Why would my son need religion to teach him anything when Superman does a better job? Posted by Damp Cardigan on January 13, 2013 · 2 Comments

Many times the view has been offered that comic books, and the superheroes that populate them, are our generation’s version of Greek style mythology and idol worship. Seriously, this is entirely true and I would venture that in the current climate it goes further than that.

Well, it goes further than that for me. Having been raised a Christian I, like many others, suffered through all of the trappings that follow that sort of disgusting practice. This included weekly visits to church to be lied to, choir practice where I learned to add melody to lies and Sunday school where I learned how to lie to others. I emerged on the other side as an unwilling victim of the truth and, unsurprisingly, an atheist.

Those of a bible-based disposition will eternally argue that, despite all of its glaring contradictions and villainous subthemes, Christianity gave me moral values. This is obviously an unsubstantiated brag on their behalf and couldn’t be further from the truth. I learned the very basis of right and wrong from superheroes and specifically, Superman.

The eternally popular alien orphan story is constantly referred to as the ‘Granddaddy’ of all comic book heroes and this is for a good reason. His story, alienated outsider who struggles to find his place in a world that doesn’t understand him and ultimately becomes its saviour, is the most unique and employs the most glaring of religious implications.

Interestingly, Superman is the creation of two Jewish writers who envisaged a hero who could ‘right the wrongs’ of the world using God-like powers loosely based on Samson and Hercules. Apparently the whole ‘thou shall not worship false idols’ command fell on deaf ears. It’s testament to religions burgeoning irrelevance, even as early as the 1930’s, that he was created by the very people who were already supposed to have a saviour to fall back on in times of hardship.

The joke, however, is definitely not lost on those who retell his story. During the inferior Richard Lester cut of Superman 2 there is a scene where Superman saves a child from plunging into Niagara Falls. This is met with a chorus of appreciation from the surrounding crowd and it’s within this that a bystander can be clearly heard saying “of course he’s Jewish”.

Now as a father and professional atheist I understand that it is my duty alone to provide my son with the moral foundations essential to his growth into, hopefully, a decent sort of person. He’s only three years old and has no concept of the possibility of a higher power or ancient, long-winded instruction manual for hypocrisy. But he does know who Superman is. Of course he does, he’s a curious toddler with an affinity for capes and heroics. He doesn’t know it yet but he has a very real idea of good and evil learned not from me but from Krypton’s Man of Tomorrow.

As a role model for children Superman sets a far better example than any of the mythological saviours depicted in ancient texts. Comparing him with the likes of Jesus only illuminates the inherent flaws in this sort of myth. Jesus, the supposed King of the Jews, did not really do a great deal in his short time on the planet. When the shit really hit the fan he buggered off home as this act of giving your life up for pointless martyrdom is apparently all the example we humans needed to advance peacefully as a race. And a damn fine job we did too. Superman, the truest outsider, lumbered himself with the role of guardian even though he was devoid of all responsibility. His turmoil existed in his quest to be more like us as opposed to looking down from a position of ambiguous custodianship.

Looking ahead there will be a new Superman movie out this year. Good or bad the Man of Steel will more than likely mean as much to my son as Richard Donner’s original did to me. Not a great deal is known about how this reimagining will play out. The trailer indicates a fresh look at the myth and some unexplored conundrums. For instance, when a young Clark Kent asks his father if he should have let a bus full of school children die to protect his identity a perfectly cast Kevin Costner replies “maybe?”. It’s within themes like this that the most valuable lessons will be subliminally learned and given even more credibility cause at no point will I ever try to tell him that Superman’s real.

When I was a toddler, to young to remember, my older brother and my mother watched the Challenger space shuttle disaster live on television. This had a profound effect on the six year old who had also endured the same level of parentally enforced, messianic dogma as me. His response to these horrific images was the cause of much concern to my parents. Who did the child immediately turn to when asking the most innocent of questions? Jesus? God? He turned to my mother, eyes already misty with tears of realisation, and asked “Mummy, why didn’t Superman save them?”

Phil Watson.