Irish bishop Donald Murray, from the diocese of Limerick, in centre-west Ireland, praised the television cartoon series “The Simpsons”. The bishop said it’s one of the few television programs where the protagonists go to church. Religion, the bishop explained, during a conference on religion and secular life in present-day Ireland, never appears on television, neither on tv-movies or Irish soaps. Since Irish network “Rte” stopped broadcasting the famous soap opera “Glenroe” a few years ago, there are no longer tv-series where the protagonists go to Mass. Expressing one’s spirituality and religion has now become reason for embarrassment, said msgr. Murray, faith becomes public only in the context of fights and scandals. “We passed from being a society where faith and public display of faith were the norm, to a society which is embarrassed, to use the kindest term, by any public demonstration of religious feeling”, he declared. “Religion is seen as positive provided that it does not interfere with the real world or else the remnants of religion are countered as if these were capable of disseminating superstition and ignorance. This is the approach of famous intellectuals such as Richard Dawkins who wrote popular tv-series which are very critical of faith”.
