X-Men: God Loves Man Kills

I came across a post on the internet about this story by Claremont and Anderson, published in 1982, and had to check it out. I had heard about it, but never read it before.

My first impressions are as follows. I saw some connections to the second X-Men movie and the political ramblings of extreme groups today. These feelings will never go away, but like in the comic, I believe that, someday, they will be exposed for the hatred and bigotry that they are.

This was a vibrant story full of anger and beauty, raising questions that still resonate today. Hatred never goes away. It can be dismissed as just words, like the teacher said, but will never stop hurting. When Kitty told her teacher that the bully's comments about 'Mutie Lover' were just talk. Kitty responded with the statement what if he had said 'Nigger Lover', how would she feel? The black woman agreed with Kitty but did nothing else.

As Cyclops says when he confronts Stryker in the climax, 'Are arbitrary labels more important than the way we live our lives, what we're supposed to be more important than what we actually are?' This statement has never rung more true.

Using religion to justify the killing of innocent kids is never a good thing. Stryker tried to do just that. Abandoning his subordinate when she was revealed to be a mutant. Turning a blind eye to the lynching of the two children in the opening. It took a police officer protecting an innocent child to take Stryker down and remind us that not all people give in to hatred. In fact, the police were the heroes here. They represented my opinion. I'd rather be watching a hockey game than listen to a religious nutjob preach hatred.

 The mutants could reshape the world in their own image. It's what Magneto wants to do. They have the power to make it so. It would be bloody and violent. They tried to do it peacefully in the Krakoan era and failed. Change is never easy. However, it's as Scott says. The means of victory are as important as the ends. How you win is more important than winning itself.

Beautiful words.