2011-05-07
Explanation
This comic features a conversation between a priest and a young girl about the story of Noah's Ark. After the priest finishes telling the story, the girl summarizes the moral: "So, after every rain, the rainbow is God saying 'I won't kill everyone with another flood'?" The priest confirms with a simple "Yep."
The girl then points out the disturbing implications of this supposedly comforting message. She compares it to a guy who comes by a couple times a month, strokes a loaded gun for six hours, and says "Not gonna kill everyone again!" before leaving. When the priest asks "Well, would you rather he shoot you?" the girl replies, "I'd rather he didn't come by at all" -- a succinct articulation of the atheist position that a God who threatens mass destruction and then promises not to do it again is worse than no God at all.
The priest responds by pointing at her and shouting "Atheist!" as if this is some kind of accusation. The humor lies in how the child's simple logical reasoning exposes an uncomfortable reading of a well-known Bible story, and how the priest's only rebuttal is to label her rather than address her argument. The votey panel shows the girl being struck by lightning, implying God's retribution for her impertinent logic.