Reality versus Fantasy....

How does superheroes and the supernatural relate to the dimensions of religion? I think it begins with the history of how the universe came about. Religions have been around for decades, and many people often question or wonder about their existence or life after death. For reasons beyond the human comprehension, the universe is known to be from a place that does not exist within our natural world, in which we call supernatural. Many people nowadays have rituals they perform, mythic narratives that they believe in, and other sacrifices they may make based on their values and what they worship. I often question myself and ask how I or others worship something or someone that is unseen. How can we believe in a higher power and trust that power to guide us through life? Initially, there is not right or wrong way to confirm or answer these questions, however, I think as we have previously discussed in class that pop culture has a lot to do with our beliefs and values especially when it comes to worshiping a certain figure. Today, many people idolize and practice many different rituals that correlates with religion and the superhero and the supernatural. For instance, in colleges all over the world, many people join groups in where their beliefs and values lie such as Greek organizations. Through the membership of these Greek organizations, people practice rituals that emphasize their values in life such as sisterhood or brotherhood. Another example of rituals is when a group of people idolizes their favorite action hero, and then proceeds to learn the codes, behaviors, languages, etc. that connects them to others who identify as one of the same. Being Megafans of a celebrity or a fictional superhero allows people to become accustomed to their environment. Religions people often attend Sunday services, bible study, choir, and other institutions such as churches to show commitment and loyalty to that “higher power.”

Much like religion, the supernatural helps us define our understanding of the world through lessons, and the narrative that is being told repeatedly. For example, many believe in the idea of “payback” or karma, but I think karma is just an illusion to frighten people and get them to idolize the doctrinal of being in someone else’s control. This leads to my other question; can karma be a symbolization for a religious belief or is it just a mythic illusion? Like many religions, there is a narrative that many people choose to honor and believe. I think karma is a way to justify and prioritizes a person’s way of living so that they believe the universe controls things out of their control. Karma to me, is a way to acknowledged reality versus fantasy by allowing people to idolize such supernatural beliefs such as karma the same way they idolized a specific God or superhero. My other question is can superheroes be used as a religious figure or symbolize an aspect of religion?  In my opinion, I think superheroes also have a special place in the religious aspect because many people create and follow this image that kind of portrays how many follow such religious beliefs. For example, on page 13 in world religions by Ninian Smart the author states that “every tradition has some practices to which it adheres---- for instances regular worship, preaching, prayers and so on.” With many fans of superheroes such as trekkies or the Star Wars fan club, comic con is a ritual that many attends religiously to show that loyalty to that higher figure that they look up to. Like many religions, the Comic – con represents the “altar” and symbolizes a place of worship.