Laughter, Humor, & Religion
An Easter Post
When thinking about the relation of humor and laughter to religion most people in modern times wonder about the propriety of laughter and humor within religious life or practice. It may surprise you to know that for some religions throughout history, that was not a question that made much sense. For other religions, like many modern religions, the question seems more appropriate. It’s an interesting question for sure since any answer we find will involve some of the most basic aspects of human existence. This is because humans are unique in the world in their affinity for both laughter/humor and religion. It’s thus natural to want to see how these important aspects of our lives relate. If a general theme could be drawn about how humor and laughter relate to religious experience/practice, perhaps one the best one I’ve found is that opinions have swung from acceptance and cultivation to abstinence and curtailment.
We can see this the development of attitudes both friendly to and dismissive of laughter and humor in Ancient Greek thought and religious practice. In some of the earliest ancient Greece religious practices, there were festivals and rites for Dionysus (Greek god of laughter, wine, religious ecstasy, and theater—quite the job description) Demeter (goddess of fertility) that used laughter and humor as part of their rites. The celebrants would often laugh in procession or use ridicule. Scholars think that this use of laughter helped reveal something about the nature of divine. While this sort of laughter was often seen as a sort of temporary madness and or religious ecstasy, this laughter, mad as it was at times, was an accepted part of the human experience and found outlet in and through the religious rites.
Attitudes towards laughter and humor as appropriate shifted when philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, and the focus on rationality became ascendant in ancient Greek culture. Plato saw laughter as a vicious activity that rewarded us for laughing at things that were wrong. Instead of working to change the situation, as reason would suggest, we laugh and enjoy leading us to ignore our duties. Aristotle warns us that too much laughter makes us buffoons, while too little makes us boorish.
There’s something we need to note about the ancient Greeks. The separation of religion from the secular was not nearly as clearly defined for their society as it is in ours. The philosophical turn heralded by the rise of the philosophers around and after 400 BCE marks not a secular rejection of laughter, but more of a societal one, a society in which religion played an important role.
In the development of Buddhism, we also see a change in attitudes towards laughter and humor. Early Buddhist attitudes towards laughter might be best exemplified from a warning about laughter from the Buddha. ““How can there be laughter, how can there be pleasure, when the whole world is burning?” Laughter divorces us from the suffering of the world. Also, laughter is part of the body’s feelings and since paying attention to the flesh impedes our path to enlightenment, it’s something to be wary of. The overall attitude towards laughter was similar to later Greek attitudes. While some laughter and smiling is at times acceptable, too much is harmful. This overall attitude of a measured level of laughter and humor is consistent with Aristotle’s concerns we saw above.
This attitude, however, changes with the rise of Laughing Buddha or Budai. Budai was a Chinese Buddhist monk who was said to be the incarnation of the future Buddha. The legends of Budai depict him as having few belongings, a large belly he would happily pat, and someone eager to entertain his followers—especially children who love play and laughter. His face is forever shown mouth open as if caught laughing. Budai then became a symbol for the value of laughter. His acceptance as an important part of Buddhism grew over time, with him eventually becoming a well-accepted Buddhist saint. His role as the future Buddha showed that enlightenment likely has strong elements of laughter and humor, hence are not to be avoided, but enjoyed. In Budai’s rise, one can see a shift from an avoidant/tolerant approach to laughter and humor, to a one that’s more embracing and celebratory.
The growth and evolution of the Christian tradition also shows a change from wariness/tolerance to and acceptance and celebration of laughter and humor. Early Church Fathers warned against laughter. Among the things that monks are to avoid, laughter is listed (Apophthegmata Patrum—Sayings of the Desert Fathers—a sort of guide to a monk’s life). In monasteries, monks could be punished for laughing or enjoying humor. The idea for this disapproval comes, in part, because the laughter drew one away from the divine. Further, as with the early Buddhist views, laughter is of the flesh and flesh is easily corrupted. These admonitions against humor were emblematic of the early church circa the 400’s CE.
As time wore on, especially as we reach the High Middle Ages, attitudes had changed. The Carnival celebrations became popular across Europe. Here laughter, silliness, and humor were all celebrated and not just by the commoners. Priests, deacons, and even bishops participated. The celebrations were at times raucous, and they did make fun of traditions secular and religious. And while some members of the clergy found critiqued them, the overall strong presence of them across Christian Europe shows that Christianity had become accepting and celebratory of laughter and humor in our lives. It played an important part of religious activities at times.
As a philosophy teacher, I often frustrate my students because of the lack of answer given. I remind them that I want them to think through the issues. While I am personally a fan of and have written much about the value and importance of laughter and humor, it’s clearly the case that opinions vary and have done so for millennia. Relative to modern times, it seems there is an overall acceptance of the importance and benefits of humor and laughter, but this is all rather secular in approach and how modern religions view laughter and humor is not something I’ve much basis from which to form an opinion. There have been movements like Christian Clowning that have appeared, but the movement never gained much popularity. Comedians will lampoon religion, and religious people enjoy the occasional laugh. But overall, caution should be taken in concluding that there is a necessary view that any one religion has towards laughter and humor. The shifting attitudes show that interpretations change over time. Perhaps the best we can do is to try and understand how and why these attitudes shift.