“If humor without faith is in danger of dissolving into cynicism and despair, faith without humor is in danger of turning into arrogance and intolerance.” - Conrad Hyers in The Comic Vision and the Christian Faith
“The real epiphany for me, as a longtime religion writer for daily newspapers, was the suprisingly favorable way religion, in its broadest sense, was presented in [The Simpsons], and what a crucial role faith played in the lives of the characters. In many ways, Simpson family members were both defined and circumscribed by religion. The family attended church every Sunday and said grace before meals. Their next-door neighbors were committed evangelical Christians. When faced with crises, the Simpsons turned to God and prayed aloud. God often answered their prayers and intervened in their world. Here was a complete (if inconsistent) cosmology - God, the devil, angels - and a fully realized universe of faith. Characters believed in a literal heaven and hell, and, like most Americans, they ridiculed cults. Clearly, Christians and Christianity were more a part of The Simpsons than of any other prime-time network sitcom or drama, excluding shows specifically devoted to religion such as Touched by an Angel and Seventh Heaven.” - Mark Pinsky in The Gospel According to The Simpsons
