I want to use the character of Superman again
today to help dash a false perception that some people have of God. There
are some that picture God as a deity ready to punish mankind with
lightning bolts whenever they do something wrong. For instance, they
think, “I have cancer because I had that lustful thought” (or whatever examples
you can come up with). The thinking here is that if one does something
wrong, God is eager to zap the person with lightning bolts of misfortune.
I wholeheartedly disagree with this caricature. Superman, in my opinion, is the closest fictional representation of God that exists today. And he would never, ever act this way. Can we really imagine a sadistic Superman taking pleasure in the misfortune of mankind? A picture of Superman attacking mankind whenever it makes any kind of mistake doesn’t mesh with what we know to be true of the character and nature of Superman. In this regard, I think it is right to declare that God wants us to view Him the same way we view Superman.
A few disclaimers need to be made at this point so that I’m not misunderstood. I’m not suggesting that God won't ever judge anyone. The guilty party must be judged for his actions. Can you imagine a Superman story (or any good versus evil story for that matter) where the villain is clearly in the wrong, and gets off scot-free? Say the villain has done something horrible like murder an innocent bystander. But then Superman after capturing the villain says, “That's OK, friend, I'll let you off. Just do better next time.” I don't think so. Too many people want to portray God as someone who will never judge anyone for anything. I am not saying this!
Secondly, I'm not suggesting that our choices don't have consequences. Clearly they do. I like what author H. Michael Brewer said regarding this subject in his book, “Who Needs a Superhero? Finding Virtue, Vice, and What's Holy in the Comics". I’m paraphrasing him here, but essentially he said that he does believe that our bad behavior has consequences, it would be silly to think otherwise. But he goes on to say that God is painted in Luke 15 as a deity who actually longs to embrace and reinstate his wayward child, not hit him upside the head in anger; I think that Brewer is right! I would add 2 Peter 3:9 as well; which says that God is patient with us. I'm so grateful for this!
Obviously, I can’t address all the secondary topics related to this subject matter; if I do, it will be another day. All I’m saying now is that God will not randomly or on a whim punish His children. Superman doesn’t angrily fire his heat vision at Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, or Perry White when they make a mistake. Neither will God.
Kevin
I wholeheartedly disagree with this caricature. Superman, in my opinion, is the closest fictional representation of God that exists today. And he would never, ever act this way. Can we really imagine a sadistic Superman taking pleasure in the misfortune of mankind? A picture of Superman attacking mankind whenever it makes any kind of mistake doesn’t mesh with what we know to be true of the character and nature of Superman. In this regard, I think it is right to declare that God wants us to view Him the same way we view Superman.
A few disclaimers need to be made at this point so that I’m not misunderstood. I’m not suggesting that God won't ever judge anyone. The guilty party must be judged for his actions. Can you imagine a Superman story (or any good versus evil story for that matter) where the villain is clearly in the wrong, and gets off scot-free? Say the villain has done something horrible like murder an innocent bystander. But then Superman after capturing the villain says, “That's OK, friend, I'll let you off. Just do better next time.” I don't think so. Too many people want to portray God as someone who will never judge anyone for anything. I am not saying this!
Secondly, I'm not suggesting that our choices don't have consequences. Clearly they do. I like what author H. Michael Brewer said regarding this subject in his book, “Who Needs a Superhero? Finding Virtue, Vice, and What's Holy in the Comics". I’m paraphrasing him here, but essentially he said that he does believe that our bad behavior has consequences, it would be silly to think otherwise. But he goes on to say that God is painted in Luke 15 as a deity who actually longs to embrace and reinstate his wayward child, not hit him upside the head in anger; I think that Brewer is right! I would add 2 Peter 3:9 as well; which says that God is patient with us. I'm so grateful for this!
Obviously, I can’t address all the secondary topics related to this subject matter; if I do, it will be another day. All I’m saying now is that God will not randomly or on a whim punish His children. Superman doesn’t angrily fire his heat vision at Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, or Perry White when they make a mistake. Neither will God.
Kevin
(Jonah 4:1-2)
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