I've mentioned a few times on these boards my recent interest in The Simpsons. Having missed the first 12 seasons or so, I've been watching several episodes each week, which is easy to do since it's on several channels and time slots each day. There is so much religious reference in the show that I figured somebody has surely written something on it. Sure enough I found this very interesting article. It's not too long and well worth the read, especially if you've ever watched the show and felt that it was too profane. The article concludes with this paragraph:
"In conclusion, The Simpsons is perhaps the smartest, most socially conscious show on television. It is one of the few shows that appeals to a very broad age range, because it is both hilarious and intelligent. Religion is present in the Simpsons' world, because it is present in our society. And, like all other parts of society portrayed on The Simpsons, religion is help [held] up for ridicule. However, God's presence is always shown as a positive thing in the Simpsons' lives, and consequently, good morals and ethics are usually upheld by the characters. But perhaps most importantly, "The show always is kind to people of true faith," but "people who build their religion on words and not feelings are treated less kindly" (Kisken, par. 18). This message is very important in a society filled with televangelists and empty promises. Perhaps if every family had as much true faith as the Simpsons, the world just might be a better place."
http://www.snpp.com/other/papers/jsh.paper.html
There are some very brilliant episodes, such as the one in which the Simpsons join a religious cult. A few days ago I watched an episode where Homer begins warning the town folks that the rapture is near. He predicts the exact date by calculating various random numbers in the Bible such as the number of people at the last supper and 144,000 etc. He ends his calculation by subtracting the number of Filipinos in the Bible, zero.
In one scene Homer is preaching his endtime warning on the streets: "God loves you. He's going to kill you." In another scene, Homer goes to heaven, which looks surprisingly like a destination resort similar to some of TF's portrayals of heaven. Once in heaven, Homer goes to see God, who has a sign on his desk that says: "I believe in me." Jesus is portrayed as having a nervous breakdown after his stint on earth. At the end of the episode Homer is pictured in Mo's tavern where he hangs out with other drunks and he says, "Now this is heaven." But my favourite line in that episode is when Homer explains to someone how he got his revelation about the rapture. He says: "It came to me in a vision, or maybe it was a drunken haze."
Viewers of the show know that Homer is an alcoholic and engages in some pretty dangerous activities when he's been drinking. In an episode in which Homer is about to tell everyone a secret about his neighbour Ned, Homer says to himself, "I'll feel important without drinking. That'll feel weird." Both of those comments by Homer, that he needs to be drunk to get visions and feel important reminded me of Berg.
This is one of the few shows on tv that make me laugh out loud even when I'm by myself.