Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for May 28, 2024

Purgatory is too good for Rat.

I’m surprised Rat went into a confessional, unless he just wanted to brag.

Watch out for rat traps!

On the plus side, Rat, you already know that further sinning isn’t going to make things worse, so you can do it all you want.

Or he could start following Jesus, and receive forgiveness and a relationship with God thru grace.

Sounds like me if I believed that garbage.

So much for the anonymous screen.

“I heard you guys used to sell these things called indulgences. Is that still an option?”

His penance is one Hail Mary . . . for every Mary that has ever lived.

Rat should renounce Catholicism and become agnostic, then most bases are covered!

“Father, I just keep coming to confession over and over again with the same old sins. It’s embarassing, I just can’t seem to do any better. Same old sins, every time!”

“So you’d like to try some new sins, is that what you’re saying?”

Hey Rat, remember what AC-DC said: "Some sin for nothin’ "!

…. or just have a cup of tea and read a book….

Can’t quite imagine Rat ever going to confession because that would imply feeling bad about something he’s done.

Love you, Rat. You say everything the rest of can only think. (“I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints”).

Any psychologist will tell you it is much better to get it out of your system instead of keeping it bottled inside!

Just keep on doing what you’re doing because at this point it doesn’t make any difference, anyway.

What highway is he on now?

It’s “Bless me Father, for I have sinned.”

I guess that was the result of Stephan being Greek.

You could try becoming a lich, Rat.

There’s an old New Yorker cartoon showing a lady and a priest standing outside a confessional and the lady is saying “Of course, my confessions probably aren’t nearly as interesting as yours.”

Also, check out Tom Lehrer’s Vatican Rag. Hilarious!

The gay priest is telling Rat to not sin. Ha ha ha!

Although I have never met a good person who is Catholic, I am confident that there must be one somewhere…

“Evil is neither suffering nor sin; it is both at the same time, it is something common to them both. For they are linked together; sin makes us suffer and suffering makes us evil, and this indissoluble complex of suffering and sin is the evil in which we are submerged against our will, and to our horror.”Simone Weil

Guess it’s too late for Rat to repent for his sins. He’s that awful.

Or he could just be a good person because it’s the right thing to do. That’s why this will be so hard for Rat.

I didn’t know Rat was Catholic

That’s not how church works.

Well, not how a Christian church should work. A “Christian” church does work like this.

Well, Rat, I guess you know where you’re going!

Kind of like an insurance company after you’ve had “too many accidents”.

Sadly, another comic strip dealing lightly with religion produces a discussion devolving into petty politics. We need better-paid better teachers, I guess.

It’s an ill wind…. Fourteen accountants made it into heaven just to help keep track of Rat’s sins.

I can’t speak for the Church of Rome, but that’s not how it works according to the Bible.

See you in H-E-Double Hockey Sticks, Rat.

Good luck, Rat!

Regarding anti-Catholic comments above, in my experience, only a very small percentage of Catholics are the insufferable devout ones (and converts are the worst). The vast majority are cafeteria Catholics who were born into it, and it’s more cultural than truly religious. We have brains, we can think for ourselves. For example, no more families with 12 kids since the pill. We aren’t proselytizing, not committed enough for that. We ignore the hierarchy, and on the local level we do good social justice stuff like food shelves, homeless meals, coats for kids, blood drives, etc. Many just come on Sundays to socialize after Mass over coffee and donuts.

Imagine a being so powerful he created the universe and yet so petty he demands our unconditional love and obedience. It would be like a human demanding an ant worship him.

Asking for forgiveness is one way to avoid being reincarnated as a lizard.

Rat needs a confession session? Mighty surprising.

It’s a blessing and a curse

I’ve never sinned, sin is a religious thing and I’m not religious.

Atheist, sorry.

Rat is Catholic?!

I prefer “Actions” to Grace.

Also uttered by Muhammad bin Qasim reported “I have Sindh.”

Just become a vampire. Then you will never die.

What amuses me are the number of posters here who spout Jesus and God, but in political settings, say the nastiest things about those who disagree with them. There’s some dissonance there.

Father O’Malley had to hear confessions the same day of the Notre Dame – USC game. Undaunted, he decided to stream the game on his phone with his earbuds, & no one would know the difference.

Leaving the church, a parishoner commented to another “I don’t think Father O’Malley was focused today.”

“Why not?” the other asked.

“Instead of granting absolution he gave me a 15-yard penalty!”

Ah pearls what a strip

There are many life paths, including living by a code. The subset of Monotheism (including Islam, Judism and Christianity) are not the only paths. My personl code is formed by Mahayana Buddhism, because for me it works better than Christianity did. There are many ways to follow Christ, and I respect your choice. Religion is not a one size fits all, for sure.

Pull a John Constantine and con both Heaven and Hell into leaving you alone.

Ah yes…. the impossible task as pennance. A truly devilish punishment!

Who HASN’T sinned, aside from Jesus?

Interesting the comments on religion

Just don’t get these two mixed up:

“Is the Pope Catholic?”, and

“Does the bear ____ in the woods?”

You’ll get:

“Does the Pope ____ in the woods?”, and

“Is the bear Catholic?”

Anyway, this is where today’s strip led my mind.