Humour and Faith - what's humour place in the church

[noel00]

I was watching online the last session of the LDS conference, where an apostle was talking about how his wife had pointed out that he needed to look at people when he is talking to them. I think it was Bonhoeffer who said we really need to listen to our brother.(Life Together) It made me laugh because I experience the same thing, where my wife might point out some bad habit I have. Coming from her I know she has my best interests at heart. There is an interesting paper on Karl Barth and Humour http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publications/webforum/022011/DeCou%20Too%20Dogmatic%20for%20Words%20Final.pdf. He talks about how Ferguson, late night comedian states that we should never make jokes of other people' failures. We make fun of Britney Spears, who is also a mother of two and a child herself. The shows make fun of the spectacle Charlie Sheen makes of himself on Youtube. The man has problems. Anyway read the paper, it makes interesting reading.It's important to have the ablity to laugh at oneself.

Just in case that url does not work try http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publications/webforum/archive.shtml

[Nathair/|\]

I recall one conference where President Hinckley actually challenged one of the Twelve to a duel. It was a beautiful thing.

[The Nehor]

I recall one conference where President Hinckley actually challenged one of the Twelve to a duel. It was a beautiful thing.

It was a member of the Seventy.

He was a little annoyed that the Seventy gave a talk about the life and greatness of Hinckley. Hinckley responded that he didn't know he was coming to his own funeral and then proceeded to challenge him to a duel. President Monson offered to serve as his 'second'. Later Hinckley apologized for what seemed harsh. I think the poor Seventy might have been shell-shocked.

[kolipoki09]

You can function in the Church without humor. But to last, you need it. I remember reading part of Hugh Nibley's biography where it said in substance that Nibley went into the Cougareat at BYU to get some lunch. At that point, Nibley asked for a hamburger with "all manner of vegetation on it." I nearly fell off my bed laughing when I came across it.

[mfbukowski]

I was watching online the last session of the LDS conference, where an apostle was talking about how his wife had pointed out that he needed to look at people when he is talking to them. I think it was Bonhoeffer who said we really need to listen to our brother.(Life Together) It made me laugh because I experience the same thing, where my wife might point out some bad habit I have. Coming from her I know she has my best interests at heart. There is an interesting paper on Karl Barth and Humour http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publications/webforum/022011/DeCou%20Too%20Dogmatic%20for%20Words%20Final.pdf. He talks about how Ferguson, late night comedian states that we should never make jokes of other people' failures. We make fun of Britney Spears, who is also a mother of two and a child herself. The shows make fun of the spectacle Charlie Sheen makes of himself on Youtube. The man has problems. Anyway read the paper, it makes interesting reading.It's important to have the ablity to laugh at oneself.

Just in case that url does not work try http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publications/webforum/archive.shtml

Interesting paper!

I will readily admit to not being as familiar with Barth as I would like, but I am curious about this statement:

Barth sought to counterbalance the humanism of the 19th Century, when men were overconfident

in their own ability to run the world, by a return to the Bible in which God talks to men. Through what some call retaliatory wit,

[BCSpace]

what's humour place in the church

Not high enough in a place of honor. I can't be reached very well spiritually with somberness.