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mean, what I'm asking is not too hard to do. People who read my discussions in this forum about religion and whatnot can see that I'm rather outspoken about my disdain towards any sort of religious organization... but somehow, I didn't feel compelled to even think about atheism or whatever religion I hold while I was watching the series. The fact that you are makes me think that you're really having difficulties seeing the piece as a merely fictional one, or for some reason want to plunge in your convictions wherever and whenever you have the chance to.
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The pathways in my brain run a certain way and whenever anything needs to be interpreted they must travel these pathways. It is utterly impossible for me to view anything and not bring elements of yourself into it. Atheism is part of my worldview, it's what I grew up with and I'm not consious of it when I make my every decision and react to stimuli. Likewise, I'm not completely conscious of how my metis, male, lower middle class status affect my every decision. You're doing the same, you just aren't aware of it.
t is nothing to do with actually thinking about your religion or lack there off while watching anime. I can't remove it no matter what I do, that is how I see the world. The best I can do is be aware of it, and try not let it temper my interpretation too much. What you are saying is like I'm intentionally holding up atheist ideas to interpret the anime. Some antropologists years ago even tried being psychoanalysed before doing their research in an attempt for a neutral viewpoint. It is utterly impossible to be a neutral spectator like you want to be. There is going to be hints of your world view present no matter how hard you try. I interpreted it a certain way and why I interpreted it this way was, in part, because of my atheism, not the other way around.
Whether you are aware of it or not you are viewing this anime through several lenses, some of which you are aware of and some that you are not.
Simoun was left vague for a reason, and that was for us to come up with our own answers not try to decipher them by who made the anime and when they grew up. If they wanted us to have one intepretation it would have given us concrete answers.