Religion in Superman

[quade 3]

What would you do if you found out Superman was really Mohammed?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Lefty 0]

quade

What would you do if you found out Superman was really Mohammed?

Riot and vow to kill all infidels, of course.

Provoking a reaction isn't the same thing as saying something meaningful.
-Calvin

[quade 3]

I'm asking what YOU would do. No projecting. YOU.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[muff528 3]

quade

What would you do if you found out Superman was really Mohammed?

Well, that would rule out kryptonite for the Kaaba meteorite. (IDK, maybe that would rule it "in". )

[Lefty 0]

quade

I'm asking what YOU would do. No projecting. YOU.

Oh, I suppose I'd chuckle and make myself a fruit smoothie while listening to news reports of rioting and vowing to kill all infidels. Trying to eat healthier.

Provoking a reaction isn't the same thing as saying something meaningful.
-Calvin

[normiss 622]

Insha'Allah.

[Skyrad 0]

quade

What would you do if you found out Superman was really Mohammed?

Congratulations for the most random question I've ever heard That really is bizarre.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[quade 3]

Skyrad

Congratulations for the most random question I've ever heard That really is bizarre.

Actually, it's not. Have you seen the movie?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[winsor 186]

quade

What would you do if you found out Superman was really Mohammed?

Wage jihad against the studio for his portrayal, of course.

[dmcoco84 4]

quade

***Congratulations for the most random question I've ever heard That really is bizarre.

Actually, it's not. Have you seen the movie?

Well, what's in the movie?

[ryoder 1,387]

...Able to leap tall minarets in a single bound...

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[ryoder 1,387]

Now I get it: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/14/superman-coming-to-a-church-near-you/

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[jcd11235 0]

ryoder

Now I get it: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/14/superman-coming-to-a-church-near-you/

That makes sense!

Now, if only I could understand why trying to open blogs.cnn.com links crashes my browser …

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[normiss 622]

Because your computer works with logic.

[riddler 0]

Quote

"Any pastor who thinks using `Man of Steel Ministry Resources' is a good Sunday morning strategy must have no concept of how high the stakes are, or very little confidence in the power of God’s word and God’s spirit," writes P.J. Wenzel, a deacon and Sunday School teacher at Dublin Baptist Church in Ohio.

Growing up in a Baptist church, this is exactly what I would expect a Deacon to say publicly. At his pulpit today and next Sunday, you can expect Hell-fire and brimstone.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[dmcoco84 4]

quade

What would you do if you found out Superman was really Mohammed?

Truth, Justice, and Durka Durka Mohammed Jihad!

Sounds like a good movie.

[Skyrad 0]

quade

***Congratulations for the most random question I've ever heard That really is bizarre.

Actually, it's not. Have you seen the movie?

No, I don't think the new one is out over here yet.. Now I am intrigued.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[Skyrad 0]

ryoder

Now I get it: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/14/superman-coming-to-a-church-near-you/

Ok, I see where Quade is going with this now I think.. The one big difference is that unlike in Christianity the Prophet Muhammed is seen as just that, a Prophet and a mortal man. In fact to the point where the Saudi government has destroyed all earthly relics of him, his home buildings etc so that he isn't worshiped. So although its an interesting question I'm not sure that you're comparing apples with apples here.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[nigel99 144]

Back when I was a kid, I remember my parents discussing the parallels between Superman and Jesus. There was actually alot of common elements.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[mr2mk1g 10]

Skyrad

******Congratulations for the most random question I've ever heard That really is bizarre.

Actually, it's not. Have you seen the movie?

No, I don't think the new one is out over here yet.. Now I am intrigued.

Yeah, it is. I got dragged to it on Friday. And you probably have 'seen it'. It's essentially the same plot line as Superman 2 or something from the Christopher Reeve days. Superman is just a normal baby from a normal bloke who happens to live in a different star system. He's fired across space in a pod and lands on earth. Because of Earth's air quality and the greater radiation output of the sun, he happens to have super powers here which he would not have at home.

There's one line in the film where his dad say's he'll be a god to earths in habitants.

I'm afraid I don't 'get' Quade's question against the backdrop of the film / Muhammed story. Superman isn't a god or even the prophet of a god. He just has certain physical attributes consequent on unremarkable, scientifically explicable phenomena. Whilst the outcome is quite remarkable super powers, it's portrayed as essentially just being the inevitable outcome of biology and physics.

He's sent to earth by an ordinary Joe Schmoe. He is however sent with a view, at least in part, of bettering humanity, so I guess there's a bit of a prophet like motivation to the action.

I guess you could put the two story lines aside and answer the question, but I don't think the two story lines can be reconciled with one another the way I *think* Quade is proposing. Superman's not on earth to bring the revelations of the one true god to earths populous. Muhammed couldn't, to my knowledge, fly.

[winsor 186]

I think he is just another Democrat.

[quade 3]

A lot of people "don't get" irony nor subtext.

Here's what has happened, according to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman, he originally started out in the comics as the flipped version of Flash Gordon. Rather than being a human who ends up a fish out of water on an alien planet, he was an alien who ended a fish out of water on Earth. Different planet, different gravity, etc. and he gets super powers. Simple. Because Siegel and Shuster were Jewish, it's highly unlikely they ever considered Superman as Jesus.

Though the 40s, 50s, and 60s you don't see a whiff of it. None. Not in the comics, movies or TV shows.

If you looked closely enough, there was a single shot in the first 70s film staring Christopher Reeves where he pauses for a brief second in the crucifixion pose. Since then the "Superman is Jesus" thing has slowly entered the mythology. Always deep in the background subtext.

With this new film they've done everything but actually call him Jesus.

What I find surprising is even with the media hype, admitted intention by the director, Zack Snyder, and overt dialogue, a large number of viewers still don't make the connection. On Saturday I had an extended conversation with a friend who hosts a podcast about movies. He had just seen the film and I brought up the question if the Jesus stuff was over the top. At first, he denied the connection and thought I was making things up! I showed him article after article on the subject and he still denied it! I finally showed him an interview with the director who says it's all intentional. His mind began to crack. I ran down the dialogue again . . . finally he saw the light.

But, here's the interesting thing, he then got extremely defensive saying it was ONLY a good thing. He didnt see the downside of mashing the two stories together. He didnt see the subtle brainwashing. He didnt see the implication of Jesus going together with "Truth, Justice, and the American way." He got angry at the suggestion it could be taken the wrong way by other cultures and that America could be seen as being taken over by religious fundamentalist to such an extent that even our secular superheroes had now become . . . Jesus.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[quade 3]

winsor

I think he is just another Democrat.

Actually, that's in the film too as well as evolution vs religion.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[rehmwa 2]

quade

But, here's the interesting thing, he then got extremely defensive saying it was ONLY a good thing. He didnt see the downside of mashing the two stories together.

good thing or bad thing, surely no movie ever in the history of time has had social messages, or social manipulation ever woven into the plot or visuals

this must have been the first time EVER

and, certainly, the total lack of progressive messaging and brainwashing is completely absent in today's cinema

better get the pitchforks and outrage going here, someone might actually see the context of a movie

next thing you know, regular TV shows, etc will have things like pictures of the current or former presidents on people's walls just randomly, or the ratio of gays, or bumbling males will be vastly overrepresented (vs actual population ratios) in TV shows and commercial

oh, the horror

(I'm not a fan of it myself, but it's silly to be upset at one movie when the overwhelming application is so incredibly present, and even counter culture to this one movie's sneaky little background color)

I'll still see the movie, the review aren't that great yet (perhaps this is partly why since the subtle message isn't PC pandering?) - and, like pretty much everything else I've seen lately, I'll have to ignore the crap hollywood sneaks in and try to enjoy the primary plot.



In essence, you are saying, like Ann Coulter, "Shut Up and Sing"??



Finally - if anyone gets to be Jesus, then it's Chuck Norris - He gets to be anyone he wants to be.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[quade 3]

rehmwa

good thing or bad thing, surely no movie ever in the history of time has had social messages, or social manipulation ever woven into the plot or visuals

this must have been the first time EVER

Not my point at all. Many good and bad stories in the history of film have contained subtextual messages. "Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe" (Narnia) is an example. "His Dark Materials" (Golden Compass) is a precise counter. Both are understood from the get go as allegories and it was the intention of both authors.

Very few stories have turned a completely secular Superman into Jesus. That's a very different thing altogether.

So, what are the implications of that?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver