David Ostow: Punk Rock Visits the Holy Temple

David Ostow, the comic artist behind So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother), and his sister, Micol Ostow, are guest-blogging all week with MyJewishLearning and Jewish Book Council.

These are the first two pages of a strip I’m currently drawing with the working title “In Defense of The Irrational: A Brief and Not Terribly Accurate History of Faith versus Reason.” Beyond my goal of making people laugh (the tone of the comic is very tongue-in-cheek), I hope that readers will find the comic strip -when complete- thought provoking.

Can a good case be made for maintaining religious ritual in our secular age? Sure, scientific research and technological innovation have brought us far from our primitive ancestors (with whom my comic begins). However,I think that just as ritual was a reflection of our ancestors’ bewilderment and wonder in a world full of mysteries, it can play the same role in our lives. Knowing that the universe started with a ‘big bang’ doesn’t make the concept of the universe any less ineffable. Quite to the contrary, it only adds to the mystery.

Click on each panel to read the full page!

David Ostow works at a design firm in New York City, illustrates on a freelance basis, and is the co-creator of So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother). Come back all week to see his and his sister Micol’s blogs.

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