Ausmerican
13th January 2006, 08:53 PM
“What Would Jesus Do?” (WWJD?) Has gone from the realm of a hypothetical question to become an industry. Everything from t-shirts to bumper sticker to those trendy little rubber bands for your wrists implore us to ask ourselves what Jesus would do in any given situation before committing ourselves to a course of action. Looking at this question rationally makes me ask; is this any more sensible a question to ask ourselves than What Would Superman Do?
Before anyone gets the idea that this is simply a rant (which it may be) by an atheist (which I am) I mean this question equally for fellow non believers and those who choose to believe in the life and divinity of Jesus. My rationale is as follows.
Both Jesus and Superman are icons of mythic status. Even a biblical literalist, I think, would have to admit that even if they believe Jesus was not a myth his story and deeds have well entered into the realm of myth as the term is generically used. Or perhaps substituting the word legend for myth would be less offensive to believers?
Both Jesus and Superman had multiple authors chronicling their adventures thereby adding a variety of cultural perspectives and differing points of view. Neither has an autobiographical work, Superman for obvious reasons, Jesus for debatable ones.
Both Jesus and Superman exist in a world utterly unlike ours. Jesus, from a primitive desert culture devoid of all modern technology and learning. Superman, from a world superficially similar to our own but with aliens, metahumans, magic and supervillians.
Lastly, both Jesus and Superman, to quote the old TV show, “came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.”
Therefore when asking what either of these two in any given situation the answer could range from divide a loaf of bread and a fish into enough to feed thousands or raise the victim from the dead on the one hand to fly up and catch the bus as it falls from the bridge or rebuild New Orleans in a day on the other.
Certainly the above examples are of a physical or mystical power type I admit. But to be honest do we not all base what we can or will do on our abilities? Whether those abilities are financial, physical, mental or whatever our abilities and circumstances define who we are and what we can do. And since we have no abilities or circumstances in common with either of these characters so far as I can tell I can’t see how, in any rational way asking WWJD makes any more sense than asking WWSD. Especially since the probable answer is “Something I am in no way capable of doing or even thinking of.”
Before anyone gets the idea that this is simply a rant (which it may be) by an atheist (which I am) I mean this question equally for fellow non believers and those who choose to believe in the life and divinity of Jesus. My rationale is as follows.
Both Jesus and Superman are icons of mythic status. Even a biblical literalist, I think, would have to admit that even if they believe Jesus was not a myth his story and deeds have well entered into the realm of myth as the term is generically used. Or perhaps substituting the word legend for myth would be less offensive to believers?
Both Jesus and Superman had multiple authors chronicling their adventures thereby adding a variety of cultural perspectives and differing points of view. Neither has an autobiographical work, Superman for obvious reasons, Jesus for debatable ones.
Both Jesus and Superman exist in a world utterly unlike ours. Jesus, from a primitive desert culture devoid of all modern technology and learning. Superman, from a world superficially similar to our own but with aliens, metahumans, magic and supervillians.
Lastly, both Jesus and Superman, to quote the old TV show, “came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.”
Therefore when asking what either of these two in any given situation the answer could range from divide a loaf of bread and a fish into enough to feed thousands or raise the victim from the dead on the one hand to fly up and catch the bus as it falls from the bridge or rebuild New Orleans in a day on the other.
Certainly the above examples are of a physical or mystical power type I admit. But to be honest do we not all base what we can or will do on our abilities? Whether those abilities are financial, physical, mental or whatever our abilities and circumstances define who we are and what we can do. And since we have no abilities or circumstances in common with either of these characters so far as I can tell I can’t see how, in any rational way asking WWJD makes any more sense than asking WWSD. Especially since the probable answer is “Something I am in no way capable of doing or even thinking of.”