The Disruption of Christian Patriarchy in The Gospel of Carol and Other Comic Books

Once again I tainted the hallowed halls of Luther Seminary and brought shame upon academic respectability by rambling about comic books at the Upper Midwest joint conference of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature.  It was a really fun time had by all.  Or, at least had by me, since I was rambling about comic books.  Here, presented for your pleasure, or agony, is that paper.

Also, much gratitude to John S. Troutman for letting me bug him so much about The Gospel of Carol.  If you want a fun read, you can snag all the issues from comiXology on the cheap.

Pulp Fiction [NSFW]

Yorick: You will know I am the LORD when I lay my vengeance upon you!
Amazon 1: That's not real Scripture, it's a line from fucking Pulp Fict--

- Y The Last Man #25

by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

Run by Humans [NSFW]

Beth: Anyway, Magdalene Asylums were an Irish-Catholic thing, spiritual sanctuaries for "sinful women." You know...prostitutes, abuse victims, flirts.
The hilariously misnamed Sisters of Mercy would lock these girls inside sweatshops, force them to work under the whip for their penance.
And this wasn't the Dark Ages, mind you. I found out my biological mom died in one of these hellholes in fucking 1989.
So you don't need to tell me how screwed-up the church was, all right? You're preaching to the goddamn choir.
Amazon 1: If that's true...then renounce your God.
Beth: Go to hell.
Amazon 1: Renounce your allegiance to this patriarchal hate machine...or I kill you where you stand.
Beth: Patriarchal? Did you hear anything I just said?
The church wasn't fucked-up because it was run by men, it was fucked-up because it was run by humans.

- Y The Last Man #25

by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

Majored in Theology

Yorick: Time out...you're not a nun, are you?
Beth: Ha! The opposite, pretty much. I'm a flight attendant. Was, obviously.
But I majored in theology back in Georgetown. Sorta fell away from the church after I graduated.
Hey, have you heard of Agnes Snoth? I did my thesis paper on her.
Back in the 1500's, she and three other women used to preach against auricular confessions. They thought it was sinful to ask a man for what only God can grant.
Yorick: How'd that go over?
Beth: Not too great. The Catholics doused them with oil and set them on fire.

 - Y The Last Man #24

by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

Transubstantiation

Yorick: Have you taken communion since you started looking after Saint...whatever this place is called?
Beth: St. Bernadette's. And how could I? Women can't consecrate the Host.
Without a priest, it's not the body of Christ, it's just...stale bread.
Yorick: Oh, come on. Did you ever really think you were eating Jesus' actual flesh and blood?
That's not Catholicism, it's cannibalism.
Beth: No, it's transubstantiation, and it's what set us apart from the heathens. We had magicians in our tribe.

 - Y The Last Man #25

by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

Auricular Confessions

Beth: Well, I wish I could help cleanse your conscience, but the Church only recognizes auricular confessions.
Yorick: Sorry?
Beth: You know, sins confessed to a priest. And since God decided to have a penis when he became incarnate in his son, only men are allowed to hear--

 - Y The Last Man #24

by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra

Sense of Humor

Are you there, God?
It's me, Margaret.
Heh.
Little Judy Blume humor for ya.
Come on, you've got a sense of humor, right?
Killing all the men on Earth except for the one who actually likes Judy Blume?

- Y The Last Man #24

by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra