South Park debunks Internet Mormonism and Mopologetics?

[_Gadianton]

We're familiar with the debunking of Chapel Mormonism by South Park. Interestingly, many Internet Mormons enjoyed these episodes at the expense of their unsophisticated "folk Mormon" families and friends. But a more recent episode of South Park may make the apologists uncomfortable.

I've been watching the latest season of Ancient Aliens from History and following up on my viewing with a bit of web research, I stumbled on a South Park spoof of the series airing last November. I watched it and, wow!

**spoiler alert**

The boys must write a report on the origins of Thanksgiving. They watch History and learn that aliens were responsible for Thanksgiving. All buy it save Kyle, and soon the boys are taken captive and questioned by network executives. Kyle is uncooperative, and the executives badger him with questions that elicit frustrated responses such as, "I didn't say it wasn't possible...", "why don't we just say the pilgrams are aliens..." So then on the next episode of Ancient Aliens at Thanksgiving, clips of Kyle making these statements are shown, confirming the Pilgrams might have been aliens.

The episode loses steam about midway, but what a fatal blow to the key apologetic line of defense! Next time you get the ole "Absense of evidence" line from the Mopologists, think of Kyle.

[_Yoda]

LOL! It sounds like Kyle will be a politician when he grows up. :-)

[_Gadianton]

Well, I wasn't very clear in the post maybe. Kyle was debunking the ancient alien theory, but they pull out the apologetics -- "So you're saying it's impossible?" (it's implied they ask this question). Kyle responds, "I didn't say it's not possible!" And they catch him on tape saying things like this -- making bare admissions of possibility. And then use it to prove that the ancient alien theory is true. Mopologetics all the way, from MDD to FARMS.

[_Tarski]

Well, I wasn't very clear in the post maybe. Kyle was debunking the ancient alien theory, but they pull out the apologetics -- "So you're saying it's impossible?" (it's implied they ask this question). Kyle responds, "I didn't say it's not possible!" And they catch him on tape saying things like this -- making bare admissions of possibility. And then use it to prove that the ancient alien theory is true. Mopologetics all the way, from MDD to FARMS.

I saw it and I thought basically the same thing. Mopologetics employed the same methods as those that promote the Erich von Däniken stuff. Mere possibities and tenuous associations are all that there really is.

[_Doctor Scratch]

The Mopologists are fans of South Park. They like it because liking the "Dum Dum Dum!" episode makes it seem as if they are willing to laugh at themselves--like they aren't actually grimly humorless--and they get to counter that with the episode where God announces that "the Mormons were right." It basically just boils down to them trying to make a rather dumbly calculated gesture at seeming cool.