Hart and the r-word
Posted by: root <root@...>
the Easter cartoon
JOHNNY HART AND THE 'R-WORD'
Yes, folks, it's that "r-word" again.
No, not the horrid "racism."
Not even the nearly as terrible "recession."
I refer to the other "r-word," religion. Yes, religion. Or,
more specifically, the intolerant who -- with little comment or
action from those normally found shrieking about bigotry, both
imagined and real -- are allowing people of faith to suffer
merely because they are, well, people of faith.
Across the length and breadth of this nation, public displays of
faith are under attack -- whether it be a candidate for attorney
general, dusty Ten Commandments plaques that have been fixtures
at courthouses for decades or, as was recently the case in Ohio,
a mere state motto with the very generic words, "With God all
things are possible."
And now, the crusade for more secularism is making its way to
the funny pages.
Yes, the funny pages. And it's no joke!
Johnny Hart, a believing Christian whom the Guinness Book of
World Records recognizes as the most syndicated cartoonist
alive, is being crucified by no doubt well-meaning, but
thoroughly clueless, comic strip aficionados for -- Heaven help
us! -- an Easter-themed cartoon that actually focuses on the
spirituality of Easter and ignores chocolate eggs and big,
purple bunnies.
The multi-framed storyline of the strip, like all art forms, is
open to interpretation. An introductory passage notes that the
Bible is a "Book of Sevens!" "Seven Days, seven stars, seven
loaves, seven vials, seven churches, seven seals, seven feasts."
Another frame then continues, "seven trumpets, seven notes in
music, seven colors in the rainbow, seven candle stands, seven
candlesticks."
Then a lamp, at first blazing seven lit branches, speaks:
"Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do." As the
strip progresses, the fires of each branch are seen going out.
Eventually, one is left. Next to it is a cross. Its fire, too,
is smoldering. The last frame is a cross in the distance.
Nearby is a cave with a flask of wine and a loaf of bread. The
caption states in bold, "Do this in remembrance of me."
As a Sabbath-observant Jew, rabbinical school alumnus and
publisher of the most-accessed Jewish website, I see absolutely
nothing wrong with Hart's message.
By now, you are no doubt scratching your head, wondering,
Shouldn't a Jew whose Judaism forms the core of his identity be
the most outraged about this strip being disseminated around the
world? Hardly. And there are two reasons why.
If Hart were blaming Jewry for having killed his savior, as
anti-Semites have done and some still do, I would be troubled.
Nay, I would be outraged! But this B.C. strip, like most of
his other clever installments, is not appealing to emotion, but
to intellect. Hart's message is exactly the opposite of what he
is being accused of. Please, his lamp beseeches, "forgive."
The message contained is one of love, not hate. I believe Hart
is preaching that, despite Christianity being the majority
religion in this nation, members of other faiths need not worry
as they must in other lands. Love thy neighbor.
Also, unlike supposedly open-minded individuals such as Abraham
Foxman, whose Anti-Defamation League seems to scour America for
"insensitivity" or "hate" against Jews much like Inspector
Clouseau in search of the Pink Panther, I am secure in my
beliefs and worldview. A nativity scene on public property does
not bother me, since just as Christians believe they have
"Truth" --- capital "t" -- so do I. A comic strip in honor of a
holy season that is not my own doesn't send a chill down by
spine nor make my blood boil -- even if it includes Jewish
symbols.
And if I were to feel uncomfortable, there is always the choice
of turning the page. Memo to Foxman and those worried at not
offending religious minorities, agnostics, atheists or whomever:
The majority religion in this country is still Christianity, and
those who feel queasy about encountering public displays of it
should grow some thicker skin. Have Foxman and the ADL been
reduced to attacking comic strips in order to justify their
existence? Wouldn't that make the current controversy all the
more preposterous?
This is, of course, not to say that non-Christians should be
demonized for their beliefs, or their religious needs, or rights
not met.
Are my liberal attitudes of "to each, his own" indicative of
other conservatively religious Jews who attend synagogue more
than three times a year and who do not use Judaism merely as a
hotel --- checking into and out of only during life-cycle
events?
Last week, before the onset of the Passover holiday, I found
myself in several Brooklyn neighborhoods taking care of
last-minute errands. As the lines inched forward, I struck up
conversations with other Jews about this controversy.
I learned, firstly, that Hart has lots of fans who are Orthodox
Jews. I also found that Jews, like me, who take religion
seriously -- who understand that there is something bigger than
ourselves, who use the Torah's teaching to love our fellow
humans and have a duty to make the world a better place -- take
all religions seriously. And we regard them and their
institutions -- the central role of the family, decency,
morality, etc. -- with respect.
Perhaps this notion was best illustrated by the following scene
from last week: A father pushing a carriage paused in
mid-sentence to remind his 4-year-old to recite loudly and
clearly the blessing made before noshing his candy. After
answering a heartfelt "amen," he told me, "How nice it would be
if every page in a newspaper had that cartoon, instead of
sickening stories of babies being dumped in dumpsters, college
kids overturning cars after sports events and the latest
spouse-swapping among Hollywood celebs."
Indeed.
Jolkovsky is the editor in chief of the daily webzine
JewishWorldReview.com and a former contributing editor of the
national Jewish weekly, Forward. His work has appeared in The
New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Reader's
Digest and New York magazine. He can be reached at
blj@jewishworldreview.com.