Remember that episode of Family Guy when God decided to smite Peter for stealing his thunder? I seem to remember that Brian had absolutely no issue believing that 1) there was a God, and 2) he was pissed. Since then, despite the fact that God himself has made several appearances on the show – and not just in cutaway gags either, the guy seems to exist in Quahog – Brian has become a militant atheist.

Yes, that lovable alcoholic dog has slowly become the authorial voice. Brian is “the voice of reason” on the show, and everything he says is what Seth MacFarlane believes. Family Guy has changed from a comedy show into a heavy-handed morality play. It’s still funny, but isn’t anyone else sick of being preached at?

Anyway, this time around, Meg catches the mumps and consequently religion from a Kirk Cameron show on the religious channel. When Brian refuses to convert, she gets her revenge by telling the whole town that he’s an atheist.

For some reason, Quahog rises up in an anti-Brian crusade. Desperate to be let into a bar without getting bottles thrown at his head, Brian pretends to convert so Meg can get the town back on his good side. But when she takes him to a book-burning, Brian can remain silent no longer. He asks Meg to ponder that eternal question of theodicy: if God is so great, why does her life suck?

Meg is converted back to agnosticism, presumably, and it is revealed that Rob Lowe and Adam West created the universe. I guess. I’ve never been 100% on what those rare live-action endings of Family Guy really mean. Remember that Dallas ending in the Y2K episode? Yeah. What was that all about?

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