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    Superman is now vulnerable to faith

    Reed Benson
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    • Post n°1

    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Empty Superman is now vulnerable to faith

    Post  Reed Benson February 25th 2018, 7:07 pm

    Spoilers for Superman #40-41, I think.

    Found this article posted to the Devoted Geek Life Facebook page:
    Superman's New Weakness Is the Power of Prayer

    Apparently, Superman and his son, Jonathan, fly to another planet to save it from destruction, but all the planet's inhabitants worship a deity called Dhermet, and they believe that their destruction is a good thing, so they don't want Superman to help. Their prayers to their god actually affect Superman's powers. Superman's torn, because even though they don't want him saving them, he doesn't want them to end up like Krypton.

    So we know Superman is vulnerable to magic like Mr. Mxyzptlk's and Black Adam's, but apparently, devout faith can also do him damage.

    Kinda weird. The story was written by James Robinson, who;'s famous for his run on Starman.
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    Paeter
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    • Post n°2

    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Empty Re: Superman is now vulnerable to faith

    Post  Paeter February 26th 2018, 10:50 am

    Reed Benson wrote:

    So we know Superman is vulnerable to magic like Mr. Mxyzptlk's and Black Adam's, but apparently, devout faith can also do him damage.

    My guess is that the writer lumps them all into one category: The supernatural.

    That's another word that's been used to describe a vulnerability of Superman, rather than just "magic" specifically.

    It also suggests that the writer is some form of relativist, which is no big shocker.


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    AGoodReed
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    • Post n°3

    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Empty Re: Superman is now vulnerable to faith

    Post  AGoodReed September 10th 2019, 8:33 pm

    I finally read these issues while I was in the US last summer. I took photos of relevant pages to share here...

    Here are Superman and his son, Jon, getting told off by the worshippers of Dhermet, their monotheistic deity. Superman says they won't be able to overpower him without Kryptonite, a red sun, or magic, but it turns out that their faith works just fine:
    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Img_2012

    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Img_2011



    Then they're rescued by a "man of science" who doesn't seem to have a high opinion of the Dhermet worshippers:
    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Img_2010
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    AGoodReed
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    • Post n°4

    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Empty Re: Superman is now vulnerable to faith

    Post  AGoodReed September 10th 2019, 8:44 pm

    He tells the Kents that he's the last surviving scientist on the planet:
    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Img_2014


    Superman puts forth his moral code:
    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Img_2013

    When I read this, it felt really weird. Saving lives is more important than doing something morally wrong? Doesn't that make saving lives morally right? How can doing something morally right be morally wrong? It sounds like a logical fallacy to me.


    Anyway, the Dhermet crew start doubting or something, so Superman and Jon get their strength back:
    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Img_2015
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    AGoodReed
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    • Post n°5

    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Empty Re: Superman is now vulnerable to faith

    Post  AGoodReed September 10th 2019, 9:07 pm

    By this point, I'm just thinking, I guess James Robinson just hates religion. But then, when the science guy is mortally wounded in the melee, he surprises me:
    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Img_2016

    And then, as some of the Dhermet worshippers are starting to subtly show signs of doubt, the leader decides he does respect Superman's compassion after all:
    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Img_2017


    The planet explodes, but not before some DNA has been fired off in a rocket so that the race can continue elsewhere.

    And then, just when I think we've finally reached a logical, religion-and-science-friendly conclusion, Superman goes and says this:
    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Img_2018

    What does that even mean? Maybe there are generic theists out there who can agree with that statement, but what religion, especially among the monotheistic ones, wouldn't say that its central deity is the be all, end all? Are they trying to convince religious readers that there's more to life than "your god"?

    Because if there really is a God who created and sustains everything in existence, I don't think he would agree.
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    Paeter
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    Post  Paeter September 11th 2019, 12:42 pm

    Really interesting stuff, Reed! Thanks so much! If I hadn't missed the boat this would have made great fodder for a video!

    Appreciate you taking the time to upload images, too!


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    mindspike
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    • Post n°7

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    Post  mindspike September 12th 2019, 6:36 pm

    Thank you for this. And I appreciate the deep dive you're taking into the material. Now you've got me interested in this author.


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    AGoodReed
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    • Post n°8

    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Empty Re: Superman is now vulnerable to faith

    Post  AGoodReed September 12th 2019, 6:55 pm

    mindspike wrote:Thank you for this. And I appreciate the deep dive you're taking into the material. Now you've got me interested in this author.

    I liked what I read of his long Starman run. But I've heard Justice League: Cry for Justice was pretty bad.
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    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Empty Re: Superman is now vulnerable to faith

    Post  mindspike September 19th 2019, 5:14 pm

    I had to look him up, but I actually read his "The Golden Age" miniseries back in the day. I remember it being a really engaging mystery in the vein of Watchmen.


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    Paeter
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    • Post n°10

    Superman is now vulnerable to faith Empty Re: Superman is now vulnerable to faith

    Post  Paeter September 23rd 2019, 1:04 pm

    mindspike wrote:I had to look him up, but I actually read his "The Golden Age" miniseries back in the day. I remember it being a really engaging mystery in the vein of Watchmen.

    Totally forgot he wrote that! I almost included that in my Essential Issues series! Great read!


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