According to Islam Allah has decided everything in advance. He does not afford us free will but nonetheless expects us to suffer the consequences of his causa sui. And “Jesus the Sufferer” now suffers the consequences of Mo’s cable-laying bathroom antics.
I’ve always enjoyed Arthur Schopenhauer, not necessarily for his pessimism, but for his reasonable approach to art and aesthetics. It hasn’t been until now that I’ve noticed that he appears to be similar to a stuffed ‘teddy-bear’. My favorites from Schopenhauer: ‘Parerga and Paralipomena’ and ‘รฦร โber die vierfache Wurzel des Satzes vom zureichenden Grunde’. Let us not also forget the art of excremeditation as elucidated by the SubGenii; and that according to Monty Python, Brian Cohen was crucified also.
Free will and omniscience/omnipotence can go together. You can make your own free choices. God knows these choices in advance, but he’s not going to force you to do something in a certain way.
So your argument would be that we are predestined by the knowledge of god, but still liable for the decisions we make? Do you write insurance contracts by any chance?
Let’s say I’m doing that psych experiment where I try to get my subjects to push a button to shock somebody. One of my subjects is Gandhi, and the other is some random kid who hasn’t developed his response to authority.
I can predict what Gandhi is going to do: he’ll refuse. The kid, I can only give you statistical probabilities.
It seems to me, though, that Gandhi has more free will (if such a thing exists) than the kid – Gandhi acts exactly according to his own will, and the kid kind of flaps in the breeze.
Or consider a sober driver VS an out-of-control drunk driver. You pretty much know where the sober person’s car is going to be 5 seconds from now – on the road, in the correct lane. The drunk driver’s car could be anywhere. The sober driver’s will is the more free: he gets where he wants to be.
Jesus & Mo (the characters) are absurd, blinkered, and oddly very sweet. J&M (the cartoon) is brilliant: sharp, delicious, irresistible. Salman Rushdie
Jesus and Mo cartoons are wonderfully funny and true. Richard Dawkins
Jesus and Mo make the world a better place, bless their little hearts. Ophelia Benson
In a world defined by outrage and offence and liberal spinelessness, Jesus and Mo is a treasure, whose value we should never fail to recognize. Read them. Laugh. And think. Kenan Malik
The brilliant, celebrated, freaking hilarious atheist comic strip ... Greta Christina
...rays of sanity in a befuddled world. Keri Hulme
The liveliest depictions of Muhammad currently available... Malise Ruthven
J & Mo is the funniest and most consistently thought-provoking cartoon strip on the Net. In a saner world, it would run in a major newspaper. Nelson Jones, Heresy Corner
Consistently amusing, frequently thought-provoking and often heart-warming. New Humanist
Jesus & Mo is one of the most wonderful things on the internet.. JT Eberhard
Wittily captures much of the absurdity of religious apologetics. Mano Singham
I love jesusandmo.net cartoons - witty and sharp! Katha Pollitt
Often hilarious, frequently wry, these cartoons do what all the best cartoons do: they tell the truth through humour. Terry Sanderson, NSS President
...a wonderfully acid British cartoonist... Nick Cohen
I love the scrappy mockery of Jesus and Mo. Freedom of speech
includes the freedom to mock any person, any thing, any activity, and
any belief -- and J&M stands up for this unflinchingly Richard Stallman
...empowering, important and deeply progressive, not to mention hilarious... Council of Ex-Muslims
June 5, 2007
nice scatological spin on philosophical issues.
scatological philosophy is being redundant.
Nice comic author!
Author is simply amazing… Good work!
Mom flipped a switch when I translated it to her, got really pissed off.
Muslims don’t like that comic, I suppose… *grins*
According to Islam Allah has decided everything in advance. He does not afford us free will but nonetheless expects us to suffer the consequences of his causa sui. And “Jesus the Sufferer” now suffers the consequences of Mo’s cable-laying bathroom antics.
According to Quran Jesus isn’t crucified, Judas is. Jesus ascended to heaven etc…
And yes, Omniscience and Omnipotence and free will do not mix together.
I’ve always enjoyed Arthur Schopenhauer, not necessarily for his pessimism, but for his reasonable approach to art and aesthetics. It hasn’t been until now that I’ve noticed that he appears to be similar to a stuffed ‘teddy-bear’. My favorites from Schopenhauer: ‘Parerga and Paralipomena’ and ‘รฦร โber die vierfache Wurzel des Satzes vom zureichenden Grunde’. Let us not also forget the art of excremeditation as elucidated by the SubGenii; and that according to Monty Python, Brian Cohen was crucified also.
Everybody poops – even Muhammed!
I guess this means Jesus can’t be held responsible for slapping the living daylights out of Mo for leaving a turd clog, then.
Jesus poops too. And scoffed at his mother when she said they were out of wine.
Jesus and Mo poop? Holy Scat!
Free will and omniscience/omnipotence can go together. You can make your own free choices. God knows these choices in advance, but he’s not going to force you to do something in a certain way.
So your argument would be that we are predestined by the knowledge of god, but still liable for the decisions we make? Do you write insurance contracts by any chance?
OK, here’s a thought experiment:
Let’s say I’m doing that psych experiment where I try to get my subjects to push a button to shock somebody. One of my subjects is Gandhi, and the other is some random kid who hasn’t developed his response to authority.
I can predict what Gandhi is going to do: he’ll refuse. The kid, I can only give you statistical probabilities.
It seems to me, though, that Gandhi has more free will (if such a thing exists) than the kid – Gandhi acts exactly according to his own will, and the kid kind of flaps in the breeze.
Or consider a sober driver VS an out-of-control drunk driver. You pretty much know where the sober person’s car is going to be 5 seconds from now – on the road, in the correct lane. The drunk driver’s car could be anywhere. The sober driver’s will is the more free: he gets where he wants to be.
So free will is not the same as unpredictability.
Be careful author… you’re dangerously close to the Kalam cosmological argument ๐
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalam_cosmological_argument