Does The Simpsons Movie Demean Christianity?

by Vic Thiessen

“This book doesn’t have any answers!” exclaims Homer Simpson in frustration as he pages through the Bible early in the The Simpsons Movie, one of the hit films of this past summer. The reason for Homer’s search for answers is Grampa, who is ‘speaking in tongues’ while writhing in the aisle of the Springfield church. Poking fun at Christianity is a prominent feature of The Simpsons TV show, so this irreverent scene does not come as a shock. But is it an example of a generally negative attitude toward Christianity or is it merely critiquing what the writers (including Matt Groening, who has Mennonite roots) see as excesses of the Christian faith?

For eighteen years now, Christians have held differing opinions on this question. Some have found The Simpsons offensive, saying it promotes questionable morals and consistently demeans Christianity, specifically by suggesting that Christians are fools who are out of touch with reality. Others maintain The Simpsons has largely portrayed the Christian faith and Christian values in a favourable light, critiquing primarily religious hypocrisy. In the end, viewers will need to decide for themselves whether they find The Simpsons Movie offensive, but I, for one, was surprised by how gentle, inoffensive and spiritually-affirming the film was, especially for our time.

Christianity does not actually play a major role in the film, with only a few references (including a jibe about ‘intelligent design’) outside of the early scene in the church. But there are numerous scenes which affirm Christianity and an ethical life. The film concerns an environmental disaster (caused by Homer) in the town of Springfield and the overreaction of the EPA, eventually leading to the planned annihilation of the town and its residents. Homer faces a lynch mob and escapes to Alaska, where he meets someone who will force him to confront his selfish ways. He eventually learns that other people are as important as he is, which, for Homer, is a huge revelation. Along the way, Homer is confronted by his wife, Marge, who asks him how he could ignore the warnings of his own daughter, Lisa, and stupidly cause the disaster in the first place. In my favourite line of the film, Homer responds: “I don’t think about things!” There is a clear moral lesson here: If people don’t start thinking more about issues like global warming and poverty, a global disaster is all too likely.

Meanwhile, Bart Simpson discovers that perhaps the evangelical Christian Ned Flanders (depicted as a genuinely kind and caring person) would make a better father than Homer (the hot chocolate scene is both hilarious and touching). And of course Lisa Simpson, the social conscience of the family, is trying her best to raise awareness on environmental issues. Matt Groening has been quoted as saying that Lisa is his favourite character: a stubborn idealist crusading for love and justice. She is, in fact, usually depicted as a Christian activist.

The Simpsons Movie is a funny and intelligent film. It employs a wide variety of styles of humour and most of the humour is good clean fun (this is definitely not South Park). Yes, there are jibes against Christianity, but there are also positive depictions of the Christian faith. Even the writhing Grampa is later described by Marge as having had a genuine religious experience (and she is angry with Homer for belittling it). And the film is much more interested in bashing the U.S. government, rich white men and big corporations than it is in bashing religion. This film may not appeal to everyone, but I thought it was an inspired piece of filmmaking with at least one important message: We dare not be complacent like Homer.