7/2/2003: "Finger" of God

Undertoad · 07-02-2003, 10:51 PM

Thanks to tandr who suggested this -- I was sitting here telling him that I usually try to avoid reposting Fark material, and here by the end of the day I've not posted anything anyway.

So here 'tis, an APoD, actually a cloud of gas and dust that's broken off the Carina nebula. But much more interesting, as tandr says, interpreted as the last message of Him to His creation.

xoxoxoBruce · 07-02-2003, 10:54 PM

Quote:

interpreted as the last message of Him to His creation.

Or the next.

Nothing But Net · 07-03-2003, 02:27 AM

... of Romulan Ale. If that's not available, I can think of a reasonable substitute.

Jacque Strapp · 07-03-2003, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Undertoad
But much more interesting, as tandr says, interpreted as the last message of Him to His creation.

Hmm, it looks to me as if He is flipping us the bird. Can't blame Him, I guess...

Duh, I just realized that's what the first post was saying. I've read a lot of other interpretations of this image, though, this one on the APoD page goes to show that where some people see the finger, others see Superman:

<i>"it could be perceived as a superhero flying through a cloud, arm up, with a saved person in tow below"</i>

Conesus · 07-03-2003, 09:38 AM

Maybe it's a mirror of this Rage album cover:

Thoughts?

Conesus · 07-03-2003, 09:41 AM

Undertoad Wednesday Jul 2 11:51 PM

Good timing too. :p Thought you might skip a day.

joydriven · 07-03-2003, 01:57 PM

The way the Bible puts it, God thought his handiwork was good then...

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

~ the cap to the account of creation given in the first chapter of GENESIS (Old Testament, Torah)

...and He isn't exactly giving up hope on His handiwork now either...

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

~ from the first chapter of COLOSSIANS (New Testament)

P.S. Did someone already notice this?--it looks like there is a little echo/shadow cloud in the same shape just above and to the left of the bigger cloud. I wonder how that one came about.

xoxoxoBruce · 07-03-2003, 03:16 PM

Quote:

P.S. Did someone already notice this?--it looks like there is a little echo/shadow cloud in the same shape just above and to the left of the bigger cloud. I wonder how that one came about.

Hmmmm...let's see...now who could have dome that? Do you think it might be......Satan.

joydriven · 07-03-2003, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Do you think it might be......Satan.

God creates Satan. God creates the world. Satan falls (more like leaps) from God's grace. Humanity follows. God intervenes, offering redemption. Satan attempts to interfere.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

Humanity eats, drinks, pretends it's playtime at the zoo.

Isn't it funny what we sometimes think is funny? The little "hand" could not be Satan's (even if this were a decent metaphor). Its proportions are not dwarfed nearly enough to make for a just comparison.

joydriven · 07-03-2003, 04:45 PM

Way too heavy for the Cellar, I bet you're thinking. Please don't get the idea that I'm sitting here praying down fire and brimstone on everyone. Quite the opposite.

It's just that some things can't be too heavy for the Cellar.

Look at it this way.

If I accidentally kill a gnat, oh well, you know? How can I walk around long breathing in and out and brushing my hair out of my face WITHOUT killing a gnat once in a while?

If I accidentally kill my neighbor's dog, that is not a good thing at all. I would feel terrible. So would the neighbor, and it would probably be tough to stay on genuine speaking terms. Our relationship as neighbors may very likely suffer permanent ruin.

If I accidentally kill my neighbor, the stakes are obviously upped. I would feel more than terrible, and the consequences would be lifelong and far-reaching for all involved families.

If I accidentally kill my country's president or a vehicle full of national heroes--I might as well count myself dead for all the value "living" would have after such a travesty. It would not matter a speck at that point whether or not I "felt bad." What would matter massively is the huge ramifications of my action, reverberating over the entire hemisphere, marking up history itself.

I'm being ridiculous here. Deliberately so. My point is this:

The more important the individual you offend is, the more serious your offense against him is, and the more serious the consequences of your actions are. It is a correlative thing.

Make light of a gnat--nothing heavy about that. Make light of the One who designed everything from millions of galaxies full of supposedly-coincidental gas cloud formations down to the intricacies of a gnat's wings and digestive or reproductive systems--that's heavy.

A "harmless" jab at me would be quite a light offense. A "harmless" jab at an infinite Being is proportionately infinitely offensive. Making light jokes about God is always heavy.

xoxoxoBruce · 07-03-2003, 04:49 PM

OK

Undertoad · 07-03-2003, 05:13 PM

I think I can manage not to offend too many actual people, but I'm really stuck on how I can avoid offending the invisible beings they think rule their lives through poorly-translated and re-translated, centuries-old fairy tales of suspicious origin. I have concluded that there is just no satisfying some beings, supreme or no, and that all humor is fair game.

xoxoxoBruce · 07-03-2003, 06:07 PM

UNDERTOAD for AMBASSADOR to the UN.

OnyxCougar · 07-03-2003, 06:12 PM

I'm confused. Is Joy saying they're offended by the picture or the statements about it being the "hand of God" or about the resulting commentary? Which part was offensive?

Also, (insert appropriate divine being here) has more to worry about than people commenting on if he's giving us a galactic finger. At least he/she/it SHOULD. IMHO.
:p

edit: Yeah, still can't type.

Uryoces · 07-03-2003, 06:37 PM

If you wanna get philisophical, there are rewards to reap and penalties to pay whether you want to believe in God or not. Quoting scripture to a non-believer is like asking the non-English speaking person "When. Does. The. Bus. Arrive?" You're still not speaking their language and irritating them further.

So yeah, that's a bit heavy to be outside the non-philosophy section.

....Oh, oh! And in So Long and Thanks for all the Fish, just before Marvin [won't spoil it], they see the last message left by God to his creation: Giant, 10 mile-high burning letters that spell out: "Sorry for the inconvenience".

P.S. God created humor.

07-02-2003, 10:51 PM	#1
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	7/2/2003: "Finger" of God Thanks to tandr who suggested this -- I was sitting here telling him that I usually try to avoid reposting Fark material, and here by the end of the day I've not posted anything anyway. So here 'tis, an APoD, actually a cloud of gas and dust that's broken off the Carina nebula. But much more interesting, as tandr says, interpreted as the last message of Him to His creation.

07-03-2003, 02:27 AM	#3
Nothing But Net Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Spring, Texas Posts: 1,481	God can give me three fingers... ... of Romulan Ale. If that's not available, I can think of a reasonable substitute.

07-03-2003, 09:38 AM	#5
Conesus hit of sunshine Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: San Francisco Posts: 8	Rage album cover? Maybe it's a mirror of this Rage album cover: Thoughts?

07-03-2003, 09:41 AM	#6
Conesus hit of sunshine Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: San Francisco Posts: 8	Good timing Undertoad Wednesday Jul 2 11:51 PM Good timing too. :p Thought you might skip a day.

07-03-2003, 01:57 PM	#7
joydriven joywriting in the rock river valley Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Chicagoland area Posts: 41	presuppositions The way the Bible puts it, God thought his handiwork was good then... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. ~ the cap to the account of creation given in the first chapter of GENESIS (Old Testament, Torah) ...and He isn't exactly giving up hope on His handiwork now either... For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ~ from the first chapter of COLOSSIANS (New Testament) P.S. Did someone already notice this?--it looks like there is a little echo/shadow cloud in the same shape just above and to the left of the bigger cloud. I wonder how that one came about. Last edited by joydriven; 07-03-2003 at 01:59 PM.

07-03-2003, 04:45 PM	#10
joydriven joywriting in the rock river valley Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Chicagoland area Posts: 41	Way too heavy for the Cellar, I bet you're thinking. Please don't get the idea that I'm sitting here praying down fire and brimstone on everyone. Quite the opposite. It's just that some things can't be too heavy for the Cellar. Look at it this way. If I accidentally kill a gnat, oh well, you know? How can I walk around long breathing in and out and brushing my hair out of my face WITHOUT killing a gnat once in a while? If I accidentally kill my neighbor's dog, that is not a good thing at all. I would feel terrible. So would the neighbor, and it would probably be tough to stay on genuine speaking terms. Our relationship as neighbors may very likely suffer permanent ruin. If I accidentally kill my neighbor, the stakes are obviously upped. I would feel more than terrible, and the consequences would be lifelong and far-reaching for all involved families. If I accidentally kill my country's president or a vehicle full of national heroes--I might as well count myself dead for all the value "living" would have after such a travesty. It would not matter a speck at that point whether or not I "felt bad." What would matter massively is the huge ramifications of my action, reverberating over the entire hemisphere, marking up history itself. I'm being ridiculous here. Deliberately so. My point is this: The more important the individual you offend is, the more serious your offense against him is, and the more serious the consequences of your actions are. It is a correlative thing. Make light of a gnat--nothing heavy about that. Make light of the One who designed everything from millions of galaxies full of supposedly-coincidental gas cloud formations down to the intricacies of a gnat's wings and digestive or reproductive systems--that's heavy. A "harmless" jab at me would be quite a light offense. A "harmless" jab at an infinite Being is proportionately infinitely offensive. Making light jokes about God is always heavy.

07-03-2003, 04:49 PM	#11
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	OK __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

07-03-2003, 05:13 PM	#12
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	I think I can manage not to offend too many actual people, but I'm really stuck on how I can avoid offending the invisible beings they think rule their lives through poorly-translated and re-translated, centuries-old fairy tales of suspicious origin. I have concluded that there is just no satisfying some beings, supreme or no, and that all humor is fair game.

07-03-2003, 06:07 PM	#13
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	UNDERTOAD for AMBASSADOR to the UN. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

07-03-2003, 06:12 PM	#14
OnyxCougar Junior Master Dwellar Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kingdom of Atlantia Posts: 2,979	I'm confused. Is Joy saying they're offended by the picture or the statements about it being the "hand of God" or about the resulting commentary? Which part was offensive? Also, (insert appropriate divine being here) has more to worry about than people commenting on if he's giving us a galactic finger. At least he/she/it SHOULD. IMHO. :p edit: Yeah, still can't type. __________________ Impotentes defendere libertatem non possunt. "Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth." ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

07-03-2003, 06:37 PM	#15
Uryoces 2nd Covenant, yo Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Pugetropolis Posts: 583	If you wanna get philisophical, there are rewards to reap and penalties to pay whether you want to believe in God or not. Quoting scripture to a non-believer is like asking the non-English speaking person "When. Does. The. Bus. Arrive?" You're still not speaking their language and irritating them further. So yeah, that's a bit heavy to be outside the non-philosophy section. ....Oh, oh! And in So Long and Thanks for all the Fish, just before Marvin [won't spoil it], they see the last message left by God to his creation: Giant, 10 mile-high burning letters that spell out: "Sorry for the inconvenience". P.S. God created humor. __________________ The party's over ... the drink ... and the luck ... ran out.

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