Where does faith meet funny?
Just ask Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert – he bantered with Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York earlier this month during a Catholic comedy event about faith and humor.
The event was originally supposed to be widely broadcast, but instead was limited to an audience at Fordham University. Thanks to the students who went, several one-liners made it out to the world via Twitter, and the National Catholic Reporter compiled them.
A New York Times article also has a few of the highlights, such as this gem that followed a response to a question about whether someone considering the priesthood should date: "It’s actually a great pickup line: I’m seriously considering the priesthood. You can change my mind.” (Good one, Mr. Colbert.)
But these two aren't the first to tackle this ground where faith and humor intersect – there's a whole book on the subject by Jesuit writer James Martin. His comedy is easy to come by – it's on Youtube. (Be sure you stick around for the punch line!)
And that's just among the Catholics. Any Prairie Home Companion listeners out there? Garrison Kielor sprinkles the weekly show with Lutheran jokes, and has one episode all about the Lutherans. Christian comedian Chonda Pierce infuses her comedy with her roots as a Southern preacher's daughter. Baba Ali brings laughter to issues that face Muslims. A Mental Floss article lists the top 20 Jewish comedians. And that's just a start.
What about you? When it comes to your faith, how important is a sense of humor? Is faith something you can joke about? How do humor and faith go together?
jltrautman | Sep 28, 2012 | 4:09pm
I think a genuine sense of humor is a wonderful quality. However, humor is sometimes used to wound. This happens in families as abuse excused as humor. In our faith families, we also learn how to push each other’s buttons. Respect for the other means learning to be sensitive to what causes pain. The most mature humor I have witnessed is when the person is able to laugh at him/herself. When a relationship is firmly established, people can laugh with not at. Laughing at is dangerous ground.
David J. Claassen | Sep 28, 2012 | 8:57pm
I’ve always believe in humor, even in my sermons! Elton Trueblood wrote a book years ago called THE HUMOR OF CHRIST. It was prompted by his reading of Jesus’ parables to his children, and at times they laughed! We’ve heard Jesus’ stories so often, we miss some of the humorous punch lines! Laughter in this fallen and hurting world is an insult to the Evil One! We laugh in spite of evil and to spite evil!
Cheri Holdridge | Sep 28, 2012 | 9:36pm
Yes humor and faith go together. I’ve had a parishoner say that my preaching at the Village Church reminds him of a cross between the “call and response” of a black preacher and the interaction with a stand up comic, because I like to make jokes and my folks like to talk back to me.
Church planting and redevelopment coach Paul Nixon writes in his book “I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church” that one of the six key choices a healthy church makes is to choose “fun over drudgery.” He says that when he consults with churches, he always finds laughter in the healthy churches.
Br. Francis Wagner, O.S.B. | Sep 29, 2012 | 10:25am
“Sour and sad Christians do not draw or strengthen others in the realm of faith. Rather, it is those who display a healthy sense of humor while remaining faithful, steadfast, and courageous in times of trial, suffering, or even persecution who draw our admiration.”
—Fr. James Martin, S.J.
From: “Rejoice! Finding Joy, Humor in the Spiritual Life”
Catholic Perspectives Carenotes, Abbey Press
http://pathoflifebooks.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_20945
Br. Francis Wagner, O.S.B. | Sep 29, 2012 | 10:27am
True exchange between a journalist and Blessed Pope John XXIII:
Journalist: “Your Holiness, how many people work in the Vatican?”
Pope John: “About half of them.”
David Yonke | Sep 29, 2012 | 10:41am
I’m teaching a Sunday School class on “The Gospel According to The Simpsons” (seriously!) using a book of that same title by Mark I. Pinsky as the class curriculum.
In his introduction, Pinsky offers two great quotes about faith & humor: “Humor is a prelude to faith, and laughter is the beginning of prayer” (Reinhold Neibuhr), and, “If humor without faith is in danger of dissolving into cynicism and despair, faith without humor is in danger of turning into arrogance and intolerance” (Conrad Hyers).
seibertcraig@hotmail.com | Jan 21, 2013 | 9:57am
God loves laughter .
seibertcraig@hotmail.com | Mar 7, 2013 | 9:07am
“There are three things which are real: God, human folly, and laughter. The first two are beyond our comprehension. So we must do what we can with the third.” -
—John F. Kennedy
I’ve found over forty five years that Baha’i love laughter as the son of the Founder demonstrated .
So here is a Baha’i joke..
( there is a short prayer called ” the remover of difficulty beginning with , ” is there any remover of difficulty save God ?” ).
Did you hear about the Baha’i who said ” the remover of difficulty ” and disappeared .
PastorLuke | Mar 7, 2013 | 2:58pm
I believe God is still speaking… and largely through irony.
PastorLuke | Mar 11, 2013 | 1:37pm
One man’s belief is another man’s belly laugh.
-Anon
See! Theology is inherently funny!
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