Steve Jobs 'Not in Heaven?' Critics Take Offense at Cartoons Saying Otherwise

By Ray Downs, Christian Post Reporter Friday, October 14, 2011

To many Apple fans, cartoons depicting Steve Jobs in heaven, such as the one informing St. Peter of apps designed to make the Book of Life easier to manage, are a fitting tribute to a man who left such a deep impact on the types of gadgets people use. However, because Jobs was not a Christian, some have complained that the cartoons are offensive.

Regarding a New Yorker cover where St. Peter was looking for Jobs' name on an iPad, blogger Anil Dash tweeted, "Always annoys me when non-Christians are portrayed as reaching a Christian heaven when they die. It's not a compliment."

Crypticvalentin, a videographer from Washington, D.C., believed the cartoons were ironic. "So many cartoons about Steve Jobs in heaven, when the guy was a Buddhist who didn't believe in idea of heaven," he tweeted.

Jim Chadwick, an editor at DC Comics, believed the comics were too unoriginal for someone considered by many to be one of the world's great innovators. "I wince at all the clichéd cartoons about Steve Jobs entering heaven," he tweeted. "Not the most original way to honor a guy who said 'Think Different.' "

However, not everyone believes the heavenly comics are an insult to Jobs. One commenter on the New Yorker website put it this way:

"The New Yorker cover insightfully strikes many chords of humor as illustrated by the spectrum of humor so clearly expressed in each response. It is not a joke on [Jobs]. It is a characterization of his life as he lived it, his accomplishments, and completeness of his success in making the leading edge of his vision a reality for the world. . It's a great cover – one of your best. In retrospect, he would have chuckled and agreed it resonates with dry wit, good humor, and deeper meaning (if you let it.)"

The Cagle Post features dozens of "R.I.P." cartoons on Steve Jobs' passing.