On Holiness and Humor

J.Carl Laney wrote a short article titled "On Holiness and Humor" for our school newsletter this week. In it he says this:

"Does God have a sense of humor? Does He enjoy a good joke? The answer to that question depends upon what you mean by "a sense of humor." If you are asking whether God likes jokes or should be the object of a joke, I would have to say "no". God is too holy and awesome to be trivialized as a cosmic Joker or the subject for joking. i believe that jokes about God are disrespectful and in poor taste."

If when Prof. Laney is referring to God he is saying God does not like playing jokes on people I would agree with his thesis. I do not think that God plays a joke on people so He can laugh at them. This would not be holy. If he is saying that God cannot or does not find our attempts at humor funny I would have to disagree. It seems that he has assumed that all jokes are intrinsically "unholy" or "disrespectful". Not all humor is sinful, innappropriate or unholy however. Humor is not the enemy of holiness.

Laney goes on to give examples of God surprising his people in humorous ways but in no way
"laughing at" what He has done or finding humor in it. Laney states that the reason a joke is funny is "because of the unexpected ending or surprise twist." This is true, but incomplete. As a former amateur (I stress the word) stand-up comic in New York City I take exception with this. While this is a large basis of contemporary humor, this is not the sole reason a joke is funny. A joke can also be funny based on our relationship with the one receiving the joke and the context in which a statement is made. Some things that I may say as a joke to my wife is funny because she knows me and the same joke would fall flat to someone I have a different relationship with. The relationship between the individuals involved in the joke have substantial basis on it's "funniness"

Along with that, context is everything. It can literally make a joke funny or not funny. I can say a statement in class and no one will laugh, but I can say the same thing on a stage and people will think it is hilarious. Context has everything to do with humor, not just surprise twists or unexpected endings.

A joke can also be funny because it is an observation that people have never thought to put into words. The joke is funny because of its' ordinariness (think Seinfeld) here. There were no real surprises in his stand-up, just simple observation noted on the "nothingness" of life. No surprise twists were necessary.

Laney ends with the statement, "while God seems to have a sense of humor in that He enjoys surprising us with something unanticipated, He Himself cannot be humored. This is because God is never surprised. he knows the end right from the beginning. He knows the "punch line" before the story is even told."

I agree that God might not be humored out of surprise, but again, as you can see above, that is not the only thing that makes something funny. But regardless, I would disagree with this statement for this reason. Saying that knowing the ending or the punchline as God I'm sure in his sovereignty does will not necessarily ruin the joke.There are several jokes that I already know the punchline to by heart that I find myself laughing at everytime I hear them. It is why we listen to comedy cd's over and over again. It is why I saw the same comics over and over again in New York City. I knew the lines, but it was funny everytime. Sure, some of them might get old, but just because you know the punchline does not necessarily mean that it is not funny. To say that God cannot be humored is speculation (just as I speculate that God can be humored) but I think it is also a conclusion based on poor logic.

Laughter is a large makeup of human beings. We were created (Imago Dei) with the ability to laugh and to tell stories. Humor is a basic part of our makeup as humans. I find it hard to believe in light of this that God cannot Himself be humored and in fact I hope and pray that (regardless of Him knowing the punchline) I have made God laugh myself a few times. I would suggest we get our humor directly from God. With that in mind I cannot believe in a stoic God with an eternal straight face.