Any show that views religion through a satirical lens is bound to be misunderstood. The Simpsons dealt with religious themes from the beginning and caught a lot of flak until it became clear that the target of its humor was not "God" but rather how human beings interpret religion and spirituality. The same could be said for South Park, especially with the recently vilified "Bloody Mary" episode. While South Park's approach is certainly more abrasive, neither it nor The Simpsons ever denies that God exists. The satirical crosshairs are always pointed directly at us lowly terrestrial beings.

Sure there have been some crazy episodes of South Park, but this may be a first for Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They've actually been condemned by the Catholic Church. The episode entitled "Bloody Mary" that aired on December 7th 2005, made fun of not only the Pope and miracles, but also the Virgin Mary.

Although I'm not sure that is any worse than having Satan date Saddam Hussein and sing Disney showtunes, the church apparently does. On December 8th The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights demanded Viacom permanantly retire the show, and not even include it on future DVD releases. Yea... I'm sure the boys will do that....