Drawn to the Gods: Religion and Humor in The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy
A new world of religious satire illuminated through the layers of religion and humor that make up the The Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy.



Drawing on the worldviews put forth by three wildly popular animated shows – The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy– David Feltmate demonstrates how ideas about religion’s proper place in American society are communicated through comedy. The book includes discussion of a wide range of American religions, including Protestant and Catholic Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Native American Religions, New Religious Movements, “Spirituality,” Hinduism, and Atheism. Along the way, readers are shown that jokes about religion are influential tools for teaching viewers how to interpret and judge religious people and institutions.

Feltmate, develops a picture of how each show understands and communicates what constitutes good religious practice as well as which traditions they seek to exclude on the basis of race and ethnicity, stupidity, or danger. From Homer Simpson’s spiritual journey during a chili-pepper induced hallucination to South Park’s boxing match between Jesus and Satan to Peter Griffin’s worship of the Fonz, each show uses humor to convey a broader commentary about the role of religion in public life. Through this examination, an understanding of what it means to each program to be a good religious American becomes clear.

Drawn to the Gods is a book that both fans and scholars will enjoy as they expose the significance of religious satire in these iconic television programs.

1124788466
Drawn to the Gods: Religion and Humor in The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy
A new world of religious satire illuminated through the layers of religion and humor that make up the The Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy.



Drawing on the worldviews put forth by three wildly popular animated shows – The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy– David Feltmate demonstrates how ideas about religion’s proper place in American society are communicated through comedy. The book includes discussion of a wide range of American religions, including Protestant and Catholic Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Native American Religions, New Religious Movements, “Spirituality,” Hinduism, and Atheism. Along the way, readers are shown that jokes about religion are influential tools for teaching viewers how to interpret and judge religious people and institutions.

Feltmate, develops a picture of how each show understands and communicates what constitutes good religious practice as well as which traditions they seek to exclude on the basis of race and ethnicity, stupidity, or danger. From Homer Simpson’s spiritual journey during a chili-pepper induced hallucination to South Park’s boxing match between Jesus and Satan to Peter Griffin’s worship of the Fonz, each show uses humor to convey a broader commentary about the role of religion in public life. Through this examination, an understanding of what it means to each program to be a good religious American becomes clear.

Drawn to the Gods is a book that both fans and scholars will enjoy as they expose the significance of religious satire in these iconic television programs.

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Drawn to the Gods: Religion and Humor in The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy

Drawn to the Gods: Religion and Humor in The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy

by David Feltmate
Drawn to the Gods: Religion and Humor in The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy

Drawn to the Gods: Religion and Humor in The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy

by David Feltmate

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Overview

A new world of religious satire illuminated through the layers of religion and humor that make up the The Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy.



Drawing on the worldviews put forth by three wildly popular animated shows – The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy– David Feltmate demonstrates how ideas about religion’s proper place in American society are communicated through comedy. The book includes discussion of a wide range of American religions, including Protestant and Catholic Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Native American Religions, New Religious Movements, “Spirituality,” Hinduism, and Atheism. Along the way, readers are shown that jokes about religion are influential tools for teaching viewers how to interpret and judge religious people and institutions.

Feltmate, develops a picture of how each show understands and communicates what constitutes good religious practice as well as which traditions they seek to exclude on the basis of race and ethnicity, stupidity, or danger. From Homer Simpson’s spiritual journey during a chili-pepper induced hallucination to South Park’s boxing match between Jesus and Satan to Peter Griffin’s worship of the Fonz, each show uses humor to convey a broader commentary about the role of religion in public life. Through this examination, an understanding of what it means to each program to be a good religious American becomes clear.

Drawn to the Gods is a book that both fans and scholars will enjoy as they expose the significance of religious satire in these iconic television programs.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781479890361
Publisher: New York University Press
Publication date: 04/11/2017
Pages: 304
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

David Feltmate is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Auburn Universityat Montgomery where he conducts research in the sociology of religion, the sociology of humor, religion and popular culture, religion and mass media, and sociological theory.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

1 Sacred Centers 33

2 The Difference Race Makes: Native American Religions, Hinduism, and Judaism 68

3 American Christianity, Part 1: Backwards Neighbors 106

4 American Christianity, Part 2: American Christianities as Dangerous Threats 145

5 Stigma, Stupidity, and Exclusion: "Cults" and Muslims 181

Conclusion 213

Appendix: Episodes Referenced 223

Notes 233

Bibliography 249

Index 279

About the Author 283

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