# Levity in Discussing Religion



## TaylorOtwell (May 9, 2009)

> A cause which has a strong tendency to destroy pious seriousness, and which almost always prevents its formation and growth in young minds, is levity in conversation upon subjects connected with religion. (Paley)


 
I have found this quote to be very true. Since we are surrounded by such a frivolous society and we are often led astray by our own imaginations, I find that it is often difficult to maintain a consistently serious conversion on Biblical matters. But, when such a conversation does occur, it is almost always tremendously refreshing and encouraging, and leaves me with much more joy than some light-hearted jokes, etc.


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## Rich Koster (May 9, 2009)

I find it good to take God and his word more seriously, but ourselves less. The point I am making is that humor can be used as a mirror to expose our weaknesses and prejudices effectively.


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## Montanablue (May 9, 2009)

Rich Koster said:


> I find it good to take God and his word more seriously, but ourselves less. The point I am making is that humor can be used as a mirror to expose our weaknesses and prejudices effectively.



I agree entirely. Scripture should be taken very seriously, but I think sometimes we take ourselves entirely too seriously.


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## Knoxienne (May 9, 2009)

Montanablue said:


> Rich Koster said:
> 
> 
> > I find it good to take God and his word more seriously, but ourselves less. The point I am making is that humor can be used as a mirror to expose our weaknesses and prejudices effectively.
> ...


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## TaylorOtwell (May 9, 2009)

I guess in my experience I find the vast majority are not anywhere near the problem of taking themselves too seriously.


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## greenbaggins (May 9, 2009)

Taylor, I agree with your main point. However, there is humor in Scripture itself. There's the place where Moses calls Israel God's people, and God calls Israel Moses' people. It's a bit like the parents when the child does something bad: neither wants to claim the child! Same also of several proverbs, especially the ones about the lazy sluggard: it's just too much work to raise up that hand to the mouth after the backbreaking effort it took to plop the hand into the dish! Also, the door turns squeakily on its hinges just like a sluggard in his bed: squeak, squeak! 

Personally, I think many people do, however, take themselves way too seriously. Obama isn't helping matters by taking himself so seriously. Have you noticed that he hardly ever laughs? Teens today are so self-conscious that you couldn't get them to laugh at themselves if you paid them. Evangelicals (or Evangellyfish, as Doug Wilson calls them) do tend to take their frivolous religiosity to an extreme with TestaMints and other travesties of peddling the Christian faith. Humor has its place in the Christian walk. Frivolity can happen without humor just as much as with humor.


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## TaylorOtwell (May 9, 2009)

greenbaggins said:


> Evangelicals (or Evangellyfish, as Doug Wilson calls them) do tend to take their frivolous religiosity to an extreme with TestaMints and other travesties of peddling the Christian faith.



Right. This is the main thing I had in mind with this thread. I was mainly thinking of how dangerous it is to "cheapen" spiritual things by turning them into something frivolous.


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## Whitefield (May 9, 2009)

greenbaggins said:


> Same also of several proverbs, especially the ones about the lazy sluggard: it's just too much work to raise up that hand to the mouth after the backbreaking effort it took to plop the hand into the dish!



Pardon my laughter, but


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## Rich Koster (May 10, 2009)

TaylorOtwell said:


> greenbaggins said:
> 
> 
> > Evangelicals (or Evangellyfish, as Doug Wilson calls them) do tend to take their frivolous religiosity to an extreme with TestaMints and other travesties of peddling the Christian faith.
> ...



Oh, like most broadcasts on TBN?


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## EricP (May 10, 2009)

Don't forget as well that (and I grew up with this in my family) humor/"frivolity" is a way of deflecting a serious conversation. REAL religious conversations, and by that I mean the real stuff of faith--not systematic theology necessarily, but the weighty issues of salvation, faith, etc--can be very uncomfortable for both the saved and unsaved. Humor can make the difficult easier and keep a conversation going; or it can be used to derail a conversation onto less important issues. Tactful humor is a far cry from poking fun or lampooning religious issues; and one man's humor can be another's frivolity, so keeping our ears to the tracks during our conversations is always important!!


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## Peairtach (May 10, 2009)

Spurgeon of course was deadly serious on spiritual matters, and yet had a great sense of fun in its appropriate place.

He was disappointed at a translation of Psalm 100 that did not give the sense of the Scottish Metrical Version,

_Serve God with mirth_


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