A Lot of Christian symbolism

[Supsfan]

Clark is analogous to Christ, and you could say that Davis is analogous to the anti-Christ. But I don't think any of the other characters really have a biblical counterpart.

At times i think TPTB think Lana is the virgin Mary

[Tompouce]

If you guys enjoy discovering the underlying symbolism in the Superman myth, may I suggest the writings of Joseph Campbell? He wrote "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" among many others. I listened to an interview he did back in the 80's on how universal mythology is and all the different archetypes, including the hero archetype and was completely fascinated.

The Christian story of Jesus as savior is a hero myth in and of itself (if you choose to look at it as myth), so it makes sense that there would be parallels with other hero myths such as Superman, or the Matrix trilogy, or The Chronicles of Narnia. There are many to choose from.

We love these stories because they point us back to Jesus if we are Christians, or spirituality in general if we are not.

Thanks (again, since two weeks all your posts are exactly what I am trying to say but they are much better than mine ). It was what I meant in my post above

[stenochick]

At times i think TPTB think Lana is the virgin Mary

It seems like a lot of times in Smallville, Lana's role has been similar to Satan tempting Jesus in the desert. To see it really vividly, rewatch "Labyrinth" with your Bible open to Matthew, chapter 4.

...Please, God, don't let this post cause a shipper war on a spiritually-themed thread. Amen.

[moviefan2k4]

At times I think TPTB think Lana is the virgin Mary

That whole aspect of Lana's character got thrown out the window in Season 1's "Nicodemus", when she practically threw herself at Clark under the influence of a re-engineered plant toxin. It only got worse from there, and by Season 6 it seemed like the phrase "sexual morality" had completely escaped the writers' minds. I'm still thankful it's not as blatant as "Gossip Girl", though; the ads alone convinced me to steer clear.

[Just Another Guy]

The Christian story of Jesus as savior is a hero myth in and of itself (if you choose to look at it as myth), so it makes sense that there would be parallels with other hero myths such as Superman, or the Matrix trilogy, or The Chronicles of Narnia. There are many to choose from.

Except that Jesus was here to save our souls, not to stop the badguys. Not that there's anything wrong with stopping badguys. (I don't see it as a myth. But that's off-topic.)

Clark is analogous to Christ, and you could say that Davis is analogous to the anti-Christ. But I don't think any of the other characters really have a biblical counterpart.

I don't mind the symbolic irony of the comparison, but I tend to agree with you. Always looking for the similarities in pop culture threatens to cheapen scripture.

That whole aspect of Lana's character got thrown out the window in Season 1's "Nicodemus", when she practically threw herself at Clark under the influence of a re-engineered plant toxin. It only got worse from there, and by Season 6 it seemed like the phrase "sexual morality" had completely escaped the writers' minds. I'm still thankful it's not as blatant as "Gossip Girl", though; the ads alone convinced me to steer clear.

THANK YOU! I agree wholeheartedly. But I'd back it up to the beginning of S5. True, she may have been sleeping with Clark instead of Lex. But the problem was Clark sleeping with Lana.

[redkryptoniteisthebest]

To be honest, I am still looking for that verse. I didn't look much last night. But, I guarantee that it is in the Bible. I have read the verse(s) where it said Lucifer was in charge of the praise in Heaven.

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That whole aspect of Lana's character got thrown out the window in Season 1's "Nicodemus", when she practically threw herself at Clark under the influence of a re-engineered plant toxin. It only got worse from there, and by Season 6 it seemed like the phrase "sexual morality" had completely escaped the writers' minds. I'm still thankful it's not as blatant as "Gossip Girl", though; the ads alone convinced me to steer clear.

Is it true KK didn't like the sex scenes in Smallville? I remember reading about that somewhere.

Like Just Another Guy said, thank you! Season 6 should have been called Season Sex because of most of the episodes involved some type of sexual innuendo. I agree! The previews themselves make me stay away! Why does TV/Movies think the only way to show that you really love someone is through sex?

[Just Another Guy]

To be honest, I am still looking for that verse. I didn't look much last night. But, I guarantee that it is in the Bible. I have read the verse(s) where it said Lucifer was in charge of the praise in Heaven.

I hope you find what you're looking for. But if I'm giving you my honest opinion, I don't think it's actually in the Bible. If it is, it almost certainly doesn't use the name Lucifer. That only appears once, in Isaiah. And it calls him a bright morning star, or something to that effect. So if he was said to have been the leader of praise, or something, it would have to be under a different name, or some other prophetic symbolism.

But keep looking. I'm very interested. You'll have to forgive me for my "I'll believe it when I see it" mentality. But I never go by what I hear, for fear of giving someone else false information.

Like Just Another Guy said, thank you! Season 6 should have been called Season Sex because of most of the episodes involved some type of sexual innuendo. I agree! The previews themselves make me stay away! Why does TV/Movies think the only way to show that you really love someone is through sex?

And the thing is, as lightly as those sort of relationships are tossed about on TV now, it still shouldn't be present in Superman. Even Superman 2 is considered a mistake for having Superman and Lois do their thing at the Fortress.

Even without the spiritual aspect, Superman should be more virtuous than that.

[RedArrow62]

The reference I believe you are looking for is Isaiah 14:12-14

[moviefan2k4]

Except that Jesus was here to save our souls, not to stop the badguys. Not that there's anything wrong with stopping badguys. (I don't see it as a myth. But that's off-topic.)


I don't mind the symbolic irony of the comparison, but I tend to agree with you. Always looking for the similarities in pop culture threatens to cheapen scripture.


THANK YOU! I agree wholeheartedly. But I'd back it up to the beginning of S5. True, she may have been sleeping with Clark instead of Lex. But the problem was Clark sleeping with Lana.

The bigger problem was Clark sleeping with anyone outside of marriage, and the show practically endorsing it. It's bad enough that other characters were like that (Lois and Lex, for example), but when Clark joined the "shackup club" it really ticked me off.

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And the thing is, as lightly as those sort of relationships are tossed about on TV now, it still shouldn't be present in Superman. Even Superman 2 is considered a mistake for having Superman and Lois do their thing at the Fortress.

Yep; Margot Kidder even says she now thinks it was a bad move for the film. If there were some way to edit it out for a fan version, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Even without the spiritual aspect, Superman should be more virtuous than that.

Exactly. How are folks supposed to look up to someone who makes the same dumb decisions they do, on a regular basis no less? What's so honorable or inspiring about that?

Oh, and the word "lucifer" is Latin for "day star", while "satan" is often translated as "adversary".

[Just Another Guy]

The bigger problem was Clark sleeping with anyone outside of marriage, and the show practically endorsing it. It's bad enough that other characters were like that (Lois and Lex, for example), but when Clark joined the "shackup club" it really ticked me off.

Agreed. I didn't mean that Clark's actions were questionable simply because it was Lana. I meant because he did it at all.

And I agree with you that the other characters are bad enough, but at least Lois is a military brat who tends to run wild in her youth. Lex, on the other hand, is no big deal. He was hardly raised with high standards, and is destined to become a villain. What I do have a problem with is having to see his extracurriculur activities for ourselves.

Yep; Margot Kidder even says she now thinks it was a bad move for the film. If there were some way to edit it out for a fan version, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

I was actually rememering her quote when I wrote that.

Exactly. How are folks supposed to look up to someone who makes the same dumb decisions they do, on a regular basis no less? What's so honorable or inspiring about that?

Right. I like to see the human side of Clark Kent, but he's supposed to be the finest example of human potential. Not a conformist.

Oh, and the word "lucifer" is Latin for "day star", while "satan" is often translated as "adversary".

Hm. I suppose the term was probably day star, then.

[redkryptoniteisthebest]

The bigger problem was Clark sleeping with anyone outside of marriage, and the show practically endorsing it. It's bad enough that other characters were like that (Lois and Lex, for example), but when Clark joined the "shackup club" it really ticked me off.

----- Added 3 Minutes later -----

Yep; Margot Kidder even says she now thinks it was a bad move for the film. If there were some way to edit it out for a fan version, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Exactly. How are folks supposed to look up to someone who makes the same dumb decisions they do, on a regular basis no less? What's so honorable or inspiring about that?

Oh, and the word "lucifer" is Latin for "day star", while "satan" is often translated as "adversary".

I agree with every word in this post! Really? I didn't know that last part.

[moviefan2k4]

Is it true KK didn't like the sex scenes in Smallville? I remember reading about that somewhere.

I think Kristin once mentioned in an interview that she insisted on a body double for the closeups in "Nicodemus", but I don't know for certain what her stance was on the "Clana shackup" scenes.

Why do TV/Movies think the only way to show that you really love someone is through sex?

In the end, the majority of television and film companies only care about one thing above all else...money. They know that putting sexual situations on the screen will get a bunch of horny people to watch, so they take advantage of that to boost ratings, and in turn get more money. So long as their deep pockets are full, they generally don't seem to care about the moral aspects much, if at all.

[Supsfan]

It seems like a lot of times in Smallville, Lana's role has been similar to Satan tempting Jesus in the desert. To see it really vividly, rewatch "Labyrinth" with your Bible open to Matthew, chapter 4.

Lol, I always remember the beginning scene in Ageless(how I would love to forget) where Lana and Clark find the baby, I was like what the hell, are they trying to recreate the nativity scene or something

[redkryptoniteisthebest]

In the end, the majority of television and film companies only care about one thing above all else...money. They know that putting sexual situations on the screen will get a bunch of horny people to watch, so they take advantage of that to boost ratings, and in turn get more money. So long as their deep pockets are full, they generally don't seem to care about the moral aspects much, if at all.

Money seems to be America's god right now. That's sad, but true. Of course they don't care about morals, to them, its one big joke. Its sad what it has come to. It really is.

[moviefan2k4]

Lol, I always remember the beginning scene in Ageless, where Lana and Clark find the baby. I was like, "What the hell? Are they trying to recreate the Nativity scene or something?"

I saw it more as an attempt to mirror the pilot episode, where Jonathan & Martha find Kal-El near an impact crater. Interestingly, the baby's mother in that episode was portrayed by actress Pascale Hutton, who would later surface as "Raya" in Season 6.