For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Joshua Omeiza
What does the Bible say about jesting? Pls see Ephesians 5:4 and Proverbs 26:17-19. I pray the Holy Spirit will help us understand the mind God concerning this matter.
Richard Pearson
Proverbs 26:18-19 KJVS
As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, [19] So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?
When we joke, we have no idea what that joke will mean to the person beiing joked with.
Simplicius Pereira
It is an interesting topic to make our comments on jokes and it's effects.
As long as our house is not on fire, we can tell all sorts of benefits of jokes and its importance for a cheerful, healthy living. No doubt, the amusement and laughter created by jokes makes us feel our hardships, worries and burden of life quite lighter. But a sober and compassionate person can bring more cheer to our life and can make a lasting contribution to our life's happiness.
I remember, particularly a pries,t soon after his ordination when he took up the appointment as a procurator and spiritual director to the young seminarians in a minor seminary was much silent and quite in his behavior.
After some years, I found him very jovial and cracking jokes on every sentences he spoke with the seminarians, people and other priests and he did it wherever he went and wherever he was present barring in the prayers services and Mass. I was a seminarian in that congregation and was with him for 6 years in different formation houses. There was laughter of people and it sounded a bit crazy to have it so often. He rose in position in the congregation to higher posts like provincial, continental representative and as a member of superior general council in Rome, a highest position one can think of in his priesthood. He was very social, cheerful, intelligent and hardworking in all his assignments and worthily ascended to positions of higher hierarchy
What I want to make clear that I had two instances where I found his humor completely absent and I wondered was he the same person? The pity was that in both cases he was the victim and I was the one who made those foolish and witty actions with him. Had it been to any other, I am sure he would have burst into laughter and also cracked those incidents as a joke for laughter with others! Once I even went to apologize him and did apologize to him for the mistake I made together with one of my companion but he was damn serious and would not forgive it. It was a foolish act of getting a bit late to attend to a fellow wounded seminarian with the medicines from the chemist shop because of a 15 minutes talk with our fellow classmate girls on the way.
In another incident, after 5 years of my marriage, I was celebrating my son's first birthday with much pomp and pleasure and invited him as the chief guest even in my poverty. He had helped me earlier medically and for a computer when I had appealed for help due to my inability. But that day he wasn't amusing or even talking with others present to the bare minimum! It was a shock for me to watch him so silent in such a jubiliation. Was it anger, discomfort or irritation for being a spend free and pompous for the event? I do not know. But it definitely goes to say, " when your house is on fire, all humor stops and when someone's house is on fire we tend to burst into laughter and make others too feel so"
Joking is not a sin, but if you fail to understand the other person's real ignorance, poverty, sickness, misery, suffering, simplicity, innocence and you derive pleasures out of it and provide it to others too, there is much to say about your cunningness, selfishness and insensitivity. It is better to be mature, sensitive, compassionate, forgiving and loving than just to treat it as an object of pleasure and amusement.
Danny Hickman
The question is asked whether telling jokes is sin, and the first thing that comes to some of our minds are dirty jokes. Or jokes we know to be inappropriate. Why is that?
Of course, dirty jokes are not good; the word 'dirty' should give it away... but all jokes don' have to be dirty. I don't think that was what this question is about. I believe there are those among us who believe that saying things just to make people laugh is sinful. The things that are said aren't factual and true so that makes them untrue, which is the same as lying. I've actually heard that before. Or maybe there's some other lame reason why 'horsing around' is discouraged. Here's my take on it: "Come on man!"
That kind of "Christian-eese" needs a cure. The cure is two words: GET REAL!!
I get so tired of us "Christians" being tagged as ridiculous party poopers. We can find a way to make eating cake and ice cream "a sin."
It goes something like this: 'is kissing a sin?' The answer is, "The Bible doesn't say one way or the other, but some kissing can be sinful."
WE NEED TO STOP DOING THAT!! We need to begin to create a better image for ourselves than the one our benefactors created. We are not that disconnected from reality! I think some of us pretend to be of that ridiculous mindset only when we congregate.
That attitude reminds me of the mob mentality of well, A MOB. The leaders usually have a personal self-serving agenda, and the hangers-on are just going along for the ride. It ought not be!