The Fine Art of Godly Mockery

Zianet ^ | April 20, 2003 | Al Maxey

[delacoert]

An acquaintance of a noted Greek philosopher once lamented, "They deride thee, O Diogenes!" Unperturbed, the philosopher replied, "But I am not derided." Diogenes, who lived from 410-320 B.C., understood that truth, if it is truth, can never be truly harmed by mockery, ridicule or derision .... nor can those who promote it. Falsehood, on the other hand, will easily wither under intense and finely focused disparagement. Thus, ridicule and mockery have long been employed as legitimate devices for distinguishing fact from fallacy.

There is a fine line, however, between responsible ridicule and malicious mockery, and what begins as an honorable effort to separate truth from falsehood can quickly deteriorate into vicious villainy. Thus, there is indeed a fine art to practicing what might be termed godly mockery. Since so few people have mastered this art, most critics suggest this device should not be utilized at all. Some even believe it sinful to employ it. That is a case of casting out the baby with the bath water, however. There is no need to be so radical, if one is simply willing to be responsible.

A scalpel in the hands of a surgeon may result in healing for the one upon whom he uses this blade. In the hands of a sadist that same instrument will inflict harm. It is not the device itself, but the mindset of the one who would employ it, that determines the nature of the outcome. The same with mockery. It can result in suffering or salvation depending upon the heart and mind of the mocker. Some young lads, for example, mocked Elisha and were torn up by two female bears (2 Kings 2:23-24), whereas Elijah mocked the false prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:27) and won a great victory over them at Mount Carmel. The latter was skilled in the fine art of godly mockery, the former were not. The difference was one of life and death!

While it is certainly true that there are perversions and abuses of mockery, ridicule, sarcasm and other legitimate biblical devices, and that these have on occasion been maliciously employed to stir up strife and generate schisms, it is equally true that these devices have been employed responsibly resulting in positive outcomes. Just because there are fake diamonds being manufactured and sold on the market as genuine jewels doesn't mean there are no real diamonds to be found. One must simply be discerning.

The Pharisees likely did not take kindly to the picture Jesus painted of them as blind men guiding blind men head over heels into a pit (Matthew 15:14), or as legalists straining out gnats while swallowing camels (Matthew 23:24), but this was subtle mockery with a spiritual message! Earlier in the latter chapter, Jesus mocked the rigid religious leaders with these words (aptly paraphrased in the Living Bible) -- "You would think these Jewish leaders and these Pharisees were Moses, the way they keep making up so many laws! And of course you should obey their every whim!" (Matthew 23:2-3). Mockery! But, godly mockery! Jesus sought to alert the people to the arrogance, as well as the dangers, of their leaders, portraying them as Moses-mimes and mandate-makers, men whose whims were expected to be obeyed as though their pronouncements had fallen from the lips of Moses himself. I believe the people got the message. So did the leaders, who wasted no time in seeking to destroy Him. The truth conveyed by the mockery was unmistakable, and it made a lasting impression upon impressionable minds.

As noted earlier, Elijah, one of only two men spared the pain of death, as he confronted the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, "mocked them" (1 Kings 18:27). Through this device the people came to perceive the ridiculous plight of these men as they called out to their lifeless idols and cut themselves in frustration over the deafening silence of their deities. The godly mockery utilized by Elijah presented a profound message to those assembled to witness this duel of deities. What was the outcome? "And when the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, 'The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God" (1 Kings 18:39).

The prophet Ezekiel was instructed to prophesy to the people of Jerusalem that God would bring mockery against them for the purpose of shaming them. When sin has brought a people low, derision is one device which just might help facilitate their repentance. "You have brought your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations, and a mocking to all the lands. Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you" (Ezekiel 22:4-5). The ultimate intent of godly mockery is to restore a people, not to ruin them! Responsible ridicule will bring reformation in its wake, although its barbs may initially be quite painful to bear.

In the first chapter of Proverbs we find Wisdom, personified, speaking rather bluntly to those who have rejected her. "Since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you" (Proverbs 1:24-26). As with Jerusalem during the time of the prophet Ezekiel, sometimes mockery becomes necessary as a means of bringing a people to an awareness of their spiritual plight. Godly mockery can indeed be used effectively to bring about godly responses from those who have succumbed to the folly of falsehood.

Some of God's people today are ill-informed and misguided. For a few, however, these characterizations are much too generous! A healthy dose of responsible ridicule and godly mockery might just be what the Great Physician requires for some professing His name! Some people respond well to subtleties .... others need a two-by-four between the eyes! That's where mockery, derision, sarcasm and ridicule come in. Used sparingly and responsibly by Spirit-led disciples it may well bring about spiritual healing and reformation.

Joshua Clark, from Washington state, in an article entitled "Satire and Sarcasm" (published on the Internet: July 18, 2002), made some insightful remarks that we would all do well to carefully and prayerfully consider:

• "The antithesis between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman can at times be found in somewhat biting laughter and mockery. Often Christians get so caught up in restraining themselves from hating their enemies that they end up thinking it is entirely unrighteous to show disdain for them or to mock them. But we find that the Bible is not devoid of ridicule for the fools, and that Christ Himself spread it rather thick on the Pharisees.

• "So we see then that sarcasm can be used righteously, but we must define the goal of sarcasm if we are to avoid the more invidious uses that hinder Christian truth. The goal of satire, as with all forms of rebuke, should be to save a person from error. Mockery should not be the form of rebuke in every situation. Yet sometimes mockery is appropriate. Once a person has spurned rebuke, and especially when other Christians are falling into this person's error, open ridicule may be an appropriate way to call them back to truth. There is no cookie-cutter approach to determining propriety in satire, but at times the shrewdest approach appears to be a public ridicule of a person's doctrine so that others are not led astray.

• "In summary, we must remember that Christianity is not so limp-wristed as to avoid all mockery of wrong positions. But we must also remember that the purpose of mockery should always be to point out error, and when mockery is causing undue offense or further entrenching of a person in their error, it should be pulled back. We must constantly keep in mind that satire, when wrongly used, can be a divisive blade, cutting brethren to pieces where a simple rebuke would have been admonishment enough; but when rightly used, satire can be an exposing light, revealing error and exhorting to repentance. So let us use satire with wisdom, and pray for such unity in the faith that satire will become entirely unnecessary."

[svcw]

Brilliant

[Elsie]

I’ve heard of 3 Dog Night...

was that 2 cat afternoon?

all cuddled up under your arm - catching the laptop heat off of the computer?

[Elsie]

Face palm tag..

[Elsie]

That was the OLD MORMONism.

 

the RESTORATION Mormonism is MUCH grander!

 

 

 

[svcw]

VERY clever and LOL.

[greyfoxx39]

I kinda thought you might like that..;)

[svcw]

I was thinking about your suggestion. Tomorrow church, great sermon talking about the significance of this season. Pot luck fellowship with believers, family time. And I thought of this song. We Fall Down

We fall down

We lay our crowns

The greatness of

Your Mercy and love

At the feet of Jesus

And we cry holy, holy, holy

And we cry holy, holy, holy

And we cry holy, holy, holy

Is the lamb

We fall down

We lay our crowns

At the feet of Jesus

The greatness of

Mercy and love

At the feet of Jesus

And we cry holy, holy, holy

And we cry holy, holy, holy

And we cry holy, holy, holy

Is the lamb

And we cry holy, holy, holy

And we cry holy, holy, holy

And we cry holy, holy, holy

Is the lamb

[greyfoxx39]

Thank you SVCW....Palm Sunday services all across the nation...

"According to the Gospels, before entering Jerusalem, Jesus was staying at Bethany and Bethphage, and the Gospel of John adds that he had dinner with Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha. While there, Jesus sent two disciples to the village over against them, in order to retrieve a donkey that had been tied up but never been ridden, and to say, if questioned, that the donkey was needed by the Lord but would be returned. Jesus then rode the donkey into Jerusalem, with the Synoptics adding that the disciples had first put their cloaks on it, so as to make it more comfortable. The Gospels go on to recount how Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and how the people there lay down their cloaks in front of him, and also lay down small branches of trees. The people sang part of Psalm 118 - ...Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father, David. ... (Psalms 118:25-26

[Religion Moderator]

Do not refer to a poster who has been instructed to leave the thread.

[Elsie]

Use private mail; right?

[Arrowhead]

Anti-Mormon material led me to a testimony of the Church.

[reaganaut]

2 cat afternoon is about right, but they are curled up on Mrreaganaut (he is warmer and sits on the couch while I am at the desk) and they do like the computer heat.

They LOVE cuddling with MrR, of course so do I. ;)

[reaganaut]

ROFLMHO! Oh wow, Elsie, how did you ever get the talking points for Fair/Farms?

[reaganaut]

Anti-Mormon material led me to a testimony of the Church.

- - - - - - - - - -

LDS ‘testimonies’ are not built on the Rock, but on sinking sand.

MORMON material led me OUT of the LDS church and into Christ.

I didn’t need to read any ‘anti’ material (nor did I), the LDS’ own words condemn them.

FWIW, there is a huge difference between Ed Decker (who I still don’t like) and the Tanners (who are some of the best lay historians I know).

[reaganaut]

Sleeper troll at #191 and I remember another LDS’er saying the exact same thing a few days ago.

hmmm...looks like a duplicate acct.

[svcw]

Good morning everyone.
Have a wonderful and blessed celebration of Palm Sunday.

Songwriters: Fraser, Brooke

I see the king of glory

Coming on the clouds with fire

The whole earth shakes

The whole earth shakes

Yeeeah

I see his love and mercy

Washing over all our sin

The people sing

The people sing

Hosanna

Hosanna

Hosanna in the highest [x2]

I see a generation

Rising up to take their place

With selfless faith

With selfless faith

I see a near revival

Stirring as we pray and seek

We're on our knees

We're on our knees

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours

Everything I am for your kingdoms cause

As I go from nothing to

Eternity

[svcw]

Bingo!

[T Minus Four]

Anti-Mormon material led me to a testimony of the Church.

That's nice - I have a testimony of Ford Pick-up trucks and a certain brand of hair conditioner. They are awesome and have made my life better. I like to argue about how much better they are than yours. But they won't get me into heaven.

It's too bad you missed the point and don't have a testimony of how you came into the saving grace of Jesus and became a believer.

[Religion Moderator]

Yes.

[svcw]

Did you get the testimony from the moon people?
There is no anti mormon material posted here, there is anti mormonism possibly. What is posted is direct words, videos, articles from lds sources and then discussions with personal experience added.
That is not anti mormon.