That is Priceless by Steve Melcher for October 22, 2013

He’s off to see the Wizard.

ROMAN SOLDIER: Tsk. What a waste of nails.

Pizza at Pilate’s on the Piazza

It’s a bit difficult finding an image of Mohammed. Also there’s the retribution thing

Dangerous. Muslims still kill people for doing stuff like that. The christians have largely given it up….

It’s a Christian themed painting. You find a painting of The Prophet and I’m sure someone will oblige.

Jesus would find it funny!

He wanted to try walking on air next.

Payday at the salt mine.

@Faxon @NabuquduriuzhurI’m a Christian and I don’t think that the This is Priceless posts are an insult to ANYONE. Mr. Melcher is merely finding humorous takes on classic works of art. If you’ve studied art history you will find that there is a preponderance of religious (Christian) art out there, so he works with what he comes across. Besides that, I firmly believe that God has a sense of humor. I’d like to think that he’s chuckling at the jokes even if you aren’t. Faxon, if you find this page offensive, I’d suggest you follow Nabuquduriuzhur’s example and avoid it. There is a lot more of the internet out there for you.

Enlarged image can be found here (along with a description). Smaller enlargement can be found here, or at Mr. Melcher’s blog entry; but it’s opaque watercolor over graphite on gray-green wove paper, not oil on canvas.What Our Lord Saw from the Cross (link shows painting’s short Wikipedia page, links there point to more information) is shown, with 2 different coloration images, and described, by its current-location page, and an exhibition page (has a slightly different coloration image than the first).This says over 500 works by this artist are at the current-location (524 online), and another 76 at The Jewish Museum are online. The artist’s Wikipedia page (Google translated French Wikipedia page has more) and collection (many, many more under Subcategories at each level).Second, of the 7 works, by this artist, that have, so far, appeared in Mr. Melcher’s blog, to also appear here.

and I thought it was the end of a Party…

Not the time to ask: " How’s it hangin’ ? "

@Faxon @NabuquduriuzhurI’ve seen strip artists for Cul de Sac, Rip Haywire, Stone Soup, and Tank McNamara respond to comments at their GoComics strips; but, I have yet to see Mr. Melcher do so.Mr. Melcher’s Twitter link is on this page. He was available for a live chat last Friday. Did you ask him about your concerns?As for the comment that there has been a change in the frequency of religious paintings in the last 6 months:The first full month (November, 2011) of this strip had 6 religious paintings among the 23 shown.Since September 23, 8 religious paintings have been among the 23 shown.I don’t know what percentage of online paintings are religious — maybe it’s more than that 35% (it’s what was selling); but I don’t consider 2 out of 23 all that significant a change.

I heartily agree with WebSmith.

There ARE some comics I don’t care for, so I don’t put them on my list, nor do I go there and leave comments about how I don’t care for them. Works pretty well for me, actually.

Ushindi is right – I am gone.

For those who have often remarked that so much violence has been done in the name of religion: Much good has also been done in the name of religion. To wit: The first hospitals were founded and run by monasteries (and so many are affiliated with religious organizations today). The hungry are fed, the homeless are given shelter, the naked are clothed, the sick are cared for, the mourning are comforted, those who seek hope are given hope… Generally speaking, the good is done by those who truly follow the true teachings and intent of their faith’s founder(s), and the ill is done by those who would cast their own interpretations and aspirations onto those good intentions. I think that on balance, religious belief has brought more good into the world than non-belief has, and likely more good than ill, as well.

“Twenty times in the course of my late reading have I been on the point of breaking out, “This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!!!” But in this exclamation I would have been as fanatical as Bryant or Cleverly. Without religion this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company, I mean Hell."

—-John Adams, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, April 19, 1817

And I am not convinced that most wars have been religious wars or that most people have died as a result of religious differences. Wars have been fought for many reasons, and while religion may sometimes be USED to justify some of those wars, that’s DIFFERENT than saying religion was the CAUSE of those wars. Wars have been fought and people have been killed over property. Yet I don’t see “intelligent, thinking” people rejecting property. Wars have been fought and people killed over power and control. Yet I don’t see “intelligent, thinking” people rejecting power or control. Wars have been fought and people killed over treasure and money. Yet I don’t see “intelligent, thinking” people rejecting treasure or money. (In fact, many embrace every opportunity to gain property or power or treasure, even at the expense of others…) Truly, it is WRONG to use religion to kill and to maim and Christ taught as much. But people KILL others because they are HUMAN, not merely because they are religious.

I’m a Christian, and I have no problem with the jokes here – as mabrndt and Linguist point out, religious themes predominate in classical art because it was often the only acceptable art, and later was still popular, meaning it paid bills. Christians who are so serious, so rule-bound, and so uptight about their faith that they can’t laugh a bit at themselves – or an innocent recasting of a religious painting – are exactly why non-Christians see Christians as joyless, judgmental prigs – and so worthy of mockery.

Interesting that you singled out Mohammed and not Budha or Khrisna as an alternative to Christ. Where’s your hang-up?