room and Homer trying to knock down the door so he can tear Bart into pieces. (Vitti) Soon, Simpsons merchandise was all over America. Every kid wanted an "Underachiever and Proud of It, Man" or an "I'm Bart Simpson, Who the Hell Are You?" shirt. Hats could be seen everywhere that had Bart dressed like a devil saying "Go For It, Dude!" or with Homer, his arms open, lunging forward saying "Why You Little." The most popular shirt was a family picture with Homer choking Bart. During the first week of school in 1990, two thirds of the sixth graders in America wore Simpsons paraphernalia. (Dale and Trich, 43) As the popularity of The Simpsons grew, so did parents' fears. To their horror, Bart Simpson became a role model. "Aye Carumba!" was a popular expression among kids. Almost anything a child did wrong was attributed to "last Sunday's Simpsons." (Dale and Trich, 45) Bad ideas continued to be broadcast into kids' minds. In the third episode, a baby-sitter robbed the Simpson household of most of it's belongings. In the fourth episode, Homer caused a nuclear accident, got fired, and attempted suicide. Bart stole the head off of the statue of Jebidiah Springfield, Springfield's founder in the sixth episode. In the eighth episode, Bart took a picture of Homer with an exotic dancer and distributed them to the entire town. Marge had an affair in the ninth episode. Homer stole cable, and almost everything else imaginable in the fifteenth episode. (Groening, 37) The Simpsons is often viewed as one of the biggest threats to Christianity. The Simpson family goes to church on a regular basis, but Bart and Homer loath it. A typical Sunday School conversation is as follows: Child: "Will my dog, Fluffy go to heaven?" Sunday School Teacher: "No" Other Child: "How about my cat?" Teacher: "No, Heaven is only for people." Bart: "What if my leg gets gangrene and has to be amputated? Will it be waiting for me in heaven? Teacher: "Yes" Bart: "What about a rob...
