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Honestly, no clue if this is the right category, but it's close enough.
Can you be atheist in superhero universes??
You know how in Marvel/DC, various Gods exist from different cultures? Either they're actual characters whose story we follow sometimes (Loki) or a character gets their powers from one (Moon Knight gets his from Konshu). I watched The Sandman S2 and they literally have God in there.
In our world, it's heavily debated whether or not a higher power exists. However, in these universes, they objectively do. Not just from Abrahamic religions, but from Norse, Egyptian, Hindu, etc as well.
Which brings me to my questions:
- Can you being atheist/agnostic in such realities?? Because the Gods DO exist, there's irrefutable evidence. So being a non-believer would essentially be like denying climate change.
- How do you go about choosing which religion to follow?? The most powerful?? (How would that be determined??) The one that best aligns with the culture you grew up in??
I would google this, but this is my attempt at interacting with this community :p
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ConcertZombie
I've had this kind of thought before. I've wondered just how society, religious or not, reacted to the existence of the Norse Gods in the MCU. Would people go even further into their faith and beliefs, with the thought that their god/gods truly exist too? Would those who are atheist/agnostic start to believe in a religion based on this new reality?
Surely, there would be an increase in the Norse religions. I'd say that people would find their religions just like we do (either growing up in it or discovering faith later in life), and I'm sure that there could be some atheists who would ignore the fact of the Norse presence, just like we have flat-earthers who ignore evidence that the Earth is in fact round.
Do we think there would be an increase in cults?
Definitely an increase in cults. Now with irrefutable proof of not just 1, but multiple higher powers, ppl may feel more inclined/empowered to make offerings to gain their favour. I think it may start somewhat peaceful and harmless at first, and then gradually get violent.
I wonder if there would be Gods who choose to intervene. If we take Greek Gods as an example, they have intervened countless times into mortal affairs. The ramifications of doing so in this modern age could actually bring about the end of the human race. World leaders would be too trigger happy, methinks,.
Thx for replying✮
by ☆Leona☆; ; Report
turron
Can an atheist exist in these worlds? Probably not, since it would pretty much be like saying the earth is flat. What probably DOES exist are more deists (people who acknowledge the existence of a higher power but don't believe said powers have any influence in their lives).
How does someone go about picking a religion, then? I would imagine it would be based on what a god actually is in these worlds. Does Thor accept sacrifices? Can he respond to rituals, including those which involve idols--which real pagans believe(d) to have part of their god within? I have no idea, I've only seen the movies.
Based on this, though, only those which accept sacrifices and actually can directly impact a person's life for better or worse can be considered a god. Otherwise, they're just...really powerful immortals.
As someone who acknowledges the existence in all deities but only worships the Christian God, I imagine religions probably are understood differently in the MCU & DCU than what we typically think of today. Religion may be understood in a more ancient way, where the god(s) you worship and serve are based on your culture as well as whoever you may have had encounters with throughout your life.
But then that also poses the question of if there's some sort of hierarchy among gods from different pantheons, or if they're all subordinate to a single God or small council of gods, and how it impacts BOTH the MCU and DCU, since they've done crossover comics...
y'know, I don't really think they thought about all of this LOL
You've given me A LOT to think about. It's gonna take awhile for me to digest all this. I think I'll do some follow up research regarding the hierarchy of Gods in the MCU/DCU as my starting point.
Idk how I somehow went almost 19 years without knowing the term "Deist". I think I may align with that, partially.
Thanks for your input✮
by ☆Leona☆; ; Report