The Strengths of the
Cartoon Universe Analogy
The more I examine the cartoon universe analogy, the more I see how strong
it is in applying to the Christian worldview. I have pointed out that, if
Paul's potter-clay analogy in Romans 9 is a valid analogy, then the
cartoonist-cartoon analogy is vastly superior, for various reasons. And the
more I look at it, the longer the list of those reasons grows. The potter-clay
analogy is found in the bible, and it is unlikely that Christians would say
that anything in their beloved bible is invalid. So it is most curious to find
Christians resisting the cartoon universe premise of their worldview, even
though it is precisely this premise that they seek to defend.
Cartoons are a creation of skilled artists who conceive of their characters and
the events in which they participate according to the value-judgments held by
those artists. These artists design their cartoons and plan the events that
take place in them, putting their conceptions into concrete form for purposes
of enjoyment.
On the Christian view of the world, the universe is a creation of a conscious
creator which conceives of its creatures and the events in which they
participate according to the value-judgments it allegedly holds (i.e., the
value-judgments of those who imagine the creator). On this view, the creator
designs the universe and plans the events that takes
place in it, putting its conceptions into concrete form for purposes of
enjoyment.
Like cartoonists, the Christian god is characterized as a conscious entity. It
can think, desire, command, get angry, remain angry, seek vengeance, condemn,
behave destructively, etc. A famous argument for the existence of a god is the
so-called "argument from design." Like cartoons, Christians think the
universe was designed by a master designer. According to this view, the
things that exist in the universe were conceived, designed and created by a
creator which is said to have remarkable abilities. Man on this view has two
arms and two legs, for instance, because the Christian god chose to
create him this way. The Christian god could have easily created man with five
arms and six legs if it wanted to.
Similarly, the images that we find in a cartoon were conceived, designed and
drawn by a cartoonist who demonstrates remarkable drawing abilities. Bugs Bunny
is a rabbit standing upright on two legs with long floppy ears and a bushy
cottontail, for instance, because the cartoonist chose to draw him that way. The cartoonist could have just as easily drawn Bugs Bunny to
resemble an actual rabbit, having it on all fours with its belly to the earth.
Christians often speak of "God's plan." Yes, that's right: their god,
they tell us, is directing the entire course of human history according to what
some defenders have called a "divine
plan." This "plan" entails a design scheme down to the most
miniscule detail. As apologist Mike Warren puts it, "All
facts outside of God originate as a creation of God according to His eternal,
comprehensive plan," adding that
"the ultimate constant is God’s evaluation of worth and His plan." In
other words, every event in human history was intended to take place according
to this divine plan, since "God controls whatsoever comes to pass."
(Van Til, The Defense of the Faith, 3rd ed., p. 160)
Similarly, the cartoonist has a plan for the cartoons that he creates. One
cartoon's plan might involve a coyote's futile chasing of a lightning-quick
roadrunner through a desert. Another cartoon's plan might involve superhuman
heroes battling evil villains and their nefarious schemes. Yet another might
involve the adventures of a boy in an amazing fantasy world that includes a
giant floating peach. What Christian would say that their god cannot create a
giant floating peach? After all, just as the cartoonist is not working with
pre-established images on his drawing board, the Christian god is not confined
to creating things from pre-existing materials. As Van Til puts it, "God
had to create if he wished to create at all 'out of nothing'." (Ibid., p.
26) The cartoonist could have kept the peach that he draws to a small fruit
growing on a tree just as easily as he can draw an enormous peach which floats
in the air and contains living quarters for a young boy and his friends. And
according to Christian mythology, so could the Christian god.
Another point of analogy between Christianity and cartoons is the fact that we
typically do not see the cartoonist when we are watching a cartoon. We can see,
for instance, the coyote being crushed by a giant boulder which fell on top of
him from a high cliff, but we do not see the cartoonist as this happens, nor do
we see him when we see the coyote emerging from underneath the boulder and
walking around like an accordion. Similarly with Christianity: the world's
events are said to be controlled by the Christian god, but we do not see this
god, just as we do not see the cartoonist responsible for the events in a
cartoon. I Timothy 1:17 declares that the Christian god is
"invisible." Likewise, in the context of a cartoon, the cartoonist
himself is also "invisible." This again shows that the cartoon
universe analogy is superior to Paul's potter-clay analogy of Romans 9, for we
can see the potter as we watch him work the clay he spins and molds into the
shape he wants his product to have.
For these and other points that I have brought out in the past, it is clear
that the cartoon universe analogy more fittingly models the Christian
conception of the universe than the analogy we find in Romans 9. If Paul's potter-clay
analogy is valid, then the cartoonist-cartoon analogy is vastly more valid.
What Christian would say that something in the bible is not valid? Again, I am
simply exposing the inherent absurdity of Christian theism as a worldview on
its own terms. It is not my fault that Christianity conceives of the universe
in a manner that is analogous to a cartoon. And it is not my fault that the
world that a cartoon paints is fake. So it will not do
to chastise me for the astounding appropriateness of the cartoon universe
analogy. Christians who object to the cartoon universe analogy should take a
closer look at what they're telling non-believers to believe. An argument for
Christianity is essentially an argument for the cartoon universe premise.
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The
Cartoon Universe of Christianity