Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for October 29, 2009

  1. Easter island polarized hill
    SplendensPluviaNemus  about 15 years ago

    I wonder if they can choose after they die.

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    WoodEye  about 15 years ago

    I think I get it… there is no WRONG religion. It’s all the same.

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    marjancek  about 15 years ago

    I really liked this one. As for the meaning; it’s pretty obvious. It’s not about the religion you followed, or even if you were and atheist.

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  4. Warthog
    wndrwrthg  about 15 years ago

    Man created god in his own image.

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    farren  about 15 years ago

    Oh, yeah? Which one was that - the Asian image, the African image, the Eskimo image, the Aborigine image, the Pygmy image, the European image? Huh? Which? Funny, y’all don’t look Jewish.

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    Mohawk20  about 15 years ago

    Actually, it’s not so deep, as the sign pointing to the ‘Right religion entrance’ points to the right, and the other one points to the left.

    But even if you go deeper, only the ones with the right religion would get into heaven, so people with the wrong religion wouldn’t be there, and thus the entrance stays unused.

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    larryscountry  about 15 years ago

    Everybody is certain that their religion is the “RIGHT” religion!

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    Richard Howland-Bolton Premium Member about 15 years ago

    Actually, it strikes me that the one thing all religions seem to agree on is that every other religion is the wrong one. That’s probably the only thing they all get right.

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  9. Nebulous100
    Nebulous Premium Member about 15 years ago

    I am quite certain that practically every religion has a lot Right. I am equally certain that EVERY religion has something basically wrong.

    I Believe, but I don’t Know.

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    harryrkeast  about 15 years ago

    Reminds me of the joke about the walled in section of heaven. A new arrival on a tour asks St. Peter, “Who’s in there?” St. Peter replies, “Oh, that’s the (insert but-of-joke religion followers here). They think they’re the only ones up here.”

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    wdgnas  about 15 years ago

    “never really understood religion, cept it seems a good excuse to kill’… ten years after-rock and roll music to the world.

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    wicky  about 15 years ago

    Just another slice of wry.

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    Wildcard24365  about 15 years ago

    Could have used one more option: “Not really sure if this is the ‘right’ religion.”

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    Ursula A Kehoe Premium Member about 15 years ago

    Brilliant! “Conversations with God” is a must read, whatever your beliefs [or lack of] are.

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    CARLTONBROWN  about 15 years ago

    This needs to go in the pantheon of cartoons. So little ink, so much said.

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    pearlandpeach  about 15 years ago

    mohawk, you don;t get the joke…as larryscounrty says..everyone thinks theirs is the right religion. there is no wrong religion.

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    cdward  about 15 years ago

    richardelguru wrote: “it strikes me that the one thing all religions seem to agree on is that every other religion is the wrong one.”

    Generalizations are always dangerous. I can assure you that, right or wrong, there are many religious groups that do not think theirs is the only path. Rather, they believe theirs is the part of the big picture that they can grasp and that, in the end, we’ll all get where we need to be. For those who say “God is Love,” for example, the likelihood is that those who love, regardless of religion, will enter into that while those who don’t – well who knows?

    As to religion being an excuse to kill, I disagree. Yes, it is often used as an excuse, but that’s not the reason. The reason, whether disguised as religion or the search for “security” or “Lebensraum” is ultimately power. Anything can be used as an excuse - that doesn’t make it the reason.

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    steverinoCT  about 15 years ago

    The Great Spirit giveth, and the Great Spirit taketh away…

    The Great Spirit is an Indian giver.

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    congraveb  about 15 years ago

    When exactly did truth become subjective and no longer objective???

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    prrdh  about 15 years ago

    I second what cdwardscissorhands said about the ‘one right way’ question. There are plenty of people who recognize the fact that it’s a very poor truth that has only one set of clothes.

    On the ‘excuse to kill’ question, I see it as *an* excuse, or if you like a ‘good reason’ to kill, but almost never the real reason. The real reason behind most killing is the desire to control resources seen necessary to one’s survival or that of one’s children. Religion is one of many group loyalties used to tell ‘us’ (the people those resources “really” belong to) from ‘them’. What is pathetic to me is that this is so often done in the name of prophets for whom there was no ‘them’.

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    MickeyMatt  about 15 years ago

    I’ve always said the comics are the best part of the newspaper. This proves me right again.

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    benjy77  about 15 years ago

    Magnificent - it is quite humorus to ridicule the rigid righteousness of the simple.

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    Takiniteasy  about 15 years ago

    I think the act of believing is at least as important as what you believe… I think… I believe.

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    wndrwrthg  about 15 years ago

    farren: in answer to your questions, yes.

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    WindSpider  about 15 years ago

    Believe in Belief in itself…the paradigm through which you choose to manifest you’re belief…is irrelevant. Nothing is True…everything is permitted . Ramen.

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    Jerry36  about 15 years ago

    No one has mentioned that the “wrong religion” entrance has a much shorter line and therefore is a quicker way into heaven. That’s the larger message I’m taking away from this wonderful cartoon.

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    gotowest  about 15 years ago

    Come on! This means ONE thing! There is no right or wrong religion, all the doors are open but people are like sheep, they love to line up in the “correct” line as they see it. Ever see two lanes of traffic to turn? People tend to line up in the longest line because they think that is the “right” lane.

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    Potrzebie  about 15 years ago

    I’m a Taoist. The joke is that I won’t ever get to see a heaven, because we have it here on earth.

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    DanTanner  about 15 years ago

    The joke is that there is no heaven and no creator.

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    michellepiotrovna  about 15 years ago

    It’s pretty cut and dry. It’s about pride and ego. Take a look at all the people crammed in the “Right Religion” line with no one in the “Wrong Religion” line. No one thinks their religion is the wrong one and would actually rather wait in line to get in rather than go into the “wrong religion” line to get in sooner. What? And admit they’re wrong? If you already made it to the gates of heaven, then obviously there is no wrong religion, now is there? After all, you had to have done something right.

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    Jml58  about 15 years ago

    There is only one God. But She uses about six billion aliases.

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    Ozarkjohn  about 15 years ago

    Don’t know about anyone else, but I think I’d opt for the wrong religion gate….lines shorter.

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    Varnes  about 15 years ago

    What a great comic! It’s profoundly funny. As is steverino’s little observation. That’s the Spirit! Jerry, quick on the uptake there. Looks like you could just breeze on through. It’s funny to think the “wrong” religion would get you into heaven faster…That’d cheese some people off, wouldn’t it?

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    KWK  about 15 years ago

    I would go through the “Wrong Religion” line. It would be more fun, efficient, bold and comfortable

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    Ronshua  about 15 years ago

    And the joke …. what’s needed is……..

    re⋅li⋅gion    –noun

    a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

    Moral conscience !

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    aggirlj  about 15 years ago

    Musmo, Dialogues with the Devil by Taylor Caldwell is another must read. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/952130.DialoguesWithThe_Devil Pretty old tome but pretty good read. I actually had somewhat of an epiphany when I first read it.

    I am also not so sure.

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    KWK  about 15 years ago

    This is magnificant. It should be posted on the door of every place of worship. It’s interesting that 99% here like the comic. I’m kinda surprised that there are not more comments from zealots denouncing the comic.

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    JanLC  about 15 years ago

    jml58: there was a sci-fi story written in the 50’s called “The 9 Billion Names of God”, so you’re only off by an additional 50%. It was written by Arthur C Clark.

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    bmonk  about 15 years ago

    “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried.” - G.K. Chesterton. Maybe if we took the advice to “Love your enemy” we would not be so concerned about who is right and who wrong.

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    lechatboote  about 15 years ago

    Your’e missing the point, it’s not the belief in religion that gets anyone in. Heaven isn’t a place it’s found in the presence of God, that’s why the entrance means nothing, rather it’s whom you believe in not what. It’s not so existential or complicated. We keep trying to layer on all this stuff and we miss the message.

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    GROG Premium Member about 15 years ago

    For all I know, both entrances could be gateways to hell.

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    Preschus3  about 15 years ago

    The right religion is based on ‘who or what your god is’….we either learn truth, compassion, courtesy, and forgiveness based on ‘that god’, or we use ‘that god’ as an excuse to put ‘me 1st’, to heck with our family, friends, and neighbors.

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    Dirty Dragon  about 15 years ago

    I notice that a couple of people up thread saying “there are many religious groups that do not think theirs is the only path”, but no one is pointing to an actual example of a faith that is willing to say that “Brand X” is just as righteous as their own set of beliefs/superstitions.

    Kinda like political stories that are based on anonymous “well-placed sources say…” agenda pushers.

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    David_J Premium Member about 15 years ago

    If I’m going to believe in some invisible and perpetually angry man in the sky, it’s going to be Sauron. He’s much more interesting.

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    KWK  about 15 years ago

    Hey plus4, I hate to say, “I told you so,” but Mary Greenslade & Jazzlily are the zealots that I mentioned would show up. Gave us a semon, are much too serious and have missed the humor of the comic.

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    lazygrazer  about 15 years ago

    I see nobody here gets it either….

    Please notice that BOTH entrances clearly lead to exactly the same desired place!—but a lifetime of religious bigotry has left everyone too blinded to notice that….even when they get there!

    Haha, you really nailed it, Wiley.

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    DeathDealer  about 15 years ago

    Remarkable… no fights have broken out at the pearly gates. Perhaps none of the souls have tags on saying what their brand of religion was.

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    mikdeeps  about 15 years ago

    The joke is ..There is no heaven or hell or the right religion or the wrong religion.

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    bmonk  about 15 years ago

    grazer, you might want to look at my comment again. I do not say that Christianity is better–only that we might try its advice…

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    escher417  about 15 years ago

    The doctrine preached by today’s comic is false.

    John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (NKJV)

    There is only one religion which will lead to Heaven - Christianity.

    http://higherthings.org/myht/articles/homilies/sola09-keseman.html

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    rickober  about 15 years ago

    Is it just me, or do those two gates go to the same place. Perhaps there are many paths to heaven….

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    KWK  about 15 years ago

    Well, there you go. escher417 has the right one. Everyone else is S.O.L.

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    11Wilderness11  about 15 years ago

    escher:

    The problem arises when one asks WHICH version of Jesus? The Methodist version? Baptist? Catholic? Presbyterian? Lutheran? They all read the same book(s) known as the Bible. they all interpret differently. Everyone is convinced he has the ONE RIGHT WAY to heaven. This is why the joke is funny. The other door goes unused because everyone is in the one that says “RIGHT RELIGION.” You are a perfect illustration. You would be in the same line.

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  54. Danae
    Wiley creator about 15 years ago

    The conundrum of satire is that the targets are the ones least likely to understand the point of the satire.

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    mickchump  about 15 years ago

    The real joke is this:

    There are no gates into heaven. No one goes to heaven after they die.

    If you believe the Word of God as truth, then prove this for yourself by reading it (the Bible).

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    ChukLitl Premium Member about 15 years ago

    There’s a long line to get back on for another ride. It beats sitting on a cloud taking harp lessons.

    Heaven & Hell exist, in do-it yourself kits. A lot of people will build you a Hell if you let them. Heaven is a little harder & sometimes has a short shelf-life. Just be one with the One when you can.

    Viva, heresy.

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    lazygrazer  about 15 years ago

    bmonk Rasputin said, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried.” - G.K. Chesterton. Maybe if we took the advice to “Love your enemy” we would not be so concerned about who is right and who wrong.

    Well said. Fully agreed. I, personally, am too busy enjoying Christ to be bothered with christianity.

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    kfaatz925  about 15 years ago

    Love this one! Wiley, thanks for the laugh and the clear vision.

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    drmose  about 15 years ago

    What most of the comments don’t get is that Wiley is at least an agnostic, maybe an athiest. He makes fun of religion all the time, but this one is the most obvious. He is saying that no religion is the right religion. All of them are wrong. And how foolish it is for anyone to believe that they have the only true religion.

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    Ronshua  about 15 years ago

    ..Judging anyone anything , “it shall be measured to you.”

    Give odds and bet your gavel , next stop Gehenna.

    Mat 7:1 “Do not judge, lest you be judged. Mat 7:2 “For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged. And with the same measure you use, it shall be measured to you.

    Mat 10:27 “What I say to you in the dark, speak in the light. And what you hear in the ear, proclaim on the house-tops. Mat 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the being. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both being and body in Gehenna.

    “Truly I see that Elohim shows no partiality, Act 10:35 but in every nation, he who fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”

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    Biltil Premium Member about 15 years ago

    I have a feeling that God has one hell of a sense of humor :)

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    GoComicsJay  about 15 years ago

    Anyone hear the story of the blind men and the elephant? There are many versions on the net. They too believed they were right in what they thought and from their perspective they were. The problem is they did not have all the information … the big picture. The same with religions. We are all basically correct but we too do not have the big picture. If you look you will see there are more similarities than differences. As for heaven / hell … I guess we will find out soon enough lets not rush it. I am sure killing anyone because of your beliefs is not the way no matter what you believe. Live long and prosper. J

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    bmonk  about 15 years ago

    @Biltil, God has to–creating us took a lot of humor!

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    drmose  about 15 years ago

    Since all religions are different, they cannot all be right. That leaves 2 possibilities, only one is right, or none are right. The joke is that everyone believes that their religion is right and the others are wrong.

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    ccmills  about 15 years ago

    Love your humour Wiley.

    Once again you have managed to generate debate.

    Given the comments by some about killing not being done for religious reasons but for reasons of control and to gain resource. How do you explain the witch hunts - what was being controlled there?

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    kumera  about 15 years ago

    Everybody has such a small brain, that it is possible for any one person to know anything. How anybody can claim to know all the answers, and keep a straight face, is therefore one of life’s deep mysteries. For every such person there are relevant facts that they are not aware of. And there is someone else on the planet who just as fervently believes the eact opposite, just as certain of their rightness.

    Shakespeare seemed to be on the right track when had Hamlet say: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy”.

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    bmonk  about 15 years ago

    Kumera, which is why most of what each person believes is taken on authority. Even scientists: who can duplicate all those experiments for themselves?

    Given that, a faith that helps us understand the world and live well is one more way to deal with our limits.

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    jaiel  about 15 years ago

    WOW!

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    fbmce  about 15 years ago

    Thank you - all of you wonderful posters who managed to discuss this topic in a civilized manner (at least thru Pg.2)

    Seldom have I seen Religion discussed so calmly - such a relief!

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    AKHenderson Premium Member about 15 years ago

    Which gate leads to going through Samsara all over again?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsara

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    lisagrinning  about 15 years ago

    I agree with Matthew Humphreys except I wish my newspaper still had my favorite comics. sigh

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    joeyoumans  about 15 years ago

    This is one of the best comics ever.

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    joeyoumans  about 15 years ago

    One of the best comiics, ever.

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    Aposteriori  about 15 years ago

    The sad fact is, why is it necessary to polarize people into the clueless religionistas vs. those who have better things to do than to gesticulate towards an empty sky as if there actually was something out there with so much time on it’s hands as to pay attention to the pointless gestures of another planet crawling creature?

    In a more advanced/enlightened society, those who are stuck in a perpetual retarded stage of human development would be treated like we treat all our drug addicts, with pity and the occasional disdain shone those whose DNA cursed them with a distinct disadvantage that predicates those who have a hard time coping with reality, so they lean heavily on drugs like, religion, alcohol, nicotine, heroin, etc.

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    Aposteriori  about 15 years ago

    Study the premise behind RWA’s, then it will become clear why people who apologize for the inherent flaws of their members/followers have no clue that there are actually thinking, living, breathing people on this planet who are not afraid to apply logic to any poorly thought-through “idea” (like the control mechanism “religion”).

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    Aposteriori  about 15 years ago

    The really absurd reaction is that religionistas find any excuse to cut & paste their favorite gibberish “verses” as if the those who can’t handle reality, (because if you’re confused enough to need religion, you’ll be even more confused if you ever figure out that the bible is self-contradictory) are going to find anything useful to un-complicate their lives in any religious porno-tome.

    The other sad reality is that these people would be even more confused without religion, need proof?

    Just look at all the fringe movements in this country, does anyone really believe that religion or fringe movements would be able to gain any followers if their wasn’t a plethora of misinformation and assumptions as far as the eye can see, radical religions/cults & violent hate-groups thrive in a vacuum of ignorance.

    Whatever crazy idea you have in your melon you can guarantee that there are at least a couple thousand anti-logic religious addicts ready to justify any number of intolerant ideas under the carte blanche banner of their favorite “version” of their religious belief.

    Is there a solution?

    Not really, not until drunk people stop knocking each other up and religious people start breeding outside their own farm system(s).

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    kershawfamily  about 15 years ago

    WoodEye, all the religions claim to be the only TRUE religion.

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    escher417  about 15 years ago

    11Wilderness11,

    If you speak to any Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, or Lutheran. theologian, they will all tell you the same thing - we all confess the same version of Jesus. We are all apart of the same Religion - Christianity.

    Now, there are important differences which stem from our sinful natures and are, as Scripture states, to be expected. They were present even at the time of the Apostles (Acts 20:25-31).

    However, these differences will not, alone, keep any Christian out of heaven and no theologian from any Christian denomination would ever make that claim.

    As stated by Scripture, it is in these differences that the truth of God’s Word will shine ever more brightly.

    You may find:

    http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2138

    useful as well.

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    momcactus  about 15 years ago

    Oh good grief. None of you get it. BOTH entrances get into heaven. Explanation for those who think their religion is the right one:it doesn’t matter what religion you are. The point of the comic was that everyone gets in.

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    kat827618  about 15 years ago

    Love this cartoon !!!

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    hypershock  about 15 years ago

    How can they all lead to heaven when one says the way to get to heaven is by following a gracious, compassionate (albeit jealous) God (who detests human sacrifice), and another says you must eat your enemies to gain enough of their mana?

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    stublick  about 15 years ago

    This is one of the most profound statements I’ve ever seen in a cartoon, or elsewhere. What a great place the world would be if we would only learn to be exhibit more tolerance and less hubris. Thanks for the wonderful cartoon.

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    OdderOtter  about 13 years ago

    Actually the wrong religion path is the less crowded one, which might be a benefit if anyone chose to do that.

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    pheonixeaglescorpion  8 months ago

    I’d walk through the “wrong religion entrance” just for kicks.

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