, and the entire Reptite race, die. The message is
more evident in Chrono Cross, when you discover the ruins of
the Reptites' descendants, brought in from another dimension.
Clearly, if Lavos had not interrupted evolution, the Reptites
would have emerged victorious, due to natural selection. So we
are to assume that Chrono Trigger promotes the theory of
evolution.
But what of Lavos? He is obviously a god-type character.
So is FATE. This is what I find most intriguing about the
series. The thing to keep in mind here is that humans (or
similar creatures) defeat both Lavos and FATE, and that both
exist to control the human race in their own special way.
I interpret this as to say that, if a god exists, it must
rely on humans to do so. Think about it. Lavos intends to feed
on the human race at 1999 AD, and FATE was created by human
hands. The way I understand it, Chrono Trigger is saying that
gods exist inside of human minds. They are created by human
belief, and as such, they can also be destroyed by humans.
That is how I interpret this. The one flaw in this logic:
Crono time-travels via the power of Lavos, and Serge traverses
dimensions via the power of FATE. Perhaps they are saying that
Crono's and Serge's adventures never happened?
The Fear of Death
Death has always been a scary thing. If it wasn't so
scary, we would see and make many more jokes about it (very
funny ones, might I add). Ancient religion (as in Persia,
Greece, etc) always had some kind of story about a god who
died and rose from the grave, a being who defeated death,
someone who managed to avoid what lies beyond the grave.
In Chrono Trigger, the game's namesake is used to
resurrect Crono after he dies fighting Lavos. Our red-haired
hero has effectively defeated death. Thus, it would be safe
to assume that Chrono Trigger declares death stoppable. This
message is carried on into Chrono Cross, when Schala clones
herself to defeat death. Interesting how the same method is
used twice. It makes you wonder where Norstein Bekkler
learned his stuff.
So, overall, this whole series of RPGs provides an
answer to calm the fear of death: yes, death's effects can
be reversed. Schala did it, and Crono's friends revived him
too, so maybe you can do it too. I talk more about this topic
at the end of this article.
The Presence of Animatism
Animatism is the belief that there is some great force
out there that humans can tap into, and do crazy things with
(aka miracles). Polynesians call it "mana." Star Wars calls
it "the Force." This is present everywhere to some extent. I
cannot provide adequate example except to mention various
miracles performed by saints of the Catholic Church. I
suppose another good example is the desire for power,
whether it be monetary or social, in American culture. I am,
sadly, not terribly familiar with other religions outside
the two prominent in the USA, although I suspect (and with
good reason) that animatism is present outside of Western
culture.
This concept is present in the Chrono series as well.
Lavos is the source of all time-travel in Chrono
Trigger, and (if I understand correctly) the source of the
dimension split in Chrono Cross. If the latter is not true,
I will mention FATE's connections with the Records of Fate
(whoever thought a game would go so in-depth as to explain
the reasons for the save points?), and how the ordinary
citizen follows the Record of Fate to lead a satisfying
life (or so they're told).
Animatism is used quite a bit in Chrono Trigger/Cross,
as well as in other games. Coming up with a good fantasy-
based game design that does not involve magic of some sort
is very difficult, and as such, magic is present in the
battle system. It also is used to explain how the adventure
got started (the pendant affected the warp) and how Zeal
collapsed. All in all, animatism plays a strong role in many
video games lately. Perhaps that's what makes them fun.
Why These Elements Exist
Now you, the reader, may be thinking: "He must have
just made these elements up for the purpose of this essay."
Well, you've caught me red-handed, but I do have reasons for
using these three elements. I will now explain why I think
these three elements exist in religions worldwide.
First, let me give my reason for inclusion of "the
answer to the fear of death." This one is easily answered;
nobody knows what happens to you when you die. There is no
evidence as to what happens, and there sure isn't any
communication with those on the "other side" to provide us
with any idea of what to expect. This is incredibly
terrifying, as the general experience has been that
everybody dies, no matter what. One of religion's main
reasons for existence is to provide an answer as to what
happens after death. It makes living life that much easier.
Second, I will provide my reason for the inclusion of
"the question of the existence of god." This is not as
easily explained, as many people live life with the belief
that there is no god. The reason the human mind believes
in a god is to provide life with some sense of purpose.
Don't we all want that? Wouldn't you rather live life
knowing you had some task to perform? The thought that
life is pointless is a very depressing one, for certain.
Leo Tolstoy wrote about the issue, and in his autobiography,
talked about how, in his mid-50s, he was absolutely
terrified of the possibility that his existence was
meaningless.
In 'My Confession,' he writes: "I felt that what I was
standing on had given way, that I had no foundation to stand
on, that that which I lived by no longer existed, and that
I had nothing to live by....I want to know the meaning of my
life, but the fact that it is [an accident] not only gives
it no meaning, but even destroys every possible meaning."
Surely he does not sound happy.
Thirdly, I will explain my inclusion of animatism.
Surely after enough time has gone by every person grows
bored of their limited capabilities. "I wish I could jump
onto the roof of that building." "I wish I knew the future."
Religion provides people with the belief that, if they do the
right things, they can extend their abilities to do greater,
more extraordinary things. I believe 'Star Wars Ep.4'
adequately describes this.
A Summary
The overall purpose of this article was to identify the
religious messages that can be found in Chrono Trigger and
Chrono Cross, not to mention Star Wars, The Matrix, and Final
Fantasy. And it can be stated as this: "The presence of a
higher being is an illusion of the human mind, and any
tangible effects of such a being's presence are impossible."
Now I am going to explain here, but let me warn you, it will
get complicated quickly.
In the Chrono universe, Lavos has typically provided
the "power" for the animatistic effects such as time-
traveling and magic. So the game is saying that if one
existed, a god would be responsible for anything related to
animatism, such as defeating death. However, the game is also
saying that gods are illusions of the human mind, and
therefore do not exist. Therefore, the game is also saying
that a) animatism is impossible and b) death is unstoppable
and irreversible. However, animatism and "the answer to the
fear of death" are still present, because technically,
animatism is still present in some degree.
So, I will repeat the main thesis of Chrono Trigger
(I can't come up with a better word) down here, because the
original copy's buried in text up there: "The presence of a
higher being is an illusion of the human mind, and any
tangible effects of such a being's presence are impossible."
Conclusion
I wrote this article for three reasons: 1) Chrono
Trigger was my first RPG, so it has a special place in my
heart. 2) I like to write. 3) I like to think. A lot.
You can do whatever you want with this, as long as you
follow these rules:
1. The name "Verditer" is given 100% credit for
authorship.
2. Nobody makes any money off of this.
3. Nothing about this article is changed in any manner.
Well, hope you enjoyed the article. Btw, if you think
I'm wrong, I encourage you to craft your own theory about
the theology of Chrono Trigger.
Contact me: emeraldx86 @ yahoo. com
AIM: zaratite5
Recommended Follow-Up:
The Star Wars Movies - These deal with animatism
extensively.
Final Fantasy 7 & 9 - These share very similar
messages with Chrono Trigger.
The Matrix Trilogy - For same reasons as those
mentioned above.
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also, i'm working on a complete redo, so i hope to upload that in a few days. as for the typing mistakes, i guess i'm missing them. what did you notice?
verditer
