Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Electric Jesus















For a larger view, click the image.


I had a special request from a beloved reader for this cartoon, so here it is. It's never been published in the U.S. but appeared in some Scandinavian magazines with Bizarro a few years back. Some people find it crass, but it is merely an observation. If Jesus of Nazareth had died in an electric chair, millions of you readers would be wearing tiny gold chair earrings right now.

Hope you enjoy, another post and more cartoons to come later today.

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20 comments:

Chris said...

You are deliciously afflicted.

Neil J Murphy said...

1. Love this.

2. You're going to hell.

3. I'll meet you there.

Punx said...

I've always wondered, what if he was hanged? Anyway, they needed something more symmetric rather than gallows for a symbol.

ilibbus said...

A historically accurate observation. The cross was a method of execution; early Christians used the fish symbol instead, precisely because the cross was so emotionally charged.

Sonic6 said...

When we did the play "Dracula" in college, the director commented that it's a good thing vampires never went after Jews (as he demonstrated the difficulty of forming a star of David with one's fingers).

Micah said...

That is brilliant and funny as hell. Not sure why anyone would think it crass. Maybe if you had used a needle instead it might have been crass O_o

DaveinT.O. said...

Thank you so much, Dan- for re-posting that pope cartoon! (It also gets me off yer back, haha.)
While praising you for yer #12 Punny, I was halfway through a bottle of very fine red- now that I have sobered up, I realize that some of the others are even more amusing !?!
( I developed a great fondness for BMWs while pulling wrenches at a bikeshop back in the late '60s, (the only complaint I have with them, is that you can't dismantle one of those motors with a pipewrench- like you can with a Harley? (Say Hi to yer bike for moi.)

Lee David Rimar said...

This is a Lenny Bruce gag from the early 1960's ...

"If Jesus had been killed 20 years ago, Catholic school children would be wearing little electric chairs around their necks instead of crosses."

ojeano said...

I have had this thought a lot. I'm grateful that it has made the press!

Homer said...

While growing up Catholic our priest once said it was a good thing that Jesus was crucified instead of being stoned to death, otherwise we'd all have to do this: [flails around wildly as if being hit with many stones]. Who says the Catholics don't have a sense of humor?!

Janta said...

Juergen Becker, a comedian from Cologne made a similar joke some years ago. Talking about a depiction of St. Ursula, with a crucifix hanging behind her on the bedroom wall, Becker commented that if Jesus had been drowned, she would have had an aquarium in her bedroom!

Very funny cartoon. I am intrigued that the electric chairs on the neckchains seem to defy gravity.

Bill Costa said...

Having a simple, easily recognized logo, is key for any large organization if it is to thrive and grow. The simple but easily recognized cross symbol was part of the marketing genius of the Catholic Church. (How's that for crass?)

doug nicodemus said...

i put a really long post about tarantulas on your facebook page when i realized it was probably more appropriate here...sorry for the blatant ego that it may appear to be..big fan always...

Janta said...

If people do excavations in 2000 years time, they will probably wonder what that powerful religion was that had a yellow M as a prominent symbol.... (not to mention the drive-through temples and the freaky-looking prophet).

Could it be a cult worshipping Cassiopeia? It looks like an M from the southern hemisphere...

Sean O'Hagan said...

I had a similar thought but with a guillotine.
(comic here: http://coppers4acat.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-if.html)

NormanLake said...

We would not be able to get away with poking fun at the Muslim faith, without a bounty put on our heads. Indeed, I had a heated argument with a "Christ"ian that almost caused us to come to blows when I suggested just the same observation as the electric chair death of Jesus. Good humor does not have to be in good taste, just funny.

Piraro said...

@DougNico...I don't mind the long posts on Facebook, but put them under the comments section of that post instead of directly on the wall. I try to keep the wall clear so my posts don't disappear into the time line. Thanks for your consideration, Doug. :o)

Piraro said...

@Sean O'Hagan...nice job. This is an idea that a lot of people have come across over the years. I like the "stoning" joke that "Homer" mentions here and the Lenny Bruce gag as well, obviously.

Sean O'Hagan said...

Thanks! I just saw the chair-shaped hand movement in your drawing. Just great.

Comrade Misfit said...

I heard Dick Gregory joke about this in the early `70s.