Superheroes and Religion

[Alverant]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

Ah, I think there are great reasons to doubt that studies current validity if you are trying to apply the conclusions drawn then to people of today.

 

Todays society and culture has had great changes in religious expression (and the manner it is expressed) since that study was conducted.

 

TB

 

Yes, if anything the percentage of atheists in prisons has gone down. It's less aceptable today than 80 years ago to attack someone for not being Christian or doing something legal that is against Christian teaching (homosexuality, pronography, being non-Christian, teaching evoltuion, etc). Religion is loosing its shield against the law and atheists are still pretty much in the same boat as before.

[John Desmarais]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

OK' date=' I have all the Dan Slott She-Hulk, and I can't for the life of me figure out where this guy got the info that makes Mallory Book a LDS.[/quote']

 

Probably never actually stated in the comics. Most likely assumed because she went to Brigham Young University. (BYU claims that approximately 99% of their student body is LDS.)

[McCoy]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

Ah, I think there are great reasons to doubt that studies current validity if you are trying to apply the conclusions drawn then to people of today.

 

Todays society and culture has had great changes in religious expression (and the manner it is expressed) since that study was conducted.

 

TB

If you have more up to date figures, I'd like to see them. Till then, this is the best evidence available.

 

Now that I think of it, I never had a client that said they were athiest/agnostic except for the one who became Number Two Son, and he wasn't a defendant.

 

Will admit, never asked the majority.

[death tribble]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

I admit I liked JJJ's religion as well.

[Hermit]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

If you have more up to date figures, I'd like to see them. Till then, this is the best evidence available.

 

Now that I think of it, I never had a client that said they were athiest/agnostic except for the one who became Number Two Son, and he wasn't a defendant.

 

Will admit, never asked the majority.

 

There seems to be some doubt cast on that data on various sites online

 

http://www.adherents.com/misc/adh_prison.html

 

If THIS site is to believed, a more accurate break down might be:

 

 

 

Possible Recent Statistics For a Fraction of U.S. Prisoners

David Rice has written to us (23 October 2002) concerning the origin of the data in the table below:

The data came from Denise Golumbaski, who was a Research Analyst for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The data was compiled from up-to-the-day figures on March 5th, 1997. (Note that as of the year 1999, Analyst Golumbaski is no longer working for the Federal Bureau of Prisons; I had telephoned Analyst Golumbaski to request the latest figures, and was told by another analyst that Golumbaski was no longer employed there.) The data was requested by Mr. Rod Swift, who passed it on to me for my web site. I later called the Federal Bureau of Prisons and confirmed that the data did in fact come from their database.

 

Catholic 29,267 31.432%

Protestant 26,162 28.097%

None/Atheist/Unknown 18,537 19.908%

Muslim 5,435 5.837%

American Indian 2,408 2.586%

Nation of Islam 1,734 1.862%

Rastafarian 1,485 1.595%

Jewish 1,325 1.423%

Church of Christ 1,303 1.399%

Pentecostal 1,093 1.174%

Moorish 1,066 1.145%

Buddhist 882 0.947%

Jehovah's Witnesses 665 0.714%

Adventist 621 0.667%

Eastern Orthodox 375 0.403%

Latter-day Saints 298 0.320%

Scientology 190 0.204%

Hindu 119 0.128%

Santeria 117 0.126%

Sikh 14 0.015%

Baha'i 9 0.010%

ISKCON 7 0.008%

-------------------- ------ --------

Total 93,112 100.000%

 

 

 

 

Though I think we're starting to drift away from heroes to NGD talk.

[McCoy]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

There seems to be some doubt cast on that data on various sites online

 

http://www.adherents.com/misc/adh_prison.html

 

If THIS site is to believed, a more accurate break down might be:

 

 

 

 

Though I think we're starting to drift away from heroes to NGD talk.

Still interesting. Would be interesting to see athiest and agnostics broken out of the "none of the above" category.

[Alverant]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

Still interesting. Would be interesting to see athiest and agnostics broken out of the "none of the above" category.

Agreed. If someone did not give an answer, what would that be listed under. Their main site does break "atheism" down into different types but the prison chart did not. Christianity and Islam are seperated by sect, so why not atheists? Is it hard to define or is there still the "no answer = no religion" confusion?

[Kristopher]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

I really don't see what is so off base with this site. It does a pretty good job of looking at what's mentioned in comics and using contexts that are shown to figure out what the most likely religion is for popular comics characters.

 

Is it so amazing that the vast majority of comics characters are Christian or Jewish (taking into consideration the demographics of NYC)?

 

I think you are discounting it because it doesn't fit with your world view.

 

"Oh, there aren't any/enough Neo-Pagans mentioned, this list is crap."

 

"Megalomaniacal Narcisists who bow to no power are listed as being athiest/agnostic. This list has to be crap."

 

Actually, people are saying the site is crap because it uses incomplete information, erroneous assumptions, ethnic and religious stereotypes, and baseless presumptions to assign religious beliefs to fictional characters even when the beliefs of those characters have never been explored or explicitly stated. The fact that he calls most villains atheists, and the fact that feels the need to tack on "GLBT" to characters when discussing their religious beliefs, that says a lot about his unspoken bias and reasons for putting up that list.

[Lucius]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

Probably never actually stated in the comics. Most likely assumed because she went to Brigham Young University. (BYU claims that approximately 99% of their student body is LDS.)

 

Sounds like a good reason for identification to me, but is that what the site said?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

And an invisible pink palindromedary

[Hermit]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

Perhaps a thread on our own ideas of who would be what might not be a bad idea, though I worry it might soon burst into flames...

 

My own opinion is that comic book characters faith, like their political party preference, is often kept vague on purpose in an attempt to make their appeal more universal.

[OddHat]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

Perhaps a thread on our own ideas of who would be what might not be a bad idea, though I worry it might soon burst into flames...

 

My own opinion is that comic book characters faith, like their political party preference, is often kept vague on purpose in an attempt to make their appeal more universal.

 

Probably so.

 

I tend to think that most characters are one sort of Christian or another unless specifically named as something else. In the "it's fiction" category, non-human characters are probably following whatever religion they were raised with.

 

Superman is a weird case. Raised Christian, may or may not have practiced a Kryptonian religion at one point, and has run into a long list of godlike beings, ghosts, apparent angels, and apparent demons. Has also visited multiple heavens and hells. I'd suspect he's some sort of Agnostic at this point.

[McCoy]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

Probably so.

 

I tend to think that most characters are one sort of Christian or another unless specifically named as something else. In the "it's fiction" category, non-human characters are probably following whatever religion they were raised with.

 

Superman is a weird case. Raised Christian, may or may not have practiced a Kryptonian religion at one point, and has run into a long list of godlike beings, ghosts, apparent angels, and apparent demons. Has also visited multiple heavens and hells. I'd suspect he's some sort of Agnostic at this point.

As most heros are American, I do assume a WASP background unless otherwise indicated.

 

Batman, on the other hand, probably was raised Protestant or Catholic, but I feel confident in saying he no longer believes in a Higher Power. He certainly is not willing to let God take care of Judgement or Justice, but obviously believes that if he does not bring certain criminals to justice no one can or will. He has met godlike beings and those claiming to be gods, and been unimpressed by every last one of them. Batman sees the Universe as a cold and unfeeling place, where Bad Things happen to Good People and random violence can strike the most innocent and undeserving. He has prayed on his knees, and heard no answer. He is an athiest, and if he believed in God would track Him down and make him pay for his injustices.

 

(And I'm calling him Batman rather than Bruce, at this point Batman is the real identity and Bruce Wayne as much of a tool used in his crimefighting as "Matches" Malone.)

 

YMMV, but that's how I see him.

[OddHat]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

As most heros are American, I do assume a WASP background unless otherwise indicated.

 

Batman, on the other hand, probably was raised Protestant or Catholic, but I feel confident in saying he no longer believes in a Higher Power. He certainly is not willing to let God take care of Judgement or Justice, but obviously believes that if he does not bring certain criminals to justice no one can or will. He has met godlike beings and those claiming to be gods, and been unimpressed by every last one of them. Batman sees the Universe as a cold and unfeeling place, where Bad Things happen to Good People and random violence can strike the most innocent and undeserving. He has prayed on his knees, and heard no answer. He is an athiest, and if he believed in God would track Him down and make him pay for his injustices.

 

(And I'm calling him Batman rather than Bruce, at this point Batman is the real identity and Bruce Wayne as much of a tool used in his crimefighting as "Matches" Malone.)

 

YMMV, but that's how I see him.

 

I agree entirely with your assessment, but invite you to consider the comedy possibilities inherent in Amish Batman.

 

“I can shun you in twenty-five ways without needing to turn around.â€

[Hermit]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

For some reason the idea of Batman calling Superman "English" amuses me no end.

[FenrisUlf]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

For some reason the idea of Batman calling Superman "English" amuses me no end.

 

Isn't there some Elseworlds comic in which Superman was raised by Amish farmers? Might be worth hunting down, if the Amish part actually plays a role in the story and is respectfully handled.

[OddHat]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

Amish Superman really isn't that much of a stretch. When you're invulnerable to mundane harm and strong enough to move worlds, total non-violence isn't a problem. Cosmic foes could kill him, but otherwise it's almost the same character.

 

Amish Batman, on the other hand, makes me smile.

[Alverant]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

Amish Superman really isn't that much of a stretch. When you're invulnerable to mundane harm and strong enough to move worlds' date=' total non-violence isn't a problem. Cosmic foes could kill him, but otherwise it's almost the same character.[/quote']

I can see a Superman varient who takes the Amish shunning of technology to a whole new level. Not only does he shun technology, he shuns its effects. He is invulurnable to any harm/effect produced by technology. A gun wouldn't hurt him but Joe Goon's right hook could.

[Karmakaze]

Re: Superheroes and Religion

 

Apparently his prejudice against athiests isn't unusual:

 

Atheists identified as America’s most distrusted minority, according to new U of M study