He is an idle, pea-brained glutton with a permanent craving for doughnuts and Duff beer, but Homer Simpson has been declared a true Catholic by the Vatican’s official newspaper.
The newspaper acknowledged that Homer snores through the sermons of the Reverend Lovejoy and inflicts “never-ending humiliation” on his evangelical neighbour, Ned Flanders. But in an article headlined “Homer and Bart are Catholics”, the newspaper said: “The Simpsons are among the few TV programmes for children in which Christian faith, religion, and questions about God are recurrent themes…”
It quoted an analysis by a Jesuit priest, Father Francesco Occhetta, of a 2005 episode of The Simpsons, The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star, which revolved around Catholicism and was aired a few weeks after the death of Pope John Paul II…The episode touches on issues such as religious conflict, interfaith dialogue, homosexuality and stem cell research.
“Few people know it, and he does everything he can to hide it, but it is true: Homer J Simpson is a Catholic,” insists L’Osservatore Romano.
Har!
What do you think? Does Homer fit into Catholicism?
“Reverend” Lovejoy – therefore a heretic and therefore will burn in hell unless he is purified by the sacred fires of the Inquisition.
First step on the road to Saint Homer?
Does anyone care what the Vatcan thinks – about anything ? Don’t forget they only gave up “geo-centrcism” in what 1994 – 400 years after Galileo !
I must have missed the episode where he molests altar boys.
But, he docent smoke does he???
“Relax! Those pious morons are too busy talking to their phoney-baloney God!” — Homer Simpson
The Simpsons is the greatest Christian show on TV.
I’m neither kidding, nor being ironic.
Obviously, the funny hat in Rome has not seen the show much. Homer attends a church that has a married Reverend, not a child molesting “father”. As per wikipedia, Homer attends the “First Church of Springfield — the Protestant church in Springfield.”
Case closed.
Homer Simpson is definitely not Catholic. I would also say he not a Jew, Muslim or even a homosexual. I don’t even think he’s a Christian. In fact the man isn’t even an atheist. Do you know why?
Because he’s a gosh-darned CARTOON character, not a human being with thoughts and ideas. He is there to entertain us, and make us feel smarter because he acts so dumb. So the sooner we stop anthropomorphizing a DRAWING on a piece of paper, the more resources we have in order to grasp our OWN reality.
#9 monkeyman – What are you so animated about?
#9….you used both proper and gender-specific nouns to describe a cartoon drawing. Careful with those accusations of anthropomorphizing. 😉
I think there’s a kind of sweetness about the good folks of cartoon Springfield that lends itself to catechesis. Look at the rather complicated character of Nelson – bully, deprived lower-socioeconomic class child, sometimes surprising us with moments of gentleness and compassion, and best of all – the only one who appreciates Lisa.
As far as Homer’s character being written as a Catholic – no, obviously not.
How are the Simpsons and Catholic religion alike?
They both follow fictitious scripts, and feature an animated buffoon.
And Marge is a Homersexual.
Come on folks, it’s all make-believe. What do you want?
@dcphill – yes we know it’s all ‘make believe’, so what gives them the right to attack the Simpsons ?
I thought he was an Episcopalian, or a Lutheran, or a Presbyterian. Catholic, or baptist definitely not.
I thought the good Father’s case was made on the determination that Homer is a pea brain. Thats close enough to any Catholic or other religious type==all more the same than different.
#17 – Rev Lovejoy is from “The Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism”
#19 Can you say that three times really fast?
#18 Robbo – That’s unfair! I’ve known lot’s of Catholics. Hell I was married to one for 14 years! For a long time a close colleague was a priest/psychologist in a very strict monastic order. Another priest (Irish) was a good drinking buddy in Angola and the logistics manager for the diocese in a war zone. A pea brain is not prerequisite to being a Catholic.
What is required is a cerebral mutation that cannot conceive of an eternity without them.
I went away and then thought about what I’d said. Always bad. Like a carpenter, we should think twice then write once. I said a cerebral “mutation” is required. I feel I should have said a cerebral “defect.” Though neither statement is actually true.
There is an emerging field of scientific investigation called neurotheology and part of the field is to find out if a single portion of the brain is responsible for our religious beliefs. If you’re interested, read a book by Andrew Newberg “How God Changes Your Brain”. The text is written for laymen but discusses some interesting scientific methodology and research. You do get the impression that Dr Newberg is a believer and the last third or so of the book gets a little theist self helpish. By the way, he hasn’t found any single region of the brain responsible for belief in a deity.
However, other research may have found that serotonin receptors may be involved in strong religious experiences.
I guess I have few serotonin receptors…
What have they been smoking in teh Vatican???
#13…too funny, but so true!!!
Animby==yes a whole school of thought about how information is passed from one generation to the next. DNA, Culture, Books.
Given the ubiquity of religious thought over time, cultures, class, experience, IQ, education etc much like homosexuality, musical talent, and everything else that makes people interesting, I “believe” (for want of a better term although it is the most accurate) that our genetics leads us to easily see religion in a meaningless universe.
One of the science shows on tv recently, maybe Scientific America with Alan Arken, was showing the difference between human children, ape, and dog intelligence. One of several points made was that non verbal children exhibit an inborn approach to the world that assumes “causation” for events close in time. That easily leads to religion, and later to science. That human trait of being able to think about tomorrow. Will there be a locus of genes for religion? I doubt it=more the very same genes that code for intelligence, social behavior and “basically” the very traits that make us human also make us religious===and scientific.
I would have thought the cultural and book passing of knowledge from one generation to the next would have removed religion from our social constructs but such is not the case. We remain only human. Maybe with 100’s of thousand of years of learning to command our environment, it will take a few hundred more to find our place within it?
Darwin at the root of all things biological. Powerful idea. Powerful truth.
I didn’t know Catholics drink ‘Duff’ beer… yuk.
“…Homer is a pea brain. Thats close enough to any Catholic or other religious type==all more the same than different.”
Why, thank you, Bobbo.
Lynn (former nun and still Catholic)
#21, it’s really pointless to accuse Bobbo of being unfair. Cranky generalizations are his schtick.
Bobbo, “a whole school of thought about how information is passed from one generation to the next. DNA, Culture, Books.” – I believe you mis-spoke. Information doesn’t get passed along by DNA. Abilities and tendencies, yes. Allow this pea-brained professor of sociology to expound: Culture consists of beliefs (value, norms, mores), artifacts, and rituals. A society is a people who share the same culture. When similar elements are found in all cultures, one can analyze this a la Margaret Mead: is there a biological reason for it? Or, one can analyze this a la Marx and Weber: can we explain it by structural-functional analysis (it serves a useful purpose), by social conflict analysis (a way to have power over others), or symbolic interactional analysis (arising from the way people relate to one another). In fact I think that all these methods can be applied. Neuroscience seems to show that we have areas of the brain that are “made” to accept religious experience. Belief systems are part of the norms that make societies cohesive. Religion has been used to oppress groups and give power and wealth to other groups. And religious ritual arises from interpersonal reactions.
And of course as a Catholic, I also believe that God has something to do with all of this, but even if you don’t, the above sociological analyses still hold true.
It’s 7:30 Am where I am, good morning, all.
Incidentally, bobbo, I saw and really enjoyed that Alan Alda documentary, too, and used it in my classes.
I came in to work early this morning and my clients didn’t show up, so pardon my unusual chattiness. I’m a morning person.
Chatty lynn writes interesting stuff.