Zabimaru
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Always amused and bemused
Posts: 241
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Post by Zabimaru on Apr 21, 2009 14:57:21 GMT -5
I love a lot of the social commentary in the Simpsons, and many of their little quips about religion are very entertaining.
Here are some of my favorites:
Chalmers: A prayer in a public school! God has no place within these walls, just like facts have no place within organized religion.
Homer: What's the big deal about going to some building every Sunday? I mean, isn't God everywhere? And don't you think the almighty has better things to do than wonder where one guy spends one measly hour of his week? And what if we've picked the wrong religion? Every week, we're just making God madder and madder! (That last sentence is a real favorite, because it nicely demonstrates that even a total dimwit like Homer can shoot the popular form of Pascal's Wager full of holes)
Rev. Lovejoy: Get a divorce. Marge: But isn't that a sin? Rev. Lovejoy: Marge, just about everything is a sin. [Holds up a Bible] You ever sat down and read this thing? Technically, we're not allowed to go to the bathroom.
After Ned's house is destroyed: Ned: Why me, Lord? I've always been good. I don't drink or dance or swear. I've even kept kosher just to be on the safe side. I've done everything the Bible says! Even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff!
Then there's that episode where Bart and Homer turn catholic, and Marge, Flanders and their protestant minister try to turn them back to protestantism. When the catholics and protestants have argued for a while Bart admonishes them and says: Don't you get it? It's all Christianity people! The little stupid differences are nothing next to the big stupid similarities!
Also from that episode: Rev. Lovejoy: We're here to bring you back to the one true faith: the Western Branch of American Reform Presby-Lutheranism.
Do you have any other fun examples?
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Post by SimSim on Apr 21, 2009 15:09:11 GMT -5
You covered most of the good ones I can remember. There was the episode where Bart is playing Rod and Todd's video game where you shoot people to make them religious. Bart thinks he got everyone on the level, but either Rod or Todd says, you winged one, you made him a Unitarian. Having been forced to go to a Unitarian Universalist church as a teen that made me laugh. It just seemed so true.
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Zabimaru
Full Member
Always amused and bemused
Posts: 241
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Post by Zabimaru on Apr 21, 2009 15:52:28 GMT -5
You covered most of the good ones I can remember. There was the episode where Bart is playing Rod and Todd's video game where you shoot people to make them religious. Bart thinks he got everyone on the level, but either Rod or Todd says, you winged one, you made him a Unitarian. Having been forced to go to a Unitarian Universalist church as a teen that made me laugh. It just seemed so true. Yeah, that's a nice one There are a few jabs at rapture-believers in the episode where Homer watches "Left Below", but I don't remember if they said anything especially funny. Then there's the episode where Homer becomes a missionary, but the only thing I remember him saying there is "But I don't even believe in Jebus!" - which I found rather amusing for some reason
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Post by SimSim on Apr 21, 2009 16:02:46 GMT -5
I did remember Left Below, but like you can't remember any of the jokes standing out. As for Homer becoming a missionary, the best part of that episode is where Homer goes running in to the church shouting "sanctuary." Rev. Lovejoy mutters "I wish I never taught him that word."(or something close to that) Then you see a garbage can thrown through the window and Oscar the Grouch pops out of it with Elmo and Elmo says "Elmo knows where you live!" That left laughing for about 2 minutes.
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Post by schizophonic on Apr 21, 2009 19:38:47 GMT -5
What about the episode where they're hiding from a Hurricane and Maude says something like "I was afraid I was about to enter the loving arms of Heaven. It was terrible." Or something to that effect.
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Post by antichrist on Apr 21, 2009 20:10:56 GMT -5
Is it just me, or has the Simpsons become more religious since their movie came out?
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Post by Art Vandelay on Apr 21, 2009 20:21:11 GMT -5
The episode when Bart, Lisa and Maggie are adopted by the Flanders. Ned:*hyperventilating* Reverned lovejoy! ...The Simpson kids....Never been baptised.... Lovejoy: Ned, have you ever thought about giving one of the other religions a try? They're all pretty much the same.
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Post by SimSim on Apr 21, 2009 20:33:12 GMT -5
Is it just me, or has the Simpsons become more religious since their movie came out? Don't know, I haven't seen a new episode in about 2-3 years.
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Post by Napoleon the Clown on Apr 22, 2009 3:02:14 GMT -5
[The entire town appears to be doomed to Death by Comet] Homer: It's times like this I wish I were a religious man. Reverend Lovejoy [running down the street]: It's all over, people! We don't have a prayer! [The Simpsons stare in shock as he passes by]
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Post by katsuro on Apr 22, 2009 3:05:10 GMT -5
What about the movie itself:
Homer, desperately flipping through the bible - "This book doesn't have any answers!"
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Post by deliciousdemon on Apr 23, 2009 12:10:17 GMT -5
To be fair I think the Simpsons has a sober view of religion.
The Flanders family might be religious and annoying sometimes, but for the most part they are good people and well-liked in the community. Well except by Homer.
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Goosey
Full Member
Unacceptable and against morality behaviour.
Posts: 176
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Post by Goosey on Apr 23, 2009 12:19:40 GMT -5
All the comments so far are about Christianity, but there are a few comments about other religions, especially Hinduism (involving Apu). Like when Homer sees the statue of Ganesh, and Apu says something like "Please do not try to feed peanuts to my god!"
I get the feeling these are more comments on people's ignorance of other religions than comments on the religions themselves, though.
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Post by Vypernight on Apr 23, 2009 12:21:20 GMT -5
From the movie:
Homer: "Why can't I worship the lord in my own way, by praying like hell on my deathbed?"
I also love the part where the people in the bar run into the church, while the people in the church run into the bar.
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Post by MaybeNever on Apr 23, 2009 13:48:59 GMT -5
Lisa comes upon Lenny and Carl at a Buddhist shrine... and over there, Richard Gere.
Lisa: Richard Gere!
Lenny: Gasp! The world's most famous Buddhist!
Gere: What about the Dalai Lama?
Lenny: Who?
Carl: You know, the fourteenth reincarnation of the buddha Avalokitesvara
Lenny: Who's Buddha?
And later, the pair meditating and chanting:
Lenny: Who likes short shorts.
Carl: I like short shorts.
Richard Gere: Those guys are way off.
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Zabimaru
Full Member
Always amused and bemused
Posts: 241
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Post by Zabimaru on Apr 23, 2009 14:08:35 GMT -5
I just remembered another conversation between Flanders and Homer.
Ned: We're gonna crash! Homer: Do you have airbags? Ned: No, the church opposes them for some reason!
It feels pretty typical of someone as pious as Flanders; he opposes things because the church does, even if it sounds stupid and even if he doesn't really know why.
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