The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus

October 3, 2008

563

Filed under: Uncategorized — jonbirch @ 3:44 pm

inspired by the comment of john e. thanks! :-)

btw… if anyone has a better wording, or their own greed creed, please feel free to let us see them in the comments. cheers!

37 Comments »

  1. this is fab, should be circulated

    Comment by subo — October 3, 2008 @ 4:13 pm

  2. do I weep or do I laugh?

    Comment by Caroline Too — October 3, 2008 @ 4:41 pm

  3. [...] this creed for capitalists from ASBO Jesus, starting I believe in Greed, the Market Almighty, [...]

    Pingback by Gentle Wisdom » The Greed Creed — October 3, 2008 @ 5:14 pm

  4. Wild! that is BRILLIANT, my wife and I just had a real good giggle!

    Comment by brent — October 3, 2008 @ 5:18 pm

  5. Nicely done! brilliantly conceived. Beutiful Irony!!!! As always, well done!!! I will help circulate on my blog too…it deserves to be read. Also, reminds me of Colbert’s “The Word” on monday night (clip found on my blog). It was about the free-market and used a lot of religious language… almost as good as this.

    Thanks again for sharing your talent and thoughts!!!!!

    Comment by Justin — October 3, 2008 @ 5:27 pm

  6. Should that be “wholly” instead of “holy?”

    Comment by Tyler Dawn — October 3, 2008 @ 5:43 pm

  7. Wow this is great, Maybe one creed for each of the 7 deadly sins?

    Comment by Dan — October 3, 2008 @ 7:51 pm

  8. @Justin: neither socialism nor capitalism should be allowed to hijack Christianity. God demands social justice, but He also gives us free will.

    don’t forget that Socialism could have a similar creed but I’m to lazy to write a proper one…

    I believe in Socialism
    and the progression through the dialectic to Communism
    Where no-one will be richer than me even if that means we should all be equally poor.

    Comment by John Ferguson — October 3, 2008 @ 8:48 pm

  9. Greed is just as inherent in socialism as it is in capitalism. You can’t eliminate greed with an economic system.

    Comment by Fremen_Warrior66 — October 3, 2008 @ 10:46 pm

  10. Whew, that was quick Jon! The “pompous piracy” part is genius. I’m thrilled to have played a tiny part in your creative process.

    Since you asked: would “…and in profit, his only son, our lord” work if the later line read “He ascended into hedge funds”?

    Comment by John E. — October 4, 2008 @ 3:23 am

  11. and wasn’t it the Son of Man who had no place to lay his head??

    Comment by Longing for Holiday — October 4, 2008 @ 5:11 am

  12. Greed is just as inherent in socialism as it is in capitalism. You can’t eliminate greed with an economic system.

    We can only eliminate greed by eliminating all apes. :D

    Comment by zefi — October 4, 2008 @ 7:08 am

  13. Reminds me of the Ferengi.

    Sas x

    Comment by sarah — October 4, 2008 @ 2:05 pm

  14. Hey Y’all;

    Saving this cartoon to PC and e-mailing it a couple places.
    :-D

    Jon’s cartoon and Zefi’s commentary above have inspired this little remark:
    “We believe in the planet of the apes, evolved from the primate almighty . . . “

    Comment by Forrest — October 4, 2008 @ 2:07 pm

  15. I believe in wealth – the wealth of experience, the wealth of lessons learnt, of family, friends and golden harvest fields – and materially too, no doubt, but we all need to share it.

    Comment by sarah — October 4, 2008 @ 2:07 pm

  16. Amen and amen.

    Comment by David Ker — October 4, 2008 @ 2:18 pm

  17. in the name of the governments
    Lo, they shall bail us alone, out of our iniquities,
    though we cause them everyone else.
    for ever and ever

    Amen.

    Comment by drew — October 4, 2008 @ 5:10 pm

  18. You’re VERY clever!!! :)

    Comment by Carole — October 4, 2008 @ 5:42 pm

  19. john e… ‘ascended into hedge funds’… brilliant!!! :-)

    thanks for the kind comments gals’n'guys! :-)

    re socialism and capitalism… of course all ‘isms’ have an unspoken creed. i have to say, i would always prefer an ideology that puts people before riches… however, human nature and the need to ‘lord it’ over others does mean that even the kindest of ideologies fall well short… even christianity, he said provocatively.

    Comment by jonbirch — October 5, 2008 @ 10:18 am

  20. Hehe. Very funny! I may have to promote this ASBO on my blog. :)

    Re the “isms” having an unspoken creed. If you think about it, ideologies are a lot like fundamentalist religion.

    Comment by Ros — October 5, 2008 @ 3:02 pm

  21. …even christianity, he said provocatively.
    In a period drama type, narrative way.

    Comment by drew — October 5, 2008 @ 6:16 pm

  22. Reminds me of the scene in Mary Poppins where the bankers worship the almighty dollar.

    Comment by Eric — October 6, 2008 @ 9:54 am

  23. Jon, this one is superb! I will e-mail it to as many people as I can, with your permission of course. The whole of the Western world – and maybe some others too – should see it. :)

    Not that I have all their e-mail addresses ….

    Comment by janetp — October 6, 2008 @ 11:49 am

  24. Brilliant Jon,
    Have reproduced it on The Red Pill.

    There an ASBO to be done that depicts the PM and chancellor as high priests of this particular false god too..

    Comment by Jonathan — October 6, 2008 @ 1:06 pm

  25. [...] ASBO Jesus shares this excellent illustration on the current economy and our idolatry to it in “The Greed Creed“: [...]

    Pingback by The Greed Creed | thomturner.com — October 6, 2008 @ 1:53 pm

  26. Here’s a prayer for all the people caught up in this, as their jobs disappear and their homes are re-possessed, I pray they will not hide, shamed by others greed, and will find a way to live creatively, finding an identity seldom given to the poor. I pray no one will go cold and hungry, homeless and broke, because of the greed of others. I pray we may see God’s generosity in our land, and feel the depth of belonging to a community of people who are not indifferent to each others reality

    Comment by subo — October 6, 2008 @ 7:22 pm

  27. “Greed is good. Greed works.” – Gordon Gekko.

    Comment by Mr. Nighttime — October 6, 2008 @ 10:12 pm

  28. [...] visit ASBO Jesus and check out the Greed Creed. It pretty much sums up our present social values in the US. Sadly, I suspect it sums up the faith [...]

    Pingback by Greed Creed | Seven whole days — October 6, 2008 @ 10:36 pm

  29. sorry it took so long to get back. jon, I agree with you on the socialism. I think that any man-made system or institution will fall short of the Kingdom we are called to build.

    There are good things in almost all government theories/structures. But huge downfalls to them all.

    examples (at least for me:
    Democracy– freedom, human rights
    Socialism– universal healthcare, (Ideally) no poverty.

    but once we get out greedy little hands on good ideas; ideas that are already short of the Kingdom, it goes to pot eventually. *sigh

    thanks again jon!

    Comment by Justin — October 7, 2008 @ 2:36 am

  30. thanks jonathan

    thanks justin… i agree.

    great film mr. nighttime… great and chilling speech too. michael douglas’s finest hour perhaps.

    Comment by jonbirch — October 7, 2008 @ 2:40 am

  31. Getting the films mixed up there; it wasn’t Mary Poppins (although there was a group of bankers), it was Silent Movie.

    Comment by Eric — October 7, 2008 @ 7:41 am

  32. This cartoon reminds me of parts of a fabulous book called “The Boomer Bible” by RF Laird. It was a massive, sprawling satire on the American Baby Boomer generation’s history and morals, written in the Chapter/verse style of the Bible, complete with InterColumnar Reference! Too much to quote here, but if any of you ASBOers get a chance to check it out, I recommend it. The WIKI will give you some more info, but beware of the “home page” (BoomerBible.com) which used to be a genuine site, but now appears to be a home for spyware of all kinds.

    Jon, if I remember, I’ll lend you my copy next time we see you… ;-)

    Comment by AndyP — October 7, 2008 @ 12:29 pm

  33. As Christmas approaches, perhaps on the subject of materialism, this little poem may be of interest: -

    O Christmas Tree

    O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
    O how we do adore thee
    O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
    We now beg and implore thee
    To give us gifts, on Christmas day
    That take our dreary hearts astray
    O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
    O how we do adore thee

    O Christmas Tree, Wise Christmas Tree
    We light your boughs joyfully
    O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
    We’ll jump through flames before thee
    Like Animists and Wiccans we
    Pray for cash and fertility
    For happiness we count on thee
    To light our homes, O Christmas tree.

    O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
    So evergreen and lovely
    You never sag, you never bend
    Pictures of you we like to send
    Like you we want to always be
    Forever young, and tall and free
    With mirrored balls and tinsel we
    Adorn you our dear Christmas Tree

    On Christmas Morn, O Christmas Tree
    We gather kids about Thee
    And tell them of your Santa Clause
    And seeing gifts they then applaud
    And so to honor you, you see
    We gather round you Christmas Tree
    In order to retrieve their gifts
    They must bow down before Thee.

    (Below verses believed to be a later addition (gloss), not in Byzantine text)

    << O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
    Beloved of the advertees
    Along with Santa Claws and all
    Without you no festivitEE
    Each year still earlier and yet
    The shopping days they must begin
    Until at last, with joyful sound
    We shall have Christmas all year round.

    In Babylonish stylish red,
    All gaily decked the halls appear
    With holly, magic mistletoe
    Forests of cards to right and left,
    So many trees the price have paid
    To keep the “card and wrapping” trade,
    Fitting it surely is that we
    Should honour thee, O Christmas tree.

    Comment by Friend of Muslims — October 10, 2008 @ 3:03 pm

  34. [...] The Greed Creed [...]

    Pingback by Random Acts of Linkage #81 : Subversive Influence — October 11, 2008 @ 10:28 am

  35. this reminds me of a poem a friend showed me…

    It’s called “A currenter Prayer” and it starts

    our media who’s art in manipulation
    hollow be thy game…

    … for thine is the kingmaker with the power of the story
    forever and ever
    a… moral.

    you can listen to it on the poet’s myspace page. i think it’s very good!

    http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=207821609

    Comment by Sparrow — October 13, 2008 @ 10:18 am

  36. Clever, but misguided. Couple pieces of food for thought: Charity couldn’t exist without capitalism. That is, in order to give something away, you have to own it first. In a fully socialistic system, you don’t own anything, the state does. God made us all capitalists when he said, “you shall not steal.” So, while voluntary socialism is a great idea, and it could be argued that the early church operated this way, as soon as it becomes voluntary, it becomes capitalism.

    Comment by seanbutnotheard — October 28, 2008 @ 6:48 pm

  37. It may not be better wording, but I thought you might like the wording of my “Parable of the American Kingdom”

    http://www.morethancake.org/2008/10/parable-of-american-kingdom.html

    Comment by J. R. Miller — November 7, 2008 @ 6:05 pm


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