Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
I meant to do a second Halloween- related entry this year, looking in a cautionary way at the film 'Late Night With the Devil,' but I've been so busy, and Halloween has come and gone, so I'll save it for next year.
For this installment, I'll be continuing my look at secular media that deals directly with the subject of faith in some way. This time, I'll be taking a crack at an episode of the legendary animated comedy show 'The Simpsons.'
I'd imagine pretty much everyone has at least some knowledge of this show, now having 35 seasons under its belt; It centers around the Simpson family (Dim- witted father Homer, fussy mother Marge, bratty older son Bart, gifted middle daughter Lisa, and baby daughter Maggie), and the various exploits they have with each other and the MANY assorted residents of their hometown of Springfield.
I'll be honest here: "The Simpsons" is a show that has REALLY fallen hard over the last several years. In its heyday, it got my vote for being easily the funniest and cleverest show on television, particularly during the seasons when talk show host extraordinaire Conan O'Brien was one of its writers. However, it has gone on for way too long, outlived its novelty at least a decade ago, become increasingly heavy- handed and one- sided with its attempts at social/ political commentary, and most of its current episodes are about as funny as a wet sponge.
However, solace can be found in the fact that most of its earlier episodes (i.e. from the show's first 10- 15 seasons) largely remain as great as ever, plus the feature- length 'Simpsons Movie' that came out in 2007 remains very good as well; The movie would have actually made a wonderful series finale if the show had ended there.
For this entry, I shall be looking at an episode from the show's 4th season, with the admittedly worrisome title of "Homer the Heretic." Just bear with me on this:
This episode starts on an extremely cold Sunday morning. Marge wants the family to go to church, but Homer (Who often approaches church with a grudgingly tolerant at best attitude) doesn't want to because of the nasty weather outside, and gains an excuse to skip when he accidentally splits his dress pants.
The rest of the family goes (A very funny dialogue between Marge and Bart ensues on the drive over when Marge tries to explain Homer's absence to the kids by saying that he's "Resting," and Bart asks "Resting- hung- over? Resting- got- fired? Help me out here!"), and has a horrific experience there as it's freezing inside the church due to a broken furnace, the pastor Reverend Lovejoy's sermon for the day is a long and depressing look at the Book of Lamentations, and at the end of the service, they are delayed in leaving by the fact that the church's doors have frozen shut. Another funny dialogue exchange occurs here when Lovejoy asks Groundskeeper Willy if he's making any progress on melting the ice off the door hinges with a blowtorch so they can get out, to which the surly Scottish caretaker responds, "Miracles are YOUR department, Reverend!"
As one final blow, when they DO get out, Marge and the kids find that their car has broken down.
Homer, meanwhile, has a wonderful morning staying at home. He sleeps in, stays warm, makes himself a ridiculously indulgent breakfast, and has many instances of good luck (i.e. He wins a radio call- in contest, watches a thrilling football game on TV, and even finds a penny). He calls it the best day of his life, and attributes all of it to skipping church.
His beliefs in that regard are further strengthened when he learns of the miserable time that Marge and the kids had at church. So, Homer then vows to never go to church again, much to Marge's horror.
That night, Marge prays for God to show Homer the error of his ways. This prayer is answered somewhat via a dream Homer has in which God attempts to talk some sense into him through a mostly friendly conversation, but when Homer suggests that he could just try to live right and worship the Lord in his own way, God agrees. Homer basically forms his own one- man religion around this concept.
(Homer talking about this idea with God; I love the detail that God is petting the Simpsons' cat Snowball 2 while listening to Homer, so wholesome! Credit for this image goes to the user "OptimusKryme" on the Simpsons Wiki at https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Homer_the_Heretic/Gallery?file=Heretic36.png)
Marge next tries inviting Reverend Lovejoy over for dinner to talk with Homer about it, but that doesn't change her husband's mind, either. Devout neighbor Ned Flanders and his family then essentially stalking Homer to try and pressure him into repenting just angers him (And, quite frankly, I can't say I blame Homer for feeling that way about it; The Flanderses definitely went too far by acting in that way).
Things get worse when Homer's heretical attitude begins rubbing off on the children and setting a bad example for them, and he rejects a truly sincere plea from Marge to not force her to choose between him and God.
It's not just Christians he shows disdain for, either; Homer also coldly dismisses Krusty the Clown's attempt to seek donations for a Jewish charity, and in a later conversation with convenience store owner Apu, he quite nastily mocks the man's Hindu faith. Clearly, the concept of "Love thy neighbor as yourself" has no place in Homer's hedonistic new theology.
Things officially hit the fan in the episode's climax: Homer once again staying home from church (Now occupying the extra time with beer, cigars and "Playdude" magazines) leads to him accidentally starting a fire that quickly spreads through the house, and he is almost instantly rendered unconscious by smoke inhalation. Ned Flanders sees what is happening, and immediately runs into the burning house, risking his own life to help save Homer's. This scene manages to be thrilling, moving, and yet honestly pretty darn funny all at once. For instance, there's a part in which Ned attempts to get Homer out of the house by throwing him out a second- floor window that he had previously thrown a mattress out of to cushion his fall, only for the mattress to bounce Homer RIGHT BACK INTO THE HOUSE! I triple- dog- dare anyone to watch that and NOT laugh!
Eventually, good old Ned does manage to get Homer out safe and sound, the fire is extinguished by Springfield's Volunteer Fire Department (Which happens to include both Krusty and Apu), and Homer at long last sees the error of his ways and starts attending church again. Admittedly, he falls asleep in the middle of the service, but hey, it's a start. He dreams that he's walking with the Lord, having a friendly conversation with Him, and so the episode ends.
"Homer the Heretic" may not be my favorite episode of 'The Simpsons' (That honor goes to the Season 6 episode 'Lemon of Troy'), but it's gotta be in at the VERY least my top 5! It's mind- bendingly funny, poignant and thought- provoking at times, and the fire makes for a pretty good action sequence.
As is typical for 'The Simpsons' at its best, it includes one hilarious moment after another. In addition to the ones I mentioned earlier, here are a few more of my favorites:
1. Shortly before the fire starts, Reverend Lovejoy is giving a sermon meant as an obvious criticism of Homer's heresy, and opens it by proclaiming "The Devil walks among us!" At this, Bart sees a man sitting in the pew in front of him with a rather stereotypically devilish appearance (Pencil- thin mustache, pointy goatee, wearing a red suit) and pounces on him, putting him in a headlock and shouting "I GOT 'IM!"
2. When Apu leaves his convenience store in order to help put out the fire at the Simpson house, a trio of local bullies initially intend on taking advantage of his absence to try and shoplift whatever they can find there, only for Apu to put his toddler nephew in charge while he's gone, and the cute little tyke out of nowhere pulls a double- barreled shotgun on the bullies to drive any thoughts of theft out of their minds.
3. Near the end, when Homer has been pulled from the burning house and the Volunteer Fire Department are putting it out, Lisa refers to the fire as "An act of God." Homer notes the fire starting to spread to the roof of Ned Flanders' house and says "Hey, wait a minute; Flanders is a regular Charlie Church, and God didn't save HIS house!" Just then, a small raincloud instantly shows up out of nowhere over the Flanders house, pouring rain to extinguish the flames on it, and a rainbow appears, all accompanied by angelic singing. Homer of course responds to this with his trademark "D'OH!"
4. In the episode's ending, as Homer dreams he is in Heaven, walking and talking with God, in the background Jimi Hendrix can be seen playing air hockey with Benjamin Franklin, both of them sporting halos. Sometimes the simplest of gags can bring the biggest smiles!
I also kind of like the way this episode portrays God in the two scenes when He appears to Homer. He comes across as indeed all- powerful, righteous, and just, but also as attentive, understanding and relatable; He is willing to listen to Homer's questions and complaints, can concede that Homer makes a good point or two, and admits that there are some days HE'D rather be watching football, too, and that He, too, isn't fond of how dull Reverend Lovejoy's sermons can be. In the end of the episode, He comforts Homer in a friendly way over the fact that Homer's philosophy/ one- man religion didn't pan out. That's a nice way to portray Him, I think.
Speaking of God, I can definitely think of some faith- based messages to be taken from "Homer the Heretic."
One is obviously on the importance of attending church. It is abundantly clear that Homer was wrong to completely forsake attending church simply because his family had a bad experience at one church service while he had a good experience skipping that day. Church attendance (If at a church that earnestly serves Jesus, of course) is vital for believers. The pastor can reveal important spiritual truths to them, and (This is a point that the episode admittedly fails to address) worshipping in community with other believers greatly helps build one's faith.
This is conveyed well in Hebrews 10:24- 25, which says "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Worshipping together with other believers is how we can stay close to each other, and motivate each other to more fully live for Jesus and build His Kingdom. In addition, another verse pointing out the importance of church is 1 Timothy 3:14- 15: "I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth." This verse deals a lot with the importance of church, through its use of the term "Household of God" to show how believers at church are like family to each other and need to behave accordingly, its use of the term "The church of the living God" shows that it is through church that believers can most directly connect with God, and obviously pointing out that the church can be used to convey His truths to believers. Those are just some of the reasons for the importance of church.
A second theological point found in "Homer the Heretic" is on the right way to witness to others. As I pointed out earlier, when Ned Flanders and his family first learn of Homer abandoning church, they try to forcefully draw him back into the fold by flat- out stalking him, first at his home, then calling him while he's at work, and even chasing him by car, all while singing "The Lord Said to Noah." Well-meaning though the Flanderses were by doing this, it had the exact opposite effect they intended, as their harassing Homer in these ways just makes him angry and even more opposed to attending church. In contrast, Ned showing his love for his neighbor through action in the climax by saving Homer from the fire, risking his own life in the process, made a big emotional impact on Homer. Indeed, often the best way to influence people for the Lord and draw them to Christ is through actions of kindness that convey God's love to people, not basically trying to force them to convert. As Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." Actions truly speak louder than words, and such actions can make people much more eager to hear what you may later have to say to them about the Lord Jesus.
A final, similar theological point to be taken from "Homer the Heretic" concerns how God's providence works in people, and the forms that His intervention can take. In the very end of the episode, Homer is talking to Reverend Lovejoy about what happened, and says that he feels the fire was God's wrath poured out on him as punishment for his blasphemous ways. Lovejoy disagrees, however, pointing out that it's more likely that God acted in the situation by instead working on the hearts of Homer's friends such as Ned, Krusty and Apu so that they would come and help save him.
Considering that Reverend Lovejoy is usually portrayed as a boring, long- winded stick- in- the- mud who isn't very effective at providing spiritual guidance to anyone other than Ned Flanders, that was a genuinely wise and Godly sentiment for him to express. God intervenes in the world usually not to punish people, but to help them; It's the whole reason why He sent Jesus to the world. One of my favorite Bible verses, Jeremiah 29:11, helps convey this by saying "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" In addition, Romans 8:28 says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." What God seeks most is not to punish, but to guide on the right path, at times through difficult means. Also, it should be noted that God's miraculous intervention doesn't always come through dramatic displays of power; It can very frequently indeed occur through everyday means, such as by His subtly guiding friends and loved ones to come to your aid when you are most in need, as happened to Homer in this episode. I've observed this myself many times.
That sums up my thoughts on "Homer the Heretic," a classic episode of a legendary show that teaches timeless truths on the importance of church, the proper way to witness to others, and the ways God can act in people's lives. In the immortal words of the big bald doofus himself, "WHOO- HOO!"
With that, I bring an end to this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Stay tuned, as I have an entry planned VERY soon to finish out this series before moving on to Christmas. Until then, stay safe and healthy, and may God bless you all!