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-------------------------------From the shadows I strike--------------------------------- (Quote Pkm Silver) Old Man: "This is a Pokemart, they sell BALLS."
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Well, i'm off to bed.
Goodnight everyone.
Goodnight everyone.
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An English paper I wrote over the summer:
Superman, the Universal Christ.
The 1978 movie Superman was an 80 million dollar blockbuster - a phenomenon in its day. It is based on the comic book series by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who were both Jewish. The movie is about how baby Kal El, who is from the planet Krypton, arrives on Earth and grows up to be a magnificent superhero that defends Earth from the clutches of evil. Although it may not seem so obvious at first, the movie essentially retells the life of Jesus Christ for a more modern, unreligious and universal audience since it borrows many ideas from the story of Christ, while changing some of them.
In both stories, the rise of evil is depicted vividly. In Superman, the movie begins on the planet Krypton, where three criminals are put on trial by the ruling elders of Krypton. One of the criminals on trial is General Zod, a member of the Kryptonian military, who was entrusted with the defense of Krypton by the governing council. Conspiring with two other criminals named Non and Ursa, Zod was planning to overthrow the Kryptonian government and replace it with his own. The three were captured, and the council unanimously agrees to cast them into the Phantom Zone, a dimension where the damned go. This scene is extremely similar to "the casting out of Satan from heaven" (Luke 10:18) from the Bible. As depicted in the Bible, the Devil was once a peaceful and obedient archangel who became corrupt and rebelled against God. God damns Satan and the other fallen angels to Hell for eternity. This situation parallels General Zod’s and the other two criminals’ banishment to the Phantom Zone, since like Hell, the Phantom Zone is a place where the sinful face eternal suffering. By watching the beginning scenes of the Superman movie, the audience will quickly recognize that the movie upholds the doctrine that evil must be vanquished. Most people can relate to this idea, since people generally believe that the punishment of evil is necessary for ensuring peace and harmony. By replacing the Devil with a fictional evil general, this scene in Superman appeals to an audience who may not necessarily believe that Satan and Hell exists. This replacement is culturally significant because it suggests, in a non-religious context, that the modern world realizes that forces of evil need to be punished. Therefore, the modern world does not have to believe in Satan to know that evil is present in this world.
The relationship between Jor El and Kal El parallels the relationship between God and Jesus. In one of the early scenes in Superman, Jor El, Kal El’s father, discovers that Krypton is about to explode, but he is unable to persuade the Council to do anything about it. Unable to save Krypton from imminent destruction, Jor El decides to send his only son to another planet via a spacecraft. As he sends his baby away, Jor El clings to his wife and says to his son:
“You will travel far my little Kal El. We will never leave you, even at the face of death. The richness of our lives shall be yours. You will carry me inside you. You will see my eyes in your eyes. You will make my strength your own. The son becomes the father, the father the son.”
When Jor-El says this, he is saying that he and his wife will always be with his son and their son will always be with them no matter the circumstances. Specifically, when Jor El says “The son becomes the father, the father the son,” he implies that he and Kal El will work together in the same body while being separate people. This is extremely similar to the trinity concept found within Christianity. In Christianity, the doctrine of the trinity states that God is one being who exists simultaneously and eternally as a mutual indwelling of three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit (Heaven.net). In John 10:30, Jesus states, "I and the Father are one.” In other words, God works through Jesus Christ and vice versa. Even though there may not necessarily be a third person in the Jor El and Kal El’s relationship, the Superman movie adopts the religious doctrine of the trinity and takes away the religious connotations surrounding it. In other words, modern society has taken and twisted a religious concept in such a way that it is no longer about divinity. In doing so, people in the modern world appreciate a tale that is non-religious and does not offend their own personal beliefs.
Furthermore, both Kal-El and Jesus Christ had similar upbringings in a foreign world. As Krypton explodes, Kal El’s spacecraft arrives in a small town called Smallville which is somewhere in Kansas, USA on Earth. A poor and kindly couple, Jonathan and Martha Kent, find the baby and immediately adopt him as if he was their own son and they named him “Clark Kent”. Clark Kent grows up on the farm and hides his powers. Certain characteristics on Earth’s atmosphere give Kryptonians extraordinary abilities. His earth father dies from a heart attack one day when Clark Kent is still a teenager. In a sense, Jesus Christ had a similar childhood. For instance, Jesus was born in the small town of Bethlehem, had earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, who were not particularly rich. In addition, like Clarke Kent, Jesus did not exhibit that many extraordinary abilities or miracles at a young age. Also, his earth father, Joseph, may have died while Jesus was still young because Joseph is not mentioned anywhere else after the early parts of the gospels (allaboutJesus.org). Although both Jesus and Kal-El are not human, they had a human-like upbringing. Thus, they have human characteristics which can touch people on a personal level. By adapting the character of Jesus Christ in a modern day setting as done in the Superman movie, the audience will relate to it more, as opposed to the scene being based two thousand years ago in Bethlehem, Israel, which the general audience has little knowledge about. Therefore, people in today’s world relate to a setting that is from their own era more than a setting from many years ago.
In addition, Kal El and Jesus Christ had very similar missions given to them by their fathers. When Clarke Kent enters the Fortress of Solitude, Jor El appears to him saying “They (humans) can be a great people Kal El. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all—their capacity for good—I’ve sent them you, my only son.” From this quote, Jor-El says to his son that he was sent to Earth to deliver mankind from evil. At this point of the movie, Clark Kent adopts the name “Superman” and begins his quest of protecting mankind from evil. He accomplishes this action by fighting crime. Similarly, in the Bible, God states that he will send his only son to save a world that has lost its ways. In Isaiah 42:1, God says: "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.” In other words, Jesus Christ will be the torch that will guide humanity to salvation. Superman uses superpowers to assist him on his quest while Jesus Christ performs miracles in his mission. However, Jesus Christ is more concerned about saving souls, the spiritual nature of people, whereas Superman simply rescues people from physical harm. Again, this change in the adaptation suggests that people i have a preference for a non-religious story that can appeal to people who are not necessarily Christians.
Finally, both Superman and Christ sacrifice or put themselves in danger to save the people they love. In the Superman movie, Superman learns that his arch-nemesis, super criminal mastermind Lex Luthor is intent on committing "the greatest real-estate swindle of all time.” To accomplish this, Luthor hopes to cause a major earthquake in California by using two missiles. One of the missiles is targeted to hit the San Andreas Fault, while the other missile is programmed to target Hackensack, New Jersey. The California quake will cause California to slide into the ocean, and ultimately lead to many fatalities. Luthor predicts Superman to be a serious threat to his plans, so he lures him to his lair by threatening that he will gas the population of Metropolis, Superman’s newly adopted home. Luthor then finally traps the superhero with kryptonite which is the only substance Superman is vulnerable to. Despite the danger and the possibility of even dying, Superman was willing to jump into danger to try to save the people he cares for. Similarly, Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the redemptive sacrifice: the source of humanity's salvation and the atonement for sin. Superman’s sacrifice did not lead to his death whereas Jesus Christ’s did. This change in the stories, suggests that people in the modern world do not appreciate seeing a hero die. Furthermore, Jesus Christ’s death on the cross had a more spiritual connotation since he was saving people from sin whereas Superman put himself in danger to save people from dying. Yet again, this change suggests that people in modern culture are less concerned about a spiritual tale and a more concerned with practical matters.
Although Superman may share some similarities with the Christ story, Superman is not a faithful adaptation of the Christ story. The monumental difference between both stories is this: Jesus Christ is a spiritual entity where as Superman is not. Superman is merely a fictional tale which is meant to entertain an audience. However, for Christians, the story of Christ is real and holds something important in their hearts. For them, Superman is insignificant whereas the death and resurrection of Jesus holds some relevance to them since they believe the story is authentic and actually did happen. Although Superman may have been a man of morals, he was not a spiritual entity because he is not worshiped, whereas Jesus Christ is worshiped throughout the world by Christians. In other words, the Christ-Event relates to Christians personally and directly.
Studying both stories begs a person to ask why two Jews who most likely did not believe the story of Jesus Christ adapt the story of Jesus Christ. Although it may not be have been Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s intention, the Superman story modernizes the story of Jesus Christ for a universal audience. The story of Jesus Christ is only aimed at Christians or for people who are seeking truth in him. By eliminating the religious overtones and by modernizing the story of Christ, the story will appeal to a wider audience consisting of Muslims, Buddhists, agnostics, atheists, and other beliefs, since the story is not aimed for one particular audience. The popularity of the Christ and Superman stories suggests that people look up or admire someone that is extraordinary, morally perfect and hopeful. Therefore, both stories are powerful to people because they touch upon the idea that mankind is lost and needs a messianic figure that provides hope to guide them away from evil. Since this is the case, anybody can relate to the story of Superman, because everyone wishes for a savior or a person that can guide them in times of danger or darkness, even if the savior has to risk his or her life in doing so.
Bibliography
1. “The Trinity Doctrine,” www.heaven.net
http://www.heaven.net.nz/writings/trinity.htm
2. “Joseph the Father of Jesus” www.allaboutJesus.net
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/joseph-the-father-of-jesus-faq.htm
3. Holy Bible, New King James version
Superman, the Universal Christ.
The 1978 movie Superman was an 80 million dollar blockbuster - a phenomenon in its day. It is based on the comic book series by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who were both Jewish. The movie is about how baby Kal El, who is from the planet Krypton, arrives on Earth and grows up to be a magnificent superhero that defends Earth from the clutches of evil. Although it may not seem so obvious at first, the movie essentially retells the life of Jesus Christ for a more modern, unreligious and universal audience since it borrows many ideas from the story of Christ, while changing some of them.
In both stories, the rise of evil is depicted vividly. In Superman, the movie begins on the planet Krypton, where three criminals are put on trial by the ruling elders of Krypton. One of the criminals on trial is General Zod, a member of the Kryptonian military, who was entrusted with the defense of Krypton by the governing council. Conspiring with two other criminals named Non and Ursa, Zod was planning to overthrow the Kryptonian government and replace it with his own. The three were captured, and the council unanimously agrees to cast them into the Phantom Zone, a dimension where the damned go. This scene is extremely similar to "the casting out of Satan from heaven" (Luke 10:18) from the Bible. As depicted in the Bible, the Devil was once a peaceful and obedient archangel who became corrupt and rebelled against God. God damns Satan and the other fallen angels to Hell for eternity. This situation parallels General Zod’s and the other two criminals’ banishment to the Phantom Zone, since like Hell, the Phantom Zone is a place where the sinful face eternal suffering. By watching the beginning scenes of the Superman movie, the audience will quickly recognize that the movie upholds the doctrine that evil must be vanquished. Most people can relate to this idea, since people generally believe that the punishment of evil is necessary for ensuring peace and harmony. By replacing the Devil with a fictional evil general, this scene in Superman appeals to an audience who may not necessarily believe that Satan and Hell exists. This replacement is culturally significant because it suggests, in a non-religious context, that the modern world realizes that forces of evil need to be punished. Therefore, the modern world does not have to believe in Satan to know that evil is present in this world.
The relationship between Jor El and Kal El parallels the relationship between God and Jesus. In one of the early scenes in Superman, Jor El, Kal El’s father, discovers that Krypton is about to explode, but he is unable to persuade the Council to do anything about it. Unable to save Krypton from imminent destruction, Jor El decides to send his only son to another planet via a spacecraft. As he sends his baby away, Jor El clings to his wife and says to his son:
“You will travel far my little Kal El. We will never leave you, even at the face of death. The richness of our lives shall be yours. You will carry me inside you. You will see my eyes in your eyes. You will make my strength your own. The son becomes the father, the father the son.”
When Jor-El says this, he is saying that he and his wife will always be with his son and their son will always be with them no matter the circumstances. Specifically, when Jor El says “The son becomes the father, the father the son,” he implies that he and Kal El will work together in the same body while being separate people. This is extremely similar to the trinity concept found within Christianity. In Christianity, the doctrine of the trinity states that God is one being who exists simultaneously and eternally as a mutual indwelling of three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit (Heaven.net). In John 10:30, Jesus states, "I and the Father are one.” In other words, God works through Jesus Christ and vice versa. Even though there may not necessarily be a third person in the Jor El and Kal El’s relationship, the Superman movie adopts the religious doctrine of the trinity and takes away the religious connotations surrounding it. In other words, modern society has taken and twisted a religious concept in such a way that it is no longer about divinity. In doing so, people in the modern world appreciate a tale that is non-religious and does not offend their own personal beliefs.
Furthermore, both Kal-El and Jesus Christ had similar upbringings in a foreign world. As Krypton explodes, Kal El’s spacecraft arrives in a small town called Smallville which is somewhere in Kansas, USA on Earth. A poor and kindly couple, Jonathan and Martha Kent, find the baby and immediately adopt him as if he was their own son and they named him “Clark Kent”. Clark Kent grows up on the farm and hides his powers. Certain characteristics on Earth’s atmosphere give Kryptonians extraordinary abilities. His earth father dies from a heart attack one day when Clark Kent is still a teenager. In a sense, Jesus Christ had a similar childhood. For instance, Jesus was born in the small town of Bethlehem, had earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, who were not particularly rich. In addition, like Clarke Kent, Jesus did not exhibit that many extraordinary abilities or miracles at a young age. Also, his earth father, Joseph, may have died while Jesus was still young because Joseph is not mentioned anywhere else after the early parts of the gospels (allaboutJesus.org). Although both Jesus and Kal-El are not human, they had a human-like upbringing. Thus, they have human characteristics which can touch people on a personal level. By adapting the character of Jesus Christ in a modern day setting as done in the Superman movie, the audience will relate to it more, as opposed to the scene being based two thousand years ago in Bethlehem, Israel, which the general audience has little knowledge about. Therefore, people in today’s world relate to a setting that is from their own era more than a setting from many years ago.
In addition, Kal El and Jesus Christ had very similar missions given to them by their fathers. When Clarke Kent enters the Fortress of Solitude, Jor El appears to him saying “They (humans) can be a great people Kal El. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all—their capacity for good—I’ve sent them you, my only son.” From this quote, Jor-El says to his son that he was sent to Earth to deliver mankind from evil. At this point of the movie, Clark Kent adopts the name “Superman” and begins his quest of protecting mankind from evil. He accomplishes this action by fighting crime. Similarly, in the Bible, God states that he will send his only son to save a world that has lost its ways. In Isaiah 42:1, God says: "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.” In other words, Jesus Christ will be the torch that will guide humanity to salvation. Superman uses superpowers to assist him on his quest while Jesus Christ performs miracles in his mission. However, Jesus Christ is more concerned about saving souls, the spiritual nature of people, whereas Superman simply rescues people from physical harm. Again, this change in the adaptation suggests that people i have a preference for a non-religious story that can appeal to people who are not necessarily Christians.
Finally, both Superman and Christ sacrifice or put themselves in danger to save the people they love. In the Superman movie, Superman learns that his arch-nemesis, super criminal mastermind Lex Luthor is intent on committing "the greatest real-estate swindle of all time.” To accomplish this, Luthor hopes to cause a major earthquake in California by using two missiles. One of the missiles is targeted to hit the San Andreas Fault, while the other missile is programmed to target Hackensack, New Jersey. The California quake will cause California to slide into the ocean, and ultimately lead to many fatalities. Luthor predicts Superman to be a serious threat to his plans, so he lures him to his lair by threatening that he will gas the population of Metropolis, Superman’s newly adopted home. Luthor then finally traps the superhero with kryptonite which is the only substance Superman is vulnerable to. Despite the danger and the possibility of even dying, Superman was willing to jump into danger to try to save the people he cares for. Similarly, Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the redemptive sacrifice: the source of humanity's salvation and the atonement for sin. Superman’s sacrifice did not lead to his death whereas Jesus Christ’s did. This change in the stories, suggests that people in the modern world do not appreciate seeing a hero die. Furthermore, Jesus Christ’s death on the cross had a more spiritual connotation since he was saving people from sin whereas Superman put himself in danger to save people from dying. Yet again, this change suggests that people in modern culture are less concerned about a spiritual tale and a more concerned with practical matters.
Although Superman may share some similarities with the Christ story, Superman is not a faithful adaptation of the Christ story. The monumental difference between both stories is this: Jesus Christ is a spiritual entity where as Superman is not. Superman is merely a fictional tale which is meant to entertain an audience. However, for Christians, the story of Christ is real and holds something important in their hearts. For them, Superman is insignificant whereas the death and resurrection of Jesus holds some relevance to them since they believe the story is authentic and actually did happen. Although Superman may have been a man of morals, he was not a spiritual entity because he is not worshiped, whereas Jesus Christ is worshiped throughout the world by Christians. In other words, the Christ-Event relates to Christians personally and directly.
Studying both stories begs a person to ask why two Jews who most likely did not believe the story of Jesus Christ adapt the story of Jesus Christ. Although it may not be have been Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s intention, the Superman story modernizes the story of Jesus Christ for a universal audience. The story of Jesus Christ is only aimed at Christians or for people who are seeking truth in him. By eliminating the religious overtones and by modernizing the story of Christ, the story will appeal to a wider audience consisting of Muslims, Buddhists, agnostics, atheists, and other beliefs, since the story is not aimed for one particular audience. The popularity of the Christ and Superman stories suggests that people look up or admire someone that is extraordinary, morally perfect and hopeful. Therefore, both stories are powerful to people because they touch upon the idea that mankind is lost and needs a messianic figure that provides hope to guide them away from evil. Since this is the case, anybody can relate to the story of Superman, because everyone wishes for a savior or a person that can guide them in times of danger or darkness, even if the savior has to risk his or her life in doing so.
Bibliography
1. “The Trinity Doctrine,” www.heaven.net
http://www.heaven.net.nz/writings/trinity.htm
2. “Joseph the Father of Jesus” www.allaboutJesus.net
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/joseph-the-father-of-jesus-faq.htm
3. Holy Bible, New King James version
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UlcaTron Wrote:
How the fuck should I know? You're the one who posted her name in my post...
Asshole.
xtactics Wrote:
Who the shit is Emma Roberts anyways? LOL
Who the shit is Emma Roberts anyways? LOL
How the fuck should I know? You're the one who posted her name in my post...
Asshole.
LMAO OMG.
She's that new Nancy Drew girl! LOL You have a thing for Nancy Drew?
LMAO. I shall never let this go.
Ulca loves Nancy! <3
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