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Essay #4 for Written Comm.

I can't believe I got an A on this... I pulled it out of the air the night before.

The Simpsons meet the Sermon on the Mount

            When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount he gave many characteristics of a ‘blessed’ person and instilled the values he deemed important. Among these were to love your enemies, to freely give of everything you have and to have a hunger and thirst for righteousness. If any character on television reflects these characteristics it would be Ned Flanders of the show The Simpsons. However, Ned and his family are background characters to the more dysfunctional but well loved Simpson family. In fact, a character who directly contradicts the aforementioned characteristics would be Homer Simpson, who values instead selfishness, revenge and spiritual flippancy. It is evident that in the show The Simpsons, the character that is glorified does not follow Jesus’ teachings, and the character that does is mocked.

            The Sermon on the mount says to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) Ned Flanders is shown time and time again showing acts of love toward those who should be his enemies, in particular Homer himself. Homer treats Ned terribly but he continues to return his insults with love and kindness. The way the show is structured mocks this character for his ‘foolishness.’ Instead, it glorifies Homer’s tactics of using revenge against enemies. One episode, for instance, shows Homer making an enemy of the Hell’s Angels biking gang by stealing their name. The family- and supposedly the viewing audience- rejoice when Homer takes revenge on and overcomes the gang.

            Another value Jesus taught in his sermon was to give everything you have to those who may need it. Flanders shows this by constantly loaning things to Homer, even when he never receives them back. This, too, is depicted as foolish, and Flanders foolish for doing so. Homer, on the other hand, is undeniably selfish. He is constantly shown being gluttonous and refusing to share any of his food with others. He does likewise with his belongings. Homer will not let others use his belongings, though he shows no qualms in taking the belongings of others. His selfishness is also shown in the lack of time spent with his children and his constant failure to remember his youngest daughter even exists. Often the demeanor of Homer Simpson more resembles that of a selfish two-year-old child than a full grown man, but his character remains well-loved nonetheless.

            The last value I will address that Jesus taught on the mount is the hunger and thirst for righteousness. This can be seen in the church attendance of both characters. Flanders is at church virtually any time it is open. His extreme fervor in his faith is constantly mocked and ridiculed. Homer, on the other hand, attends church only out of necessity (his wife, Marge, forces him and the rest of the family to attend) and often sleeps through the service. His spiritual flippancy, in direct contrast to Jesus’ teachings, is shown as superior to Flanders ’ never-ending hunger and thirst for righteousness.

            It is clear the values Jesus supported in his Sermon on the Mount are downplayed in popular television. The Simpsons is a clear example of the way in which those characters who follow the teachings of Jesus are mocked and labeled zealots. The values instilled by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount of loving your enemies, giving of everything you have and having a hunger and thirst for righteousness are embodied in Ned Flanders, yet he is constantly ridiculed. The character that is in direct contradiction to these values, Homer Simpson, is the one who is treasured.  The Simpsons is only one instance of the way television mocks those who follow Jesus’ teachings and focuses instead on those who do not.