Now that my work load has lightened and free time has become more abundant, I've been able to sit down and start watching cartoons again. Childish, yes, but that's not to say it's not a good form of entertainment. Though, it has made me a bit nostalgic.

I remember watching cartoons when I was a kid. Back then, I wasn't concerned with ethics being taught, and I definitely wasn't paying attention to the hidden morals and themes throughout episodes. Now, however, I'm noticing certain themes coming out in jokes made during episodes of cartoons like Spongebob, Hey Arnold, and Invader Zim. One of them, was religion.

I noticed that more and more cartoons are addressing the issue of religion and its values. Spongebob, for example, has an episode called "The Magic Conch Shell" where Spongebob and Patrick come across a fortune telling conch shell toy, and begin to both worship it, and follow its words as law. Spongebob is notorious for having subliminal adult content, but this was blatantly overt. I took this as an obvious mockery of religion, those following an "all knowing voice." Despite the fact that the episode is sped up, you still get the point. I couldn't find an original clip of the video.


Throughout the video, allusions to organized/cult like religions are made. In the beginning, Spongebob and Patrick make a club and don't allow Squidward to come in because they don't think he'd understand. They then get lost, and show Squidward "the magic conch shell." The shell itself represents a diety or religious icon in which they abide by. Like all religious icons, there is oposition to it and its teachings. Squidward denounces their belief that the conch knows all and will lead them to freedom from the kelp forest, but the other two insist. Through a series of fabricated events, the conch is made to seem as if it's truly magical, and eventually Squidward believes too.

Although it's done ina ridiculous manner, the message can be taken one of two ways. The first and more cynical view is that religious belief is fabricated, and any miracles that occur are chance. On the other hand though, it could be seen that infact religion and the miracles that follow it are actually a series of circumstance and chance. The question is what are our kids getting out of it? Is it inadvertently turning the younger generations against certain beliefs and values that our country and many others were founded on, or is it just all in the name of entertainment?