SUPERNATURAL VS. CHRISTIANITY

[fannishliss]

Hi!  I’m not trying to set up an oppositional dialogue, I just needed a short and catchy title for a chunky essay.

What I’m trying to talk about here is how Supernatural uses the lore of Christianity, without actually engaging with many of the most central tenets of Christian belief. In my humble opinion, Kripke has developed an independent, fictional mythology that uses language and concepts familiar to folks because of our “Christian” ethnic background as Americans – but not using them as a religious person would, but instead as a storyteller – much like the Easter Bunny and the Christmas Tree are part of American mythology, much different from the meanings those symbols hold for religious Pagans.

This is important because many folks hear the religious terminology, which has run rampant during season four, and seem to think of it as Christian, which it really isn’t.  It’s religious language being used by Kripke to tell his story of two heroic brothers, their battle of good and evil, and the personae who populate their world.

Here are some of the things I’d like to touch on: 

1. “christo?”
2. How to break a deal with a demon
3.  Whether someone contaminated by demon blood is Doomed
4.  The Antichrist
5. Hell, what it is, and what happens there
6.  Demons, what they are, what they want
7. Angels, what they are, what they do
8.  Grace vs. Fall
9. Who God is, what God does
10. Destiny
11. Prophecy
12. Redemption

Please feel free to challenge, to disagree, to converse, and to question.  I’m a practicing Christian, of the Episcopal variety, very heterodox, and not judgmental.  I celebrate diversity and welcome comments from folks from other faiths, or no faith.

1. “christo?” 
Remember in Phantom Traveller, when Sam tells Dean that Demons flinch at the name of God?  Well, then he tells Dean to say it in Latin, and that it’s pronounced “Christo.”  You can immediately see how many things are wrong with this.  First, even in Christianity, “Christo” is not the name of God, but a title, meaning “anointed.”  It’s a translation of the Hebrew word, “messiah,”  which meant the anointed one, the one anointed to be King. In Christianity, the name of God is “the Lord, the great I AM” – the reply the Lord gives Moses when he asks whose authority he has to work miracles. 

In theory, the title of “christo” works by the magic of Latin – that is, the weight of all that belief in the recitations of the Roman Church over the centuries, brought to bear by the person reading them with the weight of belief.  It would seem pretty obvious that, for example, a Hoodoo practitioner might be more likely to get results by invoking the names of African gods than “christo.” 

So, “christo?”  is just the first in a long line of purportedly “Christian” terms that has been taken out of context and used by Kripke for the purposes of an American mythology. The usages of Latin ritual throughout follow this same principle.  Were Sam and Dean even raised Catholic?  I doubt it!

2.  How to break a deal with a demon.
In actual Christianity, nothing could be easier than breaking a deal with a demon.  Simply get baptized and renounce the works of Satan. Done. Poor storytelling, but great religion!!  
In Christianity, one of the greatest sins is despair, which is sometimes called blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  A Christian is supposed to believe that in Christ, all things are possible, and Christ explicitly gave his apostles authority over demons.  This is why the Christian exorcism is really meant to work – in the name of Christ, the priest drives out the demon.  Done!  no problem!    
For Dean, to break the deal was hard, because he really Wanted Sammy to Live. He believed the Demon who told him that Sam would die if Dean tried to break the deal. We’ll never know if this was the case – but the demon did have enough power to bring Sam back to life, and Hellhounds for tearing Dean to Hell when the time came. 
Dean’s act in selling his soul for Sammy is a contradiction in terms – it is the ultimate act of self sacrifice, to lay down his life for another – yet at the same time, he denies Sam his own afterlife and wrenches him back from his eternal rest. To a large extent, Dean is guilty of Despair.  And he is unable to repent of his action, because he is truly glad that Sam is alive again. 

3.  Whether someone contaminated by demon blood is Doomed.
Well, in Christianity, no one is free of sin – sin is part of our human nature.  I think you can look around at everyday life and see that this is so.  BUT, by the grace of God, our sins are forgiven.  Contamination by demon blood – especially of an unwilling baby – is just another way of fictionalizing Original Sin.  It shouldn’t make the baby any different from anyone else.
Of course, the baby develops special powers – but then, everyone has their own special powers that they are responsible to God for developing – see the Parable of the Talents.
Even a demon should be able to repent and be saved.

4.  The Antichrist
The Antichrist is something that has REALLY been blown out of proportion in American Mythology.  If you look it up in the new testament, it’s more an attitude than a person.  Literally, it’s whatever is ANTI – Christ.  It’s often conflated with the Beasts of the Revelation – personages that are signs of worldly power and oppression during the Eschaton.   Is the Antichrist the same as the Demon Messiah, the Boy King?  Idk, but if Sam is their leader, how evil are they really gonna be!!

5. Hell, what it is, and what happens there
Hell is a matter of controversy among Christians.  Most Christians I know don’t believe in the Hell full of Demons like on Show – more that an unrepentant sinner might die and not be able to be reunited with God as God would have wanted – the weight of sin and guilt still separating that Soul from God – and that separation is thought of as Hell.  Not a lot is in the Bible about Hell – though there is that Lake of Fire that Jesus mentions – the Lake where Sin is burned away.  There is also the Outer Darkness, where there is Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth – that’s where we get the idea that Hell is the separation from God.  There is the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, where the miserly Rich Man goes to Hell, and begs Lazarus to send an Angel to save him – but the Angels are prevented from doing so by the Great Gulf which separates Heaven and Hell – Angels, being merciful, would rescue everyone if they could.  But the Rich Man is not repentant, he just wants out of Hell.  
Do demons torture souls in Hell?  I doubt it.  I imagine that souls are tortured, if at all, by the remembrances of ill things done, and good things left undone. One would hope that an eventual reconciliation with God could take place for every soul, given Eternity.
The idea that souls are transformed into Demons by their torture in Hell is something new.  It’s a great idea but is not only not Christian, it’s not even Old World – remember, the old idea of Purgatory where imps and shit would torture souls until they were clean?  Very bad theology, but at least it was part of Christian mythology. (A lot of the mythology about hell, obviously, comes from Dante, and he was writing fourteenth-century Italian political satire.)
The idea that Hell is ruled over by Fallen Angels is somewhat  Biblical (see my Meta on Angels) but it is not a central tenet of faith....  except insofar as the Fall of Angels mirrors the Fall of Mankind, the story in Genesis that talks about the Creation and why humans are sinful. If people can make wrong choices and do what God tells them not to do, Angels probably can as well, right?

6.  Demons, what they are, what they want
Jesus does meet up with Demons in the new testament.  They recognize him as the messiah, and are responsible for a lot of crazy behavior and suffering on the part of the demoniacs.  Jesus even sends the Legion of Demons inhabiting the Gerasene Demoniac into a herd of swine, as a favor to them.  The Demons of the New Testament are pretty different from the creatures we meet on Supernatural, more interested in afflicting individuals than in “possessing” them.
There are also the uber Demons, like Azazel, Lilith, or Lucifer, who are based on apocryphal, mythological, or extra-biblical literary writings.  (A lot more of our mythology about Satan and his princes of Hell comes from Milton, who liked to make pagan gods into demons. I also really like how Show has used old alchemical and witchcraft lore to add believable detail to the Demons, too. )
There is the great passage in Revelation 12 where the great Dragon falls, and his tail sweeps down a third of the stars in the sky, and this is Satan and his Angels.....  then there are the Enochian writings ....  but Christianity is not predicated on a belief in demons – though I’m sure some folks do believe in them.  “Satan” is actually another title, like “Christo,” meaning “Adversary”  -- God appoints Satan as an Adversary, literally to argue as the Devil’s Advocate. As, for instance, when Jesus is tempted by Satan in the Wilderness – Satan offers Jesus the temptations that the world represents, and Jesus finds within himself to resist those temptations before he takes up his ministry.  Jesus actually addresses one of his closest followers as “Satan” when Peter tells him that he should not be killed for being the Messiah.
    Whatever they are, the idea that demons are humans who have been turned evil by their time in Hell, is totally not an Idea from Christianity.
   
7. Angels, what they are, what they do
I’ve already written a long Meta on the Biblical Angels.   Angels speak for God – sometimes appearing to give God’s message, sometimes doing God’s Will, or sometimes, seemingly fully impersonating God.  Only Michael and Gabriel are mentioned by name in the non-Apocryphal books.
The idea of Angels as God’s Warriors is supported by the Angels that Guarded the Garden of Eden, or by the Angels sent to destroy Sodom, or by the one who wrestled with Jacob. Angels worship God more easily than humans, since the Angels who are with God in Heaven did not fall. Remember how Jesus’s birth was heralded by the heavenly host, who praised God and sang.  This does not mean they don’t have free will, only that they live in the presence of God.   The idea that they have a rigid hierarchy or chain of command comes out of the Medieval idea of the Great Chain of Being, and various passages from Paul about  powers and principalities (as for example, Col 1:16) – which then got adopted as ranks of Angels somehow.  Idek.
 The idea that only a few of the Angels have seen God is not supported by the Bible and doesn’t make a lot of sense – but I guess it’s good storytelling, especially in the way it parallels how the Demons on Supernatural have never seen Lucifer, yet still believe in Him.

8.  Grace vs. Fall
“Grace” is the miracle by which God loves us despite our lack of faith, the things we do stupidly, and the things we fail to do.  Grace is a mystery. “Fall” is to turn away from God, despite God’s desire for our salvation.   In some ways, these terms are used very differently by Supernatural, yet in other ways, they boil down to the same thing – though clearly “grace”  is not Ariel’s voice in a vial, nor is it Charlie’s kidney!  :)

9. Who God is, what God does
God is creator, redeemer, Sanctifier.  God doesn’t necessarily speak to us in English, but did give us “memory, reason and skill” to discern our way through the world.  In the above mentioned Parable of Lazarus, the Rich Man was given the opportunity to learn what to do in life because he knew the Law and the Prophets – the ethical code revealed to humanity.   Even though we are beset by sin and death, God made a beautiful creation and we are part of it.  The reality of evil, of monsters, is balanced by our acts of humanity to one another.

10. Destiny
This is a big deal on Supernatural, but merely a stumbling block in Christianity.  Raised as a Presbyterian, I had to understand predestination by age 13 when we became members of the Church.  Simply put, an all-knowing God knows how we will conduct our life, and knows where we will end up.  Obviously, God knowing what we will do doesn’t preclude our ability to make decisions for ourselves.  “Fatalism” is a more dire form, denying the idea of free will, but it is not a Christian concept.

For Sam and Dean, destiny is a bigger problem because they’ve been written into a story where folks who claim Supernatural knowledge keep telling them what they are “meant” to do, or what they “can’t avoid” doing.  In Christianity, there is no such thing.  Take for instance, the “death bed repentance”  -- even at the last second, a soul who honestly repents will be embraced by God.  Even a demon should be able to repent – why not?  Destiny is pretty much no more than a literary device.

11. Prophecy
In season four, personae have shown up who claim foreknowledge of what will happen.  It’s important to note that in the Bible, a “prophet” is not simply a person who sees the future.  More often, a Prophet is a person who speaks the Word of God to the people – more of a political figure who warns the people when they are headed down a dangerous path.  Sometimes prophets are given miraculous foreknowledge – but not necessarily.

The Revelation to John, an Apocalyptic book, is central to Supernatural’s mythology, as it is to sensationalist American mythology.  End times are very exciting!  To biblical scholars, the Revelation has much in common with other Apocalyptic writings, including the Books of Daniel and Ezekiel – which used symbolic imagery to talk about how God brings about a perfected world for humankind. The Revelation is not necessarily a “prophecy” of things to come – but rather a symbolic story about how the world would be transformed by coming into reconciliation with God’s judgment.

So the Prophet Chuck is not at all like a Hebrew or Christian prophet – he is not at all like Isaiah, or Jeremiah, or Micah, or even Jonah – he certainly didn’t go out preaching on behalf of repentance!  He is maybe a little more like the Apostles, Matthew, Mark, or Luke – only they reported Jesus’s life after his death, as history, not as prophecy.  Chuck is merely a scribe, transcribing what he sees – though, clearly, a bit in advance of it happening.

12. Redemption. 
As a Christian, I think that Redemption is the name of the game.  I am always about redemption for characters – REALLY not great storytelling, as it immediately solves all the problems.  Like, in my world, when the big snake bit Snape, it was only a fleshwound!  He played dead, left the country, and set up a nice Apothecary in Romania (also, in my head, he was a gypsy Prince, but never mind...)  ---  his Death was not required for his redemption.  He eventually is found by Harry, like thirty years down the line, and they become great friends.  REDEMPTION!  His hatred of his misdeeds, his heroic self-sacrifice, these things necessitate his redemption.

In the ending I envision for season four, not based on any spoilers mind you! I'm always about Redemption.  So in my fantasy, Dean will have to make a choice being spilling blood and having mercy, and by having mercy, he will win:  “For what does the Lord require of you, but to do Justly, and Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). 

 In that reading the monster at the end of the book could be Sammy, having used his powers to the extent that he looks Demonic -- with the black eyes and the powers and everything -- looking really like a monster -- the thing Dean fears the most -- but Dean will not be able to raise his hand against his brother....  so Sammy's redemption, and Dean's, will still be possible -- just very difficult (and dramatic) due to Sam's "evil" side having gotten so powerful.  A big theme of the show has been Sam's newfound desire to protect Dean and his willingness to sacrifice himself for the benefit of his brother.  If he has to keep drinking blood and using the scary powers, he's willing to do it for Dean-- even if it makes him a monster. 

But even if Sam appears to be a monster -- he isn't.  I think show has been pretty openly challenging the black and white idea of monsters -- and Sam's monstrous identity at the end of this season, I speculate, will be the test of it.

 And I posit that what Dean “is missing” is really the outcome of a  new, almost cripplingly strong empathy with the Monsters, an empathy (flavored strongly with guilt) that forces him to question and relearn who he is as a Hunter and a Hero.  Dean’s humility, that powerful empathy, and his love for his brother will win the day -- even though it will probably feel to Dean like another defeat, and Sam will go on the run to start out s5!!  Anyway, that is my best guess for what is coming.

***

If you have read this far, thanks for reading!  I have no idea if this is even interesting, it’s just something I wanted to get out there.  My husband, the Pagan Witchalok, first read over and beta’d this for me (this is the kind of thing we talk about ALL THE TIME), and then used his Witchalok Power of Slow, Dramatic Clapping.  

Comments

Re: At the end of the day I kinda just miss those boys *points* and I rambled.

[fannishliss.livejournal.com]

thanks very much for your response -- isn't this an interesting, yet very difficult topic to get a handle on?

I have a lot more to say, but it's much more difficult to be precise about.

In a nutshell, show muddles the line between LORE --the made up stuff and the folklorish stuff that the fictional Boys deal with -- and BELIEF -- the actual, real stuff that folks Believe, and that show touches upon--- whether you believe in Ghosts, or Angels, or Hell, or Wicca, or Christ.

So that the viewer is kept in a tangle between understanding the Show within its own frame of reference -- which is in tension with the larger frame of reference that we actually live in.

Like this tangle: Dean made a Deal with a Demon -- you don't go back on a deal, so he went to Hell. "But HELL is where Bad People go -- and Dean's not a bad person!!" -- see, because on Show, Hell is NOT where bad people go, it's where demons come from and are made. As far as we know from Show -- the ONLY folks in Hell are the ones demons put there.

or the tangle about whether Dean is a righteous man -- because the word "righteous" invokes viewers own BELIEFS about righteousness. ( I can't possibly be the judge of whether or not he is righteous. He is DEEEEEEN.)

or the tangle about Free Will -- it doesn't necessarily matter what WE think free will means, because it's all taking place in a STORY about DESTINY.


!!! *FLAILS* !!!

[insert that animated icon here where Dean flaps his arms and screams at the cat for 30 seconds]


ANYWAYS.

I am all about Personal Faith Journeys, so I wish you and your roomie Peace. If you ever wanna talk, I am here! --a 40 year old, Pagan-marrying, slashreading, church musician, with three decks of Tarot cards. :)

Anyways