The lecture deals with Christian and Muslim pupils' conceptions of images of God in a broader sense. Before and after a longer unit on the topic of images and concepts of God, interreligious learning groups were asked to select photographs from a pool that they found interesting or relevant to their ideas about God. They were also asked about concepts of God that they found less suitable or even rejected. A similar procedure was carried out after the 8-week unit.
It becomes apparent that the pupils have difficulties with anthropomorphic and concrete representations of God prior to the unit; in particular, the majority of them refuse to engage with comic drawings (including Homer Simpson's dialogues with God). In some cases, this is done with explicit reference to the prohibition of images in religions (). After the unit, they not only deal more freely with their own ideas about God, but also proactively bring the Simpsons into the conversation about ideas of God as relationships with God. It becomes clear that engaging with third-party ideas about God obviously contributes to a more liberal approach to the prohibition of images, but can also open up ideas of God as relationships with God. Could it be that the Simpsons in particular take on a mirror function for theology and thus 'become an impetus to reflect on the foundations of [...] faith in the course of time and its signs' (Johannes Heger/Thomas Jürgasch/Milad Karimi, 16)?
Lit.: Johannes Heger/Thomas Jürgasch/Milad Karimi (eds.), Religion? Ay Caramba!: Theology and Religion from the World of The Simpsons, Freiburg: Herder 2017.