Religion and Humour
Posted on: December 21, 2010 - 11:41pm
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Religion and Humour
I was born into an Irish Canadian Anglican family in Kingston Ontario Canada. For the most part religion was rote. You went to church on Sunday and never spoke about it otherwise. Looking back on it now it seems it had more to do with culture than faith. Simply repeating the customs of parents and grandparents.
My atheism seemed to arrive quite suddenly. It was during my thirteenth year which would be during my church lessons leading up to confirmation ( confirmation in the Anglican church is quite similar to the Catholic rituals minus the Latin ). I remember joking around with the other candidates and saying, from the first pew in St Mary Magdelen's church, "Jesus fucking Christ" for whatever juvenile teenage reason. There was a complete silence and forlorn look directed at me from all sides. There seemed to be an expected flash of lightning as I was carried directly to hell, do not pass go and see ya later. Of course nothing happened. In my best Penn Jilette revelation I thought "this is complete and utter bullshit". Years of education and and general rational observastions have "confirmed" my viewpoint ( it's interesting although, because I was confirmed at thirteen I am still considered an Anglican. How do I go about undoing this misdeed? ). I have come to the conclusion that life is what it is,a wee bit of a fluke from our point of view but a bit more probable than we might think considering the vastness of the universe. A bit of a life story I guess but as I think back one question still persists. There are no jokes in the Bible, no laughs in the Koran, no silly asides in the Torah. Even the Dalai Lama who, seems to laugh without any literal provocation, has no scriptures that would induce mirth. Where in the Bible does Judas say incredulously "you want me to do what". Allah says " That one ain't my kid". And Buddah's thinking "fuck man that shit is movin' upstream". Well, why not? I want religious people to answer this question. Don't get me wrong, the Anglican ministers I helped seemed to be just as funny as the next guy. I really thought the they were going to cancel that Sunday's service because these two were laughing uncontrollably. Apparently when the newby altarboy rings the bell watching him slap the ceiling and floor of the rectory is some sort of initiation for thier amusement. That is my experience, I wonder, do the Imams "mistakenly" put on the Benny Hill theme song instead of morning prayers? Do the Raeliens play Daft Punk in thier ceremonies?(gotta say that's a great match). I have never met a religion with a sense of humour. Oh, I have seen members of that religion that are. The Jews are a great example. The Irish Catholics are funny as anybody. Somebody else will have to name me a Muslim equivalent. But these are products of culture. They riff about thier own situations and tribulations. What's humourous is thier situation not thier doctrines. Religion, of any sort, is bereft of that most human of qualities, humour. Conner M. Steacy (Connerman)
Understanding that there is no purpose in the Universe frees us all to find one.
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You're right. As ridiculous as the religions are, they have no humour of their own.
With one exception. My information is that the fun is not uncommon on the Unitarian Universalist gatherings. Unitarians even have their own jokes.
"Ah, I remember now, floods, earthquakes, epidemies, original sin... Forgive me, if you can..."
- Unitarian Universalist idea of the Judgement day
Why Unitarian Universalits always sing so miserably?
Because they read each song two verses ahead to check if they agree with the text.
Beings who deserve worship don't demand it. Beings who demand worship don't deserve it.
When you read the bible and all it's fantastic claims it's funny how those things never happen in modern times. We don't see bushes or snakes talk, unless it is in a cartoon or some sort of movie magic.
"Miracle" is now used to describe what really is a feeling of being "scared shit less" , or the feeling of excitement a seemingly unexpected outcome. It is merely the gap word people stick in when they "defy the odds'.
You could get struck by lighting even though the odds are low. But if you did, it wouldn't be because of a god, but because of nature.
What wont happen is someone regrowing their head if it got blown off by a shotgun. But people are far too willing to attribute "surviving" a disease to a god, rather than a misdiagnosis or rare circumstances.
There have been many coal mining stories in recent years. They never call the accidents where all die a "miracle", and are at the same time unwilling to blame this same god for allowing the Chilean miners to be trapped and frightened for months.
But in all this, this only speaks to the selective deadbeat this alleged being is and can only be described as a prick.
The best reason to accept or reject any claim on any subject is evidence that is repeatable, testable and falsifiable.
What wont happen if you were struck by lighting, is that you got struck exactly every 5 minutes for a 24 hour period standing in the same spot.
Odds are if one is struck, you will be killed, or severely injured. But again, that would only mean that you got struck by lighting.
Life is not magical and has nothing to do with a fictional god. EVERY human has good and bad happen to them in life to some degree and in the end we all suffer the ultimate bad.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Otherwise people are used to seeing much more impressive demonstrations of technology or film effects. Also, a skeptical movement does its job - if skeptics manage to replicate a miracle (albeit just once, not in temples or churches worldwide as the originals are) then it is considered not miraculous anymore. And if they can't explain or replicate it, well, it is not their job to celebrate the miracle publically.
The trick is to find a good natural lawyer
Beings who deserve worship don't demand it. Beings who demand worship don't deserve it.
There are no such thing as "miracles" there are merely people who conflate odds to magic. You either live or die. You either win or lose or tie a game. You either get the job or dont. You either get charity or you dont. WHAT DOES NOT HAPPEN, is some invisible hand helping you in any of your real actions.
People who use the word "miracle" are placing a gap and employing bad sample rates. If you look at all the similar events all humans partake in, instead of merely seeing what you want to see, lots of other outcomes happen besides the one people call "miracle".
A starving family on the news will say, "its a miracle" the community feed us. What about all the starving children in the world who DIE from hunger?
Conflating the good and bad in life to comic book magical status does nothing to explain shit. Life is a crap shoot and good and bad happen to all of us to different degrees all the time.
One of the most common gap filling I see at work is smoking. A co worker will say, "The customer always comes in when I want to smoke".
NO, they come in because we are open. What these dip shits don't take into account are all the other times they don't get interrupted and all the smokers on the job and how many times over all all of us get interrupted over a long period. What you find is that it is LIKELY because we are open, not because there is any magic to it.
The word "miracle" is nothing more than one saying, "it shouldn't have happened", and conflating it to magic. If it didn't happen, it didn't happen, but if it does, there is no magic to it.
If Anjolina Jolie gave me a blow job, I would be hard pressed not to say "WOW, what was the likelyhood of that happening" . What I would not do is attribute that to UFOS, Jesus or Ora or Ouija boards.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Welcome to the forum.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors, | As I foretold you, were all spirits, and | Are melted into air, into thin air; | And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, | The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, | The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, | And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, | Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff | As dreams are made on, and our little life | Is rounded with a sleep. - Shakespeare
Welcome aboard. I think youk'll enjoy it here. I too, have noticed the lack of humor and the lack of real laughter in ANY of the religions. Religions are all about controlling human thoughts and desires.
Have you ever seen a film, the Name of the Rose ? Based on a novel of the same name by Umberto Eco. At the bottom of this medieval murder mystery, turns out to be something just like your OP.
I know the Christians put forth alot of negative stereotypes about Atheists. But I have noticed that there is a whole lot more laughter and joy in my life when it is not burdened with all sorts of superstitious dread. Kinda makes me wonder who really has the more miserable life ?
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
Thanks,
That's an excellent quote from Abe. It sums up my philosphy quickly and to the point.
Thanks,
I did see The Name of The Rose many years ago. I will have to see it again sometime. I remember liking the film but I don't remember the details or plot points.
Understanding that there is no purpose in the Universe frees us all to find one.
I thought it was a great film (the book is a bit longer and more tedious, though Eco is brilliant). Medieval murder mystery set in a monastery. Without giving away the plot essentials, there is a dialogue between Sean Connery and one of the more stricter monks about laughter and it's benefit to people.A scene where Sean Connery asks why laughter is so hated by the church, to which the monk replies : Because laughter kills fear and without fear there can be no faith because without fear of the Devil there is no more need of God. Can we laugh at God ? The world would elapse into chaos.
This type of thinking demonstrates very aptly to me that the church does not entice people because of love and good works. It entices people out of fear of perpetual punishment. How could one find much humor with such a depressing outlook ?
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno