Religion In The Comics - 026

[Cartoonist]

This week's installment comes from Topix Comics, Volume 5 Number 3. Published by the Catechetical Guild. Cover dated December 1946. These righteous publishers also produced other comics like Treasure Chest and some other titles featured here on RITC.







Wikipedia refers to this story as "Alleged". Some sources say the cast still exists while others say no. There are no pictures of it. Scientists have not been able to examine it. Therefore, it has all the authenticity of the Piltdown Man.
While I can accept some of the elements of the story as possible, there is one aspect of the story I would like to call BS on. It's the same BS that gets added to many stories of religious martyrs, and that's the myth that they could have saved themselves if only they renounced their faith.

It doesn't work that way, never has. If the Romans found you carrying a concealed crucifix, they fed you to the lions. When the Nazis identified you as a Jew, they put you on the train. They didn't give you a chance to opt out by converting to Christianity. When ISIS captures someone not of their ilk, it's "All knees shall bow" and off with their heads. The idea that someone would choose to die rather than tell a lie, and that's really all it would be, is ludicrous.

No one is that idealistic. People have changed their religion like they change their shirt. (I got alerted on for saying that in a previous thread) People change their faith to get married or to keep harmony among relatives. So I'm supposed to believe that someone would choose death instead of saying what their executioner wanted to hear? No way. That choice was never offered. Not to Geronimo or anyone else.

So why does this BS get added to tales like this? It's just another BS aspect of religion. The tale is compelling enough. A man is killed because of religious persecution. So why add the phony bit about being given a chance to spare his life "if only" he switches faith? I think it's a feeble attempt to add religious heroism in order to glorify their God. The same God who abandoned them to die. Now that's religious irony, and that's no BS.

[Hoppy]

1. I love that the guy's name is Geronimo.

[onager]

2. !

[Hoppy]

3. Of course, the photo is of Iron Eyes Cody.

Is biography is interesting... born of Italians, I believe from Sicily.

I read Geronimo's autobiography about 5 years ago. That is a sad story.

[onager]

4. American from Louisiana, according to Wiki.

But you're right about the Italian heritage, according to Wiki again. Cody's sister described the family as 100% Italian heritage.

Geronimo's story is sad, along with most Native American history after those European tourists arrived.

Just recently I was reading about some of the bizarro Mormon American history. Where they found "evidence" for their theories that the ancient Jews came to America and fought wars etc. Their evidence was wholly depopulated villages, giant burial mounds, and such. All left behind by Native American tribes who had been wiped out in disease epidemics.

[Hoppy]

5. My favorite part of the Mormon story is where Joe Smith lost the gold tablets, somewhere in western,

N.y. State. Now if anyone believed even half of that, western NY state would be dug up every weekend by peeps looking for the gold.

[Arugula Latte]

8. Did he look in his couch cushions?

[Hoppy]

9. Maybe Joe kept the gold and just told the other suckers that he lost it.

You might find the gold tablets in the basement of a pawn shop on Canal Street.

[Arugula Latte]

11. "I, uh ... lost ... the gold tablets. Yeeeah, that's it. My wife, Morgan Fairchild, and I

looked everywhere, but we couldn't find 'em. That's the ticket."

[Warren Stupidity]

6. Actual picture of Geronimo.

[AlbertCat]

7. Why are the A-rabs green?

Let's go there and search for his bones!

Alrighty then!


These things are so succinct.

[Capt. Obvious]

10. How else are they to propagate Christian martyrdom myths?

She said "Yes"

It sells books.