Speaking of the “inspiring” Qur’an we discussed yesterday, today’s Jesus and Mo strip, called “author,” has the wise barmaid instructing the Divine Duo about their scriptures. The creator added a dry comment below the cartoon: “Nowhere near,”
Jesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ the “good books”
November 22, 2023 • 9:00 am
That’s a point which usually flies over believers’ heads. Several points, actually.
First, when we consider the enormous size and incredible age of the universe, the idea that it’s all here for the purpose of allowing human beings the opportunity to choose whether to love and obey God or not is ludicrous. Look at the scope; contemplate the scale: the stage is far too big for the drama.
No amount of groveling and handwringing about how insignificant we are compared to God gets us away from the Cosmic Storybook problem. As the barmaid suggests, a truly mysterious awe-inspiring Creator of the Universe wouldn’t resemble a familiar dad-figure preoccupied with ourselves and therefore writing a helpful book of somewhat obscure instructions. How prosaic.
But even granting that God would write a book, surely It would and could write a better one. I suspect that’s the barmaid’s point: they’re just not all that good. Historically interesting sure, and with bits of not particularly original wisdom thrown in here and there. But neither the Bible nor the Qur’an is impressive on its own. Their true worth requires a backstory about God inspiring it and life and your death resting on how impressive you think it is. How convenient.
Nicely put.
Yes, based on the criteria of brilliant writing, we should all be worshipping Shakespeare and his First Folio. Shakespeare was a far better writer than any god.
The barmaid is wrong, maybe not as wrong as Jesus and Mo, but still wrong.
“Maybe there is an even more awe inspiring Creator, who knows?”
We know: there is not. An awe inspiring creator needs a modicum of intelligence. Intelligence is complex (and needs a physical substrate). Proposing an ‘intelligent creator’ does not solve any problem. Only natural selection can solve that complexity problem.
I’m not fond of using the term ‘stupid’, but trying to explain complexity by an infinitely more complex intelligence is just that.
You are being harsh with the barmaid. She could be a non-theist but honest that she cannot *know* 100% that a creator god never existed.
It’s unlikely that a creator god created and then no longer intervened… but such a god, occupying the briefest of gaps, is*not* the god of the Holy Books.
And if he/she was the author of the holy books they could have provided so much more information in the books to help things along, things like listing all the elements and atomic numbers and the speed of light in a vacuum, electromagnetism, evolution epidemiology and genetics. The list is endless. These books claim so much about life and living but all the important stuff is absent. Plus, it is obvious that they were written by men!
Just saying.
Is something inherently flawed if it’s written by men?
I’m not defending the bible or the koran. I’m just opining that they are nonsense because they are nonsense, not because they were written by men.
On the slightly tangential other hand, there are (to the best of my knowledge), two books that posit religious prophecies that are extraordinarily detailed and which come true in every particular. They are Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, and Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde. Needless to say, they are both humorous fantasies!
Both written by men, too 😉
The holy books written by men are not in any way sympathetic to women. In my opinion this makes them seriously flawed. Read the holy books and then sell your daughter into slavery. I was practicing that lowest form of wit, sarcasm.
Not all books written by men are flawed and of course there is no absolute proof that they the holy books were written by men.
They are just rubbish.
Add that much of the books are boring rambles.
Behold … “begats” without end!
I remember that bit from “Inherit the Wind”. I also remember detailed instructions on brass and wood fittings in temples as well.
And a great deal of murder.