more

A Brief Overview of the Relgious Aspects of South Park

"Television has a powerful influence on our society through its influences on the beliefs, values, and attitudes of so many of the individuals who make up our society".

This quote, taken from Mark Pinsky's article That Prime Time Religion, reflects that television is a main factor in the influences it has upon its viewers. Children, for instance, gain a lot of knowledge about the world around them via television. Depending on the show, this knowledge can be either useful or damaging. When looking at shows, what makes a good religious role model? Much of this also depends on what the parent wishes to teach their children. So, is South Park a good or bad role model for children?

There is much controversy regarding this subject, and many articles for and against South Park. In my opinion, South Park does have admirable religious aspects. For insantce, the writers makes numerous jokes towards Scientology, which is a religion difficult to understand for many. Scientology is "the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life" (www.scientology.org). There has been many questions about the validity of this religion, and South Park takes a sarcastic point of view.

Although it can be aruged that South Park does take a fair approach to religion, there have been many accusations stating otherwise. For example, in Episode 914 of Season 9, the show is entitled "Bloody Mary" and involves a bleeding statue of Mary that is considered to be a miracle. Here is a photo from the episode showing a Catholic priest who is stating how this statue is a miracle.

(Photos courtesy of www.southparkstudios.com)

It is simple to see that many people and organizations would have had difficulty accpeting this episode. For more information on the controversy regarding this particular episode, click here.

HOME

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws