I’ve seen Batman vs Superman twice now and there a few preachable moments in the movie. One truth I did walk away with is how Lex Luthor’s perspective on God, like many others, gets it all wrong.
This version of Lex Luthor, played by Jessie Eisenberg, is millennial tech/entrepreneur who is slowly losing his mind (if it had not been lost already). Here’s the conversation between Superman and Lex Luthor towards the end of the movie. (Spoilers)
Lex Luthor: Boy do we have problems up here. The Problem of evil in the world. The problem of absolute virtue.
Superman: I’ll take you in without breaking you; which is more than you deserve.
Lex Luthor: The problem of you, on top of everything else. You above all, because that is what God is. Horace, Apollo, Jehovah, Kal-El, Clark Joseph Kent. You see, what we call God depends on our tribe Clark Joe. God is tribal. God takes sides. No man in the sky intervened when I was a boy to deliver me from daddy’s fist and abominations. I figured out way back that if God is all powerful he cannot be all good and if he is all good he cannot be all powerful.
There is a lot to unpack in this short statement but let me try.
Lex Luthor, like many millennials, has a lot of different beliefs about God. Let’s also point out that Lex is crazy and obsessed with taking down Superman. This does not invalidate Lex’s beliefs but it does give his beliefs a context.
Lex’s beliefs are formed about God during a terrible childhood with a drunk, abusive father. I think Lex. and many others, arrived at his conclusions because God did not rescue him from his father, therefore God cannot be all good AND all powerful.
These are age old argument. If God can stop evil but won’t He cannot be good. If God is gracious and benevolent and answer the whims of man he cannot be very powerful.
I’m not here to answer this question. I know why I believe. My context, though not as awful as Lex’s, and not as good as others, has it’s share of issues and reasons to question and doubt. I am not void of doubts, I embrace them.
Here’s some message or study ideas to offer your students.
Two Major issues: Evil in the world Absolute Truth.
Are All God’s Equal? (Horace, Apollo, Jehovah, Kal-El)
Is God Is Tribal?
Does God Takes Sides?
Where is God when we hurt?
Is God limited to being all powerful or all good?