Two things that are almost always true about any Far Side comical is its irreverence and absurdity. The Far Side literally mocks everything and often takes his jokes to the absolute extreme in any case. ONE Far Side comics about babies are likely to include jokes about 'dead babies', while Far Side comics about trees will address deforestation. Gary Larson isn't afraid of going dark, but he also keeps The Far Side light and funny while making the comics completely absurd.
While The Far Side does not feature any main/recurring characters (such as Garfield or Calvin and Hobbes)it focuses on a single topic across multiple comics – including God and heaven. As with any other topic, The Far SideGod's depiction of God is absolutely ridiculous, utterly irreverent, and utterly hilarious. From portraying God as someone willing to abuse his omniscience to win a game show, to portraying 'acts of God' as literal stage performances, here are 10 of the funniest Far Side comics about God and heaven!
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The Other Side takes God's omniscient nature to a hilarious new level
God's omniscience, distorted
On a game show called Trivia Tonight, God is one of the contestants and is crushing the competition. One of the other players, a man named Norman, had previously been the show's champion and was apparently on his way to winning the jackpot at the end of the competition. However, Norman hadn't counted on God being on the show, but as soon as he saw that He had come, Norman knew there was no way to win – and he was right.
Many different theologies teach that God is the omniscient creator of the universe, and since He knows everything, winning a game show is a piece of cake for the Almighty. In fact, the previous champion, Norman, can't even score a single point while competing against God, which is a hilarious twist on God's all-knowing nature.
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God's Punishment Is Surprisingly High-Tech on the Other Side
Divine Punishment, Technological Style
A man is walking down the street, minding his own business, when he decides to pass under a piano hanging on the side of a building. Little does the man know that God is watching him – but not as one might suppose. Instead of using His unknowable divinity to keep an eye on humanity, God is using a desktop. Unfortunately for this man, God's computer has a “smite” button, and God is about to press it just as the man passes under the piano.
As The Far Side confirms, that's not the case, as God's Coup is surprisingly high-tech.
It's strange to see God using a computer to hurt people, as one would think that the very nature of His divine power would be enough to get the job done.. But as The Far Side confirms, that's not the case, as God's Coup is surprisingly high-tech.
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The Far Side confirms that humans were meant to stay in the sky
The Human Limitation of Heaven
That Far Side The comic offers readers a beautiful hillside landscape where animals roam free in peace and harmony – and is ruined by humans. A giant jar is lying on the ground, split open by the impact of falling to Earth, and a group of humans are running away from it as if they had just escaped. In the clouds above, the booming voice of God says, “Uh-oh“, indicating that the humans' jar should never go to Earth, but rather stay in the sky.
This comic is a play on the fact that many consider the human race to be a plague on Earth, as the mere existence of humans creates widespread pollution and disrupts the habitats of animals and other organisms throughout the world. And it seems that, in The Far Side, God would agree with that sentiment.
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Heaven has a hysterically absurd prerequisite for entering the other side
Heavenly Entrance Exam
The soul of a deceased man lies before the pearly gates of heaven, ready to receive his eternal reward for being a decent human being while he was alive. An angel meets you at the entrance, fully prepared to let you in. However, the angel cannot grant an eternity of paradise to the dead man's soul until he answers one question – a math question.
If they can't answer this word problem, then this comic seems to imply that they will be cast into the depths of hell. This goes completely against everything people are taught about heaven and is a hilariously absurd prerequisite for entering the kingdom of God.
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The Far Side Hilariously Takes 'Acts of God' Literally
Literal Acts of God
In this four-panel comic (a rare style for The Far Side), readers get to see God putting on a performance for an angelic audience that consists of a series of different—and wildly entertaining—acts. The first act is juggling, the second is a dance number, the third is a musical performance, and the fourth is just God being shot out of a cannon. These are the “acts of God,” which is very different from how that term is typically interpreted.
'Acts of God' are generally attributed to anything that can be considered 'natural causes'. A hurricane is an act of God, a forest fire can be an act of God, and even someone dying of old age is an act of God. What are not acts of God are performances performed by the Almighty himself – at least, not just anywhere, but in The Far Side.
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The other side offers a very different interpretation of God: Chicken God
God's Domain Chicken
That Far Side the comic depicts Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, standing before the Pearly Gates. Unfortunately, things don't look too ideal for the founder of KFC, as it appears that the creator of the universe is some sort of divine chicken, as opposed to an old man with a white beard. Given that Colonel Sanders is directly responsible for the deaths of countless chickens, he has found himself in a rather uncomfortable situation – a situation he will be in for all eternity. The Far Side.
It's also a bit irreverent, as it claims that God is actually a chicken.
Since Colonel Sanders was a real person, this comic is quite morbid. It's also a bit irreverent, as it claims that God is actually a chicken. In fact, this is a very different interpretation of God and heaven – good thing it's just a comic!
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The other side reveals the main difference between heaven and hell
Heaven versus Hell, Far Side
Readers simultaneously get a glimpse of heaven and hell in this Far Side comical, allowing them to see exactly what the difference is between them. While the usual differences remain – one is a cloud-covered paradise, while the other is a blazing pit of fire – there is one main difference that really sets them apart: the respective instruments people are given upon entering. A soul will know it is in heaven if it receives a harp when it gets there, and it will know it is in hell when it receives an accordion.
Accordions are notoriously annoying instruments that have been the butt of countless jokes in many forms of media, while the harp is an instrument that many associate with beautiful music. Given the greater focus on these instruments, It seems they are the main difference between heaven and hell in The Far Side – and it's absolutely hilarious.
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God is hilariously cruel to his creations on the other side
God's Heartless Humor
While God is creating the life forms that will inhabit the Earth, He stands before a group of animals he has just created, and God is very pleased with what he sees. However, after these animals have barely been alive for a few seconds, God immediately decides it's time to create other animals to eat them – and He says this right to the animals' faces.
These animals were literally nothing just a few seconds ago, and now they have to accept the fact that they are food, and it doesn't look like they're taking it very well. Each animal is shocked and horrified by the idea that they were created just to be eaten by something else, and while that is the natural order of things, it is hilariously cruel to see it in that light.
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The other side reveals why God created “idiots”
The purpose of idiots
While God is creating the Earth – making it as a chef would prepare a meal – He is putting the finishing touches on the planet's population. All the ingredients behind it make up all of humanity, and God is adding one more ingredient to finish off His creation: idiots. While God is adding idiots to the world, He thinks to Himself, “And just to make this interesting…” – and, as anyone who has encountered a jerk can attest, He certainly did just that.
It is ridiculous to consider that God deliberately created idiots in the world.”just to make it interesting“, and it's hilarious to imagine that He did it the same way a chef would add a spicy seasoning to a particular dish while preparing dinner.
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The Far Side has an interesting reimagining of the creation story
Creation, Reimagined
While the previous Far Side comic showed God putting the finishing touches on Earth before the creation process was completed,This comic shows the creation of Earth itself – and stays true to the established 'cooking' parallel. God is pulling the Earth out of a giant oven after pounding it into a bowl of 'Earthquik' (as if God bought the ingredients to create a planet at His local supermarket). This is certainly an interesting reimagining of the Creation Story – infinitely sillier.
Not only that, but God admits that the Earth appears “half-baked,” which is a hilarious play on words that cuts across the entire human population, as The Far Side is using the baking metaphor to basically call everyone on Earth stupid. . – and by the mouth of God, no less. That's why this is one of the 10 funniest Far Side comics about God and heaven.