Comments on: gapingvoid complaint

By: Chuck Law

Chuck Law — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 21:50:01 +0000

Gosh… I’ve been quoting the “wake-up” cartoon for a couple of weeks at the work place. The devout christian friend thinks it’s a slur. The atheist friends think it’s a sell…love it for just that reason. I’m a reformed atheist non-christian, so that phrase just added to my mantle of religious ambiguity. Thankyou for helping me further my cause.

By: Kachina Crowe

Kachina Crowe — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 02:44:41 +0000

This is something I do not understand about Atheists. Even my Atheist friends fall into this smug pomposity that they need to be sheltered from all Christian symbolism and themes. I hear people argue that Creationists are close-minded and then from the other side of their mouth demand that “under God” be taken out of the pledge. It’s the same thing. The key for both groups, I think, is to be in the world, if not of the world. Shake your head with laughter or disappointment — but don’t over estimate your own importance.
“I will be forced.” — *shakes head*
Also, Mr. Carter should mind his commas. It appears they’ve gotten away from him :>)

By: Shazz

Shazz — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 06:52:00 +0000

LOL … Ooh, let’s start a “Wake up and smell the _________” contest and offend lots of closed-minded people. Hugh can pick a winner and cartoon it for us all. ha!
I’ll start:
“Wake up and smell the Creationists.”
Have fun.

By: heather

heather — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 03:15:57 +0000

and then the Atheist tells us Merry Christmas. i think it’s time to start drinking.

By: Kevin Behringer

Kevin Behringer — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 22:01:53 +0000

Hugh:
As a Christian, I am offended by all the atheist talk. I will stop reading. Maybe you should bend your writing/publishing on YOUR blog so that I am happy!
Give me a break. If he doesn’t like what you post, maybe he should not host the widget, instead of trying to make you write/publish/believe what he does.
I think he should have to change his blog/site to reflect my beliefs, because his site is offensive to me.
Give me a break.

By: silverfoot

silverfoot — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 15:24:36 +0000

huh. i took the tone of the cartoon to be ironic - the wry, back-handed commentary present in much of Hugh's other work. not so much a "You'd better believe in Jesus" than a "You'd better be paying attention, because the Religious Right is on the move." so i'm curious how this could be 'diluting your brand'...

By: Jenny

Jenny — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:15:05 +0000

What I personally find interesting is the amount of disrespect shown towards someone who, instead of silently taking down the widget, tried to engage in some kind of “feedback process” regarding something that bothered him. Somehow I thought trying to communicate about issues openly was a good thing.
I do hope none of the people who shared their precious “subtle” sarcasm with the world would usually be so disrespectful to a complete stranger or possibly neighbor who might actually be a nice guy, even though he doesn’t share some of your opinions.
Completely independent from my opinion on the cartoons with religious topics, I find it a bit strange to associate someone with religious fanaticism simply because he voiced that the widget he put up on his site shows other things than he expected, which he wouldn’t usually like to have on his web site.
And…I still read Hugh’s blog “religiously” . I couldn’t resist that pun.

By: hugh macleod

hugh macleod — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 13:29:10 +0000

It’s funny to me how something so UTTERLY ambiguous was interpreted just one way… by an atheist.
And to say one of my cartoons looks “out of place” on my own blog is also pretty amusing

By: Kat Meltzer

Kat Meltzer — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 10:01:34 +0000

As an atheist, I had a similar discomfort the cartoon in question. But then I remembered how my husband has shoved any number of foul substances under my nose and exclaimed “Holy crap, this reeks! Here honey, smell it!”
I bet Jesus smells like pretend.

By: Bernardo

Bernardo — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 09:35:50 +0000

“Proud atheist” is an euphemism for “asshole”.

By: sky

sky — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 08:49:02 +0000

nice fuckin comic!

By: Andrew Denny

Andrew Denny — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 08:37:52 +0000

Interesting that he uses a capital A for 'Atheist', and calls himself "proud" to be so. He sounds pretty devout, and if he believes in Atheism, good for him. I used to call myself an agnostic, until I read recently that 'agnostics believe that the nature of God cannot be known'. Personally, I don't 'believe'. I'm not proud to say it; it's just that religion - atheism and agnosticism included - is beyond my understanding. I recall a Hughtrain slogan: "The market for something to believe in is infinite"

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 06:18:47 +0000

They say you can tell a fanatic because he (or she) doesn’t have a sense of humor… I’m used to seeing religious fanatics, but I guess they come in all persuasions.
Finding religion offensive has nothing to do with being an atheist per se. It has to do with being intolerant.

By: Richard Carter

Richard Carter — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 03:08:08 +0000

Thinking about it some more afterwards, I think what I was really objecting to was the change in tone from Hugh’s usually inspired cynicism to one of (apparently) unadulterated (and, in my opinion, naive) religiosity.
Hugh can obviously say whatever the hell he likes in his cartoons, but I considered the happy-clappy Jesus stuff to be off topic and a dilution of his brand. I thought I knew what I was getting when I displayed his widget. Not any more. But I’m keeping it up for the time being because I still enjoy 99% of his stuff.
Merry Christmas to one and all. Even those of you who misread the tone of my original email.

By: Ashish Banerjee

Ashish Banerjee — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 02:20:50 +0000

Second coming? Must be Jesus 2.0 then.