Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for May 31, 2009

He didn’t like that fig tree much, either.

He has always been in religion. Reverend Sloan has been around since the beginning of the Doonesbury strip

Told it like it was to the whited sepulchers and those who were of their father the devil also.

Christianity is based on the doctrine that man is inherently flawed if not downright evil, and that the reward for a good life on this corrupt earth comes in a perfect afterlife after we die. So it is natural that those who “pile up riches on earth” rather than preparing for the next life are despised. Surely you’ve heard that “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”.

These are just a few of the intertwined anti-reality, anti-happiness, anti-success, anti-man principles of the most consistent practitioners of Christianity. I still struggle to understand how anyone can believe this junk.

One thing I like about Trudeau is that he can be specific to now and also be timeless.

Ha….jesus done right…great strip..

This particular strip perpetuates a misreading of the Bible.

In the Tanakh, the Jewish Bible, which Christians refer to as “The Old Testament”, God can be “crabby and snarky” as Sam suggests, however, God is also portrayed as loving, forgiving, merciful, and nurturing as well. It all depends on what passages one stresses.

By contrast, the God of the New Testament is the same God who condemns most of humanity to eternal damnation if they don’t accept Jesus as Christ– I’m not certain that it’s fair to say, in Sam’s words, that “It’s about love.”

This misreading of scripture has been used for many centuries to excuse, and even promote, Christian contempt for and hostility towards Jews and Judaism. Rev. Sloan, who has been presented as a progressive since his first appearances, should have corrected Sam’s misreading (or even questioned if he’s been giving her and his other congregants the wrong message.)

Thank you, Ian - you just said what I was about to type.

Leave all of it out but the words of Jesus, and there you will find what true Christianity is. Self-serving “doctrine” (doctoring) has been plastered over the meaning and the message. Xtianity is now known to most people as only a power-play by the political powers that be, who are, of course, the moneylenders themselves.

I firmly believe that every day, we–all humanity–make or break heaven and hell right here on earth. If we ever really get it that what happens to one happens to all, the world will be a really different place.

Messianic Jews.

People hate moneylenders because the lenders expect people to pay back the money they borrow. People always hate others who expect them to be responsible.

It seems like Gary Trudeau is starting to be influenced by George Carlin.

“Christianity is based on the doctrine that man is inherently flawed if not downright evil, and that the reward for a good life on this corrupt earth comes in a perfect afterlife after we die.”

Nope. We are saved by grace through faith, not by works. Those who live good lives get essentially the same reward as those who live bad lives.

IanThal and others: the Old Testament God is clearly an abusive spouse: sweet and kind when He wants to be, but if He doesn’t get his way, that’s when the belt comes out. It’s a pretty classic pattern. He loves us… so long as we don’t cross Him.

sammyd: you’re so cute when you’re being clueless.

“IanThal very good post. Trudeau is very intolerant of people who do not think exactly as he does.”

Thanks, fbjsr, however, I don’t think you are being fair to Trudeau. B.D. is a case in point of a character whose politics are very different from Trudeau’s own, yet is treated with great sympathy.

Sam is actually repeating an interpretation of Scripture that is common to both Catholic and Protestant Christianity. In that sense, Trudeau is representing Sam (and mainline Protestantism very fairly.) The problem is that Sloan has always been presented as a progressive, liberal clergyman who cares deeply about social-justice issues (likely a reader of James Carroll or Gary Wills), and so would be aware that Sam’s interpretation of Scripture has anti-Semitic implications– even if she never intended it that way.

“The Canon of what we now consider the Bible was decided by the Counsel of Nicea”

Actually, DoctorToon, that’s only the Christian Canon. Your use of “we” in that sentence excludes Jews from the conversation, after all, Sam is making statements about Jewish scripture, and thus, indirectly about Judaism that have ugly interpretations.

Obama’s icon is going to be moneylenders?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGrlWOhtj3g

These Wallstreeters!

If man is “inherently flawed”, then that means his creator is fallible. Why would a creation be created with a flaw? If man was given free will, why is he punished for exercising it? Truth be told there is no god.

Nairebis said, about 9 hours ago

People hate moneylenders because the lenders expect people to pay back the money they borrow. People always hate others who expect them to be responsible.

Money changers in the temple charged the Gentles an exhorbinant price for thier “temple money” Jesus knew this, because he knew his scripture, which of course was the Tanakh. That is why he told them they were turning his Fathers house into a “den of thieves”.

DoctorToon: How true. If fact, anyone who has studied scripture knows that the Jewish scripture over the centuries has undergone revisions too. The canon called the Old and New Testament is meant to be a Christian Bible, or Holy Scriptures. It includes Jewish Holy Scriptures with Christian Holy Scriptures. The New Testamnet, especially the Gospels has hundreds of quotes form the Tanakh and the prophets.

I think what we are really missing is that Sam never asked her question. We cant defend or destroy a child for innocent question of her faith which all children do at least Rick listened and not shut her down like some adults do.

Let’s cut Trudeau and Rev. Sloan some slack here. This is supposed to be a chat around the kitchen table, not a lecture hall. It’s a cute joke. And like Detrick said it works now and it’ll work 100 years from now. Christ probably would have laughed at it himself. I think a sense of humor is probably a requirement for God. I mean, look at human beings. You know there had to be a joke involved there.

jaiel said, about 5 hours ago

…. at least Rick listened and not shut her down like some adults do.

Rev. Sloan’s first name is Scott.

gmartin997 said, 1 day ago

Since when did Garry Trudeau get into religion?

“And the part of baby Jesus will be played by a hidden 25 watt light bulb”, Reverend Sloan announcing the annual Christmas pageant, ca 1972