That episode is why I don't call Family Guy "preachy" but rather "ranty." The book burning sequence? When they threw in "Basic Logic for First Graders" that was far more passive aggressive than funny. Funny would have been, like, Goodnight Moon or (taking a cue from Mad Magazine) Winnie the Pooh. Seriously, if they did that storyline before the show got cancelled, it would have been all about how Kirk Cameron is a D-bag and how he terrorized and bullied the cast, crew, and network of Growing Pains... which would have been a funnier episode. Instead it was just a scripted version of "Man, those far right fundamentalist Christians just tick me the heck off, and they blame Atheists for everything."
But it's no way the worst episode for the TNG stuff. I find Padre la Familia far worse. It's just a long series of "Shame on Republicans for treating Hispanics poorly" followed by "those crazy Mexicans like big butts and facial hair on women and they grill chicken in foil." Like, who's side are they actually on, anyway? You stick up for Hispanics and then downgrade them to stereotypes? There's a difference between Equal Opportunity Offending, and than taking a deuce on your own message. Especially since American Dad did the same exact message without getting ranty and hypocritical. I did like the Rapid Dave thing, and Peter as an overzealous patriot could have worked as a plotline of its own... but there's much less redeeming quality in that one.
But it's no way the worst episode for the TNG stuff. I find Padre la Familia far worse. It's just a long series of "Shame on Republicans for treating Hispanics poorly" followed by "those crazy Mexicans like big butts and facial hair on women and they grill chicken in foil." Like, who's side are they actually on, anyway? You stick up for Hispanics and then downgrade them to stereotypes? There's a difference between Equal Opportunity Offending, and than taking a deuce on your own message. Especially since American Dad did the same exact message without getting ranty and hypocritical. I did like the Rapid Dave thing, and Peter as an overzealous patriot could have worked as a plotline of its own... but there's much less redeeming quality in that one.