Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.
~Humor and reverence are mutually exclusive.
~Humor cultivates a worldview which values comedy over truth.
~Sin and wickedness are not laughing matters.
~How can you laugh when the world is so ugly?
~Laughter is essentially disrespectful. Someone must be the target of the humor.
~No one likes to be laughed at.
~Parents often have to tell kids, “That’s not funny,” precisely because comedy can be so painful.
~Show me in the Bible where God or even Jesus laughs and it’s a good thing.
~Laughter is often very offensive.
~Comedy is often criticism masquerading as friendliness.
Post-show thoughts: It is not God, but the Devil who most desperately wants to keep us from laughing. That's because pride is his primary sin and the one which he most wants us to constantly suffer. It's pride that keeps us from wanting to be laughed at, and it is also pride which causes most of the worst abuses of laughter and joking because we use these techniques as forms of harm rather than as ways of communicating love. Laughter is a powerful technology for enhancing teaching, but also for enhancing sin. It is a lot like turning black and white into color television. This makes good TV look much better, but it also makes awful TV look much better. Laughter is also a great source of power when we use it to show that things which otherwise would get us down don't actually have that power over us. That, again, is why Satan hates it.
Bible references: Gen 17:17, Gen 18:12-15, Gen 21:6-7, 2 Kings 19:21, 2 Chron 30:9-11, Job 5:17-22, Job 8:20-21, Job 12:4, Job 29:24, Job 41:29, Psalm 2:4, Psalm 22:7, Psalm 37:13, Psalm 52:6, Psalm 59:8, Psalm 80:6, Psalm 126:1-6, Prov 1:26, Prov 14:13, Prov 17:22, Prov 29:9, Eccl 2:2, Eccl 3:4, Eccl 7:3-6, Eccl 10:19, Ezek 23:32, Matt 9:24, Mark 5:40, Luke 6:21-25, Luke 8:53, Acts 2:46-47, James 4:9
Links:
Laughter Is Good for Your Heart at UMD Medical
Therapeutic Benefits of Laughter
Laughter Is Good Medicine by Mike Adams
Even Fake Laughter Is Good Medicine by Washington Post
Some Churches Celebrate Laughter Sunday
Laughter as a Spiritual Activity (Sermon) by Ann C. Fox
The Praise of Laughter (Sermon) by Glenn Pease
Did Jesus Laugh? by Louie Crew
Laughing in Church (Sermon) by Mel Williams
Huge Index of Sermons on Laughter at MuseumOfHumor.com
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