Watch a skater or dancer performing and you may see a solution to the problem of dizziness. Keep your eyes and head fixed on something in your field of view while your body rotates, then quickly bring your head around and repeat.
Perhaps the bible believers are doing the same thing by keeping their eyes on the conclusion they wish to be true and distorting everything else as necessary.
As an aside, the view one gets as a passenger in a plane doing a vertical loop is disconcertingly normal with respect to your position in the plane. Down is where your feet are and the earth is up above your head. An even more exaggerated case of the self as the centre of the universe that our religious types cling to.
Its never been about rational argument. Either the universe looks to you like a place of justice and love or it doesnt. To me (us?) it does not. How do we bridge the gap? I have to consider the possibility that nothing can-otherwise why do people accept the blitheringly dumb arguments such as the ones you highlight and satirise?
I never did know the bible that well! Will there ever be a time when it isn’t useful to know what’s in there? I guess not, if we want to argue against theism we have to know our enemy.
Did anyone else see the article about the attempted “drive-by baptism”? People in a van attempted to kidnap a child on his way back from school and baptize him.
Maggs, I actually read the Bible from cover to cover partly because I was curious to know what was in it and partly so that I could say to Bible thumpers “have you actually read the Bible, all of it? no, thought not, well I have now bog off and don’t come back until you’ve read it as well.
To be honest, a good grounding in the Bible is very useful when arguing with Christians as it generally contradicts everything that they believe. You don’t have to read it though as there are now very good online Bibles that have search facilities and sites such as evilbible.com to help you out.
As it was said, ‘know thy enemy’. It helps when you can throw quotations from the bible at people. I know it’s not about the literal word but as far as I can figure out, as far as “gays being evil” goes, it just says to not “lay with man as you would with man”. It says nothing about homosexual women.
I have mentioned on comment threads before that the girls who indulge in gay sex are in the clear as far as the Old Testament goes at least, not sure if Paul had something to say about it. In actual fact I believe that in some translations the rather unfortunate wording suggested to any woman who reads it that lesbianism is compulsory.
Stonyground- who says the wording is “unfortunate”?
On a more serious note- you are spot on about the Christians not reading the bible. Perhaps its what I said earlier- they dont need to actually read it. There is a slot in their heads marked “magic saviour who returns to make all things right” and thats all they need. In the Aztecs Quetzelcoatl filled the slot, in the Hindus, Krishna, in the pagans, Mithras, and so on. It used to puzzle me that Christians would not read their own sacred book but this is only a puzzle if you think that their belief came from it in some way.
Sorry Daoloth, when I said unfortunate I was meaning from the point of view of the translaters who I suspect wouldn’t approve of gay sex of anykind. For the rest of us it is less unfortunate than hilarious.
I know a woman who is a christian. We socialize mostly because my kids are the same age as her’s. So one day she IM’ed me and asked about my youngest son’s name, Ezra. She said she’d never heard of it. I told her it was from an old book that no one reads anymore. She asked what book and I said it was this book called “the bible”. So she says she hadn’t heard of him said he must have been a minor character or something. I said well, yeah, he mostly just shows up in the Book of Ezra.
And this is a woman who voted to take away others’ rights based on something in a book she hasn’t actually read.
Ironically, I have a dear friend who was raised as a fundamentalist Christian, but after reading the bible she became an atheist. Very few of my Christian friends have much of an idea what it says in the bible, and I don’t think any of them have actually sat down and read it cover to cover.
Yeah, some of the passages in Joshua are a bit tough. But hey, there is also the New Testament, and Qohelet, and the Book of Job… It’s definitely worth reading, whether you are an atheist, agnostic, or, well, evangelical 🙂
I have read about 2 dozen of these cartoons and I’m sorry but I just don’t find them funny. Your representation of both characters completely misses some crucial differences.
Firstly, to equate Islam and Christianity by labeling them “religions” and then dismissing both of them as “sky-fairy blah blah” is inaccurate and lazy thinking.
It would be far more accurate to describe Christianity as a philosophy of life with a moral center (the ideas of love, compassion, forgiveness). It is this moral center which lends it value – all the narrative details, from nativity to crucifixion, could be ignored and yet the philosophy would still be meaningful and valuable because of the moral center. Why would any sane person who wants to live his life in peace and safety, want to reject these ideas? Without a moral center, human beings are not very nice creatures.
Whereas with Islam it is quite difficult to establish what its basic tenets are. There is so much in the Koran that justifies killing, cheating, lying (to non-muslims), violence towards women, children and anyone who dares to disagree with it, that describing it as a “religion” is quite a stretch. (Think Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Jainism – all of them are at least trying to promote ways of people living together in reasonable harmony.)
One might be inclined to conclude that Islam is nothing more than a cruel, misogynistic, malevolent cult designed to protect the power of a select patriarchal hierarchy. You could say that your average adherent of Islam is victimized rather than uplifted by it. Where’s the love?
Christians actually pray to the mother of Christ; there is no female equivalent in Islam. To even put Christ and Mohammed together in the same room is a nonsense, as Islam would demand that Jesus be punished for refusing to adopt it!
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
April 8, 2008
Wheeeee! Can we go around again?
Watch a skater or dancer performing and you may see a solution to the problem of dizziness. Keep your eyes and head fixed on something in your field of view while your body rotates, then quickly bring your head around and repeat.
Perhaps the bible believers are doing the same thing by keeping their eyes on the conclusion they wish to be true and distorting everything else as necessary.
As an aside, the view one gets as a passenger in a plane doing a vertical loop is disconcertingly normal with respect to your position in the plane. Down is where your feet are and the earth is up above your head. An even more exaggerated case of the self as the centre of the universe that our religious types cling to.
Its never been about rational argument. Either the universe looks to you like a place of justice and love or it doesnt. To me (us?) it does not. How do we bridge the gap? I have to consider the possibility that nothing can-otherwise why do people accept the blitheringly dumb arguments such as the ones you highlight and satirise?
I never did know the bible that well! Will there ever be a time when it isn’t useful to know what’s in there? I guess not, if we want to argue against theism we have to know our enemy.
HAHA – It sounds a bit like “What time is it Eccles?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSSGiA4f5cs
How do you know Jesus is the son of god???
— I’ve got it written down on a piece of paper!!!
just stumbled upon this site a few days ago and had to read them all….didn’t think you were ever going to post a new one….needed my fix of genius
grouchy-one, thanks for the Goons link, was totally unaware of such comedic brilliance
Did anyone else see the article about the attempted “drive-by baptism”? People in a van attempted to kidnap a child on his way back from school and baptize him.
Maggs, I actually read the Bible from cover to cover partly because I was curious to know what was in it and partly so that I could say to Bible thumpers “have you actually read the Bible, all of it? no, thought not, well I have now bog off and don’t come back until you’ve read it as well.
To be honest, a good grounding in the Bible is very useful when arguing with Christians as it generally contradicts everything that they believe. You don’t have to read it though as there are now very good online Bibles that have search facilities and sites such as evilbible.com to help you out.
“keeping their eyes on the conclusion they wish to be true and distorting everything else as necessary.”
Perfectly describes the “scientific” method for creationists.
@Stonyground
As it was said, ‘know thy enemy’. It helps when you can throw quotations from the bible at people. I know it’s not about the literal word but as far as I can figure out, as far as “gays being evil” goes, it just says to not “lay with man as you would with man”. It says nothing about homosexual women.
I have mentioned on comment threads before that the girls who indulge in gay sex are in the clear as far as the Old Testament goes at least, not sure if Paul had something to say about it. In actual fact I believe that in some translations the rather unfortunate wording suggested to any woman who reads it that lesbianism is compulsory.
Stonyground- who says the wording is “unfortunate”?
On a more serious note- you are spot on about the Christians not reading the bible. Perhaps its what I said earlier- they dont need to actually read it. There is a slot in their heads marked “magic saviour who returns to make all things right” and thats all they need. In the Aztecs Quetzelcoatl filled the slot, in the Hindus, Krishna, in the pagans, Mithras, and so on. It used to puzzle me that Christians would not read their own sacred book but this is only a puzzle if you think that their belief came from it in some way.
Sorry Daoloth, when I said unfortunate I was meaning from the point of view of the translaters who I suspect wouldn’t approve of gay sex of anykind. For the rest of us it is less unfortunate than hilarious.
I’m going to write a book about a pathological circular reasoner called Korey Bibble.
I know a woman who is a christian. We socialize mostly because my kids are the same age as her’s. So one day she IM’ed me and asked about my youngest son’s name, Ezra. She said she’d never heard of it. I told her it was from an old book that no one reads anymore. She asked what book and I said it was this book called “the bible”. So she says she hadn’t heard of him said he must have been a minor character or something. I said well, yeah, he mostly just shows up in the Book of Ezra.
And this is a woman who voted to take away others’ rights based on something in a book she hasn’t actually read.
Our kids don’t play together so much any more.
Ironically, I have a dear friend who was raised as a fundamentalist Christian, but after reading the bible she became an atheist. Very few of my Christian friends have much of an idea what it says in the bible, and I don’t think any of them have actually sat down and read it cover to cover.
I have 🙂
Yeah, some of the passages in Joshua are a bit tough. But hey, there is also the New Testament, and Qohelet, and the Book of Job… It’s definitely worth reading, whether you are an atheist, agnostic, or, well, evangelical 🙂
I have read about 2 dozen of these cartoons and I’m sorry but I just don’t find them funny. Your representation of both characters completely misses some crucial differences.
Firstly, to equate Islam and Christianity by labeling them “religions” and then dismissing both of them as “sky-fairy blah blah” is inaccurate and lazy thinking.
It would be far more accurate to describe Christianity as a philosophy of life with a moral center (the ideas of love, compassion, forgiveness). It is this moral center which lends it value – all the narrative details, from nativity to crucifixion, could be ignored and yet the philosophy would still be meaningful and valuable because of the moral center. Why would any sane person who wants to live his life in peace and safety, want to reject these ideas? Without a moral center, human beings are not very nice creatures.
Whereas with Islam it is quite difficult to establish what its basic tenets are. There is so much in the Koran that justifies killing, cheating, lying (to non-muslims), violence towards women, children and anyone who dares to disagree with it, that describing it as a “religion” is quite a stretch. (Think Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Jainism – all of them are at least trying to promote ways of people living together in reasonable harmony.)
One might be inclined to conclude that Islam is nothing more than a cruel, misogynistic, malevolent cult designed to protect the power of a select patriarchal hierarchy. You could say that your average adherent of Islam is victimized rather than uplifted by it. Where’s the love?
Christians actually pray to the mother of Christ; there is no female equivalent in Islam. To even put Christ and Mohammed together in the same room is a nonsense, as Islam would demand that Jesus be punished for refusing to adopt it!
I know, it’s just a cartoon. But still.
I have had similarly adamant objections from Muslims. Go figure.
Nobody is saying the two religions are equal. Except for the fact that the fundamental propositions in both are equally unlikely to be true.