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Ok…so I am going to bring something up that has ALWAYS bothered me. Thats 47.5 years of irritated mormon (if we could refine mormon angst I bet we could eliminate the need for fossil fuels). Why is it deemed so un-righteous to have a healthy sense of humor? This whole “loud laughter is evil thing” is bunk in my opinion.
Joseph Smith supposedly got dinged for it, the temple mentions it, and I hate it. Sometimes I get the feeling if we aren’t dour people running around with the weight of the “work yet left undone” then we don’t understand the gospel.
Richard Scot says:http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/how-to-obtain-revelation-and-inspiration-for-your-personal-life?lang=eng&query=humor ” class=”bbcode_url”> http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/how-to-obtain-revelation-and-inspiration-for-your-personal-life?lang=eng&query=humor
Quote:There are some practical principles that enhance revelation. First, yielding to emotions such as anger or hurt or defensiveness will drive away the Holy Ghost. Those emotions must be eliminated, or our chance for receiving revelation is slight.
Another principle is to be cautious with humor. Loud, inappropriate laughter will offend the Spirit. A good sense of humor helps revelation; loud laughter does not. A sense of humor is an escape valve for the pressures of life.
Be funny…but just be quiet about it….titters..no guffaws or buh-bye Holy Ghost
So why is it all of my most memorable times and influences by the spirit….great teachers, awesome speakers, etc all had moments where they had me in full belly laugh (and I have a significant belly to laugh with)?
The great ones all seem to take me from that moment of weakness following a great cathartic laugh, you know…the kind that makes you go “phew!” and wipe tears from your eyes into a deep spiritual principal?
I get really irritated when stake leaders start off saying “You will be honored today with a spiritual feast!” then we get a bunch of dry hometeaching reports, stake business and a lecture on keeping the buildings clean….really? You put on a poor feast my friends! Everything is overcooked and……dry
I think this leads to other strange behaviours….I have experienced the joy in religion that comes from an African American congreation all singing and dancing….
Then I go to church and the hymns are played like funeral dirges….twice in my life (one in the MTC) we have been admonished for singing the hymns too boisterously. So much for the joyful noise.
I know I know….the Joseph Smith Translation changed Joyful to “cranky” right?
Psalm 981 O sing unto the LORD a new song;
for he hath done marvelous things:
his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
2 The LORD hath made known his salvation:
his righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen.
3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth
toward the house of Israel:
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth:
make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
5 Sing unto the LORD with the harp;
with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
6 With trumpets and sound of cornet
make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.
7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;
the world, and they that dwell therein.
8 Let the floods clap their hands:
let the hills be joyful together
9 before the LORD;
for he cometh to judge the earth:
with righteousness shall he judge the world,
and the people with equity.
Opinions are like armpits, everyone has a couple, and most stink. Mormons are not excepted from this concept. Love god (your divine self), love others, treat others how you would like to be treated. All else is opinion. And most stinks.
“Jesus gave us the gospel, but Satan invented church. It takes serious evil to formalize faith into something tedious and then pile guilt on anyone who doesn’t participate enthusiastically. Some people need more church than others do. Some don’t need any at all. I’m OK with that. I’m not OK with the idea that everyone needs the same amount. On average, I need 74 minutes.” – Robert Kirby My new sig.
D&C 136:28If thou are merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.
I read this to my family for FHE last week, and then we sang my son’s favorite songs, played ring around the rosie and did the hokey-pokey. We then had a prayer of thanksgiving for the fun we’d just had. I felt as “spiritual” and quickened as I have during any of the other more traditional FHEs we’ve had — actually, more so. It was great.
Does the injunction against loud laughter mean no more of these: 😆 :clap: ?In Nauvoo, at the Visitors center there is a garden called: Monument to Women Memorial Garden. They have a series of wonderful statues in the garden. One of my favorites is titled:
Quote:Joyful Moments
.
It is 3 children and a young women dancing & playing in a circle. It is a moment frozen in time. It is wonderful.
I can’t imagine this joyful moment in silence. As a Grandfather, I love to hear laughter from my Grandkids. The best laughter
comes as though it’s coming from their toes & out the mouth.
My son sent me a video of him talking with his son who is about 9 months old.
Everytime he says the words
Quote:Ball
, he laughs & giggles. For me, it’s priceless.
One of my favorite scriptures is the following:
Quote:Psalm 100:1 MAKE a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Psalm 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
When appropriate, laughter is very healing. In the middle of an opening prayer in sacrament meeting, that might not be appropriate.
I agree with Wayfarer comment.
Mike from Milton
Elder Cody (or Cony?) was the Europe North Area president for a while (1990s). We used to love having him at Stake conference. He was like a stand up comic and for the 10 minutes would have everyone rolling with laughter. Including very funny anecdotes (and impressions) of senior GAs and even President Hinkley. It was never disrespectful, always got us on his side and would set up the rest of his talk brilliantly.
On my first temple endowment it was one of the things that caught my attention. I asked my Bishop in the Celestial room (a wonderfully spiritual man who would put on an hilarious annual branch panto). He said, don’t worry, it just means when you’re in the temple. I know that’s a stretch, but it works for me. FWIW, I consider the temple to be a parable for our eternal journey and that section, for me, has parallels to the sacrament. That’s another moment in my life when I’m comfortable avoiding loud laughter and evil speaking.
As for singing. You should move to Wales. To hear the Merthyr Tydfil ward (coal mining town) sing ‘Guide us oh thou great Jehovah’ as the intermediate hymn is electrifying. I’m getting goose bumps just thinking of it.
But why (why, why, why, WHY ON EARTH?) is the phrase included in a sacred ceremony, one that I’m supposed to identify with and find deep meaning in? I understand no discussion on this. I’m just venting. Sorry, this crossed in the mail with mackay’s reply, and I guess that’s one way of looking at it, although nothing else we agree to is for the temple only. Again, sorry. Ann wrote:Sorry, this crossed in the mail with mackay’s reply, and I guess that’s one way of looking at it, although nothing else we agree to is for the temple only. Again, sorry.
No need to apologize….we are safe here. I don’t think anyone is actually saying they believe that was how it was intended….just how they deal with it.
Why is it in the ceremony….my hopes it will go away like so many other things….
Ann wrote:Sorry, this crossed in the mail with mackay’s reply, and I guess that’s one way of looking at it, although nothing else we agree to is for the temple only. Again, sorry.
Ann, like johnh said, really no need to apologise. It something that bugs me too – especially if taken literally.
I don’t take much of the endowment literally. By the way, I still owe you a post on the endowment being a parable. I’ve not forgotten and I’m still working on it. It might be quite long.
I made a bit of reference to it over in the ‘Doctrine’ thread on garments and covenants. But I’m doing a proper one about parables too. I appreciate I may be ‘twisting to fit’ – but making it fit helps me.
I have a . . . unique sense of humor. Seriously, I sometimes whisper words to a hymn that make my wife slap me during sacrament meeting – and that’s just the start. I think the loud laughter taboo was associated with drunkenness originally. I get around it by thinking of “loud” as a relative term – and my own laughter never sounds loud to me, so . . .
😆 😆 😆 (four, in this case, would be loud, so I’m adding only three)
I was listening to the director’s commentary of a favorite Sydney Pollack movie and he talked about how carefully he constructed and paced a certain scene. He said an audience will accept mystery, but not confusion. I don’t think I’m getting the message of the temple. There are so many jarring, unelegant distractions. But I have felt a lot of love and unity there. I’ll just say again how much I appreciate the care that you all give this site…..
Old-Timer wrote:I have a . . . unique sense of humor. Seriously, I sometimes whisper words to a hymn that make my wife slap me during sacrament meeting – and that’s just the start. …
I know what you mean on this….My wife says i have ruined “The world has need of willing men” for my whole family…
All because i asked them in sacrament meeting one day if they really “do their dootie with a heart full of song”
johnh wrote:Old-Timer wrote:I have a . . . unique sense of humor. Seriously, I sometimes whisper words to a hymn that make my wife slap me during sacrament meeting – and that’s just the start. …
I know what you mean on this….My wife says i have ruined “The world has need of willing men” for my whole family…
All because i asked them in sacrament meeting one day if they really “do their dootie with a heart full of song”
My Dad (the one who broke his urim with his thumb’in) was a real pot head in the 60s. He particularly enjoys reminiscing about being “High on a mountain top…”
Especially when he’s remembering his hallucinogenics, as then it becomes:
“High on a mountain-top, a badger and a squirrel…”
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