Hollywood makes a grab for the Christian dollar; compares Superman to Jesus

[compl3x]

GO forth and tell thine flocks to pack cinemas for the latest Superman blockbuster, Man of Steel.

That?s the essence of an aggressive marketing campaign by Warner Bros to get faithful bums on seats for their newest offering.

 

According to this report, it has set up a special ministry resource site touting a nine-page pamphlet entitled Jesus ? the Original Superhero, intended to help pastors base sermons in which parallels can be drawn between the fictional antics of Jesus and those of the Man from Krypton, played by the hunky Henry Cavill .

 

The movie studio even asked a theologian ? Pepperdine University professor Craig Detweiler  ? to provide the sermon notes for pastors. The notes pose the question:

 

How might the story of Superman awaken our passion for the greatest hero who ever lived and died and rose again?

 

The spiritual themes in Man of Steel are abundant, Detweiler said, and his notes enable Christians to thoughtfully engage with pop culture instead of shunning it:

 

All too often, religious communities have been defined by what they?re against. With a movie like Man of Steel, this is a chance to celebrate a movie that affirms faith, sacrifice and service.

 

Detweiler writes in the sermon notes:

 

What Jesus and Superman both give us, through their `hero? actions but also their `human? actions ? is hope.

 

Continue Reading

 

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

This is not the first, nor the last film to do this.

 

And to be perfectly frank, the link between superheros and deities is painfully obvious.  Particularly with Superman/Jesus.  Many studies have been written on it.

 

I would suggest the resources site exists to steer sermons not into preaching wrongful ideas about the film.

[TPreston]

Can we have a remake of the orignal superman where he only saves his followers and sends everyone who dosnt worship him to hell ?

[Torolol]

The Jesus are being DRMed by Hollywood

[Growled Member]

That seems a bit silly, to me anyway. 

[compl3x]

I guess cynically using Jesus to make a profit really doesn't bother Christians all that much.

[+Raze Subscriber²]

I guess cynically using Jesus to make a profit really doesn't bother Christians all that much.

 

They do it every Sunday when they pass the basket.  ;)

[Ian W]

Can we have a remake of the orignal superman where he only saves his followers and sends everyone who dosnt worship him to hell ?

That's not quite correct. According to the Bible, the punishment for sin (transgression of the Law) is death. Christ died to save the transgressors, with the sacrifice becoming effective through the faith which appropriates it.

 

[Nomad_]

Man of Steel was one of the worst movies I have ever seen, over 2 hours of mindless violence.

 

 

[TPreston]

That's not quite correct. According to the Bible, the punishment for sin (transgression of the Law) is death. Christ died to save the transgressors, with the sacrifice becoming effective through the faith which appropriates it.

Right so in other words he only saves his followers and sends everyone who doesn't worship him to hell, thanks.

[Praetor]

I guess cynically using Jesus to make a profit really doesn't bother Christians all that much.

way to put everything in the same basket. :/

[MindTrickz]

What are the similarities between Superman and Jesus? Both are fictional, man made, and would die with humanity if tomorrow the human species disappeared from the face of Earth.

[compl3x]

way to put everything in the same basket. :/

 

 

I don't see too many Christians boycotting Warner for doing this, do you?

[Dashel]

Title isn't right.  They aren't relating Jesus to Superman specifically, but as nik notes..that superheroes are modern deities of sorts. (And better ones) So its a backhanded 'me too' from the evangelicals.

 

Superman > Jesus

[Hum]

I'd rather worship Superman :p

[Ian W]

Right so in other words he only saves his followers and sends everyone who doesn't worship him to hell, thanks.

As much as I would like to correct you in that regard (you completely ignored the part about the Law and sacrifice), it would be a waste of time. Note that the only reason I brought it up in the first place is because it seems that many people have a gross misunderstanding of what is written (as evident from your previous comment, comments from others, and pictures posted).

 

[jerzdawg]

I don't see too many Christians boycotting Warner for doing this, do you?

Prob because most Christians do not associate Superman with Jesus or vice versa.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Go watch Superman Returns.  When he raises new Krypton, then falls to earth in a crucifixion pose.  Then rises from the dead...

[Dashel]

I dunno, I still find those as tenuous as comparisons between Neo and Jesus.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

The comparisons between Neo and Jesus were there for all to see.  Not interpret, they were an admitted inspiration for part of the damned storyline.  Calling them tenuous is tenuous ;)

 

 

But nobody is saying Superman = Jesus.  This site is about "If you're a pastor and want to reference something in pop culture, here's a way to get your Superfacts straight"

[jakem1]

Go watch Superman Returns.  When he raises new Krypton, then falls to earth in a crucifixion pose.  Then rises from the dead...

From memory Lex Luthor also compared Superman with God or Jesus in that film. It was one of the things I disliked about the movie and I can't understand why Warner Bros. insist on linking the two and forcing religion down our throats.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

From memory Lex Luthor also compared Superman with God or Jesus in that film. It was one of the things I disliked about the movie and I can't understand why Warner Bros. insist on linking the two and forcing religion down our throats.

 

Do you think they are?  Is that an agenda of theirs?  I hadn't thought of it that way.  It did feel very "forced" when he did the Jesus-fall

[Dashel]

The comparisons between Neo and Jesus were there for all to see.  Not interpret, they were an admitted inspiration for part of the damned storyline.  Calling them tenuous is tenuous ;)

 

Well, I simply disagree on that one then.  The Bros simply took as much 'inspiration' as they could from many, many sources since they didn't have any original ideas of their own..hence why the last two were but a shadow of the first.  It asked a lot of big questions, then quickly degenerated into a mismash of many competing and boring religious nods and metaphors.  As such its a synthesis to try and combine aspects of western and eastern beliefs, and not holding up one mythos in particular.

 

There have been many Lazarus stories in human history, that isn't enough to just call it Christian. (If you can read that much into Superman Returns , you must be Christian  ;))  Hell, tell platform divers to stop trying to be a metaphor for jebus then too.

 

Links to quotes from the directors/writers?  If its 'he died for others' and striking a Jesus-Christ pose is all they have, well...I surely don't remember him saving their souls or forgiving their sins to the great spaghetti in the sky.

 

Lex comparing Supes (or superheros) with 'Gods' has zero do do with pushing a religious agenda.  They are polytheistic gods, which is much harder to reconcile for the monotheist.  In fact, its this modern return to polytheism in certain ways that belies the entire argument.

[mudslag]

Man of Steel was one of the worst movies I have ever seen, over 2 hours of mindless violence.

 

 

 

Guess that's why I loved it

[compl3x]

Prob because most Christians do not associate Superman with Jesus or vice versa.

 

 

That's not the poin... Nevermind. I don't think people are seeing the point of the article at all.