Religion has been a major target for comedians at the 2006 Edinburgh festival and in the world at large for some time. Should religious people be offended and even angry at jokes about their most sacred beliefs and those they worship? Maybe not as much as they often are.
The subject was recently discussed on BBC 1’s Heaven and Earth programme. Canon Robin Gamble of Manchester Cathedral suggests that God is big enough to take care of himself. We only need to worry when he lampoons the weak and helpless.
Some religions, like Judaism, already have a knack for not taking themselves too seriously. There is a story, for example, about a 94-year-old Jewish man on his deathbed. Larry Jay Tish, a Jewish comedian, described what happened.
The dying Jew asked his rabbi to find a priest so he could convert to Christianity.
“You have been a Jew your whole life for 94 years. You are on your deathbed. And now you want to convert to Christianity. Why?” the rabbi asked.
“I figure it’s better if one of them dies instead of one of us!”
It is worth remembering that the priority of a comedian is to make people laugh. They are not overly concerned with possible sensitivities of individuals in their audience.
They are also not always trying to be malicious. They just need to laugh or they won’t survive as comedians. They may also need impact to increase the size of their audiences.
It’s worth taking some time to understand exactly why comedians say or do those things that seem outrageous at first glance.
A comedian at the Festival dressed up as a Guantanamo Bay prisoner in an orange jumpsuit. He also wore a crown of thorns. Many Christians might be offended by this, but the comedian in question thinks laughter is sacred.
Laughter encourages you to flout authority and think critically. He believes that such an attitude is typical of the spirit of Jesus.
In early 2006, cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad were published in Denmark, sparking riots and angry protests around the world. A protest banner read “Kill those who insult Islam.” But not all Muslims show such anger.
Omar Marzouk is a Danish Muslim comedian. He can see humor in the situation, but he does not intend to offend fellow Muslims of his. However, he is not afraid to highlight stupidity wherever it occurs.
“It’s really hard to be European, Danish, Muslim because I’ve been confused about what to burn and who to boycott! It’s hard to be Muslim because of all the terrorism and now people hate me for being Danish too!”
Omar, born to Egyptian parents in Copenhagen, offends right-wingers and radical Muslims alike. Some of his comments, such as the following where he refers to the London bombings, might offend even moderates:
“I think they should employ Muslims to ride the trains and buses with suicide belts around their waists. Then we might as well make our contribution to the war on terror. So if a genuine suicide bomber shows up, you could say:
‘Listen mate, get down. This is my bus!'”
He also has something to say about the shooting of the innocent Brazilian in London.
“There are certain rules to follow if you look like me and you live in England. For example, you can’t run to catch a train or a bus. You walk.”
It may well offend many people and especially the families of the injured and dead, but most of its audiences are relieved to be able to laugh at such serious and frightening topics. Omar wants to ease the tension enough to allow people to talk about the issues.
Australian comedian Jim Jeffries argues that you don’t have to watch his shows if you’re worried about offending yourself. The posters of him say that it will be offensive. If you’re worried, don’t buy a ticket. A typical joking comment of his is the following:
“Are you worried about suicide bombers in Scotland? No. Of course not. Scotland looks like it’s already been done!”
Some comedians choose religion as a target because they don’t personally believe in God. To them, making jokes about God is like making jokes about Santa Claus.
Ed Byrne believes that religion is an easy subject for comedians because everyone knows about it.
He tells his audience that he became an atheist when he was very young when he saw Christians install a lightning rod in his local church: “What great faith you are showing!”
Ed doesn’t believe that God, if He exists, could be petty enough to be offended by a comedian making a joke about Him. Bigger things are happening in the world.
Stephen Green of ‘Christian Voice’ argues that if God is not just a private lifestyle choice, but the Almighty Ruler of the Universe, we shouldn’t take His name in vain and we should be concerned if we do. He feels that comedians have no idea how deeply they offend religious people.
Ed, on the other hand, is offended by some Christians who believe Hurricane Katrina was sent to purify the city of New Orleans and who believe that God can destroy his own creation with “all the precision of a drunken seven-year-old trampling on ants.” “. .”
Canon Robin is more concerned with how quickly Christians take offense. He quoted from the Bible: “Love is slow to take offense.”
He’s not bothered by offensive comments about religion: “God is a big boy. He doesn’t need me to defend him. I’m surprised how quickly Christians take offense. We should be more tolerant. Life is bright. It’s all about joy and being involved.” in this joy.
Stephen argues that you don’t insult someone just because they’re big. You wouldn’t feel free to tell a big man that his mother was a whore. If God is so great, we should worry about offending him.
Canon Robin, as usual, disagreed with Stephen Green. We should feel safe and secure in God, not worried about God. If you can laugh at yourself and your beliefs, tensions will dissipate.
In general, I agree with the opinions of Canon Robin. God is too big and life is too exciting to get upset over comedians’ attempts to use God or religion as the butt of their jokes. Love must be slow to take offense.
Being offended hasn’t done the world much good. Religious wars have caused the death of millions. It’s time to try a different path.
St. Paul is probably referring primarily to human relationships when he teaches that love is slow to take offense in his famous passage on love in his first letter to the Christians in Corinth.
A confident human being will not be worried about people making fun of him or her. He or she will have enough common sense to realize that taking offense could lead to a harmful confrontation that will benefit no one.
As the Buddha said, the angry man is like someone who has a piece of hot coal in his hand to throw at his enemy. He will hurt himself and his enemy as well.
Confident humans will have enough self-confidence not to take insults personally. They will understand that they will not please everyone, but many will, and that they do not need to be distressed or angry at the insults of those who dislike or envy them.
A loving human being will see the good even in people who insult him. Those who are old enough to ignore insults may well see their enemies becoming their friends.
Politicians have already learned the art of not responding to insults with anger. John Prescott, the UK Deputy Prime Minister, is alleged to have called President Bush’s Middle East peace policy ‘cr**’. The White House responded with much tolerance:
“Being insulted is part of the burden of leadership”
In short, religious people shouldn’t get too upset by offensive comments about their religion. There is no need. They certainly shouldn’t get angry enough to kill.
Those they worship are big enough to defend themselves and usually teach love and forgiveness instead of violence. Enough deaths have already been caused because religious believers are quick to take offense at the fact that others do not share their respect for their beliefs about God.
All humans should be slow to take offense. Loving tolerance will produce far better and longer lasting results than anger.
If politicians, with the possible exception of John Prescott, can keep their cool, so can the rest of the human race!
Gervase Phinn, the Roman Catholic author, noted that in Northern Ireland there is emphatic Protestant graffiti:
THERE IS NO DAD HERE!
Below, a Roman Catholic wit has written with equal emphasis:
THE LUCKY OLD POPE!
– a much better answer than bombs and fanaticism!
