Religion as a theme in the American animated television series The Simpsons
Religion
is one of many recurring themes on the
American
animated television series
The Simpsons
.
[1]
Much of the series' religious humor satirizes aspects of
Christianity
and religion in general. However, some episodes, such as "
Bart Sells His Soul
" and "
Alone Again, Natura-Diddily
", can be interpreted as having a
spiritual
theme. The show has been both praised and criticized by atheists, agnostics, liberals, conservatives and religious people in general for its portrayal of faith and religion in society. The show can function as a mediator of biblical literacy among younger generations of
irreligious
viewers.
[2]
In the series, the Simpson family attends services led by
Reverend Lovejoy
. The church's denomination is identified as the "Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism" in the episode "
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star
." This is generally interpreted as representing the multitude of American Protestant traditions in general and not one specific denomination.
Analysis
[
edit
]
Although
The Simpsons
often mocks religion, it has received support from some religious quarters. In a 2001 article for
The Christian Century
, John Dart argued that
"[T]he enormous popularity of
The Simpsons
, now in its 12th television season, suggests that religious people have a sense of humor ? contrary to the usual wisdom in Hollywood. The program takes more satirical jabs at spiritual matters than any other TV show, yet the erratic cartoon family has an appreciative audience among many people of faith and among many analysts of religion. The reason? Perhaps it’s because
The Simpsons
is an equal-opportunity satire: it shrewdly targets all sorts of foibles and hypocrisies, not just religious ones. Perhaps it’s also because the show is exceptionally aware of the significant place religion has in the American landscape."
[3]
The February 5, 2001 edition of
Billy Graham
's
Christianity Today
, titled
Saint Flanders
, featured Ned Flanders, Homer, and Marge on the cover and described Flanders as "the most visible evangelical to many Americans."
[4]
In one of the issue's articles, Dart argued, among other things, that "At home, the less devout are probably tuned to the competition,
Touched by an Angel
."
[5]
In July 2007,
Christianity Today
film reviewer Russ Breimeier gave
The Simpsons Movie
a positive review, stating "Most television shows don't translate well to the big screen, and that's especially true for 15- or 30-minute cartoons that don't have the depth or nuance to expand into feature length. But
The Simpsons
, with its broad range of slapstick and satire, effortlessly stretches to four times the usual length of a 22-minute episode, yielding one of the most successful television-to-cinema transplants I've ever seen: "Best ... feature-length ... episode ... ever" and that "If you agree that
The Simpsons
has soured somewhat over the last five years, fear not.
The Simpsons Movie
reunites several of the veterans responsible for the golden age of the series, including creator Matt Groening, director David Silverman (
Monsters, Inc.
), and contributing writers James L. Brooks, Al Jean, John Swartzwelder, David Mirkin, Ian-Maxtone-Graham, among others?eleven writers, four consultants."
[6]
In December 2009, an article published in
L'Osservatore Romano
, the
Holy See
's official newspaper, praised
The Simpsons
for its "realistic" way of dealing with religion. "
Homer
finds in God his last refuge, even though he sometimes gets His name sensationally wrong. But these are just minor mistakes, after all; the two know each other well", the article said.
[7]
The Simpson family is often seen attending church, a practice described by Dart as "rarely seen or mentioned in other TV shows."
[3]
Simpsons
creator
Matt Groening
has also stated that
The Simpsons
is one of the few shows on television where the family attends church regularly. The characters in the family are often seen
praying
.
[3]
William Romanowski, author of the book
Pop Culture Wars: Religion and the Role of Entertainment in American Life
, noted that "
The Simpsons
is not dismissive of faith, but treats religion as an integral part of American life. Episodes that I’ve seen are not so much irreverent toward religion, but poke fun at American attitudes and practices."
[3]
One episode that heavily features religion is "
Bart Sells His Soul
" (1995). While discussing
The Simpsons
'
treatment of religion in his
Drawn to Television
book, M. Keith Booker cites a scene from the episode where Milhouse asks Bart what religions have to gain by lying about concepts such as the existence of a soul ? and then the scene cuts to Reverend Lovejoy counting his money. Booker believes that this implies that religions create mythologies so that they can gain money from followers. He juxtaposes this with Bart's realization later in the episode that "life suddenly feels empty and incomplete" without a soul, which suggests "either that the soul is real or it is at least a useful fiction".
[8]
The episode has been used in church courses about the nature of a soul in
Connecticut
and in the
United Kingdom
,
[9]
[10]
and was shown by a minister in
Scotland
in one of his sermons.
[11]
A 2005 report on religious education in secondary schools by the UK education watchdog group
Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
(Ofsted) noted that the episode was being used as a teaching tool.
[12]
As of 2017, more than 95% of
The Simpsons
episodes explicitly referenced religion.
The show advocates ideas of religious pluralism and exploring spiritual beliefs independently, while it criticizes the use of religion and spirituality to avoid responsibility.
Religions
[
edit
]
Christians
(but not
Christianity
itself) are heavily parodied by the show, and are often portrayed as failing to meet the standards set by the faith.
The season 4 episode "
Homer the Heretic
" challenges the necessity of attending church in order to be a good Christian, exploring topics of religious individualism and religious certainty.
The season 13 episode "
She of Little Faith
" criticizes churches that operate for profit rather than practicing Christian teachings.
Ned Flanders
is the show's archetype of an evangelical Christian. He is often used to portray evangelical Christianity in a negative light, with the show suggesting that he is not capable of thinking outside of his Biblical framework.
In the season 12 episode "
HOMR
", he burns a document proving that God does not exist. In the season 17 episode "
The Monkey Suit
", he leads a movement to teach
creationism
in schools before being proved wrong in a trial that parodied the
Scopes trial
.
In the season 13 episode "She of Little Faith",
Lisa Simpson
converts to Buddhism after her church's
consumerism
causes her to lose faith. The episode portrays her adoption of Buddhism as spiritually fulfilling in contrast to her poor experience in church, and it serves as an example of how religion can accept consumerism without being overtaken by it.
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
is the most significant Hindu character on
The Simpsons
. He keeps a shrine to
Ganesha
in his store, the
Kwik-E-Mart
.
In the season 3 episode
Like Father, Like Clown
, it is revealed that
Krusty the Clown
is
Jewish
and has had a strained relationship with his father due to differing career plans. At the end, Bart and Lisa reunite Krusty with his father, who makes amends with Krusty. Later episodes mention Krusty's Judaism and focus on his struggling identity.
In the season 10 episode "
Make Room for Lisa
", Homer and Lisa visit a New Age store that is portrayed as a compilation of appropriated religious practices and cultures, though Lisa ultimately creates meaning for herself while in the store.
Episodes with focus on religious topics
[
edit
]
- "
Bart Gets an 'F'
"
(
season two
, 1990) ?
Christianity
- "
Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment
" (
season two
, 1991) ? Christianity
- "
Like Father, Like Clown
" (
season three
, 1991) ? Judaism
[22]
- "
Homer the Heretic
" (
season four
, 1992) ? Christianity and faith
- "
Treehouse of Horror IV
" (
season five
, 1993) ? the
soul
and the
Devil
- "
Bart Sells His Soul
" (
season seven
, 1995) ? Christianity and existence of the soul
- "
Hurricane Neddy
" (
season eight
, 1996) ? Christianity and
theodicy
- "
In Marge We Trust
" (
season eight
, 1997) ? Christianity
- "
The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons
" (
season nine
, 1997) -
Hinduism
- "
Lisa the Skeptic
" (
season nine
, 1997) ? faith, belief of angels, and
Judgment Day
- "
The Joy of Sect
" (
season nine
, 1998) ?
sects
and
cults
- "
Simpsons Bible Stories
" (
season ten
, 1999) ? Judaism and Christianity
- "
Faith Off
" (
season eleven
, 2000) ?
faith healing
- "
Treehouse of Horror XI
" (
season twelve
, 2000) ? Christianity, Heaven and Hell
- "
I'm Goin' to Praiseland
" (
season twelve
, 2001) ? Christianity
- "
She of Little Faith
" (
season thirteen
, 2001) ?
Buddhism
, Christianity (
Evangelicalism
e.x.
Megachurch
) and
leaving one's religion
- "
Pray Anything
" (
season fourteen
, 2003) ? Christianity
- "
Today I Am a Clown
" (
season fifteen
, 2003) ? Judaism
- "
Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass
" (
season sixteen
, 2005) ? Christianity
- "
Thank God It's Doomsday
" (
season sixteen
, 2005) ? Christianity and Judgment Day
- "
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star
" (
season sixteen
, 2005) ? Christianity (
Catholicism
)
[23]
- "
Simpsons Christmas Stories
" (
season seventeen
, 2005) ? Christianity
- "
Bart Has Two Mommies
" (
season seventeen
, 2006) ? Christianity
- "
The Monkey Suit
" (
season seventeen
, 2006) ?
Creationism
vs.
Evolution
- "
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore
" (
season seventeen
, 2006) ? Hinduism and
Involuntarily deification
- "
Treehouse of Horror XVIII
" (
season nineteen
, 2007) ? Christianity,
Seven deadly sins
- "
MyPods and Boomsticks
" (
season twenty
, 2008) ?
Islam
- "
Gone Maggie Gone
" (
season twenty
, 2009) ? Christianity (Catholicism)
- "
Rednecks and Broomsticks
" (
season twenty-one
, 2009) ?
Wicca
- "
The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed
" (
season twenty-one
, 2010) ? Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
- "
A Tree Grows in Springfield
" (
season twenty-four
, 2012) ? Faith
- "
Dark Knight Court
" (
season twenty-four
, 2013) - Christianity (
Orthodoxy
and "Scottish Old Believer
Presbyterianism
")
- "
Pulpit Friction
" (
season twenty-four
, 2013) ? Christianity and faith
- "
Clown in the Dumps
" (
season twenty-six
, 2014) ? Judaism and the
afterlife
- "
My Way or the Highway to Heaven
" (
season thirty
, 2018) ? Christianity,
Atheism
, and Buddhism
- "
E My Sports
" (
season thirty
, 2019) ? Buddhism (
Korean Buddhism
and
Zen Buddhism
)
- "
Todd, Todd, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?
" (
season thirty-one
, 2019) ? Atheism,
Doubt
, and Christianity
- "
Warrin' Priests
" (
season thirty-one
, 2020) ? Christianity
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Bowler, Gerry (2001).
"God and the Simpsons"
. Talkback. Archived from
the original
on 2008-06-15
. Retrieved
2008-11-08
.
- ^
Myles, Robert (2015).
"Biblical Literacy and the Simpsons"
. Rethinking Biblical Literacy
. Retrieved
2015-04-07
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Dart, John (2001-01-31).
"Simpsons Have Soul"
.
The Christian Century
. Retrieved
2011-11-26
.
- ^
Volume 45, Number 2 (2001-02-05).
"Saint Flanders"
. Christianity Today
. Retrieved
2019-12-30
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
Dart, John (2001-02-05).
"How Big Is The Simpsons?"
.
Christianity Today
. Retrieved
2019-12-30
.
- ^
Breimeier, Russ (2007-07-27).
"The Simpsons Movie"
. Christianity Today
. Retrieved
2020-04-25
.
- ^
"Vatican praises 'The Simpsons'"
.
Business Standard
. December 26, 2009.
- ^
Booker, M. Keith (2006).
Drawn to television: prime-time animation from the Flintstones to Family guy
. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 65.
ISBN
0-275-99019-2
.
- ^
The Hartford Courant staff (February 21, 2004). "Religion Notes".
The Hartford Courant
. The Hartford Courant Co. p. D4.
- ^
Radnedge, Aidan (February 10, 2004). "Sunday school turns to Homer Simpson".
East Sussex County Publications
.
- ^
Aberdeen Press & Journal staff (October 9, 2004).
"Kirk minister puts Simpsons in pulpit"
.
Aberdeen Press & Journal
. Archived from
the original
on October 16, 2012
. Retrieved
2009-04-02
.
(archived at AccessMyLibrary.com)
- ^
Harris, Sarah (January 1, 2006). "On 7th day, God created...".
Sunday Territorian
. p. 047.
- ^
Pinsky, Mark I. (2007).
The Gospel according to The Simpsons, Bigger and Possibly Even Better!
(2nd ed.). Westminster John Knox Press.
ISBN
9780664231606
.
Krusty and Judaism are the center of a 1991 Emmy-winning episode entitled "Like Father, Like Clown." The show's premise is a reworking of the 1927 movie classic The Jazz Singer, which starred Al Jolson and was made again, with considerably less success, in 1953 (starring Danny Thomas) and in 1980 (starring Neil Diamond). The film tells the story of a Jewish cantor who disowns his son because the young man chooses to be an entertainer.
- ^
Fuchs, John Andreas (2010). "Showing Faith: Catholicism in American TV Series".
Moravian Journal of Literature and Film
.
2
(1): 79?98.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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