And you know, that’s not the only problem with this strip: there’s a larger one. The passage about the wrath of God that Sloan reads in the opening panel is not from the Old Testament; it comes from Paul’s letter to the Romans, which is in the New Testament. Nor does it stand alone. To say that Jesus is “all about love” is false. If you read the gospels, you’ll see he’s often angry, threatening his audiences with hellfire and damnation, the fire that is not quenched, the worm that is not sated, and few are those who find the path that leads to salvation. Pluck out your eye if it lead you to sin, lest your whole body be cast into fire. And so on. (Jesus is also depicted in the gospels as an end-of-the-world preacher and faith healer, sort of like Oral Roberts only ancient, which is always cooler.)

I’ve often had to correct Christians and even ex-Christians who sold this line, like the graduate student who told an education class that though he’d been raised Christian, he’d been spared the “Old Testament doctrines like hellfire and brimstone.” First, as noted, hellfire and brimstone is a specifically New Testament doctrine; second, an example of real Old Testament doctrine would be “Love your neighbor as yourself,” Leviticus 19.18. There’s love and wrath in both Testaments. And even though it is probably a later addition to the Bible and not an authentic teaching of Jesus’, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” has a certain ring to it.

Happy Halloween!

I checked out the Evil Bible Quote of the Day for today (June 16th). I’s gruesome – and especially inauspicious for Ogs:

Bible Quote for June 16
Murder and Conquest

Then they turned and marched toward Bashan, but King Og of Bashan and all his people attacked them at Edrei. The LORD said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have given you victory over Og and his entire army, giving you all his land. You will do the same to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.” And Israel was victorious and killed King Og, his sons, and his subjects; not a single survivor remained. Then Israel occupied their land. (Numbers 21:33-35 NLT)

As for the Old Testament, there’s so much violence and cruelty in it one is left with the impression of a vengeful God devoid of mercy or forgiveness. Unfortunately, the radical settlers in the West Bank interpret the entire thing literally.

http://www.evilbible.com/

The Evil Bible site is one which the religious fanatics in Parliament (Abbott, Fielding etc) will definitely try to block. Foxman would.