Have to disagree on the predator/prey question. Frankly, when I'm cruising along on the elliptical, there's nothing that'll slow me down faster than something seriously funny. And let me tell you, I've had first hand experience in hearing a seriously funny fart...it would've stopped any predator dead in its tracks.
You just made me think about the movie "Dogma." Perhaps the best addition to the catechism was the notion that God has a fabulous sense of humor and likes to play Skee-Ball on the boardwalk in New Jersey.
Of course, for this (and other stuff), the movie was protested by religious zealots. Just makes ya think, once again, that most mindless devotees care very little for the actual subject matter in question and a whole lot for making a bit fat noise in opposition to whatever is on their group's agenda.
Comedy and humor are central aspects of many indigenous (and other) religious systems. Entire ritual communities are built around "sacred clowns" and "holy fools."
Jerry Seinfeld, years ago, hopefully independent of Professor Gimbel, had a routine about Superman. He noted that Superman was super-strong, super-fast, and had super-vision and super-hearing and asked whether he was super-funny, or had a super-sense of humor. The shtick made it into the Seinfeld show (among other repeated references to Superman):
JERRY: I think Superman probably has a very good sense of humor.
GEORGE: I never heard him say anything really funny.
JERRY: But it's common sense. He's got super strength, super speed.. I'm sure he's got super humor.
GEORGE: You would think that, but either you're born with a sense of humor, or you're not. It's not going to change even if you go from the red sun of Krypton all the way to the yellow sun of the Earth.
JERRY: Why? Why would that one area of his mind not be affected by the yellow sun of Earth?
GEORGE: I don't know but he ain't funny.
I'm not sure you can write off the old time mainstream religions comedy-wise. I read (not sure where) a plausible accound of the Book of Jonah as comic in a sort of Seinfeld or Hold Your Enthusiasm way. (First, the prophet as coward. Then swallowed by a fish!!??. Then complains when Ninevah is not destroyed after he's gone to all that trouble.) As another example, an old boss of mine used to characterize the sacrifice a Isaac as a practical joke. (God: "Heh, heh, heh, I was only fooling about your son. I really just meant a ram.")
Trueblood wrote a book on the humor of Jesus, and although it was boring, it did point out the humor of some of Jesus' parables.
Religions are like languages. You can't just decide to drop "English" and be a native speaker of "Chinese" without a rocky transition.
When did you start this religion and how did you come up with the name?
Commenting by HaloScan
