Everything Sacred

It's not a suitable theory for everybody. Some of the most devout will remain cynical that anything morally good can come from America's favorite irreverent cartoon family.

But religion reporter Mark I. Pinsky argues in his book "The Gospel According to The Simpsons," that Bart and Homer, Marge and Lisa, Ned Flanders, the Rev. Lovejoy and other characters on the show represent various honest relationships with religion that can help viewers explore their own beliefs. A new edition of the book was just released.

"The real epiphany for me," Pinsky wrote about his thorough examination of the sitcom, "was the surprisingly favorable way religion, in its broadest sense, was presented in the series, and what a central role faith played in the lives of the characters."

In this week's "Everything Sacred," we interview Pinksy and look back at old episodes to see what he's talking about.

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See the video here.

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Hillary Rhodes is an asap reporter based in New York.

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