At least he's not a Satanist

[Super Monkey]

You know it takes real Faith to be a Christian in a Marvel or DC universe, I mean there are tons of Gods running around and appearing on Earth all the time, yet the one which they believe in, never shows up and never appears anywhere.

I always thought that was a bit weird.

[Uncle Mxy]

A couple generations ago, I'd argue that there was more of a recognizable distinction amongst the practicers of Christian doctrines within the U.S. than there is now.  I think TV' and migration trends have smeared things a bit.  Today, I doubt most people growing up today have particular traits they assign to, say, Lutherans versus Methodists.  Certainly, some religions still have more of a "flavor" to them than others -- Mormons, Pentecostals, Dutch Reformed, etc. but there's less religious "identifyability" overall.  And I think that's where Maggin is coming from.

Of course, I'm no sociologist or comparative religion studier by any stretch (though I just watched Jesus Camp).

[jamespup]

I think a distinction needs to be made here between what faith a person was raised in, and regardless of beliefs, continues to have weddings, funerals, etc. in the setting they are comfortable with (and maybe for the sake of older relatives), and the ACTUAL beliefs and faith of the various characters

[Great Rao]

You know it takes real Faith to be a Christian in a Marvel or DC universe, I mean there are tons of Gods running around and appearing on Earth all the time, yet the one which they believe in, never shows up and never appears anywhere.

I always thought that was a bit weird.

Shortly after the time of Jesus Christ, some Buddhist council was considering adding him to the list of "official incarnations of the Buddha."  But then they realized that his story was so powerful, that he would completely take over and alter the religion; so they decided against it.

It's the same thing with the DCU.  If Jesus were ever to show up, even if only in a guest appearance, every other character would instantly become an extraneous second rate second stringer.

And imagine the fan debates!  "How come Jesus doesn't throw all the nuclear weapons into the sun?"  "What's Jesus' religion?" "Who's more powerful, Jesus or the Hulk?"

All that over some lines on a piece of paper...

[Super Monkey]

You know it takes real Faith to be a Christian in a Marvel or DC universe, I mean there are tons of Gods running around and appearing on Earth all the time, yet the one which they believe in, never shows up and never appears anywhere.

I always thought that was a bit weird.

Shortly after the time of Jesus Christ, some Buddhist council was considering adding him to the list of "official incarnations of the Buddha."  But then they realized that his story was so powerful, that he would completely take over and alter the religion; so they decided against it.

It's the same thing with the DCU.  If Jesus were ever to show up, even if only in a guest appearance, every other character would instantly become an extraneous second rate second stringer.

And imagine the fan debates!  "How come Jesus doesn't throw all the nuclear weapons into the sun?"  "What's Jesus' religion?" "Who's more powerful, Jesus or the Hulk?"

All that over some lines on a piece of paper...

I don't remember Jesus being super strong like Superman.

Jesus was suppose to show up in that infamous Swamp Thing story.

Satan seems to show up a lot in comics, but not the good guys. Besides Samson who appeared in many Superman and Jimmy Olsen tales. I believe Grant Morrison had Angels show up once in JLA but that was post-crisis.

[Permanus]

When I first saw the subject line for this thread, I thought Jullian was still trying to defend Geoff Johns.

I failed to mention it all that time ago when I started this discussion, but I really got a kick out of this comment. Just thought I'd say it now.

[Ruby Spears Superman]

Since this thread was moved all the way back up the chain of command I guess I'll throw my two cents in:

Recently the comics have been focusing more on his faith history and I don't see it making all that much difference to his personality. Regardless of what kind of faith upbringing he had, his career as Superman would no doubt throw his faith into question. Everyday he has to deal with people of all kinds of belief systems all over the universe. Since no holy book ever mentions life on other planets, this would no doubt make reconciliation with these other beliefs difficult. How do you hold onto your earth faith when you have Thangarians, Oans, Tamarans, and others of different belief systems throughout the universe?

Couple this with his alien origins as well. First your raised a certain faith here on earth and then you find out that you are not only not from earth but that the planet your from also had it's own faith. That certainly would be hard to take. Whatever religious upbringing he may have had, his career as Superman has probably shattered it. He may just believe in one universal god that takes care of all religions equally. 

[AMAZO]

The existence of a website called The Religious Affiliation of Comic Book Characters confirms my suspicions that there is something for everyone on the Internet, and yields the information that Superman is a Methodist. Or at least, Clark Kent is. Unless Methodists worship Rao, it occurs to me that Superman's dual identity extends to his religion as well - Clark and Superman actually have different faiths.

Anyway, this website should keep me entertained for quite some time.

Huh. My money was on Santeria....