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?
#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.
He knows all, says all…. Homer IS God.
Catholic? Homer IS God.
Hi Lynn==thank you for your defense and corrections. Animby won’t respond to me except to take cheap shots when I am obviously wrong, otherwise he is too busy saving lives. In fairness, he did drop a compliment the other day, must have been anticipating your perusal.
While I take pride in most of my “views” and the arguments that support them, I know that any college professor or otherwise well studied person in any field will run circles around me. I welcome the learning experience.
Pea Brain = yes, its all definitional and strongly implies but doesn’t expressly state that that is all they are. I find good and bad people in every category there is. Yes, good catholic ex nuns, and bad current atheists. We do all exist.
DNA is not information? == again, purely definitional. DNA is the information that is passed genetically on how to build a human being. I think my use is more current than yours. Maybe the gaining recognition of Darwinian Theory over an older school of sociology?
Society?–we all share the same culture as you define it? Ha, ha. Just read this blog. I believe you misspoke. A society is whoever gets crammed into the same space and we have to live with idiots who believe differently than we do. Some drink white wine = no culture at all. Or should I have said Duff Beer? But you can’t be wrong, just using a different definition?
Do keep posting if you can make the time. It’s too late for me, but a social scientist and previous nun provides a valuable perspective not well represented here, although Greg Allan comes close to that without the formal book learnin and quotin.
Gee, I’m in a good mood too, and I’m just ready to hit the sack. Hope your day is as sweet as my dreams.
Lynn–I think you have an obligation to speak to the question: Is Homer a true Catholic?
#13 Roberto – I respond to you when I have something to say. Too often I feel you’re just looking for an argument and I am perpetually too tired to argue these days. By the way, if I complemented you, it’s only because you deserved it.
Lynn – You should write more often. I think you would have liked my friend the priest/shrink. He was in the order Holy Ghost. I lost touch with him a few years ago but we used to have some fascinating discussions.
I will add my two bits to the DNA question. It is pretty well debunked that there is any sort of genetic memory other than how to construct a body. I love the stories of transplant patients who say they suddenly understood calculus or could speak Lithuanian while playing the piano.
But DNA does something else: it codes for intelligence and intelligence causes curiosity. Curiosity urges us to find reasons for what we observe and that led to fairies and goblins and gods.
A belief in gods leads inevitably to some sort of worship and then a set of rules. Then, as Lynn said, strong people find a way to bend that worship and those rules to their benefit. Voila! Organized religion.
Now, religion is so deeply ingrained in our culture and our families and our politics that escaping the restraints of everything holy.
And all because we are smart enough to wonder what causes thunder and what happens when people die. You’d think we’d have evolved past that by now. But, when we see a funny light in the sky, we invent interstellar space travel.
-sigh-
Animbus==too tired to argue?
Argue==a discussion not wanted.
I never argue but love discussions.
Bobbo, my apologies for delay, I had a miserable day today. I absolutely see your point about DNA and information and I concede; I saw “information” and wasn’t thinking about genetic code information.
If you read my first post, I did say that Homer is no Catholic. But let’s not discuss Peter Griffin. Oy!
Lynn–these threads continue as long as people maintain the interest. Sadly 99% of the time not more than 36 hours–but a few go on. Easy to bookmark the thread if a conversation really gets going.
I apologize for not reading your first post more carefully. I agree. All other things being copacetic, would working for an organization that thinks/cares/publishes/panders to its laity that Homer is a Catholic any organization you could be a part of?
Ha. Ha. Lots of reasons for people to leave any formal religion. If we talk long enough on this thread or any other you might join, “eventually” I’ll get in a mood and say things “most” religious types don’t like. Its never not happened. Such is the way of the world. There is too little comfort in telling you its not you I hate, just the way you think. But that can wait.
Actually–every ex-nun I have ever met ((3 or 4?)) were the best people I have ever known. Maybe that was only by comparison to me?
Pro’s and Con’s to all we do and say.
If “I think, therefore I am” then am I not what I think?
Life is too short to hate stuff, people, ideas. Disagreement is another matter.
How did I define “hate” for Animby a few weeks ago: “Actually in love with the opportunity to make myself better.” or some other bs like that.
But everything is definitional and telling people they “should not do” something everyone does is rather judgmental. Ha. ha.
Greg Allan who hasn’t posted here for a few weeks got upset with my characterization of a few of his ideas as the residue of religious thinking.
Sad, because there is a lot of meat between our ears just ripe for evaluation.
Keep your eyes on the prize.
Yea, verily.