Aerith and her Faith

[GalaxyFlare]

Yes but debate lends it self to hearing other POV and you just said you dont care........and subsequently said you do care..........which is it?

Terra if you want debate thats fine but you cant really argue religion when it is not based in fact...........

A MUON is a sub atomic particle with about 200 time s the energy of an Elecrton thats massive and they still exist in the Electrostatic ring at less than half the planck constant or h1/2

 

[Terra Branford]

Evangelical, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist..... all have different names. All have different practices. All are Christian. The common denominator? They believe in Jesus Harold Christ. Amazingly, Catholics do to. That makes them Christian.

Did I say Catholics didn't believe in Jesus?

No, I said we have different practices and that we are different.

What in Zeus' name did I generalize? I said I've attended services in several different denominations. Not once did I say all denominations do the exact same thing.

I guess you really didn't know what we were talking about. Okay, Rydrum and I were talking about how Christians didn't have to pray with their hands together, but in any way or not at all.

And then you came in and said that they all do that and that you and Rydrum, know they all do it and that's not "hard" in your exact words, to know what Christians do.

Now, either you weren't paying attention, or you were generalizing the Christians by saying we all (as I said in my post to Rydrum) have to pray a certain way, sit in a corner and mutter his name and all that. Again, that's what Rydrum and I were talking about, and then you interrupted and came into our discussion and thought you knew what we were talking about.

I actually agree with you here. If you paid attention.

That's good. ^,^

All right, now you've stepped into my realm, missy. There are so many things wrong with that statement, I don't know where to begin.

1) The first European colonists to set foot on American soil were the Spanish at St. Augustine. Yes, that's right, SAINT Augustine. You know why they called it SAINT Augustine? Because they were Catholic.

2) The first English colonists to set foot on American soil were a part of what would become the Lost Colony founded by Sir Walter Raleigh. That had nothing to do with religion. It was simply the race for imperialism.

3) The Puritans who came over did leave/were kicked out of England because of their religious beliefs. But England was not Catholic at that time. They were Anglican. Also known as the Church of England. Which was established by Henry VIII in 1534, when he threw a hissy fit because Pope Clement VII wouldn't annul his marriage.

4) The first non-New England colony was established in Maryland by a Catholic charter.

Um I never said the Protestants were the first to step foot on the American. What the heck dude!

I never once said the Protestants were the FIRST people in America, or the FIRST religious. Jeez, all I freakin' mentioned was that its part of the reason Protestants (and as you mentioned, Puritans) came to America to practice their belief separate from Catholicism.

I don't get where you got me saying that, in my post. *scratches head*

Amazing.

Rydrum was actually making the point that you were trying to say that because Aeris prays in a certain fashion, she must be Christian, which means that only Christians have the claim to praying in the particular way that Aeris did. He was saying that anyone from any religion can pray that way. So it's not evidence of her being Christian. You're coming at it from the wrong angle.

And what I was saying, was that no other religion besides branches of Abrahamic Religion, allows for her kind of praying -- the freedom of praying by oneself, anywhere and in any fashion. Not putting her hands together, cupping them, palms together, face down or what not.

The only religions that allow that sort of prayer method, are branches off of Abrahamic Religion.

.......................... All of those things are among the reasons why some Protestant denominations consider Catholics not Christian. That's not hate, that's just fact. How you can find 'hate' in objective truth is beyond me. So please explain to me how that works.

I have to explain to you how that was offending and hateful, or how you have been? Or how you've been mocking me and my faith this whole time? I really must show and explain to you, how it was mockery and rude?

Yes but debate lends it self to hearing other POV and you just said you dont care........and subsequently said you do care..........which is it?

You know perfectly well what I had meant. You know that I meant I don't care if you have a opinion, I want to hear that, that's why I'm debating!

You are acting like I attacked you and told you can't have a opinion. That's FAR from what I've been doing. I've been bringing in evidence to support my claims and all that has been done by you to refute it, was your POV statements.

I'm getting tired of this off tangent attempts from you guys. I'm heading to bed. Enjoy yourselves guys and have a great night.

 

[CassinoChips]

I have to explain to you how that was offending and hateful, or how you have been? Or how you've been mocking me and my faith this whole time? I really must show and explain to you, how it was mockery and rude?

No, don't bother. Because A) it's not, and B) I'm done slamming my head into this brick wall.

Actually, that's kind of symbolic of the whole thread. You interpret it as being rude and mocking, when in reality it's nothing of the sort. So there you go.

tl;dr for the thread: There are many symbols and images in FF7 that resemble what we know to be Christian, but Aeris can't be Christian because Christianity doesn't exist in the world of FF7.

 

[Gingerbread Lesbian]

Unless someone has an interview that specifically states Aerith is a Christian I highly doubt she is. It's more than likely the whole point of the church, praying etc is to represent the fact Aerith is religious in general, not specifically Christian. The fact Christianity is the largest religion probably has a lot to do it with, people know that praying, churches and whatnot are a sign of religion, hence they're used. Now if Aerith suddenly gets down on her knees praying to Mecca and preaching out of the Quar'an no one has a clue what the fuck she's doing so it loses any sort of religious representation.

There's a fair bit of religious imagery in both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII too but it doesn't make them preaching Buddhas.

tl;dr: Just because Christian imagery is used, doesn't make it so.

 

[Saga]

I can't believe this discussion has gone on for so many pages to be perfectly honest. XD

I see no Christianity references when it comes to Aerith, tbph.

Aerith loves flowers. She prays to the planet and she comes from a line of wanderers. All of these can be linked to Paganism.

Now. My point is, just because there's a few little... similiarities between a religion and Aerith, doesn't automatically make her a christian.

Shiva. Whilst represented as an icy woman, is actually The Destroyer from the Hindu Religion. Would that make anyone who uses her a Hindu? No.

Leviathan. Whilst in the bible, is also a Demon Prince of Hell. Would that automatically make whoever uses him a Satanist? I don't think so.

The point is, that just because you see similiarities (yes, she has Great Gospel and she prays on her knees at one point; which btw... Is in a Temple. (does that automatically make her Buddhist or Hindu? )) doesn't make it fact. There's no religion on FFVII. So you can argue to you're all blue in the face... the fact remains.

Aerith prays to the Planet. Not to a God. There is no religion EVER mentioned in FFVII. Just because she prays, doesn't make her a Christian.

The only thing even CLOSE to being a religion in FFVII is represented by Minerva. (Roman Goddess btw!) And she's the Goddess in the Lifestream... Lifestream linked to Planet, so therefore she's tied to the Planet. Boom. Paganism again.



TL;DR ;; As they have said before me, just because you see the reference, doesn't make it so.

 

[Ultima Snake]

god guys chill out. its a point of view no need to beat the hell out of each other for it. At the end of the day there is a few references but no solid proof about aerith being a chrstian but there is no evidence to say otherwise, and to be honest where ever there is a church in any story it is a reference to a religion of some sort. either way all religions are of equal importance and should never be mocked in any way. This thread is a just question by someone who had something on there mind, no need to make it world war three so chill out peeps yeah.

 

[The Witch]

I'm too lazy to read the last posts at the moment so I'll just respond to this.

TL;DR ;; As they have said before me, just because you see the reference, doesn't make it so.

Then why put those symbolisms in the game?

god guys chill out. its a point of view no need to beat the hell out of each other for it. At the end of the day there is a few references but no solid proof about aerith being a chrstian but there is no evidence to say otherwise, and to be honest where ever there is a church in any story it is a reference to a religion of some sort. either way all religions are of equal importance and should never be mocked in any way. This thread is a just question by someone who had something on there mind, no need to make it world war free so chill out peeps yeah.

Seconded. And yeah, I agree.

 

[The Illusive Man]

We are quite calm, just some people are so zealously inclined to not see the facts that are smacking them in the face, the debate may turn up a few degrees. Its like the preverbial banging your head against a brick wall.

All we are saying is you are clearly seeing something that just isnt there at all, the proof is in the preverbial pudding and to consistently argue when the evidence is overwelmingly against you is just going to drag the debate into darker realms.

Its like people that read between the lines in every film and try to see things that are not even part of a plot, argue the toss about it, then finally buy the DVD of the aforementioned film with directors commentary, where the direction is clearly pointed out to them, yet somehow still go on about something that just clearly had nothing to do with the film.

The most ironic part for me in this conversation:

I am actually a denounced Roman Catholic, and this thread does highlight part of the reason why I turned my back on Christianity, intollerance, zealousness and an inability to accept opinions and views of others, but only believe there own words and nothing else.

Everyone has there entitlement to an opinion, that is not the part I argue, but this thread seems very much like an attempt at forcing an opinion on people, and as much as I hate to say this, and as much as I risk possibly getting in trouble, makes those people no better than the very people we are currently fighting against.

 

[Harlequin]

The game is very good. The universe the game designers created is nonsensical and shouldn't be read into this far.

Aeris tended to flowers in a Church. The word 'Church' may refer to:

- A building often used as a place of Christian worship.

- An institution.

- A body or congregation of Christian followers.

I could cite references, but I'm not going to bother. The writers obviously didn't read too far into using the imagery nor the religious connotations. There is no reference for the existence nor definition of morality in the game, it's a fantasy for crying out loud.

Aeris doesn't exist, that world in theory is flawed.

I am actually a denounced Roman Catholic, and this thread does highlight part of the reason why I turned my back on Christianity, intollerance, zealousness and an inability to accept opinions and views of others, but only believe there own words and nothing else.

Catholics may be Christian, but Christianity and Catholicism aren't synonymous.

 

[The Witch]

All we are saying is you are clearly seeing something that just isnt there at all, the proof is in the preverbial pudding and to consistently argue when the evidence is overwelmingly against you is just going to drag the debate into darker realms.

But it is there! There's a church, angels, prayers, the word gospel, crusade crosses--I'm not sure what else there should be to prove that the developers were trying to convey to the viewer that religion is what they were trying to do.

I am actually a denounced Roman Catholic, and this thread does highlight part of the reason why I turned my back on Christianity, intollerance, zealousness and an inability to accept opinions and views of others, but only believe there own words and nothing else.

Are you kidding me? Point out one of my posts where I treated ANYONE with intollerance, zealousness, or the inability to accept opinions and views of others. I fully accept that you all would rather stick to the thought that there isn't religious forshadowing in VII--unlike you all, though, I've provided proof to show that Aerith and VII, have tons of religious symbolic-themes and I've YET to have any of those symbolic themes explained.


I just do not understand why the developers would put so many religious-theme symbolisms in the game if they weren't trying to convey to the viewer that religion IS in this game.

Can I please have that explained?

Aeris doesn't exist, that world in theory is flawed.

True. It's other things like the prayers that end with catholic-type angels aiding her, the whole Gospel-thing--It's everything in the game that makes me believe the developers were trying to convey religion. If they weren't, why put that much symbolic-themed things in the game, in the first place?

 

[The Illusive Man]

But it is there! There's a church, angels, prayers, the word gospel, crusade crosses--I'm not sure what else there should be to prove that the developers were trying to convey to the viewer that religion is what they were trying to do.

Are you kidding me? Point out one of my posts where I treated ANYONE with intollerance, zealousness, or the inability to accept opinions and views of others. I fully accept that you all would rather stick to the thought that there isn't religious forshadowing in VII--unlike you all, though, I've provided proof to show that Aerith and VII, have tons of religious symbolic-themes and I've YET to have any of those symbolic themes explained.

Intollerance to accept other peoples opinions even when backed up with evidence, no matter how overwelming.

I'm done adding any input to this topic as it seems you seem to be completely unable to accept anyone elses view or opinion even when facts are laid bare in front of you, theres a good reason this thread has a "Terrible" rating.

And to add, all you have added to the topic is the same thing that has been argued to not be present in the game, seeing things that arent there, so rather than continuing to listen to dribble about something based entirely on fictional fantasy, count me out.

 

[Lebreau]

Okay, sure. They were trying to convey religion. Let's pretend I agree for now. Does that mean Aerith is Christian? I don't believe it does.

This is hopefully going to be my last post replying to this thread, unless I get a reply that I feel I should reply to. :3

The reasons I feel Aerith isn't Christian:

1) While she visits a church frequently, the church is also the only place flowers frow, and Aerith loves flowers. Look outside her house.
2) Aerith prays to the Planet and her ancestors, the Cetra, I do believe, not a god.
3) Even if there's Christian symbols, there is no mention of a few key things, as Terrible Terry Tate tried to say several times. Do we have a mention of Jesus? Nope.
4) I think the angels helping Aerith (and having her be in a church, if you insist upon saying she was there for worship) were more of a symbol of her purity than her religion.

---------------------------

Edit: Also, let's keep this on topic. We're talking about Aerith and her faith, not whether or not you believe someone to be zealous or intolerant to opinions. We're all big kids here, we can get along.

 

[Eight]

But it is there! There's a church, angels, prayers, the word gospel, crusade crosses--I'm not sure what else there should be to prove that the developers were trying to convey to the viewer that religion is what they were trying to do.

You're sounding like a broken record, you're question has been answered, people are sick and tired of answering the same question over and over again because you seem to be ignoring their answer. We're in the same place we were from at start of this thread.

It doesn't matter whether or not there is more or less referrences from a certain religion, what it connotes or symbolises isn't neccasarily religion, but y'know what, it's mainly left to you, the player to make what you want of it. If you want to make it out that the game is telling you that Aerith is Christian, then fair dos, just stop trying to state that it's a definite. We make out of it what we make out of it, and guess what, we're not making out that Christianity is in the game, so just leave us be, stop trying to put other people's opinions down, and we'll leave you with your opinion.

 

[Harlequin]

I just do not understand why the developers would put so many religious-theme symbolisms in the game if they weren't trying to convey to the viewer that religion IS in this game.

Can I please have that explained?

I'm pretty sure the developers just didn't look so far into it. No one really does when they create art. You have to remember that although FFVII was a truly seminal piece of work in how we as an audience expect a game to be, the universe wasn't too well thought out. I mean what is Mako? Is it a compound of chemicals?

The game designers weren't about to build an entire philosophy for one game. They just threw it in there.

True. It's other things like the prayers that end with catholic-type angels aiding her, the whole Gospel-thing--It's everything in the game that makes me believe the developers were trying to convey religion. If they weren't, why put that much symbolic-themed things in the game, in the first place?

It's fantastic. In the literal sense. As in 'of fantasy'. Although I'm with you on this one, I find it bizarre that someone would write in many religious references without actually acknowledging the imagery and connotations. In the end, I don't think it warrants such an analysis especially as I firmly believe the designers didn't actually mean anything by it.

 

[Ewan]

I can't believe this discussion has gone on for so many pages to be perfectly honest. XD

It's because these discussion threads that Cali likes to make are in fact "Hey guys, here is my opinion which is also correct. Who here agrees with me?" threads, where any argument that seems to refute a point can be ignored.

Anyway.

does that mean Aerith is of Christian faith?

If she was, then it wouldn't be the same faith that you hold. Jesus came to Earth, performed his miracles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2O9EnO_q-8), spent the weekend in Hell and went to Heaven. It's a fantaji world so even if there was Christianity, it would essentially be a made up version ohoho: Sorry, I couldn't resist a cheeky joke) where Jesus went to Gaia and competed against the other gods like Shiva etc. You might even say that it was... based on real life religion? Ah... that point has already been brought up several times.
I don't think Jesus would be able to take a Diamond Dust attack mind you.

I fully accept that you all would rather stick to the thought that there isn't religious forshadowing in VII

I just do not understand why the developers would put so many religious-theme symbolisms in the game if they weren't trying to convey to the viewer that religion IS in this game.

Now you've changed your position. You first asked if she was Christian and now you are defending the position that there is a religion in Fainaru Fantaji Seben.

Is there religious symbolism? Yes.
Is there a religion in FF7? Maybe.
Is it possible that religious symbols were simply to represent purity, goodness etc? Maybe.
Is it both? Maybe.
Is she a Christian as we know it? Probably not, because of what I've said above and the fact she prays to the planet etc.

You have just interpreted the symbols in your own way, as have the rest of us. I don't think you can argue that you can interpret it as a specific religion though.

/ignored

 

[The Witch]

I'm pretty sure the developers just didn't look so far into it. No one really does when they create art. You have to remember that although FFVII was a truly seminal piece of work in how we as an audience expect a game to be, the universe wasn't too well thought out. I mean what is Mako? Is it a compound of chemicals?

The game designers weren't about to build an entire philosophy for one game. They just threw it in there.



It's fantastic. In the literal sense. As in 'of fantasy'. Although I'm with you on this one, I find it bizarre that someone would write in many religious references without actually acknowledging the imagery and connotations. In the end, I don't think it warrants such an analysis especially as I firmly believe the designers didn't actually mean anything by it.

Thanks for that post. The explination makes perfect sense. That's all I was trying to point out too; the many religiously themed things in the game makes me raise an eyebrow out of curiosity.

I know many would disagree, but I still feel the developers did it for a reason.

 

[Harlequin]

I don't think Jesus would be able to take a Diamond Dust attack mind you.

What a silly post.

Of course he could. He has Auto-Auto-Life. Here's the reference:

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. - Corinthians 15:20

Pfft.. Idiot

 

[Shu]

I tried to read folks responses but to be honest a lot of the same things have been said here, and let me tell you something, I didn't think folks would feel so strongly to Ole Aerith.

Funny thing is I'm about to be the game again for the 5th time? (meaning full play through), and I don't mind throwing my overall views on this.

What faith is Aerith or closely resemble..?

Well if you think about religion in general a lot of them are oddly very identical.

Mainly though I believe her faith closely resembles Jainism/Christianity more. Spiritual energy, the meditation/praying, and the dying for others so that "holy" may be able to activate and purge the bad. If you correlate it they took some of both religion and tossed it up. I don't remember there ever being any Angels, unless you mean Crisis Core with the 1 Winged themses (Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth) or the one winged angel tune, but I don't think those were exactly "christian references."

It's more or less Earth/Spiritual Energy vs Alien (AKA Jenova). Shinra was trying to use the Promised land to harvest infinite mako, and the earth protecting itself against it with Weapons and such.

Aerith and the Ancients were more or less protectors of the promised land aka heaven in some respects, but heaven was on earth. Aerith and her kind were the ones who knew the Gospel, or the words to talk to the Earth. She could communicate, and knew what she needed to do in order to save the earth from Meteor/Jenova/Black Materia. So she was the Jesus lady in some respects, just not the kind where it would save the people from going to hell. It would only save them from a physical death, and from the earth not completely exploding and Sephiroth taking over at the time of complete world crisis.

The ancients reminds me of the Jains.

Jains hold that our universe and its laws of nature are eternal, without beginning or end. However, it constantly undergoes cyclical changes. Our universe is occupied by both living beings ("Jīva") and non-living objects ("Ajīva"). The samsarin (worldly or mundane) soul incarnates in various life forms during its journey over time. Human, sub-human (animal, insect, plant, etc.), super-human (heavenly being), and hell-being are the four macro forms of the samsari souls

Jinas are spiritually advanced human beings who rediscovered the dharma, become fully liberated from the bondages of karma by conquering attachments and aversions, and teach the spiritual path to benefit all living beings

That's all I got for now though.

 

[Terra Branford]

@Shu:
You know, I completely forgot about Jainism.

It would certainly explain her views about the planet and life.
But doesn't Jainism require a follower to detach oneself from peoples, places and personal objects?

I know in Jainism, owning something isn't possessive, but attachments to it are possessiveness. I can't remember correctly, maybe someone could fill in, but is that way she was willing to give up the Holy materia she carried around?

My brain is probably fried and she never tried to give it to someone >.<

I forgot about Jainism and only remember Sikhism for the Angels thing. lol

I tried to read folks responses but to be honest a lot of the same things have been said here, and let me tell you something, I didn't think folks would feel so strongly to Ole Aerith.

Aerith's awesome, so discussion about her has to hit the highs.

Catholics may be Christian, but Christianity and Catholicism aren't synonymous.

Thank you! This is what I've been trying to say, but everyone seemed to have thought I said Catholics don't believe in Christ. >.>

I am actually a denounced Roman Catholic, and this thread does highlight part of the reason why I turned my back on Christianity, intollerance, zealousness and an inability to accept opinions and views of others, but only believe there own words and nothing else.

No one has be intolerant to you, your opinions and heck, if you have one, a religion. Quiet the opposite actually. Mockery has been going on, but I assure it, not toward you or where you stand.

No, don't bother. Because A) it's not, and B) I'm done slamming my head into this brick wall.

Actually, that's kind of symbolic of the whole thread. You interpret it as being rude and mocking, when in reality it's nothing of the sort. So there you go.

tl;dr for the thread: There are many symbols and images in FF7 that resemble what we know to be Christian, but Aeris can't be Christian because Christianity doesn't exist in the world of FF7.

Let me mock you, your opinions and your intelligence and see where it goes.

You freaked out over a me saying "major in Linguistics" when it wasn't even directed at you. You misunderstood and freaked out, so I wonder how you'd react to mockery and straight up insults.

It's because these discussion threads that Cali likes to make are in fact "Hey guys, here is my opinion which is also correct. Who here agrees with me?" threads, where any argument that seems to refute a point can be ignored.

Actually, it was a thread meant for debating and discussions. :/

 

[Daenerys]

Thanks for that post. The explination makes perfect sense. That's all I was trying to point out too; the many religiously themed things in the game makes me raise an eyebrow out of curiosity.

I know many would disagree, but I still feel the developers did it for a reason.

Yes. There ARE religious themed things in the game, but, as I explained in my last post, they aren't in the game to show Aerith is a Christian, but to show that Aerith is a very spiritual person. I maintain that they chose Christian images to show this as the developers were aiming for a Western audience with FFVII. A buddhist temple, a Mosque or a Synagogue would look out of place in Midgar. By making it a Church, it has all the connotations of being a "sacred" place.

Also, Aerith doesn't say it's a Sacred Place because of it's relationship with God, but because it's the only place flowers can grow in Midgar.

Flower Girl: That's all right. The flowers here are quite resilient because this is a sacred place. They say you can't grow grass and flowers in Midgar. But for some reason, the flowers have no trouble blooming here. I love it here.

If it was important to her, religiously, she would have mentioned. She loves the Church because of the fact flowers can grow, and because it's the only place in Midgar she can hear the lifestream.

I'm too lazy to read the last posts at the moment so I'll just respond to this.

Then why put those symbolisms in the game?

To appeal to a Western Audience, and to show that Aerith is a spiritual person. By meeting her in a church, seeing her pray and having her summon angels shows that Aerith is on a higher spiritual plane to the other party members.

And, let's be realistic here, if there was Christianity in the game, there would be other places of Worship in the game, would there not? Most towns would have a Church, or some other place of religious worship. And, if Christianity existed in the game, then the Church wouldn't be derelict, run down, and half-destroyed. Especially with all the suffering going on in the slums, since, in times of need, people often turn to religion. Unless, as I suspect, religion doesn't exist in the game. Because it's a fantasy world, and real-life concepts cannot always apply.

But it is there! There's a church, angels, prayers, the word gospel, crusade crosses--I'm not sure what else there should be to prove that the developers were trying to convey to the viewer that religion is what they were trying to do.

Again, I maintain that all these are just to show that Aerith is on a higher spiritual plane than the other party members, as she is the ONLY one who can speak to the Planet. Just because one religions symbols are used in the game, doesn't mean that the religion exists in the in-game universe.

Aerith explicitly states in the game that she is praying to the Planet. To the Lifestream. By making the Church the only place Aerith can hear the Planet (at first) the player will think "Oh, that makes sense, since it's a Sacred Place"

Aerith: I, I only heard it at the Church in the Slums.

This doesn't mean Aerith is a Christian though, since she doesn't pray to God, or Jesus. She explicitly states that she speaks to the Planet. Yes, there may be allusions to Christianity, but the very fact that she doesn't pray to the Christian God should be proof enough that she isn't Christian.Claiming that because the game uses Religious symbolism must mean Aerith is a Christian would be like claiming a character wearing a Burkha must be a Muslim. You CANNOT apply real life concepts to a fantasy world all the time. I cannot stress this enough. This is a video game, it's a device many people use to forget the Real World.

In my opinion, Aerith is a Spiritual, not religious character. Although, she could be interpreted as a metaphor for Jesus - she heals the sick, she can speak to the Planet and the lifestream - the thing that is stated, in game, to be the giver of life and the thing that created the planet - much like how God is described in most religions.

Yes, there are religious symbols in the game. However, I think this was deliberately chosen by rhe developers, not to show the existence of Christianity - since Aerith seems to be the ONLY observer of anything religious in the entire game universe - but so the player will link their Holy symbols with the fact that Aerith is a very spiritual character. In real life, the Church is seen as a sacred place, so Aerith calling the Church in the slums a sacred place will make sense to the player. The use of Angels shows Aerith has access to some divine power that the rest of the party cannot fathom, since she's an Ancient.

Aerith also explicitly states that she is praying towards, and communicating, with the Planet. Not God. The Planet. That alone should be enough to show that, yes, there may be MANY similarities between Aerith's way of life and Christianity, but Aerith herself is NOT a Christian - most likely because the concept of Christianity simply does not exist in the game's universe.