The Simpsons - 03/02/03 (1 Viewer)

[Tom Rhea]

1) The episode where the Flanders family reenacts Moses being sent down the river. Trouble ensues, and Ned prays for help. GOD then appears promptly and saves Todd (Rod?). Many episodes have scenes where God appears and saves Ned, simply through direct prayer.

God answering a prayer is blasphemous? This is a religious tradition with which I am unfamiliar.

 

[Paul Bryan]

For a man that went to Vegas, got hammered, and married some random woman, I have a hard time believing what Ned did was out of character...

 

[MickeS]

"The Simpsons" has always satirized organized religion, but not so much the personal beliefs of individuals. IMO.

/Mike

 

[Kwang Suh]

God answering a prayer is blasphemous? This is a religious tradition with which I am unfamiliar.

God coming down as a giant hand would be in fact quite blasphemous.

 

[JakeR]

I think it's a testament to the quality of the show that people can be this emotionally invested in a drawing.

But, LMAO at people horrified by Ned's actions. The implication is that Christians can do no wrong, never waver, never have moments of indiscretion, never do the wrong thing.

Ned was further humanized by this episode. Nobody's perfect.

I don't know which is funnier: the naive poster's conclusion that Ned is now evil, or the fact that he thought Flanders was a role model for a single soul on this Earth.

 

[Tom Rhea]

God coming down as a giant hand would be in fact quite blasphemous.

What if they'd used a burning bush?

 

[Kwang Suh]

What if they'd used a burning bush?

Blasphemy. Hey, I don't make up these rules

 

[Ike]

From Dictionary.com:

blas·phe·mous
adj.

Impiously irreverent.

I'd say The Simpsons qualifies as being blasphemous.

 

[Jeremy Illingworth]

It almost makes me think the writers left a scene out.

Maybe it will appear on the 238th Episode Spectacular. We have no idea what was intended or cut.

jeremy

 

[Dan Rudolph]

We're way past 238 now. You mean 338?

 

[Brenton]

I'd appreciate it if you didn't refer to me as "naive". I don't feel that Ned is now "evil", I feel that the writing is now "weak" and that the newer episodes are "less-meaningful".

And if you don't believe that Ned is a positive role model, let me ask you this question: would you rather have Ned as a neighbor, or Homer? Of course Ned is annoying. Of course he's overly pious. Of course he's naive and clueless and happy-go-lucky. But I'd rather have him as a neighbor than Homer, because Ned does the right thing, and when he doesn't, he tries his damnedest to make it right. And that's where my gripe is. He didn't try to make it right this time.

 

[Ike]

It's a cartoon. A cartoon! Not every transgression has a moral tacked onto it.

 

[Rob P S]

Thread revival! - didn't see this episode the first time...

Funny episode. Loved the Helen Fielding bits, Nelson in the lupus run, a sunscreen-covered Maggie needing a diaper change ("Not today!"), Ralph floating away, John Williams directing the music of Itchy & Scratchy. The plot to me was just an afterthought.

 

[Chuck L]

Did catch this the first go around...glad that I did this time.

Maybe it is just me, but personally, I have yet to find a single thing that they do on this show as blasphemous...I can thought turn it on to the Trinity Broadcast Network and see things that I would call that.

The Simpsons is satire...if you take it the wrong way, then maybe it is blashphemous, but only to you. Granted, while there have been issues on the show where I have said "wow,__________________ (Insert religion of your choice here) is going to be pissed about that" I have yet to think that they have ever crossed a line.

I personally loved this showing and I laughed my butt off throughout the entire thing. Again, if you believe that this show has outlived it's life...stop watching...but it seems that the same people are the same people that bitch every week that the show sucks...it is still great and running well in my book. See if you can do better....

 

[Ted Lee]

caught this for the first time.

thought it was a pretty funny show.

think it's even funnier how much debate it's caused.

best line: when tomei's character says he's not gay and he replies, "gosh no, i won't even eat vegetables longer than two inches." (or something to that effect...)

 

[Tommy Ceez]

Yeah. God forbid there be too many decent, caring, thoughtful, truly human people in the world.

Who is constantly praying for God to smite Homer and his family, and rejoycing when God favors the Flanders over the rest of Springfield.

Theres an article coming out soon in National Review Online where the author explores how cartoons became the last haven for politically incorrect humor during the scary PC 90's. I submitted some Simpsons quotes. Its good to see some irreverent, pull no punches humor again.
What I love about the Simpsons is that they attack EVERYONE and that makes me laugh.
What I cant stand is the Daily Show or Real Time that only goes after one or two groups on a regular basis.
So if your going to be fair and lampoon everyone...
Bring on the white italian-polish-american christian conservative male jokes!

 

[Duane Robinson]

I loved this episode as evidenced by my sig. It shows that no matter how religious a person is they are still fallible. Just like the episode with the Movementarians where after thinking that the spaceship that was coming for them was real Rev. Lovejoy throws his collar on the ground and immediately converts to whatever the hell that religion was, only to have it returned to him by Flanders. That episode showed Lovejoy's fallibility and Flander's staunch, maybe overzealous faith in his religion.

This can be seen in other episodes where Flander's devotion and piousness piss even Rev. Lovejoy off. This episode gave us another look at Ned Flanders being imperfect and totally human by showing his loneliness making him go against his religious beliefs and committing fornication. Plus the episode was funny as hell so I can't complain.

 

[Ricardo C]

So The Simpsons make a name for themselves for a decade and a half largely because of their memorable and endearing characters, and now people are being mocked because they debate a choice made by one of those characters? Funny, that.

I have no opinion on Ned's choice, given that I haven't seen the episode yet, but I'm appalled at the lack of respect being shown to those who didn't care for it.

 

[Rich Malloy]

Praise Jeebus. Less pointy than other deities; can be taken in wafer form. Mmmmmm... that's goooooood blasphemy.