The Simpsons Perception On Christianity

The Simpsons’ Perception on Christianity

There is a considerable amount of misunderstanding amongst the overall population; as well as, the spiritual community as a whole, regarding what it really means to be a “Christian”. Some people strongly believe that being a faithful Christian means that you cannot have any fun at all. Don’t consider attending the latest movie, night clubs, or bars. Furthermore many people believe a Christian should only drink wine during the Sunday communion, despite the fact the Bible does not say in detail that God prohibits a Christian from drinking cocktails, wine, or any other drink containing alcohol. Undeniably there is a lot of confusion about what makes a perfect Christian. A leading animated television series

However, Ned Flanders was clearly fashioned to symbolize present-day Christianity. In fact, in the world of pop-culture, there exists an actual word “Flanderization,” which is used when a certain feature of a character is boosted out of proportions and effectively takes over the person’s whole identity, named after Ned Flanders himself. Conversely, for many adults and children, Ned Flanders is the only “Christian” that they are familiar with. Saintliness is the most important piece of every single aspect of Ned’s Flanders’s character. He is very apologetic, eager-to-please, well-mannered, overly spiritual, and a predictable and dull neighbor to the dysfunctional Simpsons. On the other hand, some Christians are annoyed by his “nerdy behavior,” but not his well-developed physic. Ned himself even acknowledges that most of the time he is “about as exciting as a baked potato.” Yet, Ned is so intensely submerged in the good works of the Lord that he forbids his children, Todd and Rod, from eating Red Hots candy because the package bares the image of the devil. Unquestionably Ned is very much a religious man, but Ned Flanders is also to a certain extent an easy pushover. In the episode “The Monkey Suit” Homer notices Ned Flanders and his children standing at the front of the line, so he decided to get in line in front of them. Eventually

Some people see Ned Flanders as just another character that lives in the animated world of Springfield; yet, there is this feature of unconditional love in his life that accurately depicts Christianity. Even though many of the other characters have little to no admiration for him, in fact Ned Flanders is Homer’s rival; yet, Ned’s basic role in the sitcom is to be the good neighbor. “Homer does everything short of chaos and havoc to abuse Ned Flanders. It is through (Matthew 19:19), Jesus’ advising to “love your neighbor as yourself,” that Ned is able to endure unconditional love for continued abuse. On countless occasions Homer persistently tells Ned to “shut up”, calls him a liar and a square, even came close to hitting him with a car; yet, Ned Flanders always turn the other cheek. Homer once stated, “If everyone here was like Ned Flanders, there’d be no need for heaven. We’d already be there.” Ned Flanders is the Simpsons’ spiritual next “diddly-door” neighbor. He is frequently the focus of comedic ridicule and ill-mannered sarcasm because of his good-natured “churchy” ways. However, like all the other characters in the Simpsons, Ned Flanders is merely an exaggerated stereotype of the perfect Christian. Perhaps that is why the producers placed him right next door to his polar opposite,