Jon you’ve clearly not read the latest child development theory!- babies are born knowing the different sounds of their parents, with an amazing ability to engage, communicate and copy right from the moment they are born!- i’ll show you my social baby book!!
I like this toon. It touches on an important (to me) theological question based on the following suppositions:
1. God is all knowing
2. God is all loving
What kind of loving god allows children to be born into the world knowing already (if we consider the evangelical saved/unsaved model) that they are destined for hell?
If my suppositions are correct, it kind of makes free will look a sham, perhaps?
When you think about it, birth must be an incredibly scary experience. One minute you’re suspended in warm fluid, with all you need on tap (well, yeah, in the latter stages it must be a bit uncomfortable). Then your ceiling starts pressing down on you. Your head and body is finally squashed through an unfeasibly small space. Then you are squirted out (the only way I can describe the effect of that final push) into space. You have never had to breathe before, don’t know how to, but it is the only way you are going to get the oxygen you need, so you instinctively take that huge gulp and hope your lungs are working. Then it all culminates in a great primal scream echoing from the depths of your being. It’s amazing that any of us ever get over the trauma.
What a preparation for the rest of life’s challenges, big and small.
hi joe. i see no reason for believing babies are destined for hell. those who spout this make god sound 100 times worse than hitler. i find the evangelical saved/unsaved doctrine flawed in its over simplification of things we cannot and do not know.
hi sonia… i thought my newborn baby was quite developed in the communications department!
i remember that pierre… catherine tate said it.
no zefi… it supposed to be amusing and profound. oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.
hey will… some of my favourite people have no neck… there’s no shame in it.
good morning carole… yep, that’s what i’m driving at. i wonder if we ever do get over the trauma… how can we know? maybe in some ways the experience helps toughen us up to some of life’s harsher realities… again i guess we can’t know.
what i do know is, babies are generally born wrinklier than the one i’ve drawn.
Joe, Number 7. I remember hearing a systematic theologian describe the Calvinist position as a ‘wickerman ready to burn’. John 3:17 (good biblical evangelical that I am ). Not all evangelicals hold that theological stance.
TULIP? Erm… what does that stand for again? I forget….
Jon. I thought that Birth was supposed to be a wonderful lifegiving experience. I thought it was the point where the mother child relationship is solidified. Surely that isn’t a design flaw?
How could Saturday be good when it started with my Dad persistently drilling a hole through my bedroom wall at silly o’clock in the morning. I was hoping to wake up at the crack of noon!!
Just a thought, but has anyone else noticed that the poor woman in question has somehow lost her fingernails in the second picture?
I know its supposed to be painful, but surely japanese nail torture doesn’t figure into it???
All three of mine got their own back by checking their kidney’s functiones OK all over me.
But this made think about how often my children (especially the middle one) ask “why did you have me?”
Teehee - the first part of this one made me think that perhaps this one was a premature teenager. Come 13 that baby will we shouting it all over again and this time slamming a door or two. Thanks Jon - this one made me giggle.
That middle picture makes me glad my four were born by caearean section…
zefi #10 I thought that too - the premise behind that film is an appealing one. In reality, though, I’m pretty sure they don’t think anything much beyond “I’m hungry”, but their cuteness more than makes up for the fact the lights are on but no one’s at home yet.
What kind of loving god allows children to be born into the world knowing already (if we consider the evangelical saved/unsaved model) that they are destined for hell?
Then you’d get into an argument of sorts regarding “age of accountability” and all that loveliness. Meh.
If my suppositions are correct, it kind of makes free will look a sham, perhaps?
The baby reminds me of the anti-Teletubbies (one of the few UK products I wish never made it over to this side of the pond). Wonder when the tattoos and piercings will start?
hm… ok - honest: after i posted that (which i do find funny) i thought maybe it might be a little inappropriate… i do apologize if anyone is offended. jon, feel free to delete if so inclined…
Having delivered many babies as a paramedic, I always wondered what their cries really meant upon their entry into the world……
Of course, I could have sworn I heard one newborn look at his mom’s boobs for the first time, look back at dad and exclaim; “Back off dad, they’re MINE!”
Whaa… Is this supposed to be a creepy piece????
Comment by zefi — May 10, 2008 @ 5:47 am
*giggles*
Comment by shelly — May 10, 2008 @ 5:54 am
Jon you’ve clearly not read the latest child development theory!- babies are born knowing the different sounds of their parents, with an amazing ability to engage, communicate and copy right from the moment they are born!- i’ll show you my social baby book!!
Comment by soniamain — May 10, 2008 @ 5:56 am
For some reason the last bit made me think of the end of Doctor Who’s series two:
“Who are you? Where am I? What the hell is this place?”
Comment by Pierre — May 10, 2008 @ 6:32 am
Lol - I know this is prolly more for Will’s benefit, but as the bubba has no neck it made me think of the skipster!
Comment by dadube — May 10, 2008 @ 6:50 am
i also have no neck but thanks anyway ;
Comment by Will — May 10, 2008 @ 6:54 am
‘I never asked for this’
I like this toon. It touches on an important (to me) theological question based on the following suppositions:
1. God is all knowing
2. God is all loving
What kind of loving god allows children to be born into the world knowing already (if we consider the evangelical saved/unsaved model) that they are destined for hell?
If my suppositions are correct, it kind of makes free will look a sham, perhaps?
Comment by Joe — May 10, 2008 @ 8:22 am
When you think about it, birth must be an incredibly scary experience. One minute you’re suspended in warm fluid, with all you need on tap (well, yeah, in the latter stages it must be a bit uncomfortable). Then your ceiling starts pressing down on you. Your head and body is finally squashed through an unfeasibly small space. Then you are squirted out (the only way I can describe the effect of that final push) into space. You have never had to breathe before, don’t know how to, but it is the only way you are going to get the oxygen you need, so you instinctively take that huge gulp and hope your lungs are working. Then it all culminates in a great primal scream echoing from the depths of your being. It’s amazing that any of us ever get over the trauma.
What a preparation for the rest of life’s challenges, big and small.
Comment by Carole — May 10, 2008 @ 8:33 am
hi joe. i see no reason for believing babies are destined for hell. those who spout this make god sound 100 times worse than hitler. i find the evangelical saved/unsaved doctrine flawed in its over simplification of things we cannot and do not know.
hi sonia… i thought my newborn baby was quite developed in the communications department!
i remember that pierre… catherine tate said it.
no zefi… it supposed to be amusing and profound. oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.
hey will… some of my favourite people have no neck… there’s no shame in it.
dadube… send love to the skip!
shelly… yeh, i thought it was funny too.
Comment by jonbirch — May 10, 2008 @ 8:42 am
You must’ve been watching the movie ‘Baby Geniuses?’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Geniuses
Comment by zefi — May 10, 2008 @ 8:59 am
good morning carole… yep, that’s what i’m driving at. i wonder if we ever do get over the trauma… how can we know? maybe in some ways the experience helps toughen us up to some of life’s harsher realities… again i guess we can’t know.
what i do know is, babies are generally born wrinklier than the one i’ve drawn.
off out now… have a good saturday y’all.
Comment by jonbirch — May 10, 2008 @ 9:30 am
That is exactly what I said two weeks ago
Joe, Number 7. I remember hearing a systematic theologian describe the Calvinist position as a ‘wickerman ready to burn’. John 3:17 (good biblical evangelical that I am
). Not all evangelicals hold that theological stance.
TULIP? Erm… what does that stand for again? I forget….
Jon. I thought that Birth was supposed to be a wonderful lifegiving experience. I thought it was the point where the mother child relationship is solidified. Surely that isn’t a design flaw?
How could Saturday be good when it started with my Dad persistently drilling a hole through my bedroom wall at silly o’clock in the morning. I was hoping to wake up at the crack of noon!!
Comment by Robb — May 10, 2008 @ 9:53 am
We’re about to go through the experience depicted in the cartoon in about 5 weeks.
Not our first, though.
Comment by artbizness — May 10, 2008 @ 10:50 am
Just a thought, but has anyone else noticed that the poor woman in question has somehow lost her fingernails in the second picture?
I know its supposed to be painful, but surely japanese nail torture doesn’t figure into it???
Comment by dadube — May 10, 2008 @ 10:59 am
@dadube: she is clenching her fists. Right Jon?
Comment by Grace Bridges — May 10, 2008 @ 11:21 am
Would that be “we” artbizness?
Comment by Robb — May 10, 2008 @ 11:40 am
Grace - I had kind of suspected that.
Comment by dadube — May 10, 2008 @ 3:01 pm
All three of mine got their own back by checking their kidney’s functiones OK all over me.
But this made think about how often my children (especially the middle one) ask “why did you have me?”
Comment by Helen — May 10, 2008 @ 3:40 pm
big brother seemed not over impressed with the arrival of twin siblings - ‘what the hell ARE those!’
Comment by subo — May 10, 2008 @ 3:45 pm
And Stewie makes his debut on ASBO Jesus!
Comment by A S Hodel — May 10, 2008 @ 3:46 pm
Owwww!
Comment by brunettekoala — May 10, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
Grace and Dadube - as long as it’s her fists she’s clenching and not her buttocks…
Comment by Carole — May 10, 2008 @ 5:45 pm
Teehee - the first part of this one made me think that perhaps this one was a premature teenager. Come 13 that baby will we shouting it all over again and this time slamming a door or two. Thanks Jon - this one made me giggle.
Comment by Amie — May 10, 2008 @ 8:11 pm
Thats well FUNNY.
Comment by dennis coburn — May 10, 2008 @ 9:06 pm
That middle picture makes me glad my four were born by caearean section…
zefi #10 I thought that too - the premise behind that film is an appealing one. In reality, though, I’m pretty sure they don’t think anything much beyond “I’m hungry”, but their cuteness more than makes up for the fact the lights are on but no one’s at home yet.
Comment by AnneDroid — May 10, 2008 @ 10:00 pm
What kind of loving god allows children to be born into the world knowing already (if we consider the evangelical saved/unsaved model) that they are destined for hell?
Then you’d get into an argument of sorts regarding “age of accountability” and all that loveliness. Meh.
If my suppositions are correct, it kind of makes free will look a sham, perhaps?
I believe “free will” is a sham anyway.
Comment by shelly — May 11, 2008 @ 1:18 am
The baby reminds me of the anti-Teletubbies (one of the few UK products I wish never made it over to this side of the pond). Wonder when the tattoos and piercings will start?
Comment by becky — May 11, 2008 @ 5:35 am
hahaha — http://xkcd.com/291/
Comment by Happy — May 11, 2008 @ 6:06 am
hm… ok - honest: after i posted that (which i do find funny) i thought maybe it might be a little inappropriate… i do apologize if anyone is offended.
jon, feel free to delete if so inclined…
Comment by Happy — May 11, 2008 @ 6:09 am
Well, Happy, I thought it was funny!
Comment by Carole — May 11, 2008 @ 10:07 am
made me laugh,happy
Comment by soniamain — May 11, 2008 @ 10:56 am
i’m glad…
Make sure you mouse over the picture for the commentary…
and he does have a point. sometimes we do take ourselves entirely too seriously.
Comment by Happy — May 11, 2008 @ 2:07 pm
Having delivered many babies as a paramedic, I always wondered what their cries really meant upon their entry into the world……
Of course, I could have sworn I heard one newborn look at his mom’s boobs for the first time, look back at dad and exclaim; “Back off dad, they’re MINE!”
Comment by Mr. Nighttime — May 11, 2008 @ 4:22 pm
happy… that’s a great cartoon!
wow! … cool job mr. nighttime.
Comment by jonbirch — May 11, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
“wow! … cool job mr. nighttime. :-)”
Yep, it was for 22 years, but I’m glad I’m retired now…..
Comment by Mr. Nighttime — May 11, 2008 @ 5:34 pm
15 and 17… she is indeed clenching her fist… in a sort of badly drawn way.
Comment by jonbirch — May 11, 2008 @ 8:38 pm
i guess you can’t do such a highly charged and demanding job forever mr. nighttime. nice one though.
Comment by jonbirch — May 11, 2008 @ 8:40 pm
look! it’s me!
Comment by émie — May 13, 2008 @ 5:51 pm