Religion and humour

iBrian

iBrian

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When is humour relating to religion plain funny, vs plain blasphemous?

Obivously, it's going to be an individual call to some degree - but I'm curious as to whether there are obvious boundaries?

For example, there's the great historical uproar over Monty Python's "Life of Brian", which IMO is one of the most hilarious comedies ever made...

Then there are blunt instruments such as "Father Ted", a somewhat brilliant series that dealt with an extremely caricatured Catholic Church (I'd love to get feedback on that from Catholics - is it so far into the ridiculous that it's not seen as offensive?).

Since 9/11, there's also been some targeting of figures such as Osama Bin Laden, the Taleban, and of course, Saddam Hussein. While not directly commenting on Islam, it seems hard not to see this as an issue that Muslims won't be acute to.

Anyway...humour and religion...
 
totally subjective....

to those who stand on weak ground or take everything personally, darn is a curse word, as is gee whiz.

to others who aren't religious, nothing is not fair game.

You should have seen the anti semetic skit perpetrated on me as MC of an event while in an orthodox retreat center....it contained antisemetic epithats, cursing, racists slurs and staged violence...however the Rabbi was aware of what was going to happen and some of the staff were involved, however I and the majority of the crowd were caught completely unaware...

In the middle of it, before we knew it was humor...it was blasphemy and then when the cat was out of the bag as it were...it changed completely.

The next night of revelry started with me saying that after last nights episode, I'll expect everything to be a skit so someone else will have to call 911 if someone is slain....

It humor or blasphemy will always depend not on the person telling, but the persons listening....
 
one person could do humor & it would be funny. if someone else did the same exact thing it may not be funny, which does not make sense but it is true.
cartoons & entertainers doing characters VS. making a deliberate & direct mockery of someones beliefs is two different things to me. entertainers tend to get away with it because it is expected.

sarcasm all the time gets old.

i always liked the church lady & "is it satan?".
there is an old comedy called the flying nun, that i used to watch.
the farting preacher & there are several others.
 
Blasphemy is in the mind of the listener, I think. To some folks, mentioning the word "God" is blasphemous. To others, anything goes. To yet others, a joke told by one of their group is fine, while an 'outsider' telling the same joke would be abhorrent.
 
Hi--Peace:)

I am constantly amazed at the frenzy sparked by certain new T.V. programs, etc. There is one in particular right now--"The Book of Daniel"--a program whose adversaries have started a vigorous "just-say-no" type email campaign. (Of course this only serves to guarantee that I will check it out:)).
I did so, and I was so incensed that I (yawn) fell asleep:D .

What? God doesn't have a sense of humor? Of course, "He" does. I have secretly wondered from time to time if there weren't a few good jokes left out of the canon? ;)

Okay--I am being silly. But when the subject of humor and religion comes up, I always think of the Scripture passage where Jesus was asked about whether taxes should be paid to Caesar. I always picture him with a great big twinkle in His eye when he asks them to show him whose picture is on the coin. I know there is Scripture that states "Jesus wept." Sometimes I wish there was one that said, "Jesus laughed", because I just know He did.

If we can't laugh at ourselves, then we only wind up crying. I do not like mean-spirited humor toward any religion, but I suppose "mean-spirited" is a call left up to the listener (like Bruce pointed out.) But I think religious humor is some of the funniest around.

InPeace,
InLove
 
Quahom1, have you and your folks ever watched anything from the TV comedy series "Father Ted"?
 
do you know how to make God laugh?



...................................


Make plans!



rofl! :D
 
LOL, 9Harmony---so true!

(Or I could simply remind him of one of his most humorous accomplishments, and show him my sweet dog!:D)

InPeace,
InLove
 
9Harmony said:
I agree! plus it's educational as well. ;)
Click to expand...

Whew! Glad I'm not the only deviant around here. :)

I never actually go out of my way to watch it, and I'm cringing most of the time when it is on...but you just can't deny that it is funny.
cheers,
lunamoth
 
<<(Or I could simply remind him of one of his most humorous accomplishments, and show him my sweet dog!:D)>>

you have one of those too? lol!
 
lunamoth said:
Whew! Glad I'm not the only deviant around here. :)

I never actually go out of my way to watch it, and I'm cringing most of the time when it is on...but you just can't deny that it is funny.
cheers,
lunamoth
Click to expand...

:D nope! you're not the only one.

and i'm exactly the same, i only watch it if i can't find anything else, but it never fails to make me laugh.
 
Which, if any, of these jokes is "offensive"?


...And Eve said unto Adam, Does this fig leaf make me look fat? And Adam was struck dumb, and became as one accurst.



...They brought unto Jesus a woman, taken in adultery, and said, By the Law this woman must be stoned, what sayst thou? And Jesus said, Let the one among you without sin cast the first stone. Out of the crowd came a great rock, and smote the woman's head. And Jesus said, Sometimes, Mom, you really tick me off.



God has been feeling frazzled lately, and called in the archangel Gabriel. "Gabe", He said, "I need a vacation. Got any ideas?"
"Well, Lord, there is a really exciting supernova in the Andromeda Galaxy."
"No, no, I want to get AWAY from it all!"
"There's always the Black Hole of Cygnus X. There's nothing in there."
"No, no, I don't mean nothingness, I want something soothing."
"The Rings of Saturn are always lovely this time of eon."
"Oh, booooring! If I've seen them once, I've seen them a billion times. I want to do something relaxing, like go fishing maybe."
"There's lots of water on Planet Earth."
"Oh heavens no, I can't go THERE!"
"Why not, Lord?"
"I went there, a couple thousand years ago, had an affair with a nice Jewish girl, and would you believe? THEY'RE STILL GOSSIPING ABOUT IT!"
 
Thanks Bob,

On a level of truth;

The first, is some what sad and demeaning.

The second somewhat cruel.

But how I enjoyed the third.
 
LOST CHAPTERS OF THE TORAH:

Of any of the cereal grains thou mayest eat, of the wheat, whether puffed or shredded or even frosted with sugar, or of the corn that is flaked, or of multicolored circles of unknown provenance, but not in the living room. Neither mayest thou eat sandwiches in the living room, nor cookies, nor anything that thou puttest into thy mouth, not milk nor any kind of juice, nay, not even in sippy cups. Even the black strip which divides the carpet from the linoleum is the beginning of the living room, and no portion of thy food nor drink shall pass over it, lest thou know wrath. For I have brought thee into this world, and I can take thee out. But if thou art sick, and home from school, and lie upon the sofa, and thy mother bringeth thee ginger ale and soda crackers, then thou mayest eat in the living room.
 
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