Laughing Baby Photo by Kyle Flood. Laughing Buddha Photo by Jason Gulledge.
Humor is essential to spirituality. Nothing else in the human experience can disarm the defensive, ease the worries of the stressed, or heal us as holistically as humor. Yet, in Western culture, laughter is considered offensive to religion - a mockery of its solemn nature. How did we come to believe that God is a humorless jerk? I personally think that this reflects on humans more that it reflects on God.
Because religions of our culture are overly concerned with death and judgment, we have a tendency to take religion too seriously. Religion is nothing more than the collected wisdom of how life is best lived. Spirituality is nothing less than sincere appreciation of life. Living life with humor is wise, and laughter for the joy that life provides is genuine gratitude. Inviting humor and laughter into your religious life is not weakness of faith, but rather a testament to its strength.
The inability to laugh at yourself betray a tragic flaw that alienates you from others. By taking yourself too seriously, you may lose touch with the virtue of humility and become motivated to act solely in the interest of saving face. The hubris that results tempts you to make more mistakes in judgment for which you might answer with further arrogance, leading you deeper into your own self-righteous foolishness. This is one of the problems faced by religion today in our culture - the unwillingness to laugh at their own mistakes has caused religious institutions to become increasingly defensive. New religious movements should take notice; even non-theists would do well not to take themselves too seriously.
How does someone incorporate humor into worship? Despite all the virtues of good humor that I can think of, I have difficulty imagining a worship service based on humor. There are obvious ways in which humor might be destructive in a religious setting, but few ways in with it is commonly used to enhance a worship service. Sarcasm, which originates form a Greek work meaning “to rend flesh” is a fine example of humor that would be better left outside the church walls. I struggle to think of a single type of humor to serve as an example opposite of sarcasm. Yet I cannot believe that the same God that endowed us with a sense of humor intended that we forgo its use.
This is why I ask you, my readership, to help me bring together a list of ways which to incorporate tasteful humor into spiritual practice and religious services. If you have an idea, please share it in the comments of this article. No idea is too small or too ridiculous. When enough material has been generated, I will edit your comments into a list of techniques for individual practice and for communal worship. As always, proper credit will be given to each person who contributes, and contributors with blogs can expect a link within the article.
I look forward to hearing your ideas.
Namaste.
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January 16th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I found your blog because I have a Google Alert set for “spirituality, laughter.” The two topics go hand in hand and are important to me (all of us, really). You should watch the episode of Iconoclasts with Deepak Chopra and Mike Myers discussing this important intersection (it’s on YouTube).
-In a worship setting, why not try “contagious laughing?” Just start laughing and encourage others to do the same. Even if it feels forced at first, something magical always happens and people really start laughing, seeing the potential hilarity that does exist in every moment. There’s an entire yoga practice around laughter with a lot of info online, too.
Looking forward to seeing your list when you’re done.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
A sense of humor in a worship service can really make all the difference, especially when dealing with a heavy topic. I think that humor comes naturally in a sermon when worship leaders are emotionally present, spontaneous, and able to take healthy risks in the pulpit. I don’t think there’s a formula for it, because different preachers will have different kinds of humor, coming out their own personality and their sense of what is appropriate to worship.
One thing a worship leader can do to be intentional about humor is to include a cartoon or humorous illustration that is related to the sermon topic in the order of service. This is not an every Sunday thing, but maybe something to try once or twice as relevant.
January 16th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Hello Seth! I’m glad you found my blog!
I’ve checked out your blog and see that you’re an Associate Pastor for the Shiloh Baptist Church in Harlem, New York. From what little I’ve read, I understand that this church has quite a bit of history behind it… I’d love to hear more about it from you some day.
I’ll definitely look up Chopra & Myers on YouTube when I get a moment. Contagious laughing is an excellent suggestion… I can see in my minds eye a minister coming up in front of a congregation and just start laughing & encouraging others to join in. Good way to start a service.
Thank you for your comment & Namaste.
January 16th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Hello Shelby,
I agree that over-using humorous illustrations, or over-using any technique for that matter, can be a detriment. And I can also understand that humor is better when it’s spontaneous. However, it’s the under-use of humor that I’m most concerned about… Humor is an integral part of who we are as human beings and what it means to be alive. Yet, the first thing I think of when I hear the words “pastor” “minister” or “priest” isn’t laughter - it’s somberness. When I think of Eastern religious leaders, a good sense of humor seems to be a more prominent trait. Why is that and why can’t we have it? I think it’s because we are too hesitant to use humor to convey our message.
Thank you for your suggestion & Namaste.
January 21st, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Hi John: I also found your blog because I have my Google news alert looking for “work,” “faith” and “humor.” I think humor is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. It is what allows us to extract ourselves from the sometimes oppressive demands of this earthly life, and be able to find the grace God intends for us. I have enjoyed exploring this topic on my blog, as well as in writings for “The High Calling.”
Thanks for contributing to the dialogue! Blessings, Tom
January 23rd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Hello Tom! Welcome…
Thank you for dropping by. Gee, I should write about humor and religion more often - I guess everyone is looking to have a chuckle with God. I’ll certainly check out your posts on the subject on your blog.
Namaste.
August 19th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Totally agree. Humor in religion isn’t a sin. If God created everything, He must have created humor, too. And He wouldn’t be able to do that without a sense of humor Himself.