I've just read this article and wondering if people would be offended by my version of Jesus who was saved by the God/s of the Verse but was still doomed to die earlier than expected and asks whether there is a heaven. Turns out there isn't but he decides to make a pact in that if he can show good in humanity Heaven will be created... obviously he suceeds and is told it is his job to govern heaven.
Edited by ZNickel It's funny looking back at things you used to like and seeing which tropes they come under. Hide / Show Replies
Probably going to be people offended. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Personally, as a Christian, I enjoy stories that posit alternative versions of our reality, and yours sounds neat.
Only the curious have, if they live, a tale worth telling at all.
Shouldn't the His Dark Materials series be under walking the line (the combination of multiple dimensions and the notion that Metatron is impersonating a god which may or may not exist seems to be a not quite subversion.)
Neither Mohammed or Buddah are believed to have performed Miracles,True Buddahisim is Atheistic, and Mohammed merely claims a miracle happened to him.
Really only Christianity claims are central figure, Jesus, was completely unique. Vishnu had many Avatars and Zeus had many demigods and the Hebrew Bible has many Prophets.
On the subject specifically of Resurrection, Jesus is not believed to have simply died and rose again to how he was before, even in The Bible that happened to others both before and after. He is Resurrected to a perfected Un-Fallen state.
How easily Jesus performed his Mircales is a major Factor. There is a reason his casting a Demon from a Mute was considered a very big deal.
This is certainly a Trope I'd like to see a Christian writer address.
Edited by MithrandirOlorin
From what I see, this trope seems to assume the In-Universe Jesus/Moses/historical miraculous figure would have done the same things Real Life ones did. It's pretty much Fridge Logic that if in a fictional universe there's magic/science allowing such things to more individuals, and such a universe HAS a Jesus/Moses/miraculous figure with the same special claims as Real Life ones, then In-Universe they would have to do much more impressive feats to back up such claims, just enough to "prove" themselves (assuming there is such a power behind them, of course). If in one universe a physical resurrection from the dead is enough to prove divinity, and in another one such things are common, then simply something greater would prove divinity, assuming it IS divinity doing it. Likewise if In-Universe Jesus/Moses/anyone didnt't do something BIGGER than In-Universe common stuff, that's akin to Real Life ones also doing something relatively common in context (like many theories hold about such historical nominally miraculous figures), right?
couldn't it be justified if what the religious figure does violates how magic is supposed to work, and thus would be considered fantastic even by those within the setting.
Edited by captainsandwich Hide / Show Replies
Possibly. But you still run into the issue of magic not necessarily having absolute limits any more than science does. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry has an apparent afterlife conversation with Dumbledore, who also states that Harry and Voldemort have "ventured into realms of magic hitherto unexplored". It is pretty clearly demonstrated that the magic the characters have access to does not represent the ultimate limits of magic itself.
The problem only gets worse in settings where science allows, or appears to allow, just about anything. For example, the Q on Star Trek are functionally omnipotent and could literally duplicate any miracle from the Bible, including raising the dead or creating worlds. Other, less powerful, races could likewise come pretty close from a human point of view. This is pretty much why Trek avoids explicit discussion of human religion most of the time, preferring to focus on ancient or alien religions which can be safely blamed on aliens. One could easily offend a lot of viewers by directly pointing out that Q could have successfully passed himself off as God without breaking a sweat. Picard dismisses the idea out of hand the one time Q actually makes the claim. The issue is never discussed in further detail again. Most human characters seem to be firmly Atheist (as was Gene Roddenberry) and will not consider any being a "god" no matter how powerful or beyond human comprehension it is.
Thar be flabbergasting!
In Shaman King, wasn't there mention of Jesus being a shaman who won the Shaman Fight tournament and got to speak with God as the prize?
If so, then that'd be one of the series where Jesus was just one of many superpowered beings—the most exceptional during his time though.
Suggest we remove (Or make more concise) the natter on the topic of who exactly the Ori are Captain Ersatz of. Any one agree?
Folderized, and nuking two bits of religious free-associative natter...
- Oddly enough, the "Satan" the Goa'uld is impersonating is also a similar figure in other mythological traditions. Many theologians (and certain programs on the History Channel) will point out that the modern concept of Satan may be a mythological construct. The original reference to Satan (in the book of Job) actually refers to him as a heavenly functionary; like God's prosecuting attorney. Which may lead creedence to the lawyers are evil philosophy. Since then his image has radically altered.
That has to be the most tortured segue I've ever read. It's like editing a Transformers page with "Oddly enough, the semi-trailer truck Optimus Prime can change into is called an articulated lorry in England, and usually has three axels and ten wheels, a configuration first developed when..."
- Considering the antichrist isn't actually in the Bible at all but is Word of Dante (not literally) at best...
Well, considering the Antichrist is a concept in the show being talked about, whether it's in the Bible or not is as irrelevant as whether there's really such a thing as alien robots is to Transformers (yeah, it's a theme).
"And for the first time in weeks, I felt the boredom go away!"
Does it count when in Red Dwarf Rimmer responded to the thought of Jesus with "A guy with powers like that who doesn't go into show business? Totally unbelievable." (I don't recall the exact quote.)
Only the curious have, if they live, a tale worth telling at all.