If you had superpowers, do you think you’d become a superhero or a supervillain?

According to Adam Galinsky, a social psychologist at Northwestern University. “The average person is corrupted by power, but a select few see power as responsibility.” (MNN) The article goes on to suggest that the majority of people, if given typical comic-book type superhero powers, would end up becoming supervillains rather than superheroes.

You may have heard the old adage, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This phrase is not from the Bible, but many passages hint at its essential truth, not because power itself corrupts but because the tainted human heart causes misuse of power. Jeremiah 17:9 states that “The heart is deceitful above all things” and numerous other verses make the same point.

The article also suggests that a minority of people would use their superpowers for good and not evil. It says that one of the main ways to remain on the straight path is to try to remain humble. This too should not be news for us, since Paul tells us to “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2)

The results of research confirm what Christians have long known to be true: That apart from God living in a person and being reborn by the power of His Spirit, power will corrupt.

Perhaps the biblical concepts of power and humility are summed up best in Paul’s letter to his protege Timothy: “Do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” (2 Timothy 1:8-9) Here, Paul speaks of power, but it is God’s power working through us, not our own: “not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” And this power is not for our own selfish gain, but is given so we can live “a holy life” which is lived “in suffering for the gospel” not for pure hedonistic pleasure arrived at by power alone.

What do you think about the article? Do you think the scientists’ appraisal of people is accurate? What superpower would you want to have if you could choose one, and why?

Related reading:
How You can Walk in the Spirit – Campus Crusade founder Dr Bill Bright explains how you can live in God’s power with a spirit of true humility
Transformation: How Does it Happen? – Advice from someone who has failed a lot: How actual transformation can happen in your life

What does it take to be an official, certified superhero? According to the World Superhero Registry, a real-life superhero must meet a few basic criteria:

Costume. The purpose of a costume is not simply to protect the identity of the Real-Life Superhero from criminals that might seek revenge, but to make a statement both to the evil-doers that you fight against and to the world at large: you are not simply someone who happened upon crime or injustice and made an impulsive decision to intervene. You have vowed to actively fight for the betterment of humankind and to serve as an example for others.

Heroic Deeds. The purpose behind becoming a Real-Life Superhero must be for the benefit of mankind, and the Heroic Deeds must be of sufficient degree as to exceed normal everyday behavior.

Personal Motivation. A Real-Life Superhero cannot be a paid representative of an organization, not even a benevolent one. The motivation to become a Real-Life Superhero must come from the individual…

Plenty of people have registered themselves on the site, crime-fighters like Queen of Hearts, whose “goal is to quell Domestic Violence by teaching our youth and others how to recognize and prevent it”,  or Red Arrow, who says he is “a real-life superhero in Hong Kong. I try to bring happiness to people and become the salt and light of the world.”

Black Arrow, a Real Life Superhero (RLSH) from the United Kingdom says,

“I am a female RLSH, I was born to be a RLSH. My mission is to save the world. I aid those in need, I serve justice to those who deserve it. I give advice and guidance. But I am not just here for the people, I am here for the animals and the environment, for they are part of this world. Everyone has the power to stand up for themselves, to stand up for other people, but it’s the few that decide to embrace that power and be heard, and these people are RLSH, and rightly so. We stand for our beliefs, the rights of others. We stand for those who cannot. We stand because we can. It’s not that uniform you wear or the training you have done that matters, it’s how big your heart is and how far you are willing to go for your fellow man.”

Do think committing to a life of crime fighting and good deeds will make a difference in the communities of these superheros? If you registered on the Word Superhero Registry, what idenity would you assume? Why expend so much energy for other people?

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1914 book Tarzan of the Apes is said to be in the works for yet another theatrical debut. This time Mummy-director Stephen Sommers is reportedly taking a fresh approach to the old tale of the loin-cloth clad king of the jungle. Well you’d have to. It’s been done – twice in the 80’s, once by Disney and (perhaps unfortunately) once by Brendan Fraser.

Are film studios so bankrupt of ideas that remakes will never end or are we as the masses always hungry for more of the old stuff we love?

Take the superhero genre: Batman, for example. The guy has begun, returned, been forever and was most recently seen opposite Michael Caine in The Dark Knight. Superman has also flown in and out with the faces of Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh and Tom Welling. Rocky, Die Hard and Terminator have also reappeared multiple times; even Robocop is coming back in 2010.

Don’t get me wrong, a lot (not all) of these movies are awesome, some classics. But I’m wondering if audiences are getting as weary from deja vu as I am.

What do you think of the recurring wave of remakes? Do you wait in line to take your seat or are you a “seen one, seen them all” kind of movie-goer?

Image credit: CaptPiper

Does the world still need a superhero?

Watch out, bad guys, as Superman Returns … fighting movie villains, rescuing the imperiled, desiring Lois Lane (now a single mom), saving the world.

The guy is everywhere. Superman’s promotional ties include Burger King, Duracell, got milk?, even a dating website. NBA star Shaquille O’Neal has a Superman logo tattooed on his arm.  Archvillain Lex Luthor hacked Superman’s website, linking to his own MySpace.com webpage. Marketers work every angle.

Why has the Superman story remained so popular? What is it about the Man of Steel that captures the public imagination?

In the 1930’s, the Great Depression had the world slumping. Fascist and Nazi menaces haunted Europe. Two Cleveland teenagers dreamed up a hero who would rescue the troubled, inspire hope, and set things right. The story was born.

In the new film, Daily Planet editor Perry White instructs his staff to cover everything they can about Superman’s return. He especially wants to know, “Does he still stand for truth, justice, all that stuff?”

He does, and that’s one reason Superman’s appeal endures. Some – probably many – want to identify with someone bigger than themselves who embodies what’s honorable, a hero to admire or emulate.

Look, up in the sky!

Lots of people need rescuing these days from crime on the streets and in the boardrooms, troubled relationships, terrorism, war, disease, nuclear threats. Superman has power. He cares for distressed people.

And he’s humble.

Plain, ordinary Clark Kent could be everyhuman. His mild mannered disguise hides phenomenal abilities.  Ever dream of your peers, your foes, or the world glimpsing the real you, the one with more to offer than ever gets appreciated?

My childhood heroes included Superman, the Lone Ranger, and Zorro. I wore their costumes as I watched their television programs. Their struggles for good energized my youthful imagination.

Of course, not everyone believes the world needs saving. The new Lois Lane says, “The world doesn’t need a savior; neither do I.”  Superman tells her, “But every day I hear people crying for one.”

Superman’s biological father, Jor-El (voiced by the late Marlon Brando), prepared counsel for his child, Kal-El, whom he launched into space as their planet, Krypton, exploded. Of earthlings: “They can be a great people, Kal-El. They wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all – their capacity for good – I have sent them you … my only son.”

My only son …

Spiritual parallels have not been lost on media observers. Rolling Stone feels Brando’s words “establish … (Superman) as a Christ figure.”  Jesus, of course, referred to himself as God’s “only Son” sent to rescue the world: “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the darkness.”

Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were Jewish. “El” is a Hebrew word for “God.” The biblical Moses’ mother hid him in a basket in the Nile River to save his life.

Superman Returns director Bryan Singer, who is Jewish, acknowledges that biblical imagery – both messianic and Mosaic – have influenced the Superman saga. An adopted only child, picked on in youth, Singer says he’s often felt like an outcast.

How does Superman inspire him? “I think most people do believe in that kind of integrity and virtue,” Singer observed in a documentary. “They want to see goodness. People have a deep need to believe that it exists out there.”

Superhero – a real one – still needed.

Anyone out there “still stand for truth, justice, all that stuff?”  Anyone qualify as “the Light of the world”?

Light for your world?

Could your world use some light? Maybe you struggle with a broken relationship, perplexity about an important decision, or the disappointment of rejection. Perhaps you can relate to my own story.

In high school I found success through athletics, academics and student government. Our track team was undefeated. I was a scholar and student leader at one of our nation’s leading secondary schools. President John F. Kennedy was an alumnus.

Yet my success had not brought personal satisfaction. I was an introvert, sometimes afraid to introduce myself to a stranger or ask a young woman for a date. Guilt, anxiety and a poor self-image often hindered me from taking risks or from being vulnerable in relationships.

In university, I met some students who seemed filled with love, joy, and enthusiasm. They accepted me as I was. I didn’t have to try to impress them, though they were sharp, attractive, and successful.  Even in dating I didn’t feel the normal pressure to display a macho image.

They said they’d found a personal relationship with Jesus. I couldn’t accept all that. I returned to their meetings because I was curious and – especially – because it was a good place to get a date!

A real friend

My new friends told me that God loved me unconditionally, but that I was separated from him by a condition of alienation called sin. They said that he sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins and rise from the grave to offer new life. When I placed my trust in him, they explained, he would enter my life, forgive me, and begin to produce the fulfillment I’d been looking for.

They quoted Jesus as saying, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” Just as in the Superman story, Jor-El sent his only son, Kal-El, to rescue the human race, so the biblical God sent his only Son, Jesus, to die in our place. If I had a traffic fine I couldn’t pay, you could pay it for me. Jesus’ death paid for our sins.

Finally, through a simple, silent attitude of my heart, I asked Jesus to forgive me, enter my life, and become my friend. There was no thunder and lightning. Angels didn’t rise in the background singing the “Hallelujah Chorus” and I didn’t become perfect. But gradually, I developed a new inner peace that didn’t fluctuate with circumstances. I found a freedom from guilt and a new purpose for living. I saw my self-image improve and felt freer to take risks, to love others less conditionally.

Life has not become perfect. I’ve had my share of domestic strife, job conflict and minor health issues.  But I know I have a friend who will never leave me. You can know him, too.

What about you?

Would you like to begin a relationship with God? Perhaps you’ll want to express something like this to him right now:

Jesus Christ, I need you. Thanks for dying and rising again for me. I want to accept your free gift of forgiveness. I open the door of my heart and invite you in. Please become my friend. Give me the fulfilling life you promised.

Did you just communicate something like that to God?  If so, I encourage you to click the “Yes” button below. You’ll discover how to get some very useful information – similar to what my friends in university showed me – to help you grow in your new spiritual life.