Personally, the only beliefs for which I have no respect are fundamentalist beliefs, whether in religion (all nonbelievers are damnable heretics) or in politics (my country right or wrong, might makes right). Both are closed to contrary arguments.
Interesting argument, Hobbes. Myself, I can’t really respect a belief I don’t agree with – I suspect the believer would feel just a bit patronised. But absense of respect doesn’t have to be the same as holding that belief in active contempt. I suppose the best term is “tolerance” i.e a sort of benign indifference. More important to me is respecting the believer’s right to believe whatever nonsense he wants, while doing your best to stay connected with whatever humanity and reason he still has in his head. “Love the sinner, hate the sin” as some religious type once said.
The downside of that, of course, is that the believer might feel a bit ..er.. patronised.
Good points MrGronk. I didn’t mean that I value non-fundamentalist beliefs as I value my own. Obviously I didn’t flesh out my position very well. Belief in myths is a right, but I certainly don’t hold such beliefs equal to empirical evidence.”
So, your point is well taken concerning respecting the right of others to believe as they please. “Absence of respect doesn’t have to mean active contempt.”
I do, however, try to show respect to every person I meet until they show me that they don’t deserve it. I try to be the friendly sort. “Benign indifference,” to non aggressive beliefs, is a good phrase and well stated.
I find it funny that the bent of alot of readers here is that they seem to think this comic is only about making fun of Mo… But the name of the comic is Jesus and Mo… It’s not just Mo’s beliefs we’re questioning, it’s religion in general… Islam or Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, Judaism or Jehovah’s Witness… even Mormons.
Author could have named the comic “Zeus & Ra” but the point would still be the same…
I guess what I’m trying to say is lets not turn this into an Islamic Witch-hunt… All religion is questionable. The very basis of “God(s) created me and God(s) rule my existence” is what we’re talking about here…
I love the subtlety–reminds me of my favorite quote about satire:
“Satire should, like a polished razor keen,
Wound with a touch that’s scarcely felt or seen….”
~ Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
The answer to the barmaid’s challenge is violence. Always has been. That the author thinks the barmaid somehow has Larry and Mo- er… I mean Jesus and Mo… over the barrel is shortsighted. Philosophically speaking, sure, but in real life this is the part where Mo’s people wages jihad and Jesus’s followers burns her at the stake.
Trevor, I somewhat disagree. Sure, violence has been the reaction of many fundamentalists, but in debate where there are only a few present, most often the believer, when challenged with such logic, will quickly change the subject. Even so, whether the reply comes in violence or subject change, the questioner did, indeed, win the argument, even though the believers refuse to acknowledge it. A resort to violence simply shows the believers deep insecurity.
considering all 4 panels of the comic are identical right down to the little speck to the bottom right of the bar tap (except for the panel where the text covers that spot) and only the text balloons change, I’d have to agree… although it does have the effect of making them look stunned speechless in 2 & 3…
He’s thinking! He’s thinking! Rant will follow. Maybe. Wish we could
see Barmiad’s eyes. On the other hand, imagining her look is easy enough,
since I have always been surrounded by Uppity Women. Thank Goddess.
Or, as Poor Richard says [stealing straight from Saint Abbey], “Thank God I am an atheist.”
Just saw the ‘Well behaved women don’t make history’ bumper sticker again today. It seems appropriate, somehow. Madalyn Murray O’Hair certainly made history.
There’s humour in this comic, too. It is schadenfreude, but I don’t feel too guilty. Ridicule may be the only way to actually affect their beliefs. Zeus only knows, reasoning with them doesn’t.
Hi Iatsot: although I said “all” fundamentalists, please note that I didn’t say, “only” fundamentalists. It would also extend to a liberal believer who refuses to budge from an illogical argument.
However, it is the more liberal believers who have already done some thinking and compromised a fundamentalist position. I, myself, became a liberal believer after beginning to think, then jettisoned it all after I studied, argued, and thought some more. With luck, Mo will think hard–Nah, not likely.
My mantra: The unexamined belief is not worth believing.
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
September 22, 2009
HAHAHAHAHAHA, nice one
You rule. Your barmaid rules. This strip rules. That is all.
Gotcha!
Priceless! LOL
This line of thought reminds me of
Thomas Jefferson’s Statute of Religious Freedom
. Every person in high school civics class should have to read it and write a summary for grade.
priceless!
on image 3 they even look surprised by the answer! (even though they are always exactly the same image)
very funny stuff 🙂
Personally, the only beliefs for which I have no respect are fundamentalist beliefs, whether in religion (all nonbelievers are damnable heretics) or in politics (my country right or wrong, might makes right). Both are closed to contrary arguments.
—The unexamined belief is not worth believing—
I knew it. I told you if they tried that she would just ask more difficult questions. Poor Mo – that is a tough one.
well the answer is obvious…
“Stop believing what you believe and start believing what I believe and then we can all be happy.”
Perfectly simple soloution. It’s too bad nobody’s ever thought of it before… umm… wait…
Thinking? Well, it’s about time!
Interesting argument, Hobbes. Myself, I can’t really respect a belief I don’t agree with – I suspect the believer would feel just a bit patronised. But absense of respect doesn’t have to be the same as holding that belief in active contempt. I suppose the best term is “tolerance” i.e a sort of benign indifference. More important to me is respecting the believer’s right to believe whatever nonsense he wants, while doing your best to stay connected with whatever humanity and reason he still has in his head. “Love the sinner, hate the sin” as some religious type once said.
The downside of that, of course, is that the believer might feel a bit ..er.. patronised.
Ya know, while funny, I would have thought that Mo would start some rant on how he views his views as superior
Good points MrGronk. I didn’t mean that I value non-fundamentalist beliefs as I value my own. Obviously I didn’t flesh out my position very well. Belief in myths is a right, but I certainly don’t hold such beliefs equal to empirical evidence.”
So, your point is well taken concerning respecting the right of others to believe as they please. “Absence of respect doesn’t have to mean active contempt.”
I do, however, try to show respect to every person I meet until they show me that they don’t deserve it. I try to be the friendly sort. “Benign indifference,” to non aggressive beliefs, is a good phrase and well stated.
I think we are in agreement.
Ophelia Benson, you’re right. Time for Mo to change the subject as believers always do when hit with a logical body slam.
I find it funny that the bent of alot of readers here is that they seem to think this comic is only about making fun of Mo… But the name of the comic is Jesus and Mo… It’s not just Mo’s beliefs we’re questioning, it’s religion in general… Islam or Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, Judaism or Jehovah’s Witness… even Mormons.
Author could have named the comic “Zeus & Ra” but the point would still be the same…
I guess what I’m trying to say is lets not turn this into an Islamic Witch-hunt… All religion is questionable. The very basis of “God(s) created me and God(s) rule my existence” is what we’re talking about here…
Jones is correct. Barmaid slammed them both, and it applies as well to all fundamentalists of every religion.
I love the subtlety–reminds me of my favorite quote about satire:
“Satire should, like a polished razor keen,
Wound with a touch that’s scarcely felt or seen….”
~ Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
Only comic I haven’t laughed at.
The answer to the barmaid’s challenge is violence. Always has been. That the author thinks the barmaid somehow has Larry and Mo- er… I mean Jesus and Mo… over the barrel is shortsighted. Philosophically speaking, sure, but in real life this is the part where Mo’s people wages jihad and Jesus’s followers burns her at the stake.
Try again.
Hi, I found a link to this strip on wiki..
seems pretty funny! I like this feature too.
🙂
Trevor, I somewhat disagree. Sure, violence has been the reaction of many fundamentalists, but in debate where there are only a few present, most often the believer, when challenged with such logic, will quickly change the subject. Even so, whether the reply comes in violence or subject change, the questioner did, indeed, win the argument, even though the believers refuse to acknowledge it. A resort to violence simply shows the believers deep insecurity.
As someone mentioned before, It’s funny how a reader sees appropriate expression in the expressionless faces of the characters.
considering all 4 panels of the comic are identical right down to the little speck to the bottom right of the bar tap (except for the panel where the text covers that spot) and only the text balloons change, I’d have to agree… although it does have the effect of making them look stunned speechless in 2 & 3…
He’s thinking! He’s thinking! Rant will follow. Maybe. Wish we could
see Barmiad’s eyes. On the other hand, imagining her look is easy enough,
since I have always been surrounded by Uppity Women. Thank Goddess.
Or, as Poor Richard says [stealing straight from Saint Abbey], “Thank God I am an atheist.”
this was wery funny.
jesus and mo Rules for ever 🙂
“Uppity Women”, ah, yes… the work of the devil – as J&M in the above will probably agree.
Just saw the ‘Well behaved women don’t make history’ bumper sticker again today. It seems appropriate, somehow. Madalyn Murray O’Hair certainly made history.
There’s humour in this comic, too. It is schadenfreude, but I don’t feel too guilty. Ridicule may be the only way to actually affect their beliefs. Zeus only knows, reasoning with them doesn’t.
“Jones is correct. Barmaid slammed them both, and it applies as well to all fundamentalists of every religion.”
Why only fundamentalists?
Hi Iatsot: although I said “all” fundamentalists, please note that I didn’t say, “only” fundamentalists. It would also extend to a liberal believer who refuses to budge from an illogical argument.
However, it is the more liberal believers who have already done some thinking and compromised a fundamentalist position. I, myself, became a liberal believer after beginning to think, then jettisoned it all after I studied, argued, and thought some more. With luck, Mo will think hard–Nah, not likely.
My mantra: The unexamined belief is not worth believing.