Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!seismo!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: burt@sequent.uucp (Burton Keeble) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Humor in the Bible (was Re: Hell) Message-ID: Date: 4 Jun 91 02:52:29 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Sequent Computer Systems, Inc Lines: 65 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu I'm 150 articles behind, so my appologies if this seems like a dead thread when it arrives.......... In article dhosek@euler.claremont.edu (Don Hosek) writes: >In article , trondst@mack.uit.no (Trond S. Trondsen) writes: >> As most of us know, the Bible is an incredible book indeed. It even has >> the potential of changing the life of the person willing to humble his/her >> intellect and take God at his Word. This book, I think, must contain (and >> has certainly inspired) all genres of literature. Poetry, tragedies, >> drama, crime,.... you name it. But there is not very much humor >> to be found. > I agree with >> except for his final sentence..... >> Does God have a sense of humor? Or is 'humor' just a result of >> our fallen nature? Or..? > Humor is one of God's greatest gifts to mankind. It allows us to persevere in the face of adversity and to better appreciate "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune", even when it happens to someone else. It is only when we find mirth in cruelity that we pervert humor. >Personally I think God has a sense of humor and see evidence of >it in every day life. > >In the Bible, the passage that always makes me smile (actually, I >have to admit I almost burst out laughing when it was read is in >John's resurrection story where Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. >Perhaps its just a side-affect of the NAB translation: > Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you > looking for?" She thought it was the gardener [and here I have > to restrain myself] ... (John 20,15) > >The bit in Genesis where Joseph is pulling the elaborate >practical joke on his brothers is another that I'm fond of >(actually most of the parts of the Pentateuch which are >traditionally ascribed to "J", tend to have a humorous touch to >them). > >I sure hope god doesn't mind my enjoying the Bible in this way. > Perhaps humor is God's way of getting our attention 8-). I find Adam and Eve's trying to hide from God a bit humorous. Esther 6: 6-10 (RSV) is a scream. In her book "The Book You Always Meant To Read", Margaret Harmon Bro mentions the ribald humor of David's men when recalling the time that David cut the hem from Saul's Robe. BTW, weren't these hands by Jonggu Moon terrific? (