Irony in the Obits - Pragmatic vs Delusional

My friend Jenny sent me two obituaries from her local California paper today. I've never had to write an obit, but I am pretty sure they charge by the line.

Here is the first one at the top of the page:

I've never seen an obit that was so brief. It makes you think the paper charges by the word, not just the line. 

Now, here is the second one, with my highlights of the interesting parts. How ironic that these were right next to each other! It makes me think the obit editor had a sense of humor and wanted to show the play of irony:

At a Winter Solstice party on Saturday, we all toasted to Christopher Hitchens with some Johnny Walker Black. One of my friends commented that we should have toasted to him when he was alive instead, and I agree, except I think most of us did celebrate Hitchens the whole time we knew him. And I think it's appropriate to be sad when someone we love dies. There's no reason we can't do both.

Do you think Mrs. Luisa Ruiz Naranjo was loved more than Lillian Hobson? There's no way to know now, I guess. Does paying more for an elaborate obit mean you're more loved? I doubt it.

Anyway, I've never seen obits like either of these before. The first doesn't say anything (was the price by the letter?) and the second is a novelette.

Touchdown Jesus Struck By Lightning

And Jesus said, "WTF, Dad!? Goddammit!"

The pose of the huge statue looked like a ref calling a touchdown, hence the name.

Here is the AP story:

MONROE, Ohio — Police say a six-story-tall statue of Jesus Christ with his arms raised along a southwest Ohio highway has been struck by lightning in a thunderstorm and has burned to the ground.

The "King of Kings" statue had stood since 2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along Interstate 75 in Monroe, just north of Cincinnati.

Monroe police dispatchers say the lightning strike set the statue ablaze late Monday night.

The sculpture showed Jesus from the torso up and was nicknamed Touchdown Jesus because of the way his arms were raised. It was made of plastic foam and fiberglass over a steel frame, which is all that remains.

Police Chief Mark Neu (noo) says the fire spread to an amphitheater next to the statue but was confined to the attic area. He says no one was injured.

So is this  proof of a god that didn't like the statue because it was hideous? Or is it proof there is no god at all? Nah, it's just a hilarious coincidence, of course. :P

Here's a video:

Duelity: A Different Take on Creation Versus Evolution

Duelity provides a different take on creation versus evolution. With a slightly humorous, and definitely ironic reversal of roles. The creation story is told in a very scientific manner, while the big bang and evolution story is told in a poetic religious manner.



Besides this seeming like a fairly unique idea, the creators have made the two videos so that you can watch them separately, or at the same time.

Thus: Duelity
Check it out!