Greetings!
The Greek word used for “foolish” is
aphron
, which means
mindless, stupid, rash and unbelieving
.
Speaking of foolishness.
In my youth, I couldn’t wait to get home from school, turn on the tub and watch my all-time favorite show – Superman. Superheroes have their antecedents in the semi-divine heroes of myth and legend birthed out of the Greek mythological gods and goddesses. Each was culturally appointed protagonists (heroes) who exhibit feats of incredible strength, fighting prowess and cunning acts of the “gods.” Believe it or not, Scripture speaks of these superheroes as people who were possessed by demons OR demonic beings revealing themselves in human flesh.
“No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.”
(1 Corinthians 10:20)
I learned early on that people are drawn to supernatural powers. Particularly children. Worse yet, people have an unusual draw toward dark demonic imagery.
Why is this phenomenon true?
Superheroes have proved to be an enduring addition to popular culture, as it maintains a strong draw into the dark side of entertainment. Before I give you the Biblical reality of this incarnation, allow me to share the mystery of my childhood superhero, Superman.
As with all superhero storylines,
you have a villain (dark force) and a hero (white force). This concept was birthed through early Greek mythology of “white magic” and “black magic.” The Greeks stole this concept from the Biblical ideology of the Tree of Knowledge being “good” AND “evil,” while both being OF evil. It is important to know that Greek myths evolved from oral stories told in the Minoan civilization of Crete (2,500 BC), which was a period of citizens telling stories of the pre-flood civilization of demonic beings interacting with humans and animals. Many historians claim today this to be one of the theories behind super beasts – dinosaurs. Regardless, this era became the home base of the Cretians myths. It also needs to be noted that the early Greek mythology has subsequently had an extensive influence on global arts, particularly within Western civilization.
Although generations evolving from all countries, eras, and phases of civilization have developed myths that explain the existence and workings of supernatural phenomena, emphasizing the deeds of gods or superheroes, their impact on social or political institutions, the myths of the Greeks are credited to putting “meat on the bones” of the Cretians beliefs. Artists to this day derive their inspiration from ancient Greek mythology and have discovered contemporary significance and relevance in these mythological themes, particularly in regard to monetary gain. This is all accomplished in making use of a human fact and migrating it into the spirit world. Our Scriptures refer to this ideation as, the act of a “spiritist.” (Deut. 18:9-11)
The term “hero” derives from Herodotus,
an early Greek mythologist born 484 BC. Herodotus is credited for putting meat on the bones of the Greek gods, such as the conversion point of Zodiac (early Babylonian) to the god Zod, half-brother of Jor-El. Zod becomes the heroic villain in Superman. As history notes, most, if not all, Greek goddesses give birth to a male super-child. Fondly replicating the birth of the super child Christ – divinely sent from the stars. This is the case with the arrival of Superman and other mystical characters of superhuman status. Embedded within the Superman theme, we have a child arriving from the stars by way of a “meteor-capsule.” He is raised by humans (as in the case of Jesus), by Jonathan & Martha Kent. While he is given an earthly name of “Kent,” his natural father is Jor-El, lead scientist on the planet Krypton, an interstellar government. Kryptonite (to hesitate) that deprives Superman of his powers is an alien mineral from his rebellious homeland. As the mystic story unfolds, we find Kent waring over his superpowers as a child. When he finally accepts his call to fight the evil arch figure, Zod, his powers bloom, thus forming the endless sequels of Superman, which most writers admit, are taken directly from the book of Revelation.
It doesn’t take being an interstellar scientist to figure out this is a demonic replay of the story of baby Jesus, who grows into a superhero that saves the world from Satan, Zod. If you carefully review, as I have, all modern superheroes are based on the Biblical theme of God the Father sending His Son into an evil world to fight battles waged against the “good” of the world. So…you ask, “What’s wrong with that?” Plenty.
First of all, it is perverting the Truth
presented by the Holy Scriptures. It shifts the authentic war between Jesus and Satan to that of evil-fighting evil – “black magic” vs. “white magic.” In the end, it supports God presenting the Truth that the Tree of Knowledge is home to both sides of evil – the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen. 2:9) Satan being the clever and deceptive god that he is, makes use of an illusion within his own empire – “good” fighting against the “bad.” It doesn’t matter to him which of the two modalities people choose, he gets the credit for both. This is a clever method to divert the attention away from the Tree of Life. Not only was this a clever move on his part, but it also became the dominant method to fight evil in the world.
Satan will do almost anything to cloak the real Jesus with the garments of darkness. Anything. As irony would have it, he begins through the innocence of a child.
I had the privilege of meeting
and chatting with the founder of the Theory of Cognitive Development, Jean Piaget. I learned a great deal from his genetic epistemology studies. One leading epistemological view that has stayed with me through the years was his teaching on the 4 stages of cognitive development. He clearly believed if outside influence dominated a child’s mind before stage 3, Concrete Formation, the child would adhere to those ideations the remainder of their lives. I have found this to be absolutely true regarding childhood superheroes.
Piaget's theory of constructivism argues that people produce knowledge and form meaning based upon their experiences. His “theories” further state that assimilating impactful images causes an individual to invite & incorporate new experiences into the old experiences, thus cementing early childhood experience as self-identified truth. By the time the child reaches adulthood, Formal Operation, this causes the individual to view the world around them based on their assimilated concrete memories. This can either cause a rethinking of assimilated memories, evaluate what is presently considered important, or “cement” their early perceptions as conclusive truth. This is what he calls “accommodation.” Once accommodation occurs, the individual will literally reframe the world and new experiences to match the mental capacity already present. The Word of God calls this “hardening of hearts.”
I asked Piaget
if he believed in the indwelling Life of Jesus. He assured me that he did but…not until the latter part of his life. I then asked if his new beliefs erased any of his findings regarding childhood development. He replied,
“Absolutely not.”
He went on to implore me to continue my studies of childhood development and carefully integrate them into my Christian studies by saying,
“
If you want to be creative, stay in part a child, with the creativity and invention that characterizes children before they are deformed by adult society.
”
I translated his statement to,
"Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."
(Luke 18:17)
The spiritual parallel is obvious. Satan goes after the minds of our child at a very young age. From my own studies, nothing can breed a deeper sense of success for him other than superheroes. Superheroes in a child’s mind form idolatry. Idolatry is what keeps the child away from the authentic “superhero” Jesus Christ. People defend their idols. Sometimes until death parts them. Satan knows this. The enemy also has an acute understanding of childhood development. After all, he has been on the sidelines watching humanity since the days of the Garden of Eden. He is crafty but not stupid.
Yes. I had to say good-bye to my old friend Superman.
I must say, I learned a lot from this idolatry experience. Without God using this demonic revisionism, I would not have been able to write this commentary today. I also produced a video that has gained some traction, titled, “
Superheroes
.” Please take a few moments to review it, re-post it and get this message out to a world that claims the movement of Superheroes to be normal and natural for all children.
