Is Humor a SIn?

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contemplative:
I hope this helps…
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Of course, that’s the rule for Benedictine Monks. There might be a slightly different rule for laypeople. 🙂

There are many kinds of humor in the world that don’t rely on hurting people – that’s easier to see if you don’t allow yourself to get too jaded. 🙂

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(Looking for a new Sprinkle Bag hosting site)
 
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contemplative:
…all from the Rule of St. Benedict…
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I went to college where there is a Benedictan Abbey. Nuns on one campus and Monks on the other. These were some of the funniest people I have ever met! Our current parish priests (we have 2) are both Benedictan monks. They both love a good laugh, and will even laugh during their homilies (after telling a particularly funny story to make a point). Our dearest priest who finally retired several years ago was also a very funny Benedictan monk.

Somehow methinks these monks know what they are doing!

One of my fondest memories is of the now retired priest telling us jokes (not so G-rated, either), playfully teasing my kids, poking fun at himself, and poking fun at those who were so uptight about following all the rules that they completely missed the heart of Jesus. One of his favorite sayings was that too many people feel that life is to be endured, not enjoyed.

images.google.com/images?q=tbn:NvgBrxlL9WUJ:www.beamish.org/images/Jesus%2520laughing.jpg
 
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cynic:
I was argueing that humor itself is a form of conceit, even though the subject matter may be innocent. In fact I cant think of any humor where the subject matter isn’t mocked or made fun of, from funny looking animals, to absurd situations, word games, whatever, It all involves a derision and disrespect.
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It must be hard being someone close to you if you look miserable all the time and refuse to see the funny side of anything.
 
I have no problem with clean jokes when I am around people of faith, but where I work, which is minimum wage, all of them are mostly neo-pagan young people, whose humor is, well, like Peter Kreeft cited, "Vulgar, Irreverent, Cruel, or Empty-headed" On that vein, I really don’t talk to these people or get to know them or laugh with them that much because I don’t want to cooperate in sin, not to mention that they don’t respect me because I am a nerd and walk funny. I have worked there two years, and I know none of them really personally, save a couple a little bit. That’s the problem I see: how can I laugh with people who don’t give a rat’s a-- whether there is a God or not?
 
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cynic:
I was argueing that humor itself is a form of conceit, even though the subject matter may be innocent. In fact I cant think of any humor where the subject matter isn’t mocked or made fun of, from funny looking animals, to absurd situations, word games, whatever, It all involves a derision and disrespect.
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Humor can be very healing. Have you ever gone through a horribly bad time during life? Next to prayer, the best way to handle such a moment is to laugh at it. My mom recently died and she had some sort of mental illness that caused her to push everyone away. If I hadn’t laughed at some points, I think that I would have fallen on the floor in the fetal position and never gotten up. Thank you, God for giving me a sense of humor.

Besides if I didn’t have a sense of humor, I would probably not been able to enjoy my kids.🙂 Have you ever been around moms who have no sense of humor? No matter how much they love their children, they always seem so tense and angry with their kids.

There are some extreme fundamentalists groups on the web who advocate a return to a dour, puritan way of life. Perhaps you have wandered into one of their sites or come in contact with such a group. One of the saddest ironies of modern Christianity is that many people believe that such groups are representative of our faith when they are instead, a vocal minority.
 
Humor is a gift of God and lightens the soul! It helps to relax us and extend the grace of God to others more easily.

f course, humor can be wrong when it is a form of ridicule or sarcasm, putting down another person.

I remember reading about St. Teresa of Avila a long time ago, and she related this incident in one of her monasteries:

It was recreation time for the nuns, and one of them said (to paraphrase) “This is a waste of time…I’m going to my cell to contemplate the Lord.”

And, St. Teresa answered by saying, “Go to your cell and contemplate the Lord…we will make merry with Him here!”
 
Two more indications that God has a sense of humor, as expressed in His Creation:
  1. Snow sunshowers – how funny is it to have snow coming down while the sun is out?
  2. The seahorse. This animal:
a) is a fish
b) has a head like a horse
c) has a tail like a monkey
d) has a pouch like a kangaroo
e) It is the male seahorse that gets pregnant and gives birth!

😃

**Crazy Internet Junkies Society
**Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag
 
:rolleyes: Please… Don’t ask such questions that can be (mis)construed as flippant, frivolous or even offensive!

Surely, you don’t mean that as a literal question, and are perhaps trying to elicit a whole variety of general insights…?

God Himself has a superhuman sense of humour, and wit we could hardly conceive. Jesus Christ had very great humour and probably told certain stories in a very humourous context – but to teach a real and serious point, however.

Cheers! Marilyn 😉
 
Mark & Marilyn said:
:rolleyes: Please… Don’t ask such questions that can be (mis)construed as flippant, frivolous or even offensive!

Surely, you don’t mean that as a literal question, and are perhaps trying to elicit a whole variety of general insights…?
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This is not one of those “trick” questions like you just listed, is it? 😛

Alan
 
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AlanFromWichita:
This is not one of those “trick” questions like you just listed, is it? 😛

Alan
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“Trick, you say? This is a religious matter. There are no tricks in religion…!” --a Roman Senator Speaker, ROME mini-series, HBO. (mind you, he did not know how closely related “religion” became to politics in the medieval and modern era.)]

As a footnote, to prevent misunderstanding, I meant my critique and questions toward the “cynic” at #1, most definitely NOT toward any of the splendid, witty and clever responses closely above. ^
The #1 “Cynic:”
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cynic:
The Bible says that we must make account for every idle word.
There’s also the passage “he that regards the day should regard it to God” What dos this mean? Is all humor and non essential conversaton a form of vanity? Would any of the Saints ever have had ‘idle converstions’, or joked about anything?
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“Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly”
  • G.K. Chesterton
 
Mark & Marilyn said:
“Trick, you say? This is a religious matter. There are no tricks in religion…!” --a Roman Senator Speaker, ROME mini-series, HBO. (mind you, he did not know how closely related “religion” became to politics in the medieval and modern era.)]
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Trust me, religion was intimately related to politics in Ancient Rome as well, after all Julius Caesar was also Pontifex Maximus (head of Rome’s state religion). Roman priests and augurs and even the Vestal Virgins had quite a bit of clout. Elections and meetings of the Senate were only held at religiously auspicious times, for example, so you made sure the approved time for your meeting was also the time when the vote would go the way you wanted 👍
 
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cynic:
I’m not aware of any humor in the Bible. To me humor and joking - even if seemingly innocent - seem to always be derogatory of something or someone.
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One of Christ’s parables was set up as a joke, He described the rich man and beggar who both died, one went to Hell and the beggar went to Heaven. He named the beggar Lazarus, who just happened to be one of Christ’s best friends, and every one knew Lazarus was a very wealthy man, not a beggar,
 
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Fidelis:
I don’t see how either of the texts you cite even remotely refer to humor, as such. You’d have to really stretch to read into it to find a prohibition of humor.

By an “idle word” it is more likely referring to gossip or careless speech that could cause trouble–like inciting anger or bitterness. Against this sort of talk, the Bible, especially the wisdom books, has much to say.
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Great answer. Instead of going on about how ridiculous and the initial thread title is that humor is sinful, why not look at the srcipture, like Fidelis did, and see that the propostion is not well grounded in scripture to begin with. Also, it is not a Catholic teaching that humor is a sin.
 
I wonder if it is merely coincidence that about the time the thread about Republicans being more happy appeared that this thread about humor being sin appeared. I wonder if I post a thread about Republicans eating healthier, we will a thread like “good health is a sin!” 🙂
 
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pnewton:
Great answer. Instead of going on about how ridiculous and the initial thread title is that humor is sinful, why not look at the srcipture, like Fidelis did, and see that the propostion is not well grounded in scripture to begin with. Also, it is not a Catholic teaching that humor is a sin.
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Those parts of scripture do however refer to idle words (not just specifically gossip) - non essential conversation - ‘shooting the breeze’ if you like. For example, talking about hobbies, interests, enjoying conversation simply for the sake of it. It seems as if this is vanity.
 
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cynic:
Those parts of scripture do however refer to idle words (not just specifically gossip) - non essential conversation - ‘shooting the breeze’ if you like. For example, talking about hobbies, interests, enjoying conversation simply for the sake of it. It seems as if this is vanity.
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Then it is a good thing we have the Catholic Church and the catechism to keep us from misunderstanding scripture in this way.

Where in the catachesm does it say humor is a sin?
 
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cynic:
Those parts of scripture do however refer to idle words (not just specifically gossip) - non essential conversation - ‘shooting the breeze’ if you like. For example, talking about hobbies, interests, enjoying conversation simply for the sake of it. It seems as if this is vanity.
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Can you show why the scripture is referring to more then just gossip? I am uncertain how you are gathering that hobbies, interest and enjoying conversation is wrong.
 
Here are some verse on laughter and cheerfulness.

MAKe a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Psalms 100:1

Luke, chapter 6. Verse 21 says, “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh”.

Pslam 126:2
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”

Proverbs 15:13-15

13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

14 The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. 15 All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

Proverbs 17:22

A cheerful or merry heart is good medicine
 
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