Superheroes: Teaching Religion
Are there other ways to teach religion? Superheroes have played a big role in society and have impacted many people’s lives. Think about it: we read about them in comics and magazines, watch movies about them, study them, dress like them, and strive to be more superhero like. Studies have shown that the dramatization of religion topics in comic books and movies helps people understand religion in new ways. A. David Lewis, a comic book writer and scholar in religion and literature, says that “For a visual society, religious comics allow viewers to understand the scripture and religious text better. They can hold images in their heads as they read actual scripture,” (Lewis). I agree with this because I believe the Bible can sometimes be hard
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to understand and it could be difficult, but by having these visualizations through comic books we can grasp the message easier. Churches are even noticing this new sort of fad of learning religion through comics and animation. “God’s not done with us yet. We’re getting a lot of strong reports about people meeting Christ through comics,” Lewis said. Reading comics or any materials that contain superheroes can be helpful to readers who are trying to understand biblical text or any religious topics. Many people make it a goal in life to finish reading the Bible, but not only just to read it but to also understand God’s word, literally. Reading the bible is not just for reading; it equips us with information to study so we can apply it in our own lives. Why is it important for individuals to read the Bible? Well, in the text of the Bible many questions are answered and it even provides advice. In addition, it also includes guidance and it makes us wiser. The bible talks about sin, and how we can be forgiven of these sins. It may be hard for us to learn from our own personal mistakes, but when we see others make them we learn easier from their mistakes. We can do this by learning from the Bible characters. For example, David had the temptation of committing adultery with Bathsheba, but he taught us that our God is greater than any obstacle or temptation that we face in life. Those who decide not to read the Bible in their lifetime may think that reading a big book with many tiny words such as this can be boring, tedious, and maybe even hard. In most cases it can be difficult to interpret; this leads me to ask why it’s so hard to understand. One of the main reasons the Bible can be hard to understand can be because of the culture and time difference. This was written a long time ago and obviously it was way different back than then it is now. Another reason why we have a hard time understanding would probably be because all of us have sinned and we try and distort or basically try and switch it up to our own liking and understanding that we have because of what we have gone through and what we know in our own lifetime. The first comic book was created in 1837.
Ever since then comic books have changed the world in many ways. You actually won’t believe this, but comic books have actually invented a few things. Donald Duck discovered Minecraft, Spider-Man invented ankle tracking monitors; Captain Marvel Jr. inspires everything about Elvis Presley, D.B Cooper was inspired by a comic book character, and the Fantastic Four’s cosmic rays will give you superpowers (Mccallum). Do you still think comic books are useless? I think they have definitely moved up on a higher importance level ever since the first one was created. I was surprised to find out that comic books or any other graphic material containing cartoons or animated subjects can actually benefit people when learning certain cultures, scriptures, or even history. Using comic books to learn is actually pretty genius. Think about it, when you pick up any sort of book, what’s the first thing you do? You look at the image on the front cover, you read the back of the book for a summary, and as soon as you do that you open the book to see if there are any visual pictures. I know I’m guilty in doing that. Face it; the majority of people want to see color, pictures, and animation. Hillary Chute, a teacher at the University of Chicago’s English department is interested in teaching new ways; her teaching includes comic book journalism. She likes to call this sort of teaching that she does “learning through graphic narratives” (Chute). She …show more content…
actually spoke at a few different locations at the University of Hawaii’s Manoa campus about her graphic narrative form of teaching. “I want to give a history to what I think has become the most powerful form of comics that we have today…” she says (Chute). This new sort of learning has really been spread around and it seems to be effective if people are presenting about it in Universities. Not only can comics give a broader picture of what’s going in with the pictures they provide, but they can also even motivate someone that is disinterested in learning or wanting to read. There is a teacher out in South Bronx that used a comic book to try and get through to a boy who had no interest at all in reading any kind of book. “When opening that door, releasing those images to someone who feels frustrated and alone, teachers create possibility” (Hoos). Is it crazy that even Churches are recognizing the teaching that comic books can help with? If comic books can help by interesting someone to actually pick up a book and to understand through pictures, what better way to learn and understand scripture or biblical text? Charlie Baber, a minister for youth and families in Raleigh, North Carolina uses comics for Christian formation. Recently, he created a comic called “The Kingdom of God is like…” which has no pictures included. He taught the kids about prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace. After he did this lesson with the kids, he handed them the comic and asked them to explain it to their mentors, but explaining it through the historic terms from his lesson. Surprisingly, the outcome was a positive one and the youth couldn’t believe he accomplished it. Baber also goes into more depth on how it is possible to incorporate certain types of media; for example using movies to communicate the Gospel. We in society today are very fond of superhero movies. Everyone seems to enjoy them, so using something familiar to teach something that’s not so familiar to someone can be very effective in a way that you do have half knowledge from the superhero movies you have watched and you will get the other half of the knowledge after having incorporated this into your learning. Honestly, media has had a huge impact on our lives, and I believe society now is solely based off of media in itself. Why not use media to incorporate learning in our lives? It’s not a bad idea. I feel we need to use more exciting, interesting, and new ways to learn because learning should be fun. It shouldn’t have to be all serious. We definitely have the technology and resources to come up with new innovative ways to keep us interested. I discussed how comic books, graphic narratives, and even media such as movies can help us in learning biblical text and religion, but you are probably still wondering how and why they are so effective? The main key with comics is to engage imagination and catch interests of the reader. Comic books are very engaging, but not only do they engage they also help develop critical thinking skills and even analytical skills. They engage in a way that doesn’t get the reader bored real quickly or make them want to stop reading. When you are reading a long text it feels like it’s just a huge wall of words that can sometimes feel impossible to finish or you can get unmotivated at times. With comics yes, the text is short and cut out to be included with pictures, but we get the chance to actually visualize what is going on in the text it does have to get a better understanding. By offering this type of reading, people will make an actual effort to read. Another problem with long texts is that sometimes students can’t comprehend or figure out the plot of the story, understand vocabulary, or even identify the theme of the story which leads to frustration and pushes them further away from reading. Don’t get me wrong, comics may look easy to read because of all the visual graphics involved, but they are just as challenging as reading a normal text which makes it pretty cool because you don’t feel like you are reading a huge text, but at the same time you are learning the same material the huge text would contain just in a more interesting way. Most of the time students do have the capacity to understand and learn through text, but get discouraged by boring material. I’m not suggesting we replace all traditional texts with comic books because it’s not going to magically solve all reading problems, but I am suggesting they should be including in our learning in schools and churches because we should have access to alternative learning not just one set and stone way. I feel like everyone should get to experience this unique way of visually experiencing a story on paper. Comic books are also very accessible. You can find them at comic book stores, libraries, or even online as digital comics. Comics are also very interesting because you can actually put yourself in the characters shoes and relate them to yourself. For instance, if you are learning about someone in the bible and you are reading the comic that has that included you can visually see the person which makes it easier to remember and learn. In addition, you also get to examine the art work of the comic book author while reading which is very appealing. All of this makes it possible to learn religion through comics. You have imagination, interest, visual appeal, access, excitement, and relation to work with. Again, people who want to learn scriptures and bible texts can use something familiar to them; in this case it would be comics to learn. I’ve never read a comic book in my life, but I can totally agree and see why so many colleges and churches are using this new tool of learning to get through to people. I highly suggest people use the opportunity to try a new way of learning. You never know, it might work wonders. When I first started researching religion and superheroes I wasn’t looking at the big picture between the two subjects.
I initially wanted to talk about superheroes and question if their religion existed or even mattered. I also wanted to go in depth in describing if people cared if a superhero had a religion because they are big heroes and they will be praised either way. I started really thinking about these subjects and researching more on how they link together. I was glad to have found a website that talked about how comics can help teach bible scriptures and religion containing text. Some people might think learning religion or just learning in general through comics may be silly or a waste of time, but I believe it works if there are many claims about people in churches and teachers in colleges using this route to teach. I want to address how important it is to keep students and people active in their learning. If we keep finding new ways to share knowledge in a fun way we could probably get through to people more often than usual. Again, learning biblical content and religious content can be confusing and hard but when connected to comics it can become easier and maybe people will be more in tune with their religious connection. I believe it would be beneficial to use this sort of learning in places or classes where they teach religious matters such as CCD, SMC God, or even in a church service. Personally, learning this way would benefit and interest people more
because they could get creative about it because it allows certain creativity when expressing it to others.
List of Works Cited and Consulted
Al-Mutawa, Naif. “Superheroes Inspired by Islam.” Jul 2010. Online lecture. 27 Dec 2013.
Clabough, Raven. “The Goodness of America.” The New American. 29.18 (2013): 30-30. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 March 2014.
Darowski, Joseph J. Preface. The Ages of Superman: Essays on the Man of Steel in Changing Times. Jefferson, North Carolina: MacFarland, 2012. 1-4. PDFfile. 23 Dec. 2013.
Darling, Laura. “Using comics for Christian Formation: An interview with Wesley Bros Creator Charlie Baber.” Confirm not Conform. (2013): Web. 12 April. 2014
Goffe, Leslie. “Is it a plane? No, it’s the first Arab American superhero.” Middle East. 439 (2013): 62-63. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Hager, Lisa. “ ‘Saving the World Before Bedtime’ ”: The Powerpuff Girls, Citizenship, and the Little Girl Superhero.” Children’s Literature Association Quarterly. 33.1 (Spring 2008): 62-78. Project Muse. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.
Hall, Stefan. “9/11: A Graphic Depiction.” Phi Kappa Phi Forum. 91.3 (2011): 18-19. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 March 2014.
Hoos, Stephanie. “Comics Connect: Unsung Superheroes.” Comics Connect. (2013): Web. 12 April. 2014.
Lay, Clarry, Marlene Allen and April Kassirer. “The Responsive Bystander in Emergencies: Some Preliminary Data.” The Canadian Psychologist. 15.3 (July 1974): 220-227. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.
Leonard, Richard. “More Than Super.” America. 201.4 (2009): 29-31. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
Markowitz, Jack. “Case History of a Carnegie Medal.” The Saturday Evening Post. April 1974. 62-98. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.
Mckenna, Josephine. “Is the hulk roman catholic? Church claims the really angry green guy as one of their own.” Edmonton Journal. (2013): C2. Lexis Nexis Academic. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
Nelson, Tim. “Even an Android can Cry.” Journal of Gender Studies. 13.3 (2004): 251-257. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
Postrel, Virginia. “Superhero Worship.” Atlantic Monthly. 298.3 (2006): 140- 144. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 March 2014.
Sc
Tye, Larry. “Superman at 75.” American History. 48.4 (2013): 48-49. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
Villalpando, Eric. Personal Interview. 7 March 2014.
to understand and it could be difficult, but by having these visualizations through comic books we can grasp the message easier. Churches are even noticing this new sort of fad of learning religion through comics and animation. “God’s not done with us yet. We’re getting a lot of strong reports about people meeting Christ through comics,” Lewis said. Reading comics or any materials that contain superheroes can be helpful to readers who are trying to understand biblical text or any religious topics. Many people make it a goal in life to finish reading the Bible, but not only just to read it but to also understand God’s word, literally. Reading the bible is not just for reading; it equips us with information to study so we can apply it in our own lives. Why is it important for individuals to read the Bible? Well, in the text of the Bible many questions are answered and it even provides advice. In addition, it also includes guidance and it makes us wiser. The bible talks about sin, and how we can be forgiven of these sins. It may be hard for us to learn from our own personal mistakes, but when we see others make them we learn easier from their mistakes. We can do this by learning from the Bible characters. For example, David had the temptation of committing adultery with Bathsheba, but he taught us that our God is greater than any obstacle or temptation that we face in life. Those who decide not to read the Bible in their lifetime may think that reading a big book with many tiny words such as this can be boring, tedious, and maybe even hard. In most cases it can be difficult to interpret; this leads me to ask why it’s so hard to understand. One of the main reasons the Bible can be hard to understand can be because of the culture and time difference. This was written a long time ago and obviously it was way different back than then it is now. Another reason why we have a hard time understanding would probably be because all of us have sinned and we try and distort or basically try and switch it up to our own liking and understanding that we have because of what we have gone through and what we know in our own lifetime. The first comic book was created in 1837.
Ever since then comic books have changed the world in many ways. You actually won’t believe this, but comic books have actually invented a few things. Donald Duck discovered Minecraft, Spider-Man invented ankle tracking monitors; Captain Marvel Jr. inspires everything about Elvis Presley, D.B Cooper was inspired by a comic book character, and the Fantastic Four’s cosmic rays will give you superpowers (Mccallum). Do you still think comic books are useless? I think they have definitely moved up on a higher importance level ever since the first one was created. I was surprised to find out that comic books or any other graphic material containing cartoons or animated subjects can actually benefit people when learning certain cultures, scriptures, or even history. Using comic books to learn is actually pretty genius. Think about it, when you pick up any sort of book, what’s the first thing you do? You look at the image on the front cover, you read the back of the book for a summary, and as soon as you do that you open the book to see if there are any visual pictures. I know I’m guilty in doing that. Face it; the majority of people want to see color, pictures, and animation. Hillary Chute, a teacher at the University of Chicago’s English department is interested in teaching new ways; her teaching includes comic book journalism. She likes to call this sort of teaching that she does “learning through graphic narratives” (Chute). She …show more content…
actually spoke at a few different locations at the University of Hawaii’s Manoa campus about her graphic narrative form of teaching. “I want to give a history to what I think has become the most powerful form of comics that we have today…” she says (Chute). This new sort of learning has really been spread around and it seems to be effective if people are presenting about it in Universities. Not only can comics give a broader picture of what’s going in with the pictures they provide, but they can also even motivate someone that is disinterested in learning or wanting to read. There is a teacher out in South Bronx that used a comic book to try and get through to a boy who had no interest at all in reading any kind of book. “When opening that door, releasing those images to someone who feels frustrated and alone, teachers create possibility” (Hoos). Is it crazy that even Churches are recognizing the teaching that comic books can help with? If comic books can help by interesting someone to actually pick up a book and to understand through pictures, what better way to learn and understand scripture or biblical text? Charlie Baber, a minister for youth and families in Raleigh, North Carolina uses comics for Christian formation. Recently, he created a comic called “The Kingdom of God is like…” which has no pictures included. He taught the kids about prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace. After he did this lesson with the kids, he handed them the comic and asked them to explain it to their mentors, but explaining it through the historic terms from his lesson. Surprisingly, the outcome was a positive one and the youth couldn’t believe he accomplished it. Baber also goes into more depth on how it is possible to incorporate certain types of media; for example using movies to communicate the Gospel. We in society today are very fond of superhero movies. Everyone seems to enjoy them, so using something familiar to teach something that’s not so familiar to someone can be very effective in a way that you do have half knowledge from the superhero movies you have watched and you will get the other half of the knowledge after having incorporated this into your learning. Honestly, media has had a huge impact on our lives, and I believe society now is solely based off of media in itself. Why not use media to incorporate learning in our lives? It’s not a bad idea. I feel we need to use more exciting, interesting, and new ways to learn because learning should be fun. It shouldn’t have to be all serious. We definitely have the technology and resources to come up with new innovative ways to keep us interested. I discussed how comic books, graphic narratives, and even media such as movies can help us in learning biblical text and religion, but you are probably still wondering how and why they are so effective? The main key with comics is to engage imagination and catch interests of the reader. Comic books are very engaging, but not only do they engage they also help develop critical thinking skills and even analytical skills. They engage in a way that doesn’t get the reader bored real quickly or make them want to stop reading. When you are reading a long text it feels like it’s just a huge wall of words that can sometimes feel impossible to finish or you can get unmotivated at times. With comics yes, the text is short and cut out to be included with pictures, but we get the chance to actually visualize what is going on in the text it does have to get a better understanding. By offering this type of reading, people will make an actual effort to read. Another problem with long texts is that sometimes students can’t comprehend or figure out the plot of the story, understand vocabulary, or even identify the theme of the story which leads to frustration and pushes them further away from reading. Don’t get me wrong, comics may look easy to read because of all the visual graphics involved, but they are just as challenging as reading a normal text which makes it pretty cool because you don’t feel like you are reading a huge text, but at the same time you are learning the same material the huge text would contain just in a more interesting way. Most of the time students do have the capacity to understand and learn through text, but get discouraged by boring material. I’m not suggesting we replace all traditional texts with comic books because it’s not going to magically solve all reading problems, but I am suggesting they should be including in our learning in schools and churches because we should have access to alternative learning not just one set and stone way. I feel like everyone should get to experience this unique way of visually experiencing a story on paper. Comic books are also very accessible. You can find them at comic book stores, libraries, or even online as digital comics. Comics are also very interesting because you can actually put yourself in the characters shoes and relate them to yourself. For instance, if you are learning about someone in the bible and you are reading the comic that has that included you can visually see the person which makes it easier to remember and learn. In addition, you also get to examine the art work of the comic book author while reading which is very appealing. All of this makes it possible to learn religion through comics. You have imagination, interest, visual appeal, access, excitement, and relation to work with. Again, people who want to learn scriptures and bible texts can use something familiar to them; in this case it would be comics to learn. I’ve never read a comic book in my life, but I can totally agree and see why so many colleges and churches are using this new tool of learning to get through to people. I highly suggest people use the opportunity to try a new way of learning. You never know, it might work wonders. When I first started researching religion and superheroes I wasn’t looking at the big picture between the two subjects.
I initially wanted to talk about superheroes and question if their religion existed or even mattered. I also wanted to go in depth in describing if people cared if a superhero had a religion because they are big heroes and they will be praised either way. I started really thinking about these subjects and researching more on how they link together. I was glad to have found a website that talked about how comics can help teach bible scriptures and religion containing text. Some people might think learning religion or just learning in general through comics may be silly or a waste of time, but I believe it works if there are many claims about people in churches and teachers in colleges using this route to teach. I want to address how important it is to keep students and people active in their learning. If we keep finding new ways to share knowledge in a fun way we could probably get through to people more often than usual. Again, learning biblical content and religious content can be confusing and hard but when connected to comics it can become easier and maybe people will be more in tune with their religious connection. I believe it would be beneficial to use this sort of learning in places or classes where they teach religious matters such as CCD, SMC God, or even in a church service. Personally, learning this way would benefit and interest people more
because they could get creative about it because it allows certain creativity when expressing it to others.
List of Works Cited and Consulted
Al-Mutawa, Naif. “Superheroes Inspired by Islam.” Jul 2010. Online lecture. 27 Dec 2013.
Clabough, Raven. “The Goodness of America.” The New American. 29.18 (2013): 30-30. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 March 2014.
Darowski, Joseph J. Preface. The Ages of Superman: Essays on the Man of Steel in Changing Times. Jefferson, North Carolina: MacFarland, 2012. 1-4. PDFfile. 23 Dec. 2013.
Darling, Laura. “Using comics for Christian Formation: An interview with Wesley Bros Creator Charlie Baber.” Confirm not Conform. (2013): Web. 12 April. 2014
Goffe, Leslie. “Is it a plane? No, it’s the first Arab American superhero.” Middle East. 439 (2013): 62-63. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Hager, Lisa. “ ‘Saving the World Before Bedtime’ ”: The Powerpuff Girls, Citizenship, and the Little Girl Superhero.” Children’s Literature Association Quarterly. 33.1 (Spring 2008): 62-78. Project Muse. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.
Hall, Stefan. “9/11: A Graphic Depiction.” Phi Kappa Phi Forum. 91.3 (2011): 18-19. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 March 2014.
Hoos, Stephanie. “Comics Connect: Unsung Superheroes.” Comics Connect. (2013): Web. 12 April. 2014.
Lay, Clarry, Marlene Allen and April Kassirer. “The Responsive Bystander in Emergencies: Some Preliminary Data.” The Canadian Psychologist. 15.3 (July 1974): 220-227. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.
Leonard, Richard. “More Than Super.” America. 201.4 (2009): 29-31. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
Markowitz, Jack. “Case History of a Carnegie Medal.” The Saturday Evening Post. April 1974. 62-98. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Dec. 2013.
Mckenna, Josephine. “Is the hulk roman catholic? Church claims the really angry green guy as one of their own.” Edmonton Journal. (2013): C2. Lexis Nexis Academic. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
Nelson, Tim. “Even an Android can Cry.” Journal of Gender Studies. 13.3 (2004): 251-257. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
Postrel, Virginia. “Superhero Worship.” Atlantic Monthly. 298.3 (2006): 140- 144. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 March 2014.
Sc
Tye, Larry. “Superman at 75.” American History. 48.4 (2013): 48-49. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
Villalpando, Eric. Personal Interview. 7 March 2014.