August 4, 2007 Saturday Would he walk out, his consecrated sensibilities violated, during the opening scene? In the movie, the Simpsons go to church (showing up late), where Grandpa is touched by a beam of light, writhes on the church floor, babbles incoherently, then speaks a revelation. Would Flanders demand his money back after seeing Homer Simpson, looking for answers while the fate of the world is threatened, pick up a Bible and then toss it aside, saying it is no help? "[Flanders] would probably see [the movie] out of neighborly loyalty to Homer, he's hopeless in that regard, but definitely wouldn't let Rod and Todd [his sons] see it," said Mark I. Pinsky. Pinsky is a religion reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, Jewish, a friend of many Evangelicals (one of his books is dedicated to the late Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) and author of "The Gospel According to the Simpsons." The book outlines the animated series' treatment of religion, which is satiric, yet serious, Pinsky says. For instance, in the movie's end, the revelation does prove true, in a twisted way. And therein lies the paradox of "The Simpsons," which deals out slapstick smackdowns equally to mainline and Evangelical Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism — and everything else. In poking fun at America's foibles of faith, "The Simpsons" mocks the trappings of religion, but at least pays attention to them, sometimes with parablelike seriousness, Pinsky said. "On the surface, it mocks the excesses of Evangelicalism in America, as when [Flanders] burns his son's 'Harry Potter' book," Pinsky said. "On the surface, he is kind of a doofus. But he really lives his Christian faith. He feeds the poor and helps the downtrodden, as much as he takes the scorn that Homer heaps on him and he always returns it with love. Which is why a lot of younger Evangelicals have kind of adopted him as a symbol of their faith." Not every Evangelical sees it that way. A recent poll by Christanet.com, a site that appeals to conservative Evangelicals, asked if the movie, last weekend's box-office leader with a $71.9 million take, was OK for Christians to see. "Fifty-one percent said no," said Bill Cooper, the Web site owner and administrator. Thirty-two percent were not sure, and 17 percent said it was fine. Those voting it down cited rude humor and derogatory and disrespectful comments that some said were blasphemous. Many admitted they had not seen the movie but based their comments on the TV series. Christianity Today, a flagship magazine for Evangelicals, reviewed the movie. Not everyone will like it, the review says. "Christianity is mocked a few times in the movie, but it's not a mean-spirited agenda, more an indictment of religion than faith," wrote Russ Breimeier. By phone, Breimeier admits to being a "Simpsons" fan. "What [the movie] is poking fun at is how Christians behave sometimes, like when we are overly pious, or our responses to things in culture," he said. Mark Moring, who helps run the magazine's Web site and admits to laughing through the movie, said, "Ned Flanders is actually portrayed more closely to one of us than a lot of other movies," which stereotypes Evangelicals as mean-spirited fun squashers. "He is actually a nice guy, which is what Evangelicals want to be known for," he said. Copyright 2007 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |
|