Post #372496 by Tiki Lion on Tue, Apr 8, 2008 1:40 PM

Not to "stir the pot," but there is a valid point here that is not so central to religious difference per se:

By definition, Gods are more- or all-powerful, and it seems quite natural that Gods might vie for prominence, and certainly would seek contact with their peers.

Being superior beings, certainly Gods would have mastery over all the usual human forms of interaction (at minimum), including humor, quite possibly at levels far beyond the ken of mere humans.

However, with the rise of monotheistic religion (specifically: one god, or mono-deism) there is only one supreme being, and s/he has no one with whom to share humor at such an elevated level.

In the traditions of Abraham: among elevated beings it is the Angels (mostly the fallen ones) that exhibit joking and humor in their interactions with humans, in attempts to dazzle and distract the simpletons from the way of the all-mighty One.

From a monotheistic viewpoint, while humor may or not be abstractly "good" or "evil," it certainly is irrelevant to the message of the way of the One.

I (for one) am most grateful for my cat Simba's well-developed sense of humor, and his willingness to share it with me...