Jokes about Jesus - right or wrong?

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Monica4316

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Hi, I have a question for everyone…

how do you feel when other Christians make jokes about Our Lord, not with any intention to disrespect Him, but just for fun? I’m talking about the ones that are cartoons, drawings, etc…

I dont know why but for some reason that really bothers me. Am I wrong? 🤷 am I being too serious? or is this a real issue despite people’s good intentions? (so I’m NOT saying these Christians are sinning)

what do you think?

there are some jokes I dont mind at all, and those are ones made to illustrate a point… for example: the one about Jesus saying to anyone without sin to “cast the first stone”, and His Mother comes up with a tiny pebble… 😛 I think that one is cute… and not offensive… (funnily enough, the Protestants have their own version: basicjokes.com/djoke.php?id=668)

but there are other ones that I find hurtful and offensive and weird and I dont like them at all. But many other Christians don’t seem to mind.

?
 
Maybe I should explain further…

the reason this bothers me is because there are already SO many horrible blasphemous jokes about Our Lord from the non believers. And other terrible things people say… like this: i38.photobucket.com/albums/e115/TrueFreq13/ZombieJesus.jpg which really breaks my heart 😦 😦

so I think Christians shouldn’t add to this and should only speak of Jesus with utmost respect… not in a flippant way

one example is some cartoons that people make… or things like: mazedlx.net/wp-content/uploads/cool%20jesus.png I never liked this one cause it’s taking the Sacred Heart image and turning it into something it’s not. But I see some Christians using this image. Am I too sensitive??
 
Hey Monica, that photo link you provided just shows how stupid and ignorant the writer was/is. That obvious stupidity made me laugh in fact. What should we do about things like this? Burn and kill as do the radical Moslems? Maybe they will do it for us, as they do recognise Jesus as a prophet. But would we want that? I think not, because then we would be descending to the same depths of wrong as the perpetrators of the blasphemy.
Didn’t Jesus say Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Maybe we just ridicule them and /or write to where we see the blashemy published. Do that enough and maybe its publication would stop.
 
Monica, I share your concern. I absolutely hate to hear someone make fun of christianity or worse still joke about our Lord Himself. We cant argue with such people as that will only make matters worse. I think the least we can do is not contribute to it my laughing along or cracking one of our own.

Odopa
 
When Pope John Paul II was still a bishop, in then still communist Poland, he was out skiing (which he loved to do) and was stopped by one of the ever present border guards, who demanded his identification papers. The guard asked in dismay “Do you realize whose papers you have stolen? These are the bishop’s papers!” The then bishop explained that he WAS the bishop, not a thief. The guard was incredulous-“Don’t you think it is wrong for the bishop to be out skiing?” “No” said the future Pope, “Only if the bishop were skiing badly”.

Like skiing for the bishop, jokes about Jesus are good if they are good, bad if they are bad.

By the way, the story about the Pope is true.
 
Like skiing for the bishop, jokes about Jesus are good if they are good, bad if they are bad.
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That then becomes subjective, what measurement are you going to apply? what is a good joke and what is a bad joke? my sense of humour may not be as accomodating as yours.
I think we should steer clear off joking about our LORD.

Peace and Love
Odopa
 
I feel often uncomfortable about jokes about our Lord too. I also sometimes wonder whether I’m being too serious or not. Sometimes I’m sure I am right on and when in doubt, when I’m the one who made the joke, I confess. I know this message doesn’t help in the least. I’m just in the same position, that’s all. I don’t know exactly what the right balance is.

The thing is, what Jesus did on Earth is so incredible, so mindboggling, I have trouble with myself or others making light of it (though I sometimes have). Yet at the same time, a certain amount of healthy humor is surely okay, I think. So I don’t know. I guess it’s worthwhile to take care. Sometimes humor is obviously okay and sometimes obviously unacceptable, and there’s a lot in between. When dealing with the in-between stuff, I err on the side of caution.
 
Jokes about Our Lord oftentimes make me a little uncomfortable. I mean, I don’t think He minds a little bit of humor, but it’s very difficult to make a joke about Him (even a respectful one) and not be at least a little flippant. After all, He is God.
 
Silyosha said:
Jokes about Our Lord oftentimes make me a little uncomfortable. I mean, I don’t think He minds a little bit of humor, but it’s very difficult to make a joke about Him (even a respectful one) and not be at least a little flippant. After all, He is God.
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Yes, exactly.
 
Lief_Erikson said:
I guess it’s worthwhile to take care. Sometimes humor is obviously okay and sometimes obviously unacceptable, and there’s a lot in between. When dealing with the in-between stuff, I err on the side of caution.
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That right!
 
I think it is possible to construct a joke that is not a sin then it is okay. That would be the criteria.
 
I think that Catholics are too slow in NOT defending their Faith - be it in joke or otherwise - as opposed to others. I will say that there is one humerous anecdote I once read in Readers’ Digest - YEARS ago - which was warmhearted versus insulting - but didn’t really make fun of God. But I think we Catholics should become MUCH MORE MILITANT in defense of our Faith, our God who is our Creator - and our Savior. Their jokes will pass away but His Words will NOT pass away. Funny, that line just came to me. Stand tall - in defense of your Faith and just ask people to respect your Faith as you would theirs.
 
Monica4316 said:
Maybe I should explain further…

the reason this bothers me is because there are already SO many horrible blasphemous jokes about Our Lord from the non believers. And other terrible things people say… like this: i38.photobucket.com/albums/e115/TrueFreq13/ZombieJesus.jpg which really breaks my heart 😦 😦

so I think Christians shouldn’t add to this and should only speak of Jesus with utmost respect… not in a flippant way

one example is some cartoons that people make… or things like: mazedlx.net/wp-content/uploads/cool%20jesus.png I never liked this one cause it’s taking the Sacred Heart image and turning it into something it’s not. But I see some Christians using this image. Am I too sensitive??
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Well, IMO-

I’m 28, have always hung out with a ‘rowdy’ crowd, I have a cynical sense of humor, I cuss- points made because I’m not your typical conservative ‘Dudley Do-Right’, and IMO I think mockery of Jesus is always FILTH. Always have. Even before I converted and I coulda added a whole new array of adjectives to my opening line! LOL…The furthest I’d ever go in a joke about Jesus or God would be telling one of my girlfriends "Girl you need to return those ‘Jesus’ sandals!!’’ And thats a joke at HER for wearing some sparta kinda shoes…((WHY were those in style?!?)) Idk, it just doesnt FEEL right, like walking across your own grave- and it opens up the door for the nastier laughs…you heard about all that ‘Curb your Enthusiasm’ nonsense right?? If you accept it at any level, then when it gets to that, its like- whats the big deal? :rolleyes: I guess I’m just old school in the sense that its ok to have a laugh at your own expense, or, with friends amongst friends joke at eachothers expense, but you cant talk smack about someone who isnt there to defend themselves… I just imagine them being faced with Christ in the after life and Him saying, ‘So you got something to say to my face?’ lol…
 
I also often feel uncomfortable about joking about our Lord. I mean, I wouldn’t want to disrespect my Lord and my God in any way, shape, or form! I want to worship my God because He is worthy of worship and I simply don’t think he’d approve of most jokes about him. Even the one in the OP I find to be offensive because the Father would have agreed with what Jesus, His Son, was doing. After all, Jesus did what He saw His Father do.

(John 5:19 RSV) Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise.

(John 5:19 NAB-A) Jesus answered and said to them, Amen, amen, I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his father doing; for what he does, his son will do also.

(John 5:19 DRB) Then Jesus answered and said to them: Amen, amen, I say unto you, the Son cannot do any thing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doth, these the Son also doth in like manner.

(John 5:19 NJB) To this Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, by himself the Son can do nothing; he can do only what he sees the Father doing: and whatever the Father does the Son does too.

So as you can see, the Father would not have threw a stone at the woman caught in adultery because Jesus did not do it. Or should I say, Jesus did not throw a stone at the woman caught in adultery because His Father would not have done it?

But anyway, I do tend to take things about my Lord very seriously. Sometimes I may take them too seriously. But I’d rather err on the side of caution when it comes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and the most holy Father and God, the Holy Spirit. May they be praised forever! :bowdown:
 
Lief_Erikson said:
I don’t know exactly what the right balance is.
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I think the right balance is to enjoy life, trust in God’s love in mercy, trust that Jesus knows the existential ills we all go through in relating to God, and laugh based on your conscience but never forget who’s who and what’s what. It’s not any joke that defines my worship, but my worship will define my jokes.
 
Epistemes said:
I think the right balance is to enjoy life, trust in God’s love in mercy, trust that Jesus knows the existential ills we all go through in relating to God, and laugh based on your conscience but never forget who’s who and what’s what. It’s not any joke that defines my worship, but my worship will define my jokes.
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Yes, everything we do or say should be in harmony with our consciences and respectful toward God. 👍

That’s the ideal! And I need to keep trying to live it!

I definitely agree that we should keep trusting Jesus at all times. Thanks for the recommendations :).
 
This topic has reminded me of something I read in Nicolae Steinhard’s “Journal of Happiness”.

In an entry, he describes listening the rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar” and his reaction to it. Basically, his position is that each person praises the Lord in his/her own way and according to his/her abilities; in a rough translation, it goes something like this:

“The jester, in front of the Virgin Mother and the Holy Child, does what he can, what he knows, he praises by means of performing jokes ant tricks. Hidden behind a curtain, the rigid clergyman watches the circus show with disdain; but the Infant laughs and claps his hands, while His Holy Mother wipes, with her own veil, the sweat of the pious effort off the jester’s brow”.
 
I find myself on the fence post here, and I don’t like to behave moderately when it comes to our Lord.

That said, I do find myself laughing at jokes that involve the nature of Christ, back when he traveled with his disciples. For example, I’ve always wanted to call Catholic Answers Live to ask, “We have a verse, the shortest, that indicates that Jesus cried. Is there any Scripture to support how perfect our Lord’s own sense of humor must have been?”

Mother Angelica makes for a great example of how she finds humor in Scripture itself. In one of her live episodes she talked about Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well while the disciples went off to get some food (John 4:1-32). Drawing on her own Italian heritage and love of food, Mother Angelica compares the disciples rather clueless understanding of what their rabbi was speaking of with the woman, and how the disciples could basically think only about eating (“Here, rabbi, we brought you some food,” Mother quips). It was very humorous to put the Scripture in that context for it is a proper one: Christ answers them with yet another allusion to what He will be to them soon: spiritual food and drink.

Mother Angelica also spoke about the near-stoning of a woman, one of the Pharisee’s many tests of Jesus (John 8:2-11). Mother imagined what Christ was writing in the dirt–probably the names of the Pharisees and others who thought themselves above reproach–and what those men must’ve been thinking, nervously, watching Jesus write calmly but purposefully. (The joke about the Blessed Virgin behind him now with a little pebble makes me chuckle now as I write).

I guess the point I’d offer is that, as long as the joke relates to the authentic nature of Scripture, it is not only humorous but helpful. The joke about Mary and the pebble isn’t funny unless you know that she was born without original sin, which reinforces our knowledge of her. Same is true for the disciples and our Lord. I can imagine the many nights that the thirteen of them sat under the stars by a campfire. One of the disciples tells a joke–and our Lord laughs. What a beautiful time it must’ve been to hear someone give the Lord joy.
 
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