Povey Prattle

Fundamentalist Muslims and fundamentalist Christians have so much in common. Both believe that their scriptures, the Koran or the Bible, are without error. Both are willing to give total religious authority to a leader – an Imam or a Minister. Both believe that humans should submit to the will of God without question. Both have no truck with human reason, and are skeptical about science (or reject it outright). Both believe in exclusively male leadership, and that women should be subservient to men. Both believe themselves to be the only true, authentic, and genuine expression of their faiths, and despise those (either) muslims (or) christians who are not fundamentalist. Both believe that this human life is nothing more than a dress rehearsal or preparation for the real thing: -  life in paradise or heaven. Both are utterly opposed to freedom of thought by individuals. Both believe that human governments should be theocracies, governed only from the p...

… because my two cats are so very beautiful. …. because my dog is intensely loyal to me, and because she loves to walk. She flirts with every person we pass. If I were in the market to marry an elderly widow, my dog would be quite the “chick magnet”. (Excuse sexist language please!) ….. because I have such good friends, three of them had dinner at my home tonight. I was there too, and we ate my home-made lamb and barley soup, with an orange and beet salad, followed by pecan pie topped with Devonshire cream!  (The real thing, imported from Devonshire) …..because in retirement I have time and opportunity for educational and cultural enrichment - a lecture last Tuesday at New College of Florida, an organ recital on Wednesday at St. Boniface Church, a juried art show last evening at the Sarasota Art Centre (with two of my friends exhibiting their work). My happiness leads to gratitude. Recipe for orange and beet salad: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/oran...

As I have tried to identify some humour in the bible I’ve also come to realise that there are but a few references to laughter or laughing in holy writ. Those references most  often have to do with the Lord laughing at his enemies, or the fear that G-d’s people will become a laughing-stock. References to human laughter are rare.  The most wonderful exception is the laughter of Abraham’s wife Sarah, when she is told that she, in her 90’s, will conceive.  Genesis 18 v 12 says that “Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure’” I like to think that this is a full belly laugh ; that Sarah is tickled pink that she and her 100 year old husband will again enjoy sexual intercourse, and that she will become pregnant. Other interpreters would say that her laugh is the laugh of a cynical woman who had long since given up the hope of bearing a child. Much later in biblical chronology Jeremiah has good th...

My mini-series on “Humour in the Bible’ was triggered when a parishioner (J.T.) “caught” a reference which I made in my Jan 10th sermon at St. Boniface on Siesta Key, Sarasota, FL (That sermon may be read on this blog). J.T. is astute. He understood that I’d referenced a biblical pun from Isaiah 56. Puns are a wonderful/dreadful form of humour. Here is the Isaiah passage. Can you find the fabulous pun (regarding eunuchs?). Isaiah 56 3 Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely exclude me from his people." And let not any eunuch complain, "I am only a dry tree." 4 For this is what the LORD says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant- 5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.

Ridicule can be an amusing and funny way to point out some foolishness in a situation, or in a belief, or in a lively argument. It  is a form of humour which must be handled with care. In many situations the humour can be expressed in gentle teasing, but there is always a risk that such teasing can slip over a line into destructive mockery.   Exposing ideas to ridicule can be worthwhile. Ridiculing people is destructive. There are a couple of passages in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) which use ridicule to great effect. Here is one: Psalm 115  3 Our God is in the heavens;    he does whatever he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold,    the work of human hands. 5 They have mouths, but do not speak;    eyes, but do not see. 6 They have ears, but do not hear;    noses, but do not smell. 7 They have hands, but do not feel;    feet, but do not walk;    t...

There is a form of humour which is quite unintentionally. It arises when a person realises the ludicrous nature of a tale which is being told. Often the “tale” is nothing more than a big “whopper”. A child might be “caught out” in some mis-behaviour and he/she will tell such a huge whopper to explain the situation, that the parent or teacher can do no more than to burst into laughter. The laughter is rooted in “do you expect me to believe that !” There is a gorgeous example of this “big whopper humour” in the book of the Exodus.  The people are in the wilderness, but their leader Moses has disappeared. He is off on one of his “terribly important consultations with God”. The people have lost confidence in their “leader in absentia”, so they prevail upon his brother Aaron to fashion them new gods. Aaron gets them to surrender their gold, out of which he fashions an idol - a golden calf. When Moses gets back from his “retreat” he is royally ticked off, and demands an ex...

The Book of Jonah is the funniest book in the scriptures.  The entire tale is a set-up. 1. God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against it.  Jonah isn’t interested in this job prospect.  He runs away from God. 2.Jonah boards a ship bound for Tarshish.  God creates a storm which almost sinks the ship. The ship’s captain awakens Jonah, and tells him to call upon his god. 3.The crew casts lots to discover which person should be held accountable for the storm.  The lot fell on Jonah.  He fesses up that he is running away from God, and tells the crew to throw him overboard. 4. That being done, the storm ends.  It’s not the end of Jonah.  The Lord made a great fish to swallow him.  Jonah is in the belly of the fish for three days. 5. Jonah prays in the belly of the fish.  The fish vomits Jonah up on to dry land. God again offers him the Nineveh gig. 6. Jonah goes to Nineveh and preaches judgment.  Led by the Ki...