Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

osteensibly

2018-07-13 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
osteensibly
Votey panel for osteensibly
This explanation is incomplete or may contain errors. It was generated by AI and has not yet been reviewed by a human editor.

Explanation

This comic targets prosperity gospel preachers, likely referencing Joel Osteen (given the title "Osteensibly," a pun on "ostensibly" and "Osteen"). A congregant asks the pastor how he can believe in a just, all-knowing, omniscient God given the state of the world. The pastor responds that this is exactly right -- God is "complex enough to oversee all of creation" but also simple enough to "turn any murder into something that's right."

When the congregant pushes back, the pastor pivots to offering "something that makes you feel good about yourself" and asks "Do you accept Mastercard or Visa?" The comic criticizes how prosperity gospel theology conveniently resolves the problem of evil (how can a good God allow suffering?) by simply declaring that everything, including murder, is part of God's plan -- and then monetizes this comforting but intellectually hollow theology. The title's pun suggests the pastor is only "ostensibly" doing God's work while actually running a business.

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