Superheroes: Teaching Religion

Are there other ways to teach religion? Superheroes have played a big role in society and have impacted many people’s lives. Think about it: we read about them in comics and magazines, watch movies about them, study them, dress like them, and strive to be more superhero like. Studies have shown that the dramatization of religion topics in comic books and movies helps people understand religion in new ways. A. David Lewis, a comic book writer and scholar in religion and literature, says that “For a visual society, religious comics allow viewers to understand the scripture and religious text better. They can hold images in their heads as they read actual scripture,” (Lewis). I agree with this because I believe the Bible can sometimes be hard
Ever since then comic books have changed the world in many ways. You actually won’t believe this, but comic books have actually invented a few things. Donald Duck discovered Minecraft, Spider-Man invented ankle tracking monitors; Captain Marvel Jr. inspires everything about Elvis Presley, D.B Cooper was inspired by a comic book character, and the Fantastic Four’s cosmic rays will give you superpowers (Mccallum). Do you still think comic books are useless? I think they have definitely moved up on a higher importance level ever since the first one was created. I was surprised to find out that comic books or any other graphic material containing cartoons or animated subjects can actually benefit people when learning certain cultures, scriptures, or even history. Using comic books to learn is actually pretty genius. Think about it, when you pick up any sort of book, what’s the first thing you do? You look at the image on the front cover, you read the back of the book for a summary, and as soon as you do that you open the book to see if there are any visual pictures. I know I’m guilty in doing that. Face it; the majority of people want to see color, pictures, and animation. Hillary Chute, a teacher at the University of Chicago’s English department is interested in teaching new ways; her teaching includes comic book journalism. She likes to call this sort of teaching that she does “learning through graphic narratives” (Chute). She
I initially wanted to talk about superheroes and question if their religion existed or even mattered. I also wanted to go in depth in describing if people cared if a superhero had a religion because they are big heroes and they will be praised either way. I started really thinking about these subjects and researching more on how they link together. I was glad to have found a website that talked about how comics can help teach bible scriptures and religion containing text. Some people might think learning religion or just learning in general through comics may be silly or a waste of time, but I believe it works if there are many claims about people in churches and teachers in colleges using this route to teach. I want to address how important it is to keep students and people active in their learning. If we keep finding new ways to share knowledge in a fun way we could probably get through to people more often than usual. Again, learning biblical content and religious content can be confusing and hard but when connected to comics it can become easier and maybe people will be more in tune with their religious connection. I believe it would be beneficial to use this sort of learning in places or classes where they teach religious matters such as CCD, SMC God, or even in a church service. Personally, learning this way would benefit and interest people more