The Simpsons The animated Guide to Contemporary Spirituality? Matt Groening

• Born 1954 • Mennonite Religious background. • Currently self-described as “agnostic.” • First cartoon strip “Life in Hell” (1977) about his reactions to life in Los Angeles - strip still carried in some papers. • Life in Hell credited with catching attention of Hollywood producer James L. Brooks, who contracted him to do a series of “shorts” for The Tracy Ullman Show.

Life in Hell Apple Ad, 1989 The Simpsons

Tracy Ullman short - Shoplifting

• First aired as 30 second and 60 second shorts on “The Tracy Ullman Show” beginning April 1987. • December 1989 - airing of Christmas special “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”. • January 1990 - Season one launches. • Currently in 21st season (replacing Gunsmoke as longest running American prime time television series. Season 22 already authorized). • 1st Full length feature film released July 27, 2007. The Popularity of The Simpsons

• Immensely popular - $two billion in merchandise sold in first 14 months! • Consistent audience of 8-9 million viewers. • During the first week of school in 1990, two thirds of the sixth graders in the United States apparently wore Simpsons paraphernalia. (Dale and Trich, 43) • Highest rated show on Fox repeatedly, (credited with saving the failing network). Often among 10 highest rated shows on network television. • 25 Emmy awards to date. Family Values Debate

• The Simpsons is “an assault on the family and all human relationships.” • It “discourages alarm at the decline of the family” and disparages the “earnest, often abject bonds of kin.” • Bart as a poor role model? “Underachiever” shirts banned in some schools. The family-values debate

• George Bush Senior: his presidency was aiming for “a nation closer to The Waltons than The Simpsons” The Simpsons and Religion

• 1994 Study of religion on prime time found fewer than 6% of characters had identifiable religious affiliation; religion rarely central to plots. • (although, above study ignores broader mythic, implicit religious content) • 2001 study of the Simpsons found 69% of episodes contain at least 1 mention of religion, and 11% focus on religious storyline Hostile Critic or Spiritual Guide?

• “[In the Simpson’s,] Christian faith and values are constantly viciously targeted at every turn. The show is filthy and subversive. It only gets away with it because it's a cartoon and knows how to occasionally act as if its mocking tone is playful. Anyone who believes otherwise needs to see such episodes [as the one] where Homer has a crayon removed from his brain thus rendering him a genius. One of the many revelations that follows is his proving that God does not exist. He presents this finding to Ned Flanders and Ned has to agree that he is correct! This is not playful on any level. Avoid the Simpsons at all costs.” Path to Atheism or path to faith?

• “I’d like to credit my shift toward doubt and then atheism to the episode of The Simpsons “Homer the Heretic.” In this episode, Homer quits going to church and as a result has the best day of his life. Homer doesn’t become an atheist, instead he sees God in a dream and creates his own religion and then learns about all religions being valid at the end, however Homer throws out some good arguments the got me thinking. Such gems as “What if we picked the wrong religion? Every week, we're just making God madder and madder!” and “Why should I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I'm going to Hell?” Frequently cited Religion Episodes

• “Homer the Heretic” (Homer stays home from Church and has the best day of his life - Season 4) • “Treehouse of Horrors IV” (Homer sells his soul for a doughnut- Season 5) • “Bart Sells his Soul” (Bart doesn’t believe in the soul, and sells his to Millhouse - Season 7) • “Thank God its Doomsday” - The Rapture comes, and only Homer gets into Heaven… - Season 16) Thank God its Doomsday Homer the Heretic Portrayals of Church

• What qualities does Rev. Lovejoy display? • What is the “tone” of services at the Springfield Community Church? • What criticism of organized religion & clergy is implicit in these portrayals? • Does this make The Simpsons anti-Christian? Anti-Church? Anti-Religion? Evangelical Christianity

• The Flanders - geeky Christian nerds? – they have a satellite dish with over 200 stations locked out (only religious shows are allowed) – Ned doesn't have insurance because he considers it a form of gambling – a punishment in the Flanders' house involves going to bed without a Bible story – Ned's bible collection includes the Aramaic Septuagint, Holy Bible!, Good News Bible, Today's Family Gnostic Bible, The Living Bible, The Vulgate of St. Jerome, Who Begat Whom, and The Bible According to Hoyle. • Is the presentation of Evangelical Christianity in The Simpsons offensive or ‘anti-Christian?”