God: The Picky-Face in the Sky....

The Pattersons are, by their own admission, a decidedly secular family. As such, they attend Christmas and Easter services not because of any great religious belief but out of social pressure. That is their right as citizens of a free public. A right they do not have is to secretly mock and deride the sincerely devout for their beliefs as we see them do in the Christmas 2007 strip. Hypocrites, of course, are fair game but the rank-and-file army of decent people who actually believe are not. Why the attack on organized religion? There are two reasons that immediately come to mind. The first is that they really don't get that not everyone is like them or wants to be. Since they aren't especially religious, they assume that anyone who says different is faking it. The second, deeper, reason is that they have a problem with the Christian ethos itself. They, as I've said before, view their needs as all-important. Sating an appetite is good because it makes them feel good and if other people don't like it, that's their problem. Being asked to feel bad about something that makes them feel better is just plain stupid as far as they're concerned. The God they hear about in Church wants to make them feel bad about what they do, feel sorry for the people that get in the way of their desires. He's no fun so they aren't going to listen to him. They believe in a groovy God who wants them to be fat and happy and reassures them that other people are just jealous. The fact that this 'deity' bears a strong resemblance to Satan is just a coincidence that haters point out.