Saturday, August 30, 1997

Some religious folks should learn benefits of laughter

By Joy Thompson / Knight-Ridder Newspapers

Do you notice that some of the most religious people tend to have the least sense of humor?

Too often we let worries and concerns fill our days and darken our perspectives. For those with the tendency to camp out in life's shadows, repeat after me: "Laughter is our friend." And in hopes of bringing your hearts some cheer, today's column will be devoted to some of my favorite funny passages in the Bible.

Some of the "hell and brimstone" types out there might argue that there is absolutely nothing humorous or enjoyable about the Bible. I don't intend to offend, but I've found the Bible to be full of life and liveliness. As a Christian, I believe everything written in the Bible is inspired by God and is meant for people's instruction and edification. At the same time, the Bible is full of very human characters, characters that we can identify with if we're honest. And human beings are funny, (as you probably already know from your dealings with them as you go about your daily activities). So lighten up.

For example, in the Recipe for Disaster Department: Elisha the prophet sent his servant to prepare food for his guests in II Kings 4, and let's just say this servant was no Julia Childs. Hint: It is not a good sign when dinner guests take one taste of your food and exclaim, "There is death in the pot!" as Elisha's guests did. Next time, make it Domino's.

The Bible also contains some of my favorite one-liners. For example, here is what I consider the All-Time Favorite Wrong Answer: When God asked Cain about his brother's whereabouts in Genesis 4, Cain, who killed him, responds, "Am I my brother's keeper?" That definitely was not the smartest thing to say to the creator of the universe, especially when you are as guilty as sin.

Then, there is my Favorite Advice to Be Ignored: When the rich man Job lost all he had, his wife suggested that he "curse God and die." I can imagine Job thinking to himself, "Thanks, honey. I needed that." (Way to kick a man when he's down.) He didn't curse God and as a result was blessed with greater wealth than before.

After the apostles were given the miraculous gift to speak in different languages in Acts 2, onlookers in the crowd accused them of being intoxicated. Peter responded: "These men are not drunk as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning." (I guess even the town drunks had standards in the 2nd century).

Among my Top Five Least Favorite Biblical Names for Children, there is Cain (for obvious reasons); Nabal, which means fool (see his unfortunate fate in I Samuel 25); Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi, which mean "not loved" and "not my people," respectively (God told the prophet Hosea to give these names to his son and daughter to make a major spiritual point); and, finally, Judas, again for obvious reasons. (Although there was another apostle named Judas who remained faithful to Jesus.)

In conclusion, I must share what a friend once described to me as her Favorite Deep Spiritual Scripture in the Bible. She would only give me the scripture reference. I had to look it up later on my own. So eager with the anticipation of uncovering some major spiritual insight, I turned to Galatians 6:11 (NIV). "See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!" the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Galatia. Then it dawned on me like the brilliance of the rising sun: I had just been the butt of one of Jackie's jokes.

I did glean one major spiritual insight from this Scripture: Christians can have a sense of humor, too. It's a lesson I've learned to take to heart in recent years, and life has been a lot more enjoyable since.

(Joy Thompson is an editorial writer for the Long Beach Press-Telegram. You can write to her at 604 Pine Ave., Long Beach, Calif. 90844.)

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