South Park on Religion
When one thinks of the television series South Park some of the first thoughts are of vulgarity, racism, sexism, rudeness and the list continues. My goal is to provide another perspective beyond those listed. South Park may mock society, religion and anything else it can get its hands on, but the hidden message behind each episode provides true insight and a more positive perspective. My perspective will be how South Park expresses religious experience despite its vulgarity and manages to expose the truth pertaining to religion and society. Religion and society go hand in hand since one cannot exist without the other; South Park expresses how the society in South Park treats religion that is different from the majority. Faith and belief is also questioned in one of their episodes. They even question authority that has not been dared outright questioned before quite so profoundly and directly.
South Park seeks to reveal through some of its episodes that when it comes to religion based arguments, one side is as likely to be right as the other – and who is any one person to judge an absolute truth? In “Dynamics of Faith” authored by Paul Tillich it states,” faith is the state of being ultimately concerned.” (Dynamics of Faith 1) Taken in that perspective when one is ultimately concerned about his religion then that religion is true and just. By becoming ultimately concerned one is able to achieve ultimate faith. The integration of ultimate concern has to happen in all aspects of life, especially personality; “It happens in the center of the personal life and includes all its elements” (Dynamics of Faith 4) In “All about the Mormons” an episode in South Park, Stan and his family learn the core beliefs of Mormon religion through a nice Mormon family that had just recently moved to South Park. They were portrayed as a happy satisfied family who did charity work and showered kindness on everyone. Amid the jokes aimed at Mormon religion the...