10 Far Side Comics That Will Change How You Think About God and Heaven

Two things that are almost always true about any given Far Side comic is its irreverence and absurdism. The Far Side literally pokes fun at everything, and oftentimes brings its jokes to the absolute extreme in any given case. A Far Side comic about babies will likely include ‘dead baby’ jokes, while Far Side comics about trees will touch on deforestation. Gary Larson isn’t afraid to get dark, but he also keeps The Far Side light and funny by making the comics utterly absurd.

While The Far Side doesn’t feature any one main/recurring character (like Garfield or Calvin and Hobbes), it does focus on a single topic across a number of comics - including God and heaven. Like with any other topic, The Far Side’s depiction of God is absolutely ridiculous, totally irreverent, and utterly hilarious. From portraying God as someone willing to abuse his omniscience to win a game show, to depicting ‘acts of God’ as literal stage performances, here are 10 of the funniest Far Side comics about God and heaven!

10 The Far Side Takes God's All-Knowing Nature to a Hilarious New Level

God's Omniscience, Twisted

On a game show called Trivia Tonight, God is one of the contestants, and he's absolutely crushing the competition. One of the other players, a man named Norman, was previously the show's champion, and he was seemingly on his way to winning the jackpot at the end of the competition. However, Norman didn't count on God coming on the show, but once he saw that He had, Norman knew there was no way he could win - and he was right.

Related The Far Side: 12 Comics From 1980 That Will Make You Shout, "My God!" The Far Side became known for its subversive, at times even edgy humor because creator Gary Larson wasn't afraid to shock and surprise his readers.

Many different theologies teach that God is the all-knowing creator of the universe, and since He knows everything, winning a game show is a piece of cake for the Almighty. Indeed, the previous champion, Norman, isn't even able to score a single point while competing against God, which is a hilarious twist on God's all-knowing nature.

9 God's Smiting is Surprisingly High-Tech in The Far Side

Divine Smiting, Tech Style

A man is strolling down the street, minding his own business, when he decides to walk underneath a piano hanging from the side of a building. Little does the man know, God is watching him - but not as one might assume. Rather than using His unknowable divinity to keep a close 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 right as the man walks underneath the piano.

As The Far Side confirms, that's not the case, as God's smiting is surprisingly high-tech.

It's odd to see God using a computer to smite people, as one would think the very nature of His divine might would be enough to get the job done. But, as The Far Side confirms, that's not the case, as God's smiting is surprisingly high-tech.

8 The Far Side Confirms Humans were Meant to Stay in Heaven

Heaven's Human Limitation

This Far Side comic gives readers a view of a beautiful hillside landscape where animals are roaming free in peace and harmony - and it gets ruined by humans. A giant jar is lying on the ground, cracked open from the impact of falling to Earth, and a group of humans are running away from it as if they'd just escaped. In the clouds above, the booming voice of God says, "Uh-oh", indicating that the jar of humans was never supposed to go to Earth, but rather stay in heaven.

This comic is a play on the fact that many consider the human race to be a plague on the Earth, as humans' mere existence creates widespread pollution and upsets the habitats of animals and other organisms around the globe. And it seems, in The Far Side, God would agree with that sentiment.

7 Heaven Has a Hysterically Absurd Prerequisite for Entering in The Far Side

Heavenly Entrance Exam

The soul of a deceased man finds himself standing in front of the pearly gates of heaven, ready to receive his eternal reward for being a decent human being while he was alive. An angel meets him at the entrance, fully prepared to let him inside. However, the angel cannot bestow an eternity of paradise upon the dead man's soul until he answers one question - a math question.

It turns out that in The Far Side, it doesn't really matter if someone is a moral or religious person in life to get into heaven, they just have to be good at math.

If they can't answer this word problem, then this comic seems to imply that they'll be cast down to the fiery pits of hell. This totally goes against everything people are taught about heaven, and is a hilariously absurd prerequisite for entering God's kingdom.

6 The Far Side Takes 'Acts of God' Hilariously Literally

Literal Acts of God

In this four-panel comic (a rare style for The Far Side), readers can see God putting on a performance for an angelic audience, one that consists of a number of different - and wildly entertaining - acts. The first act is juggling, the second a dance number, the third a musical performance, and the fourth is just God getting shot out of a cannon. These are the 'acts of God', which is very different from how that term is usually interpreted.

'Acts of God' is usually attributed to anything that could be considered 'natural causes'. A hurricane is an act of God, a wildfire can be an act of God, and even someone dying of old age is an act of God. What aren't acts of God are performances put on by the Almighty Himself - at least, not anywhere but in The Far Side.

5 The Far Side Offers a Very Different Interpretation of God: Chicken God

Chicken God's Dominion

This Far Side comic depicts Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, standing before the Pearly Gates. Unfortunately, things don't seem very ideal for the KFC founder, as it seems as though the creator of the universe is some kind 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's found himself in a pretty uncomfortable situation - one he's going to be in for all eternity in The Far Side.

It's also more than a little irreverent, as it asserts that God is actually a chicken.

Since Colonel Sanders was a real person, this comic is pretty morbid. It's also more than a little irreverent, as it asserts that God is actually a chicken. Indeed, this is a very different interpretation of God and heaven - good thing it's just a comic!

4 The Far Side Reveals the Main Difference Between Heaven and Hell

Heaven vs. Hell, Far Side

Readers simultaneously get a view of both heaven and hell in this Far Side comic, 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 pit of blazing fire - there's one main difference that really differentiates them: the respective instruments people are given upon entry. A soul will know they're in heaven if they receive a harp when they get there, and they'll know they're in hell when they get an accordion.

Accordions are famously annoying instruments that have been the butt of countless jokes across many forms of media, while a harp is an instrument many associate with beautiful music. Given the heightened focus on these instruments, it seems they are the main difference between heaven and hell in The Far Side - and that's absolutely hilarious.

3 God is Hilariously Heartless with His Creations in The Far Side

God's Heartless Humor

As God is creating the life forms that will inhabit the Earth, he stands before a group of animals that He has just created, and God is very pleased with what He sees. However, after these animals have barely been alive for a few short seconds, God decides on the spot that 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 come to terms with being food, and it doesn't look like they're taking it very well. Each animal is stunned in shocked horror at the idea that they were created just to be eaten by something else, and while that is the natural order of things, it's hilariously heartless to see that in this light.

2 The Far Side Reveals Why God Created "Jerks"

The Purpose of Jerks

While God is creating the Earth - making it like a chef would prepare a meal - He's adding the finishing touches to the planet's population. All the ingredients behind him make up the whole of humanity, and God is adding one more ingredient to finish off His creation: jerks. As God is adding jerks to the world, He thinks to Himself, "And just to make it interesting..." - and, as anyone who's encountered a jerk can attest to, He certainly did just that.

It's ridiculous to consider that God deliberately created jerks in the world "just to make it interesting", and it's hilarious to imagine that He did so the same way a chef would include a zesty spice to a particular dish while making dinner.

1 The Far Side Has an Interesting Reimagining of the Story of Creation

Creation, Reimagined

While the previous Far Side comic showed God putting the finishing touches on Earth before the creation process was complete, this comic shows the very creation of the Earth itself - and it stays true to the established 'cooking' parallel. God is pulling the Earth out of a giant oven after whipping it up in a bowl with 'Earthquik' (as if God bought the ingredients to create a planet at His local grocery store). This is certainly an interesting reimagining of the Story of Creation - one that is infinitely sillier.

Not only that, but God admits that the Earth seems "half-baked", which is a hilarious play on words that takes a shot at the entire human population, as The Far Side is using the baking metaphor to basically call everyone on Earth stupid - and through the mouth of God, no less. That's why this is one of the 10 funniest Far Side comics about God and heaven.