Blind Faith

Given the religious undertones of the “War on Terror” and the motivations behind the 9/11 attacks, David Rees’ characters’ use of the term “Under God” provides a potent criticism of the misguided religious nature of U.S foreign policy and of the American public’s acceptance of the ritualization of religion and religious terminology as an excuse for violence. In particular, Rees uses the character of “Voltron” to satirize the “Under God” mentality of U.S government officials. After Voltron appears in the strip, the characters of the strip, which may be presumed to represent at least of portion of the American public, begin to adopt the use of the term “Under God” on page 12.

Rees uses the character of Voltron to represent aspects of the U.S government and American social policy. Voltron appears as a primarily silent, immobile ornament in the strip. On page eight, the character of Voltron makes a speech, styled after the Nicene Creed, which promotes war as a unifying and all powerful element of American policy. While this speech does not use the term “Under God,” it sets up the link between the U.S foreign policy’s religious rhetoric and motivations for involvement in the War on Terror. The speech highlights Rees’ critical stance on the government’s use of religion to excuse war, as well as the hypocrisy of using religion as an explanation for war.

When Voltron appears again on page 12, his position is more ambiguous. There is a panel of strips featuring a silent Voltron, when finally in the third panel he says “Under God?”. The reader is not sure whether Rees is suggesting that this is all Voltron can think to say, or whether Rees has turned the character of Voltron into a critical third party. While the latter option is inconsistent with the remainder of the strip, the former option suggests that the Voltron’s embodiment of the U.S government is running out of excuses for its actions, decreasing the force of religious rhetoric in its promotion of the war.

On page 12, when the office characters of Rees’ strip begin to use the term “Under God” after every sentence, the reader is drawn to compare the characters’ mindless use of religious rhetoric post 9/11 to Voltron’s speech. The office workers can be used to represent the American public, suggesting Rees’ criticism of the public’s acceptance of religion as an acceptable reason for war. The repetition of the phrase renders “Under God” meaningless and absurd in the context it is used. Through the use of the term “Under God” and Voltron’s speech, Rees’ criticism of the blind faith and religious hypocrisy of the American public and U.S foreign policy is a potent testament to our times and a damning criticism of the government’s supposed separation of church and state.