Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
Atheist Penelope
KeepACoolin:
--- Quote from: SleeperCylon on 22 Jul 2009, 12:45 ---
--- Quote from: Dotes on 14 Dec 2008, 21:23 ---As an atheist myself it kinda bothers me, especially since the whole "fundamentalist atheist" thing is a big farce. Atheism is about skepticism, not absolutism.
--- End quote ---
I'm an atheist myself.
I've met a lot of atheists who think everybody who isn't an atheist is stupid and ignorant. That's really no different from a Christian thinking anybody who isn't Christian is evil. It's elitism, pure and simple. For you atheism may be just about skepticism, but if it is, you should also be skeptical of your skepticism. Because the fact is, "The universe was created spontaneously" is just as big a leap of faith as "The universe was created by a divine being". I think there is no God, but I don't pretend that I know everything, and since I don't know everything, how can I really call people who think there's a bearded guy in the clouds controlling our fates idiots?
What pisses me off is that all the atheist posterboys are smug little dipshits like Richard Dawkins.
--- End quote ---
Given that I am (probably) one of the few conservative Christians, if not the only one, likely to ever be on this message board...
1. The idea is not that anyone who is not Christian is evil. In fact, as a Calvinist, I believe that all people are on equal moral footing (that is, equally flawed) and that my faith in God has nothing to do with myself.
2. I absolutely agree about the elitism, though- on both sides. Too many Christians are incredibly self-righteous (me included), which is wrong in and of itself given how the gospels speak of Pharisees, and I know plenty of people who, despite being worse students and probably less intelligent in general than me, acted like I was a complete moron for believing in an orthodox version of Christianity.
3. The "bearded guy in the clouds" thing is a caricature. That's the rough equivalent of someone saying that evolution means people descending from monkeys. The anthropomorphic image of God comes primarily from our art (i.e., Creazione di Adamo) and secondarily through metaphoric passages from scripture, as in God's self-references that describe Him as having a back or eyes/ears/etc.
Pypoli:
--- Quote from: Dotes on 14 Dec 2008, 21:23 ---Why's Jeph raggin' so hard on crazy atheist Penelope? As an atheist myself it kinda bothers me, especially since the whole "fundamentalist atheist" thing is a big farce. Atheism is about skepticism, not absolutism. I understand that they're just characters and dialogue, but it all comes from somewhere, and I don't like the way some of her views are being treated in the comic.
I know I shouldn't complain and just be happy that Jeph makes such a great comic, but I can't help but be bothered by the latest few Penelope strips. I'm not making a big deal about it though, I just want to see what a few other people think. Are you bothered by it? Or does it seems like a fair portrayal of atheists that you met? Or am I just a crazy person who gets offended by nothing?
Discuss.
--- End quote ---
I think you're wrong when you say that atheism isn't absolutist.
Atheists think there is no god. As such, atheists consider religious people to be slightly gullible, because why would you believe in something when you have absolutely no proof of it actually being true. At least that's how I, as an atheist, feel. I don't make that particular view known because it's bound to be badly received.
If you're just sceptic, uncertain of the existence of a supreme being, and mostly unwilling to follow any particular religion, you'd qualify more as an agnostic.
That being said, I don't feel the least bit offended by the portrayal of some of Penelope's ideas. Though that might be because I have no clue what you're refering to.
Surgoshan:
Gullible? That has negative connotations I, a fellow atheist, wouldn't impute to the faithful. I call them credulous.
Pypoli:
--- Quote from: Surgoshan on 23 Jul 2009, 07:46 ---Gullible? That has negative connotations I, a fellow atheist, wouldn't impute to the faithful. I call them credulous.
--- End quote ---
I watered it down with "slightly" for that very reason. I just couldn't come up with a word that didn't have a negative connotation, and to be frank, why would I. Being credulous, gullible, or any synonym you can think of is derogative.
I realize some people will take it to mean "I disagree with you hence i think you're stupid," but hey. It holds partial truth.
Is it cold in here?:
Being offended by the portrayal of Pennelope probably means you're taking it as being a Message. If a character is annoying or flawed, that only means Jeph did that character that way for dramatic reasons, not that he's pushing an agenda.
Jeph actually said once that if you absolutely have to read a Message into the strip, you should tell yourself that it's that people should be nice to each other.
Pennelope is dogmatic because she's Pennelope, and she probably got that way from her upbringing, a point Dora called her on.
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