Why is God always depicted as utterly humorless?

[Kirix]

Hi, to start off I am a new user and am a theology student in school.

The thread title is actually one of my biggest complaints with western religion. I don't know enough about eastern religion to comment. Maybe Hinduism is different?

God presumably created comedy, but the Bible basically displays none whatsoever. There are a couple of unintentionally funny parts and that's it.

I'm not a Muslim but I appreciate the fact that Muhammad at least seems to be somewhat normal, having owned a cat and had jokes attributed to him whereas Jesus is depicted as a kind of severe God-man.

I consider humor to be an important part of the human experience and the fact that religions practically go out of their way to pretend it doesn't exist confuses me.

Does anyone have any explanation as to why this is?

 

[TravisD]

Welcome Kitrix! I'm fairly new myself.

The Bible is a serious book and very seldom does it bring anyone to laughter. God reveals humor in his creation. How many times has an animal made us laugh? If not because of how some of them look, but some of the things they do. There is no doubt in my mind that God wants us to experience joy and laughter.

The only explanation I can offer is that the Bible is tailored toward the salvation of mankind. Humor is not a requirement for that salvation. We also have to consider the times in which the scriptures were written. A lot of wickedness, violence and bloodshed going on.

I must admit, church can be extremely dry and tiresome because of the lack of humor. There are still quite a few churches that embrace humor. I've watched a lot of telecasts and attended some local churches that kept me laughing throughout the sermons.

One more thing.... The bible may not be a comedy script but a good instruction from the wise Solomon to point out...

Ecclesiastes 8:15
Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.

 

[Edward Palamar]

Psalm 104:26 - translations vary from "the Leviathan you made to frolic" to "that great beast you made to have fun".

So much for always, Kirix.

 

[Ariel]

Hi, to start off I am a new user and am a theology student in school.

The thread title is actually one of my biggest complaints with western religion. I don't know enough about eastern religion to comment. Maybe Hinduism is different?

God presumably created comedy, but the Bible basically displays none whatsoever. There are a couple of unintentionally funny parts and that's it.

I'm not a Muslim but I appreciate the fact that Muhammad at least seems to be somewhat normal, having owned a cat and had jokes attributed to him whereas Jesus is depicted as a kind of severe God-man.

I consider humor to be an important part of the human experience and the fact that religions practically go out of their way to pretend it doesn't exist confuses me.

Does anyone have any explanation as to why this is?

Wow, I don't see God as humorless at all. He is very kind, gracious, warm, loving--and is also very joyful.

Do you know anyone who truly loves the Lord, who is close to Him? Look at their lives--they almost always have a great sense of humor, and live life with the determination to love fully and laugh a lot. Where do they get that kind of joy? From knowing HIM, 2 Cor. 3:17-18. Not only does Jesus Christ give us the peace that passes all understanding, He also gives us joy unspeakable and full of glory

 

[BethelArsonist]

God is not a man, so attributing humanlike qualities to Him is misleading.
Doing so, however, is and always has been the basis for the creation of religion, because it makes God more perceptible to common men. It creates an image of His existence we can better understand and relate to. Jesus even took this one step further, dubbing Him "Father," and - wallah - Christianity was born.

There is, however, one thing I think is pretty funny about God, although it may take somewhat of a twisted sense of humor to appreciate it. I think of it as the greatest joke of all time. It is the cryptic prophecy in scripture that foretells how the end-time children of God are to come forth to their own destiny to come. It will be as the joke played on all the rest of the world when the (spiritual) children of Abraham are called to the supper of the Lamb. Paul makes specific reference to this, probably because He appreciated it too. And it appears in the OT where the promise of Abraham's seed is given him.

When the messenger gave this promise to Abraham, he heard Sara laugh about the prospect of having a child at 90+ years old. Therefore was the child called Isaac, which means 'laughter.' And so it is written "In Isaac shall thy seed be called."

"Laughter" will be the prevalent reaction and state of mind in that day.
This is the day God gets the last laugh.
And I think it's pretty funny too.

 

[Agonaces of Susa]

That's an interesting question because, in my personal conversations with the LORD, He has always demonstrated a wonderful sense of humor.

 

[bricklayer]

The phase, " I heard that one" comes to mind. God has no sequence of ideas, which is the basis of humor. It's all in the timing, they say. God never comes to know something, so you can see how hard it would be to slip in a punch line.

He'll never be suprised or disappointed either.

Another aspect of your question brings up the fact that God is unchanging. He doesn't have changing moods, feelings or emotions. They're all there, but they're always all there, including joy and pleasure.

 

[ChildOfGod97]

Hi, to start off I am a new user and am a theology student in school.

The thread title is actually one of my biggest complaints with western religion. I don't know enough about eastern religion to comment. Maybe Hinduism is different?

God presumably created comedy, but the Bible basically displays none whatsoever. There are a couple of unintentionally funny parts and that's it.

I'm not a Muslim but I appreciate the fact that Muhammad at least seems to be somewhat normal, having owned a cat and had jokes attributed to him whereas Jesus is depicted as a kind of severe God-man.

I consider humor to be an important part of the human experience and the fact that religions practically go out of their way to pretend it doesn't exist confuses me.

Does anyone have any explanation as to why this is?

Muhammad was a man of war who had many wives and fought in over forty wars.

If you listen to people in the Christian world, you will often hear them speak of God and His humor.

God created everything, I find it difficult to assume God does not have a sense of humor.

Jesus' teachings are full of irony and deep truths exposing the absurdities of man, which one finds in good comedians. Speaking of comedy there is Dante's. If you look up Dante's Comedy you will see that the word "comedy" and the concept of it may be more defined then what we generally think of it as.

Not everyone has the same sense of humor. Many jokes are hard to get. And the essence of what makes someone laugh and what is "humor" is a very deep matter.

You can search for the word "laugh" in Scripture through a site like Bible Gateway. There are many places where godly laughter is spoken of.

 

[josephearl]

Jesus is God and He is fully man and fully God. His life was in every way the perfect depiction, although perhaps not the complete depiction, of God the Father. Jesus displayed characteristics of gladness often. He rejoiced in the spirit, made extra wine for a wedding, and filled the disciples with such joy, love and supernatural life in the upper room that others thought they were drunk. He gives us His joy so that we may be strong and is going to present each of us faultless before the presence of His Father with exceeding joy. When He created us he put in us divine attributes, we were created in His image, and among these attributes are laughter, joy, pleasure etc. He gave Abraham a son in his old age naming the baby Isaac which means he laughs! A self portrait in type of God Himself IMHO.

shalom, and love, earl

 

[Hayzel]

Many times it depends on what we define as a sense of humor.

The bible actually tells us not to make crude jokes and jests for what humor is there in sin?

Many other jokes or humors are play on words which are a result of funny coincidences in our language.

I do think God has a sense of humor, very much so. God created us in the likeness of him and if we laugh and because we're happy and joyous or find something humorous, he must as well. The bible is full of funny things in my opinion, although many times we do not go to the Bible to receive humor, but instead we go to receive teachings and such and so we can miss the humor that could be found. Also, there may have been humor that was translated out of the Bible.

The bible more or less is a guide to our life, and is serious. I find humor in some stories in the bible and in God's creation. We just have to be careful that our humor or jokes are not at the expense of someone else, because that may make God sad instead of making him laugh.

 

[bricklayer]

If God has humor, He has it without limit, without change.

He does not change.

 

[Achilles6129]

Posted by Ariel:

Do you know anyone who truly loves the Lord, who is close to Him? Look at their lives--they almost always have a great sense of humor, and live life with the determination to love fully and laugh a lot. Where do they get that kind of joy? From knowing HIM, 2 Cor. 3:17-18. Not only does Jesus Christ give us the peace that passes all understanding, He also gives us joy unspeakable and full of glory

"4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Mt. 5:3

"21Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh." Lu. 6:21

"25Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep." Lu. 6:25

The idea is that the Bible is a negative book. There are many negative sayings inside of the Bible because the human race is viewed as EVIL in the eyes of God (and incredibly evil at that) and not as good at all:

"17And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." Mr. 10:17-18

Because the Bible views the entire human race as atrociously wicked, it does not have a sense of humor when dealing with the human race. Because of this, the REAL follower of the gospel of Jesus Christ will have a negative outlook on life (mourn now versus laugh now, etc.) instead of a positive one, which the world tends to have.

Posted by ChildofGod97:

Jesus' teachings are full of irony and deep truths exposing the absurdities of man, which one finds in good comedians.QUOTE]

Really? I have not found anything resembling comedy inside of the four gospels at all. However, I have found quite a few sayings that are harsh, negative, and difficult to hear. Here are a few examples to illustrate this:

"25And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Lu. 14:25-26

"33So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." Lu. 14:33

There are many more.

The fact of the matter is that the Bible is a negative book. That's all there is to it. It is a negative book because God does not view the human race as being "good" at all, but views them as being incredibly evil, and says so all the time. So, the Bible is probably not the best book to look in for humor.

 

[I-can-see]

The problem is not that God is not humorous...it's that he has heard all the jokes before, we just have to come up with new material lol

Ok, seriously though. Jesus himself said that laughter was good for the soul. Jesus is ALSO the Son of God. So if he values humor, then it is safe to say that the Father does as well. Since the Son does what the Father does.

Oh and check it out, humor is ALL in the bible! You ever heard the story of the man that was hired to curse Israel? Get this...while he was on his way to curse Israel, and make himself some dough, the donkey he rides on begins to act up...and wont walk the way he want it to. So, he beats the donkey. Well, turns out that the donkey wouldn't go the way the man wanted because the Angel was blocking the way, ready to kill him. Now, instead revealing the Angel to the man...God gives the donkey the ability to SPEAK!!! Imagine! A talking donkey!!!Then after some smart remarks from the donkey, the man was SUDDENLY able to see the Angel! Now, if you ask me...that shows a sense of humor! xD

 

[ChildOfGod97]

The problem is not that God is not humorous...it's that he has heard all the jokes before, we just have to come up with new material lol

Ok, seriously though. Jesus himself said that laughter was good for the soul. Jesus is ALSO the Son of God. So if he values humor, then it is safe to say that the Father does as well. Since the Son does what the Father does.

Oh and check it out, humor is ALL in the bible! You ever heard the story of the man that was hired to curse Israel? Get this...while he was on his way to curse Israel, and make himself some dough, the donkey he rides on begins to act up...and wont walk the way he want it to. So, he beats the donkey. Well, turns out that the donkey wouldn't go the way the man wanted because the Angel was blocking the way, ready to kill him. Now, instead revealing the Angel to the man...God gives the donkey the ability to SPEAK!!! Imagine! A talking donkey!!!Then after some smart remarks from the donkey, the man was SUDDENLY able to see the Angel! Now, if you ask me...that shows a sense of humor! xD

Totally agree. Jesus did not literally state that, but the Spirit of Jesus did state that through Solomon in Proverbs:

PROVERBS 17:22

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.


eg, 'laughter is good for the soul'.

Nice paper on laughter:

Google Answers: BIBLE VERSUS FOR HUMOR OR LAUGHING


Humor often has to do with acute, truthful observations.

And it makes fun of hypocrisy.


I laugh with my kids. I know the punchline. It is funny. They laugh with me.


And poster: that is a funny nick, btw.


There is plenty to be sad and mourning about, and we have plenty of
difficulties to surmount.


To say God has no sense of humor, I think defies the evidence of that in
creation.

There are plenty of funny animals, for instance, and many doing very funny
things.


Scripture tends to be about the most serious subjects. Laughter does not
cause sinners to turn. It can help keep saints saintly, though. And gladden
a sad heart.

 

[Jeffwhosoever]

MOD HAT ON

THREAD MOVE COMPLETE AND RE-OPENED

MOD HAT OFF

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

cool thread

 

[New_Wineskin]

Hi, to start off I am a new user and am a theology student in school.

The thread title is actually one of my biggest complaints with western religion. I don't know enough about eastern religion to comment. Maybe Hinduism is different?

God presumably created comedy, but the Bible basically displays none whatsoever. There are a couple of unintentionally funny parts and that's it.

I'm not a Muslim but I appreciate the fact that Muhammad at least seems to be somewhat normal, having owned a cat and had jokes attributed to him whereas Jesus is depicted as a kind of severe God-man.

I consider humor to be an important part of the human experience and the fact that religions practically go out of their way to pretend it doesn't exist confuses me.

Does anyone have any explanation as to why this is?

Comedy/humor is in the eyes of the beholder .

 

[catzrfluffy]

Oh I know this, I did something like this for a time, this is simply because when we read the Bible in a certain way or voice in our heads, it comes out that way. For example, one can read whatever Jesus is saying in an extremely judgmental angry voice all the time, and we will most definitely get that wrong impression.

First get to know the One behind what you're reading, then you will read what you're reading in the right way. Simple.

 

[wayseer]

Hi, to start off I am a new user and am a theology student in school.

The thread title is actually one of my biggest complaints with western religion. I don't know enough about eastern religion to comment. Maybe Hinduism is different?

God presumably created comedy, but the Bible basically displays none whatsoever. There are a couple of unintentionally funny parts and that's it.

I'm not a Muslim but I appreciate the fact that Muhammad at least seems to be somewhat normal, having owned a cat and had jokes attributed to him whereas Jesus is depicted as a kind of severe God-man.

I consider humor to be an important part of the human experience and the fact that religions practically go out of their way to pretend it doesn't exist confuses me.

Does anyone have any explanation as to why this is?

Humour is very much a human condition. Essentially it is a method of narrating taken for granted assumptions in a perverse sort of way. The reason we laugh is that we can see the 'truth' of the humour.

God does not need to use humour to get his message across.

Humour is, of course, different to joy which does flows from our experience of freedom.

 

[christianmomof3]

of course God has a sense of humor. He created the platypus.