I found religion through comics

[RedKingRising]

Well,not strictly true but my 1st regular series spoke to me in ways I could never expect. The series was The Flash and the issues I jumped on at were Waid's Terminal Velocity storyline.

I'm not saying I read this and instantly found God but the theory of the speed force did open my eyes to the possibility of a God but the biggest revelation was the realization of having no faith.

Slowly I have come to terms with my lack of faith but find myself more and more jealous of people that do have it.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? or can anyone explain to me how faith works in day to day decisions?

[anthony!]

Well,not strictly true but my 1st regular series spoke to me in ways I could never expect. The series was The Flash and the issues I jumped on at were Waid's Terminal Velocity storyline.

I'm not saying I read this and instantly found God but the theory of the speed force did open my eyes to the possibility of a God but the biggest revelation was the realization of having no faith.

Slowly I have come to terms with my lack of faith but find myself more and more jealous of people that do have it.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

I can honestly say that no comic has revealed anything new to me about faith in general or my faith in particular.

Sure, there have been stories that gave me warm fuzzies at the end. God Loves, Man Kills I always liked— one or the best titles, by the way. Ultimates 2 #3 has a nice little doodad about energy having to go somewhere after dying, vaguely indicating the existence of life after death and the such. But mostly I think comics are limited by the aspirations of their own authors, as with most fiction.

Believe it or not the book/film Contact and 2001 certainly inspired my attitude that God and Creation is certainly among us and out in the universe. "My God! Its full of stars!"

Even as a Catholic I have no clue what shape and form God exists in. I am completely incapable of comprehending it, which to me fits so well in our incalculable notions on space and time. Everytime I read about a new discovery or see a new picture from space or a new revelation about DNA or whatever— I just think "Man, this is all so huge." Its totally breathtaking to me.

or can anyone explain to me how faith works in day to day decisions?

I guess I'd need some elaboration on that one. That seems like a toughie, at least for me.

[RedKingRising]

mostly I think comics are limited by the aspirations of their own authors, as with most fiction.

I see where you're coming from with this and somewhat agree but there is always room for interpretation. Comics are after all an art form and art by it's very nature is the defination of interpretation.

Does anyone happen to know Mark Waid's religious beliefs?



Believe it or not the book/film Contact and 2001 certainly inspired my attitude that God and Creation is certainly among us and out in the universe. "My God! Its full of stars!"

I'm with you on the 2001 reference. My spin on that came scenes/chapters back when prehistoric man were dying out and the obelisk intervened to give...inspiration?

[anthony!]

I see where you're coming from with this and somewhat agree but there is always room for interpretation.

Leaving room for interpretation is a rocky road I think at times. You want to be vague enough to appeal to as many people as possible, but you don't want to be so vague that your end up being wishy-washy. I think the latter happens far more often than the former.

Plus you then throw in moral issues that matter to people (regardless of your personal opinion) and it just makes the matter tougher.


I'm with you on the 2001 reference. My spin on that came scenes/chapters back when prehistoric man were dying out and the obelisk intervened to give...inspiration?

And its never really explained quite what everything is, which I love. It really is all a total mystery with so much of it unexplained. Even the arrival of the Starchild ends the film with more of a question mark than anything else.

The notion I really liked in Contact was when the alien told Jodie Foster that the system of travel that brought her there had been around for eons and they didn't even know who made it. It just makes you wonder who did....? :eek:

A Catholic friend of mine wondered if aliens are held to original sin like we believe humans are. I tend to believe that the concept of sin is somewhat universal to all self-aware beings but still the only answer I could think of was "Well...I, uh....have no clue."

[RedKingRising]

or can anyone explain to me how faith works in day to day decisions?

I guess I'd need some elaboration on that one. That seems like a toughie, at least for me.

I guess what I meant with this is does faith play into your day to day decisions?

eg: A man approaches you on the street and asks you for some change. Does your faith lead you to believe that you should
a) give the man some change
or
b) not give the man any change knowing that your God will take care of him

I know this is an extreme circumstance and lots of variables would come into effect but would faith play into that decision or would you pay up/walk away based on your impression of the person?

[Screwtape]

Well, God frequently takes care of people using other people, and who am I to say that God hasn't ordained me as the way to buy some poor guy some lunch? Sure, if I don't do it, God won't say, "Curses, foiled! Now that beggar goes hungry!" He'll probably use someone else. But why miss out on an opportunity to do the right thing and bring yourself and someone else closer in touch with the being that made you? What better way to commune with God than to act mercifully and humbly? I think every time a person gives or receives charity he's doing the will of God and making himself more and more the way he was intended to be (or she, of course, but I refuse to say "they").

In answer to your original question, Neil Gaiman's Sandman stuff turned me on to G.K. Chesterton (also appearing as Fiddler's Green in the funnybooks), who wrote Orthodoxy, one of my favorite books on theology.

[Indigo Al]

After reading Seven Soldiers of Victory #0, I started to wonder if maybe I'm not going to be reincarnated in the DCU in the afterlife.

At the very least, if heaven or hell is only the eternal hallucination you have as your neurons fire all at once when you die, I would think I've read enough comic books to give me a glorious illusion where I get reborn as a strange visitor from another planet....or a cowled avenger of the night .... or a mutant

[anthony!]

Well, God frequently takes care of people using other people, and who am I to say that God hasn't ordained me as the way to buy some poor guy some lunch? Sure, if I don't do it, God won't say, "Curses, foiled! Now that beggar goes hungry!" He'll probably use someone else. But why miss out on an opportunity to do the right thing and bring yourself and someone else closer in touch with the being that made you? What better way to commune with God than to act mercifully and humbly? I think every time a person gives or receives charity he's doing the will of God and making himself more and more the way he was intended to be (or she, of course, but I refuse to say "they").


I wrote this whole thing, but this says it better than I could have.

[PatrickG]

Dunno about religion but Starlin's stories in particular always inspired an interest in philosophy for me. FF, Silver Surfer, What If...? -- Books that dealt with big concepts challenged me to think bigger or deeper.

[Spackling Compound]

In answer to your original question, Neil Gaiman's Sandman stuff turned me on to G.K. Chesterton (also appearing as Fiddler's Green in the funnybooks), who wrote Orthodoxy, one of my favorite books on theology.

Good to see Screwtape back on the religious bandwagon!

I agree..Gaiman was a trigger for me to dig into some of the Midrash (rabbinical texts on the Old Testament). Also, I credit Alan Moore for turning me on to symbology especially in his Promethea series.

I began to find a whole richer world in Scripture and symbol by opening a few more doors and these two Brits..one a Jew, the other a whatever helped me love my faith more!

[Gail Simone]

Well,not strictly true but my 1st regular series spoke to me in ways I could never expect. The series was The Flash and the issues I jumped on at were Waid's Terminal Velocity storyline.

I'm not saying I read this and instantly found God but the theory of the speed force did open my eyes to the possibility of a God but the biggest revelation was the realization of having no faith.

Slowly I have come to terms with my lack of faith but find myself more and more jealous of people that do have it.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? or can anyone explain to me how faith works in day to day decisions?


Wow, you gotta tell Waid this. He'd be amazed!

Gail

[Phoney Bone]

I was a newly born-again Christian in junior high school when my pastor turned me on to the Narnia books. I was confused that a "Christian" book would have all of these characters that some would consider "pagan." He explained to me that "faith" and "religion" are two totally separate concepts. Not all people with true faith are religious. Not all religous people have true faith.

It's a shame that some pro-organized religion and anti-organized religion supporters can't distinguish between the two.

[RedKingRising]

Wow, you gotta tell Waid this. He'd be amazed!

Gail

Ok, uhm...? How do I do that again???

[the4thpip]

You might want to join my Holy Church of Infinite Earths™. It's a religion based on the teachings of the Crisis maxi series from the 80s.

I'm still trying to get Randy Bowen to outfit our first cathedral with statues of Saint Kara and Santus Barry Allen.

[RedKingRising]

You might want to join my Holy Church of Infinite Earths™. It's a religion based on the teachings of the Crisis maxi series from the 80s.

You're not serious, right?

Do you have a website or a PO Box?

Do I need to send a £50 donation for the religious texts?

[PatrickG]

Ok, uhm...? How do I do that again???

Well, a Con would be ideal but I think he lurks here sometimes. Keep an eye out. :)

[the4thpip]

You're not serious, right?

Do you have a website or a PO Box?


Not yet, I only started the church 2 days ago.
I'm hoping major celebrities will join soon. Wesley Snipes could use some direction in his life.

[RedKingRising]

Well, a Con would be ideal but I think he lurks here sometimes. Keep an eye out. :)

Does he just go by the name Mark Waid or does he have a logon?

[Spackling Compound]

Does he just go by the name Mark Waid or does he have a logon?
http://forums.comicbookresources.com/member.php?u=1569
Hope this helps.
Also, you can call him out by offering a challenge involving obscure Silver Age DC information.

[RedKingRising]

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/member.php?u=1569
Hope this helps.
Also, you can call him out by offering a challenge involving obscure Silver Age DC information.

Nice one thanks for the info.

[The Xenos]

I've actually can't think of many comics that satisfyingly handle religion. I kinda liked the relugion in Crimson. I know the details were totally wacked and of course fictionalized for thematic reasons, but as long as the book has the right message aobut religion and God, I'm happy.

I was disapointed with the portrayal of God as the Big Lebowski in Preacher, but I liked its comments about currupted religion here on Earth.

I've had an idea for a small comic in my head for a while. It'd mix my feelins about love, relationships and religion. It'd be inspired by a relationship I had as well as indersting conversations with some inderesting friends about religion and God. Plus it's kinda my own take on some stuff I like like Kevin Smith movies, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and even Childhood's End. I have an interesting somewhat fictionlized religious mythology of events I could weave into the beautifully tragic tale about love and relationships. Again, if you fudge some details to get your message about religion, I can live with it. Plus it's "what if" fun like with all good sci fi or fantasy.

Anyway, I think a reason I've had an itching to write this is because I haven't found a religious comic to satisfy what I want in a religious comic.

Actually, someone beat me to one of the ideas. There was a Vertigo (?) comic called The Light Brigade which had humans fighting reminants of the Nephillium. It's amazing to me that in the Bible there is talk of giant children of angels and humans walking the Earth.. and no one talks about it!

-Xenos

[stealthwise]

Not being religious in the slightest, I have found that Gaiman's Sandman was excellent for exposing me to a ton of mythology and the idea of an almost "revolving door" of storytelling tied with faith systems. His novel American Gods explored that a bit further and was a pretty good read as well.

[The Xenos]

To me, your religion is a mythology you belive really happened or the one that is most true. I acutlaly, belive I'm knocking off a line by likle T.S. Elliot or one of his contemporaries who said that to him.

-Xenos