Quote Originally Posted by The Man View Post
FFX is pretty critical of organised religion but I don't think the other games are particularly anti-religious. Sephiroth and Kefka could both be interpreted as people who try to usurp the gods (well, goddesses in FFVI's case). Kefka definitely. I don't really remember there being much presence of deities in FFVII's world although it has been years since I played the game. Haven't played Tactics so I can't comment on that.
While Final Fantasy VII-1 does not mention a god per sé the Lifestream itself with its cycle of rebirth, the planet's essence which gives live to everything and where everything ends is spoken very godly of. And still it is told to be a "living being" while Dirge of Cerberus adds the explanation of Omega and Chaos being the lifestreams "messengers", who gather the rest of the life when te time has come and the lifestream has to go to another place in the universe to begin new life with Omega flying it to a new planet which life is given to. And of course Genesis also mentions the "Goddess" which is Minerva.

Final Fantasy is not "anti-god" or "anti-religion", not only that is is often based on religious themes and while Barthandelus is an exception I don't see a reason why a villains plan to surpass something greater than him is "anti-". It a pretty normal aspect in every story for a villain that he wants to become way better than all.