Vatican paper says ‘Simpsons’ are okely dokely

Good Morning ATS!

Seeing how it is almost Christmas, I thought I would post an article that is originally from MSNBC which is a little break from the usual doom and gloom type threads. Not all of them are doom and gloom, but you know what I mean.

The Vatican seems to becoming a lot more moderate these days, from the acceptance of the possibility of ET life, and now even accepting of The Simpsons who haven't been especially kind to organized religion.

What's going on at the Vatican? Maybe they're actually starting to develop a sense of humor? God forbid!

Being a long time Simpsons fan myself, I got a real kick out of this. Enjoy!

VATICAN CITY - To put it as the devout Ned Flanders would, the Vatican's newspaper thinks "The Simpsons" are an okely dokely bunch. L'Osservatore Romano on Tuesday congratulated the show on its 20th anniversary, praising its philosophical leanings as well as its stinging and often irreverent take on religion. Without Homer Simpson and the other yellow-skinned characters "many today wouldn't know how to laugh," said the article titled "Aristotle's Virtues and Homer's Doughnut."

The paper credited "The Simpsons" — the longest-running American animated program — with opening up cartoons to an adult audience. The show is based on "realistic and intelligent writing," it said, though it added there was some reason to criticize its "excessively crude language, the violence of certain episodes or some extreme choices by the scriptwriters." Religion, from the snore-evoking sermons of the Rev. Lovejoy to Homer's face-to-face talks with God, appears so frequently on the show that it could be possible to come up with a "Simpsonian theology," it said.

Homer's religious confusion and ignorance are "a mirror of the indifference and the need that modern man feels toward faith," the paper said. It commented on several religion-themed episodes, including one in which Homer calls for divine intervention by crying:

"I'm not normally a religious man, but if you're up there, save me, Superman!"

"Homer finds in God his last refuge, even though he sometimes gets His name sensationally wrong," L'Osservatore said. "But these are just minor mistakes, after all, the two know each other well."

Simpsonian Theology? Sign me up.




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Source

[edit on 23-12-2009 by kommunist]


[edit on 23-12-2009 by kommunist]

When the Vatican comes out for South Park, then we can talk .

But as you say, nice break from the doom and gloom CiR stuff.

The Simpsons, and King of the Hill for that matter, have always been very positively religious. It's one of the reasons it's been on television so long. Has that "middle-America" appeal.

Sure, the Vatican and Pope and all might take objection to Lisa becoming Buddhist or the Simpsons themselves being Protestant but in the end the message is always strong family and solid spiritual foundation regardless of the root.

All these years I knew there Had to be something wrong with the Simpsons. Now here I go and find out they been secretly working for the vatican.

But it is puzzling this message they are sending. Ned Flanders is a fundamental Christian not a Catholic.

Here is some decidedly anti catholic stuff from The Simpsons:

www.catholic.com...

"The Catholic Church is not treated particularly well on The Simpsons, though the Catholic references are relatively minimal through four hundred episodes.

Surprisingly enough, Marge seems to carry the most distinctly anti-Catholic perspective. When the Catholic Church is mentioned at all, Marge almost instantly loses all composure. Bart asks his mother if they can go to a Catholic Church to receive communion and "booze." Marge replies: "No one is going Catholic. Three children is enough, thank you!"

Gratuitous anti-Catholic remarks slip into The Simpsons; at one point the FOX Network supposedly sent down orders to "lay off Catholics" after an episode featured scantily-dressed Catholic nuns in a satire of a Super Bowl ad with the tagline, "The Catholic Church: We’ve made a few changes."

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has protested segments of the show on a number of occasions.

In one episode dealing very specifically with the Church, Bart is sent to Catholic school as a last resort. Bart is impressed and soon begins to show an interest in Catholicism. Homer, sent by Marge to intervene, finds Bingo so attractive that he threatens to convert as well.
"

they arent so uptight anymore, which isnt bad.

In one episode dealing very specifically with the Church, Bart is sent to Catholic school as a last resort. Bart is impressed and soon begins to show an interest in Catholicism. Homer, sent by Marge to intervene, finds Bingo so attractive that he threatens to convert as well.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


I remember that episode, one of my favorites actually. I agree with the anti-catholic stance sometimes. But I still think that it is done in good fun, I was raised Catholic and thought it was hilarious.

As for South Park?(love it by the way) Never gonna happen.