gregjohn wrote:
> The cartoon mocks a Theology of Glory, a self-centered, Antinomian one.
> 

Perhaps. But, the reason it is pertinent is that while "some" may not 
see it as the "correct" theology, its really hard to find many that 
don't, on some level. There is even a concept dubbed, "Poe's Law", which 
basically states that it is fundamentally impossible to make up 
something absurd to mock religion, which some religious person, or often 
group of people, don't **already** believe. For some of us, it kind of 
calls into question the whole precept that their *is* a right way, and 
that everyone isn't pretty much making things up as they go, then making 
up more things to "explain" how what ever religion they claim to belong 
to "fits" those made up ideas. To date, no one has been able to come up 
with one "consistent" version or "any" religion, which didn't include at 
least something that self contradicted, showed some level of irrational 
hate towards some other group, or just flat out turned my stomach due to 
its injustice and irrationality, with the possible exception of the 
borderline "deist" types, who seem to cling to the idea of religion, out 
of fear, tradition, or belonging, but otherwise differ from people like 
me only in the same way that say someone else's mother differs from 
mine, with regard to insisting on collecting teddy bears.

But, and this is important, the only reason such people are considered 
"annoying" to people like me, is that they will all too often pick the 
"vague" religion is good message up, and side with complete wackos, who 
do believe things like those in the comic, because its easier to side 
with the person "defending" the vague idea of religion, and take a look 
at what they **mean** by religion and whether or not you really agree 
with them about all the more **important** details of what they would 
like the world to be like. Given the choice between, say, electing me to 
office or some American version of Bin Laden, **most** will vote for the 
later, out of defense of "faith", than will conclude that we are much 
better off under a *possible* Nietzsche, than a *definite* Charles Manson.

If they stopped voting for the idiots, I wouldn't mind if they believed 
in the Lords or Kobal, for all it would matter in the real world. But 
they keep voting for people that think its 1309, not 2009, because, 
"Well, at least they believe in the supreme ruler of the universe". 
Yeah, but... that is *not* the thing(s) I, or anyone else on my side, 
find the most irritating, its just what *they* claim we are so pissed 
off about, to get you to side with them instead. Its bait and switch. 
Any offense at all, including advocating murder and genocide (if not 
committing it), can be trumped, in the minds of **too many people**, by 
simply saying, "But, they hate religion, and want to ban it!", never 
mind that the first parts is "because" of such behavior, and has nothing 
to do with whether god exists or not, and the later is a blatant lie.

So, so long as Poe's law applies, and you literally can't "invent" 
anything stupider than some believer already thinks is true, someone 
needs to be printing cartoons to show just how stupid such thinking 
actually is, and people like you will be showing up to babble, with all 
evidence pointing to you being dead wrong, that, "Real believers are 
nothing like that." Check again. Every poll ever taken, by "everyone" 
shows that "most" believers think god is a vending machine, and more 
than half of them think that said vending machine will pay off like a 
slot machine if you push all the right buttons in life, or strike people 
down some place else, in punishment, if they push the wrong ones. Right 
or wrong, (and how do you really prove they are not, given that a 
literally reading would imply they are, in a lot of cases), any other 
form of "belief" is as much a minority as those that reject the whole 
thing as insane in the first place.

-- 
void main () {

     if version = "Vista" {
       call slow_by_half();
       call DRM_everything();
     }
     call functional_code();
   }
   else
     call crash_windows();
}

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