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She of Little Faith/References
Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
Cultural references
- Plan 9 from Outer Space - Parodied in the cheesy science fiction movie at the beginning of the show, The Planet from Outer Space.
- Homer sings his flossing song to the tune of Devo's "Whip It". Smithers also sings a short parody of the song in "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase".
- Nibbles' wife is dressed in a fashion very similar to Jacqueline Kennedy.
- Nibbles' 'space helmet' has NASA written on it.
- When Ned joins Homer with his own model rocket, he greets him by saying "Greetings from Nednedy Space Center on Cape Flandaveral," referencing the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral.
- Homer's "break the surly bonds of gravity/punch the face of God!" speech is a parody of Ronald Reagan's speech following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, which quotes from the poem "High Flight" by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
- The opening plot with the rockets is a spoof of the biopic October Sky.
- This episode satirizes the phenomenon of Megachurches.
- While walking into the new church, a man claims that he can exchange money for the patrons, Lisa remarks that it "could not be more blasphemous!". This is a reference to the biblical account of Jesus and the money changers.
- Domino's Pizza: When Reverend Lovejoy is done with his sermon, he says that the Noid has some things he'd like to say, and the Noid walks up to the podium.
- Bart's chalkboard gag was probably a subtle reference to his limited-edition breakfast cereal released in 2001, Bart Simpson Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Cereal by Kellogg's.
- On the Jumbo-tron, Lisa is captioned with the words "Pouting Thomas", a play on the phrase Doubting Thomas. The Jumbo-tron itself is labeled "Godcam."
- This is also a reference to the 1970s episodes of Saturday Night Live where, after a sketch ended and before the show went to a commercial break, the camera would zoom in on someone in the audience and a bizarre or risque caption would appear below the shot.
- When Ned hears Lisa announce that she is a Buddhist, he exclaims, "My Satan sense is tingling!" This is a spoof of Spider-Man's catchphrase, "My Spidey-Sense is tingling!"
- The title is a reference to a Bible quotation, "O ye of little faith."
- What Lisa was chanting while ignoring her father was "Om mani padme hum", a mantra popularly associated with Tibetan Buddhism.
- The Buddhist temple's main figure is not the historical Buddha himself, but rather a Western misinterpretation of him; the familiar obese laughing figure is actually the Chinese interpretation of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, who has come to be a representative of the Buddha.
- The large Jesus neon sign outside the church resembles the well-known neon "Vegas Vic" cowboy sign that was once atop the Pioneer Club Casino in Las Vegas. It even has a moving arm.
- Two of the books Lisa reads while researching different faiths are Religionhood by Paul Reiser and Zagat's Guide to World Religions.
- The religious "nightlife" signs Lisa passes include "Bed, Bath & Baha'i," "Whiskey a God God," "Church of the Latter Day Druids," and "Amish." The first and third signs referencing "Bed, Bath & Beyond" and the "Church of the Latter Day Saints," respectively.
- Lenny and Carl's meditation mantra is from the song "Short Shorts" by the Royal Teens.
- the childish drawings that cover the broken windows of the church represent:
- Adam and Eve under the tree of knowledge on which there is the serpent;
- Moses separating the waters of the Red Sea;
- the crucifixion (with two crosses and not three);
- Noah's Ark.
- When they enter in the renewed church, Homer replies to Lisa that Jesus has a lasso because "he's all man" referring to the Christian creed which says that Jesus is God made man.
- The mural in the church where Bart makes faces and photos is a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper
- when Bart proposes to Lisa to convert to Judaism, because "When you turn thirteen, cha-ching!" is a reference to the Jewish Bar Mitzvah ceremony (which is valid only for males).
- Lisa plants her own Bodhi Tree.
Trivia
- The initials 'HJS' are written on Homer's rocket.
- After the model rocket countdown, Homer shouts "countdown" rather than "ignition" or "blastoff."
- The Rich Texan can be seen in the church, sitting in what would appear to be a skybox.
- Marge tells Lisa she hopes at least one of the Simpsons will go to Heaven. In "Simpsons Bible Stories" that's what happened - Lisa starts ascending to Heaven, but Homer grabs her and takes her down to the barbecue in Hell along with the rest of the family.
- When Marge tells Homer that this is the worst thing he's ever done, Homer replies that she's said it so much that the words have lost all meaning. Marge has also told Homer something is the worst thing he's ever done in "Brawl in the Family" (when it's revealed that Homer married the barmaid from Vegas). She's also said something very similar to that in "The Cartridge Family" (when Bart finds Homer's gun and uses it to play William Tell with Milhouse).
- Syndication cuts a scene where as Homer's rocket is launched, a homeless person lying in the gutter, upon seeing the rocket, stops drinking his bottle of wine and throws it aside. A business man walking by at the time catches the bottle and immediately lies down in the gutter and starts drinking it.
- This episode reveals that Homer wears contact lenses.
- Reverend Lovejoy says that David Bowie "...has done enough for his church".
- In the "new" church there are advertisements for: Buzz Cola, Gulp 'n' Blow, Kwik-E-Mart, The Frying Dutchman, Let's Get Fiscal, Sportacus, and Zip Boys.
- Under the pulpit of Timothy Lovejoy is seen advertising Springfield Bell, Cookie Kwan Realtor and Ally McBeal this latest a TV series from the 2000s.
Goofs
- When the family returns to the house after searching for Lisa the driveway is green, while everything else including the street is covered in snow.
- Rev. Lovejoy mentions that Mrs. Glick is recuperating at home. Yet she can clearly be seen with the other churchgoers.
- When Lisa first enters the Buddhist temple, there are two flower pots in front of Lenny and Carl. in the next scene, the flower pots are gone.
- On Christmas Day, back at the house, in two shots when it points to Homer, the walls in the entryway are colored like the kitchen.
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