Mooby In Dogma
“Dogma” (1999) by director Kevin Smith was the first feature from the indie director to stray from the path of silly diversions and idiosyncratic banters first set on by “Clerks” (1994) and “Mallrats” (1995) and focuses on the bigger issue of religion. The film follows two fallen angels: Loki and Bartleby on their journey back to heaven after being casted out by God. Their journey and its consequences are the foil the bring about the director’s interpretations and attitudes toward Catholicism and religion in general. Although primarily a comedy, the film attempts to convey many religious issues; morality and state of the church in the secular world being the most prominent ones. The genre of comedy allows us to take ourselves less seriously
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The most important element from which both comedy and religious meanings can be derived is satire. The image of Mooby, Cardinal Glick attempts at making Catholicism relevant and the concept of plenary indulgence are especially on point. The image of Mooby is a parody of the golden calf in the Jewish faith. The golden calf symbolizes the impatience of the Jewish people as they wait for Moses return from Mount Sinai. Mooby is the modern society’s answer to this ancient symbol. He’s a golden cow who wears shorts and exhibits a relaxed and laid back manner. He is essentially a commercialized mascot for modern religious sentiments. The place where we can see the images of Mooby are numerous and loaded with meaning: fast food joint, airport, baseball cap and corporate boardroom; places that epitomize modern life and the impatient lifestyle that comes with it. Cardinal Glick presents another source of satire. His efforts at making religion relevant by way of the Catholicism WOW campaign show us the social distance between the church and the secular world. Retiring the crucifix and replacing with the image of the smiling and winking “Buddy Christ” because the image was determined by focus groups to be depressing and unfun is, for me, the funniest way and most effective way of showing
The most important element from which both comedy and religious meanings can be derived is satire. The image of Mooby, Cardinal Glick attempts at making Catholicism relevant and the concept of plenary indulgence are especially on point. The image of Mooby is a parody of the golden calf in the Jewish faith. The golden calf symbolizes the impatience of the Jewish people as they wait for Moses return from Mount Sinai. Mooby is the modern society’s answer to this ancient symbol. He’s a golden cow who wears shorts and exhibits a relaxed and laid back manner. He is essentially a commercialized mascot for modern religious sentiments. The place where we can see the images of Mooby are numerous and loaded with meaning: fast food joint, airport, baseball cap and corporate boardroom; places that epitomize modern life and the impatient lifestyle that comes with it. Cardinal Glick presents another source of satire. His efforts at making religion relevant by way of the Catholicism WOW campaign show us the social distance between the church and the secular world. Retiring the crucifix and replacing with the image of the smiling and winking “Buddy Christ” because the image was determined by focus groups to be depressing and unfun is, for me, the funniest way and most effective way of showing