The Dark Side of Pikachu

There are people who don't like Pokemon, and then there are people who really don't like Pokemon.

Sometimes they even make headlines.  Mark Juvera, a children's pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., nabbed national attention in August when he took a sword and soldering iron to Pokemon merchandise in front of dozens of kids during one of his church services.  While he says the whole thing's been blown out of proportion (newspaper reporters claim he used a blowtorch to incinerate trading cards, when he really just singed them with the iron), Juvera readily admits to bringing his wrath down on Pokemon.  "We do have a sword, which is symbolic of the word of God," he told us," and we struck a stuffed animal-that Pikachu guy-with it.  The sword isn't sharp, and since Pikachu is soft, we didn't cut it.  We only struck it one time and then ripped it apart so no one could take it from the trash."

Juvera said he gave little thought to Pokemon (his 9-year-old son had even amassed more that $400 worth of games and toys) until he read an e-mail on the evils of Pikachu and his ilk.  "I learned it can be stepping stone toward other role-playing games like Magic the Gathering," he said.  "And I saw that one of the videos is titled 'Psychic Friends.'  When it starts talking about the ability to use psychic power, magic and things like that, well, all that's totally opposite of what we Christains believe."

Juvera's son has stopped playing with Pokemon, and the pastor thinks he has other kids thinking twice about the pocket monster craze, too.  "I had one girl in the service tell me that they're not allowing Pokemon in her public school anymore."

In fact, several schools across the country have banned Pokemon cards and the Game Boy games.  They're too distaracting, say some teachers, while others fear that bigger kids are bullying younger ones into unfair Pokemon trades.

Cripes-and we thought it was bad when they just took our lunch money.