Modified: Cartoon of Prophet Moses and Pharaoh

Some of you may have noticed that I recently included a humorous cartoon about Moses, Pharaoh, and the Ten Commandments here. There were some anachronisms (aspects of a historical scene that were not present during the time period pictured or written about - i.e. a wristwatch on a caveman) and inconsistencies as compared with the Biblical accounts. I thought the cartoon was funny, interesting, and I didn't take it too seriously.

But a Muslim friend of mine noticed the cartoon entry here and kindly warned me that government and/or religious authorities in this region could view the posting of the cartoon about Moses as sacrilegious and offensive... perhaps as offensive as a cartoon about Prophet Mohammad.

So I've altered the cartoon to remove the image of Moses. I hope that anyone offended by the cartoon would please accept my apology. No disrespect or offense was intended. Here is the new cartoon image:

This entry and the advice from my friend have caused me to ponder the ever-present possibility of offending other's deeply held religious views. Things that I believe most definitely might offend people. I think this is possibly true for everyone no matter what you believe.

And there are aspects of what I hold to be true that I am not willing to hide or deny even if others feel that they are offensive. But the cartoon itself doesn't represent anything about which I'm willing to be willfully or knowingly offensive.

I think the Gospel itself is the only thing I'm willing to not hide or keep to myself.

As advice to my Christian friends, if there are others you are offending ask yourself the question: Is it my manner or character or is it the Gospel which is offending others around me?

And Christians, if you are offended by others by what you consider to be mocking, trivializing or demeaning Christ and the Gospel, then I encourage you to consider Christ and his response to offense and insult:

1 Peter 2:21-23

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.