I started this site when I was a theology student on the island of Malta, over 15 years ago - at the time I was obsessed with religious history and mythology. I no longer stand behind all of the articles found here. Although all opinions are my own, and I'm passionate about these topics, I believe everyone has the right to choose beliefs that give life meaning and purpose. These days, I blog over at www.creativindie.com, ...
About: Derek Murphy
Recent Posts by Derek Murphy
Is Donald Trump the antichrist?
It's been years since I stopped obsessing about religious history and started writing young adult fiction instead, but a book came across my desk today that caught my interest. It's called Rise of Little Horn, and it's about whether Donald Trump is the antichrist. I actually think the author's ominous one-page website for Rise of the Little Horn is pretty cool, and similar to what I did for my early books... though I've written before I think ...
A Paradise Lost Study Guide – How Satan Saved the World
I started planning this book, which became my PhD Thesis, about 5 years ago. It didn't turn out to be exactly what I expected - it's a mashup of Paradise Lost scholarship and a comparative history of the influence Milton's Satan had on politics, art, literature, revolution and social progress over several centuries. It's a response to the bizarrely conservative academic readings of Paradise Lost that continue to be taught in many universities. It's a summary of historical ...
Xmen are antichrists, fighting against God’s apocalypse
My thesis is about revolution, even (and/or especially) when it's revolution against God (as in Milton's Paradise Lost.) So I was interested in Xmen Apocalypse, because it deals very specifically with themes I've written about before. Specifically, if God comes to end the world, as he's promised to in Revelations, and someone stands up against him to save mankind, as the antichrist is supposed to, the antichrist will be heroic. According to Christianity, the antichrist will fail, but ...
Damien TV series review – is the antichrist a hero?
I was kind of excited to see the new TV series called Damien, which chronicles the rise of the antichrist. It's fun to see how they can keep the plot interesting, while hiding the crucial and key fact that the antichrist is God's puppet (so he is either a devout follower who willingly does God's work, or he forced to do it against his will, or he is manipulated into doing what he thinks is ...
Marvel declares war on God: How Christians and Atheists are interpreting the Batman v Superman movie
I wasn't expecting much from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). I'd seen all the bad reviews and hype online. It looked silly, but I was desperate to kill time and eat popcorn, so I went. Firstly, it's a great movie - better than most other Marvel flicks. Secondly, it's worth two years at Seminary school. The whole thing is a messy metaphor for God, the Devil, Jesus, and religious belief in general. I've made similar ...
Lucifer TV Series (part two review – Is Satan good or evil?)
I wrote about the new Lucifer TV show when I saw the pilot a few months ago. Since then, I haven't watched much because it's a pretty boring cop show, which happens to have Lucifer dealing with the personal crisis of becoming more and more human (while keeping some gifts, like making people confess their deepest desires). But in Episode Six, there's some interesting theology happening. And angel comes in and wants Lucifer to embrace his role ...
How terrorism, whale hunting and the new Moby Dick movie show evil is relative
It's a few days past Thanksgiving, and tonight at dinner we were talking about terrorism, whale hunting and the new Moby Dick movie (In the Heart of the Sea - just found out it's not a Moby Dick movie, but close enough to be included in this discussion). The conversation got started got started because of the shooting today in San Bernardino, California. As of right now, authorities and the media are saying it could be "either ...
A new show starring Lucifer: finally, the devil portrayed as hero on TV!
I'm sensitive when talking about my PhD research, because I know most people aren't ready to seriously engage with the idea that Satan is the hero of Paradise Lost (even though debate has been raging for about 300 years... and it's a stupid debate too, because the evidence is so clear, and academics spin circles to try and invent crazy arguments to refute the obvious). I've wondered whether "America" would ever be able to stomach a ...
(Deus) Ex-Machina: Artificial Intelligence and the History of Gods
I decided to watch Ex-Machina (2015) to blow off some steam, but I started taking notes when this line made me sit up and take notice: "If you've created a conscious machine it's not the history of man... that's the history of Gods." This isn't just a sci-fi thriller, this is an attack on God, by making the obvious connection between creating AI and creating conscious human beings. The movie begs for a theological interpretation, so here it ...
Is Les Miserables a death cult for failed revolutionaries?
I've seen Les Miserables several times. The music has always been stirring, but I've never been able to bond with the characters as much as I did tonight, when watching the new Hollywood production, which involves closeup shots of the painful, anguished looks on the faces of Hollywood Superstars like........... There isn't much missing from the story, love, loss, regret, revenge, anger, comic relief... it's a powerful tale meant to melt hearts, and it succeeds. But let's ...
Marvel’s DareDevil TV Series explores the shifting boundaries between villain and hero
This is a (a)theological companion to Marvel's 2015 DareDevil TV Series. The series narrative starts like this: the main hero goes to church to ask forgiveness for what he's about to do. He draws the line at killing people, but both the good guys and the bad guys tell him if he wants to make a difference, to win, he's going to have to start. Throughout Season One, he's wrestling with questions of morality... he's afraid he may be just ...
If you're interested in religious mythology, astrological symbolism, or supernatural folklore, grab my book Gods of Myth and Man. You can 
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