The Sol O. Mann Top 10
How well do you discern the "salt and light" in pop culture? Score one
point for each correct answer.
"The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek
it out." -- Proverbs 18:15
- In a dream Homer once had, how does he describe God?
- Who knelt by his bed and prayed: "Well, old timer, I guess this is the
end of the road. I know I haven't always been a good kid, but if I have to
go to school tomorrow, I'll fail the test and be held back. I just need one
more day to study, Lord. I need Your help!"
- What personalized license plate does Ned Flanders have on his Geo
station wagon?
- What Sunday night radio call-in show does Reverend Timothy Lovejoy
co-host with a rabbi and priest?
- What's the title of Krusty the Clown's biography?
- In one Hallowe'en segment, when the Flanders family is condemned to the
stake in a reprise of the Salem witch trials, who refuses to participate in
the burning, quoting Matthew 7:1: "Judge not, lest ye be judged."?
- When disaster threatens, who prays: "Dear God,...If you stop this
hurricane and save our family, we will be forever grateful and recommend
you to all our friends."
- The "world's pretty much only religious satire magazine" has concluded,
"There is more spiritual wisdom in one episode of 'The Simpsons' than there
is in an entire season of 'Touched by an Angel'". Name the magazine.
- In an effort to enliven the music at the First Church of Springfield,
what new "hymn" do Bart and Milhouse print and distribute to the
congregation?
- In what episode does Homer say to Bart and Lisa: "Look at this Bible I
just got -- fifteen bucks! And talk about a preachy book...everybody's a
sinner! [points to a verse] Except for this guy."
Answers
- "Perfect teeth. Nice smell. A class act, all the way."
- Bart. His prayer is answered when a snow storm closes the school for one day. After passing the test
by a single extra-credit point, Bart tells Homer: "Part of this D-minus belongs to God."
Mark Pinsky writes in
"The Gospel According to The Simpsons":
"I like to think that Bart Simpson is in line with Abraham and Moses in that he talks to God directly," says Robert
Thompson [of Syracuse University]. In his previously discussed Willow Creek sermon, Lee Strobel deconstructs this
exercise and finds that this example is also theologically consistent with the New Testament concept of prayer. In
Matthew 6:6, believers are advised, "When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who
is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." In Philippians 4:6, they are told,
"In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." And Proverbs 28:13 instructs,
"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."
- JHN 143 (John 1:43, in which Jesus says to Philip, "Follow me"). Ned's Bible collection includes the Aramaic
Septuagint, the Vulgate of St. Jerome, the Living Bible and the Thump-Proof Bible.
- "Gabbin' about God," sponsored by Ace Religious Supply, whose motto is, "If we don't got it, it ain't holy."
- "Your Shoes Are Too Big to Kick Box with God", ghost written by novelist John Updike. In the 1991 Emmy-winning
episode, "Like Father, Like Clown" [8F05], Krusty (whose real name is Herschel Schmoikel
Krustofsky) is reunited with his father, Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky.
- Lisa
- Marge
- The Door
- "In the Garden of Eden" by "I. Ron Butterfly." Outside the church, the marquee features a variety of weekly
messages such as "God, the Original Love Connection," "Sunday, the Miracle of Shame," and "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Salvation".
- "Itchy and Scratchy Land" [2F01]
Scoring - Knowledge level:
0-1 kindergarten
2-3 primary
4-5 intermediate
6-7 secondary
8-9 college/university
10 Congratulations! You're as wise as Sol O. Mann.
Copyright © 2001 Sol O. Mann Productions. All rights reserved.
Sol O. Mann is an avid collector of trivia from a Judeo-Christian
perspective. To suggest questions, he can be reached by email at solomann@look.ca.
References
Related documents at The Simpsons Archive
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