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 The authors note that Jesus jokes have become popular just since the 1970s.
November 10th, 2012
10:00 PM ET
My Take: What all those Jesus jokes tell us
By Edward J. Blum and Paul Harvey, Special to CNN Did you ever hear the one about Jesus being Mexican? Well, he was bilingual; he was constantly harassed by the government; and his first name was Jesus. Or, perhaps Jesus was Irish? He loved a good story; he never kept a steady job; and his last request was for a drink. Or maybe it’s possible that Jesus was Californian? He never cut his hair; he was always walking around barefoot; and he started a new religion. You may not have heard these Jesus jokes, but you’ve heard others. They represent a comedic trend that has animated the United States since the 1970s. More and more comedy gimmicks hit on Jesus, his ethnicity and his relationship to politics. Laughing with (and at) the Lord is now fodder for major motion pictures, barroom comedy tours, graphic novels, t-shirts and bumper stickers.
How is it that a figure sacred to so many Americans has become the punch line of so many jokes? And why is it acceptable to poke fun at Jesus when other sacred figures are deemed off limits or there is hell to pay for mocking them? The explanations are as numerous as the laughs. Immigration shifts from the 1960s changed the ethnic and religious faces of the country so no tradition dominates today. The Christian right made such a moral spectacle of itself that it practically begged to be mocked. The emergence of “spiritual, but not religious” sensibilities left many Americans willing to denounce or laugh about traditional faith. The public rise of agnosticism, atheism, and secularism led to aggressive mockery as a form of persuasion. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter If we pause to consider why we’re laughing, we find that the comic bits delve into some of our thorniest and unresolved problems. The jokes reveal much more about us than they do Jesus. They speak to how our society has changed, how it hasn’t, and what we’re obsessed with. The first public jokes about Jesus were heard in the 1970s. There had been religious jokes before this, but none about Jesus had become widely popular because organized Christianity held such authority. As the economic recession and problems of urban decay collided with civil rights exhaustion and new immigration, however, some Jesus jokes emerged. Archie Bunker on “All in the Family” was the white racist and misogynist you loved to hate and hated to love. On one occasion, his son-in-law challenged Bunker’s rampant anti-Semitism with the claim, "Jesus was Jewish." Archie shot back immediately: "Only on his mother's side." The “All in the Family” spin off “Good Times” featured a black family that lives in an inner-city housing project, probably Chicago's infamous Cabrini Green. On the show's second episode, the oldest son J. J. astounded everyone by painting Jesus as black. The younger son loves it, and says he learned all about Christ’s blackness from the local Nation of Islam. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories As the family debates whether this black Jesus should be hung on the wall in place of their white Jesus, they “miraculously” receive $140 from the Internal Revenue Service. Feeling blessed, the family placed the painting on its living room wall, and the elated J. J. shouted his tagline, "Dyno-mite!” From the 1980s to the present, the number of prominent Jesus jokes has multiplied like loaves and fishes: • In “Talladega Nights,” Ricky Bobby and his family debated which Jesus to pray to (“baby Jesus in golden fleece diapers,” “grown-up Jesus,” “ninja Jesus”). Their overall hope is that Jesus will help them continue their extravagant lifestyle. • “South Park” featured Jesus as a weak-kneed host of a local talk show who boxes the devil. • “Family Guy” had Jesus perform magic tricks that wowed his ancient audience. • “The Colbert Report” placed a gun in Christ’s hand and had him defend conservatives against the liberal “War on Easter.” • “Saturday Night Live” let Jesus chastise Tim Tebow for using the Lord’s name in vain and ended the bit by declaring that the Mormons have it right. One unforgettable scene in the rather forgettable recent film “21 Jump Street” may explain why Jesus has become such a joke. Before Jonah Hill’s character returns to high school as an undercover cop, he prays to a small, crucified “Korean Jesus.” Down on his knees, he says: “Hey Korean Jesus, I don’t know if you only cater to Korean Christians or if you even exist, no offense. I’m just really freaked out about going back to high school. It was just so f***ing hard the first time. … I just really don’t want to f*** this up. Sorry for swearing so much. The end? I don’t really know how to end the prayer.” The hilarity of the moment only makes sense in our time. Hill's character is unchurched and agnostic, but wants spiritual power to guide him. We can laugh at how agnosticism and being “spiritual, but not religious,” leave him uncertain of what to say, how to say it, and even how to end. We can also laugh at how ethnic factors color his approach. By wondering if Korean Jesus cares only about Korean problems, Hill pokes fun at the issue which was made a media spectacle in 2008, when the Rev. Jeremiah Wright could be heard preaching that “Jesus was a poor black man” as part of his support for Barack Obama. What good is a God who only cares for those who look like him? The Jesus jokes not only reveal how tangled our religious, racial, economic and political positions have become, but also how many outlets there are for the jokes. In these tense times, when presidential hopefuls point fingers at one another and families unfriend one another over political and cultural differences, laughing may be one way to talk about the problems without killing one another. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Edward J. Blum and Paul Harvey. soundoff (5,746 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 Next »Post a comment
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Editor’s note: 
There is a reason to assert that a diety exists, that reason being the hope (however unscientific) of surviving death.
There exists no reason to assert that a diety does not exist. Even in matters of politics if a man makes a choice to vote be it from a matter of conscience, a matter of personal opinion, or because belief in an invisible being his vote is the same and holds equal weight.
The thing is, you really don't need a deity to believe in if you are looking to survive death. You could believe in unicorns, fairies, cabbage, grass, a pet rock... you get the idea. All of these things hold equal value in that context.
I'm not sure fear is a "reason to assert" anything. Perhaps it is a reason to hope there is a deity, for some. Others prefer reality.
I dont know when CNN will feature this story, but surely this needs a lot of answering by Catholics...
An Indian women in Ireland died because the doctors there refused to conduct a medically-indicated abortion even though it was clear that the fetus would not survive anyway. And guess what, the woman wasn't even a Catholic!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2232676/Savita-Halappanavar-dies-Irish-doctors-refuse-abortion-saying-This-Catholic-country.html
Holy Hanoi! Can you imagine the fracas that would ensue if CNN put that story here?
Just checked, it is on the speed read list for today! Waiting for responses.
And the weekend is around the corner... I'm gonna need some (lots of) alcohol, some (again, a lot of) redbull, snacks and a carton of cigs. I don't want to miss a moment!
The leaders of this growing cult is Darwin, Dawkins and others who wave science over themselves as if they are smarter then everyone else. The irreligious take good science out of context to fit their myths and fairy tales just as much as the religious (Christians) offten take the bible out of context. Issac Newton had a lot of information correct when it came to the bible
Why do you keep repeating the same stuff when people have answered you below? Whay are you so scared to learn?
Pedro: Just because you do not understand the basics does not make them any less real. Dawkins (I doubt you know anything about the man) is not our 'leader'...unlike christards we don't require a leader.
Pedro
Issac Newton had a lot of information wrong when it came to science too, like alchemy. He lived during a time when science was young, and people's mids were too mired in the idea of God being real to bother to think that he may not be. Had he been around during Darwin's time he most likely would have seen the truth of evolution as well.
It isn't that scientists or atheists are smarter than everyone else; it's just that we are more knowledgable of the subject matter in question. Many creationists get their idea of "evolution" from their pastors, who get their ideas from people who make their living selling materials that misrepresent the science to a gullible public. So, it's the question of whether you trust the experts in a field, who happen to have the evidence to support their findings and practical applications which show that evolution works, and is in process right now, or do you trust the people who aren't employed as scientists in reputable schools, who aren't doing any research at all. Whose only basis for dismissing the science is that it messes with their idea of what the Bible says?
"who wave science over themselves as if they are smarter then everyone else."
They may not be smarter than everyone else, but they are clearly smarter than you.
Prayer changes things .
What are you afraid of?
If praying had any influence on the outcome of events it would be easy to verify in a scientific study.
biobraine
Supposedly, prayer is answered with either a "Yes", a "No", or a "Later"_ EXACTLY the same three possible results one would expect if there wasn't a being answering prayers, and things just happened naturally. Funny how that works, eh?
"Ronald Regonzo" who degenerates to:
"Salvatore" degenerates to:
"Douglas" degenerates to:
"truth be told" degenerates to:
"Thinker23" degenerates to:
"Atheism is not healthy ..." degenerates to:
"another repentant sinner" degenerates to:
"Dodney Rangerfield" degenerates to:
"tina" degenerates to:
"captain america" degenerates to:
"Atheist Hunter" degenerates to:
"Anybody know how to read? " degenerates to:
"just sayin" degenerates to:
"ImLook'nUp" degenerates to:
"Kindness" degenerates to:
"Chad" degenerates to
"Bob" degenerates to
"nope" degenerates to;
"2357" degenerates to:
"WOW" degenerates to:
"fred" degenerates to:
"!" degenerates to:
"pervert alert" is the degenerate.
This troll is not a christian.
Willing to appear openly to those who seek him with all their heart, and to be hidden from those who flee from him with all their heart, God so regulates the knowledge of himself that he has given indications of himself which are visible to those who seek him and not to those who do not seek him. There is enough light for those to see who only desire to see, and enough obscurity for those who have a contrary disposition. Blaise Pascal (one of the smartest people who ever lived)
But in spite of his genius, he was delusioned. So what is your point?
so, you have to believe in order to believe?
also smarts and faith are two separate things.
16th century smart, you mean!
On more research into Pascal, I find a brilliant mind gone insane at the tender age of 30. Born 1623, he had RELIGIOUS VISION in 1654! Till then, he made significant contributions to science. And then, he left scientific work!!! Pascal's ascetic lifestyle derived from a belief that it was natural and necessary for a person to suffer. In 1659, Pascal fell seriously ill. During his last years, he frequently tried to reject the ministrations of his doctors, saying, "Sickness is the natural state of Christians."
In 1662, Pascal's illness became more violent, and his emotional condition had severely worsened since his sister's death, which happened the previous year. In Paris on 18 August 1662, Pascal went into convulsions and received extreme unction. He died the next morning.
An autopsy performed after his death revealed grave problems with his stomach and other organs of his abdomen, along with damage to his brain. Despite the autopsy, the cause of his poor health was never precisely determined, though speculation focuses on tuberculosis, stomach cancer, or a combination of the two. The headaches which afflicted Pascal are generally attributed to his brain lesion.
Pascal of course is not being specific as to which of the many gods people had to choose from. Being a smart guy he left what god to seek solace from open to the reader, believers in Kojiki, Tipitaka, Zeus, Mars, Tao Te Ching, etc. could relate to this statement. Now Chad will scramble to find a quote that shows Pascal has made about the Judeo/Christian god, because that is what the Chad does, ie. Madison, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, Franklin, Washington (A Mason)...... Try not to play his game, he seeks attention.
Chad alert,
Pascal's life sucked – his mother died in childhood, then he lost his father quite young. He never married, he had significant differences with his sister, who also died. And whatever one may claim, he actually neve found any solace even with whatever God Chad may claim he followed. Like I said before – gone insane!
Simran
Of course I am only attempting to pull the Chad's chain, get him going, Thanks for the info on Pascal, poor bugger, but somehow it brings about a vision of Chad pecking away at his keyboard in a corner of his mothers basement where he lives
Pascal died in 1662, in the very earliest history of modern science and long before Darwin and others seriously started to question God's existence. You might as well ask him if he believed in micro organisms, black holes and radiation, all things way before his time. Had he been born later, and had access to Darwin's work he probably would have accepted it, being the good scientist that he was.
Modern science grew out of the age of superst ition and ignorance. Pascal was at the beginning of all that, so we can forgive him for being stuck in the old misconceptions.
Arn't you tired of it fundies, arn't you tired of the atheists always ph_uckking wit chew and your sky fairy?
You gotz all those high powered guns in your bunker basement. Use them.
Go out and start killing to show us all how much your love jeebus and follow his teachings.
Kill, its what you do.
Hallelujah & pass the ammunition!
That's not funny! These people like to hang out in the hills and have more AK 47s than the Taliban.
Love Spell
Command and Compel Your Lover to You
Get a piece of brown paper and cut it into a square. Using a red pencil, write the name of your loved one nine times. Turn the paper 90 degrees to the right and write your name over hers nine times. Fold the paper three times. While doing this, focus intensely on your desires. Repeat the following as you hold the paper to your heart:
I command you, I compel you
Love me, as I love you
I command you, I compel you,
(Target's name) return to me now!
Now, burn the paper and scatter the ashes to the wind.
The rest is up to the universe to take care of. There is an incubation period that occurs after a spell is cast. Be patient for the results. In 27 days, if you have not heard from your beloved, repeat the above actions. You can do so once every 27 days to strengthen and recharge the work.
I bet you weight the same as a duck and thus made of wood and therefore - A WITCH!
BURN THE WITCH!
@miss
So you do all of that and yet it is still up to the universe to do the work? Sounds like wasted effort.
To Protect Your Home from Evil and Negativity
To protect your home from evil and negativity, wither brought about by people in this world or spirits in the other world, try this easy remedy. Take some cayenne pepper, ordinary table salt and sulphur and sprinkle it around your house. That will make an effective barrier to keep out the riff raff.
Cast a Voodoo Curse on someone
Ingredients:
Cloth
Mud
Sticks
Pins
Incense sticks
Black candles
Black kohl
And an object belonging to the person in question.
Procedure:
I forge this image, I bewitch it,
the malevolent aspect, the evil eye,
the malevolent mouth, the malevolent tongue,
the malevolent lip, the finest sorcery,
Spirit of the heavens, conjure it! Spirit of the earth, conjure it!
“as I drive pins into this doll
may the man feel the pain
the man in flesh and blood
the man in vain”
And this is relevant how?
do not tempt me
Why? What are you gonna do? Booga, booga, booga. Your mumbo-jumbo is nonsense.
it is done
<bDefinition of CULT
1
: formal religious veneration : worship
2
: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3
: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4
: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
5
a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad
b : the object of such devotion
c : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
The difference between a cult and a religion:
In a cult the guy at the top is a fraud.
In a religion the guy at the top is dead.
ki vanu vachar'ta v'otanu kidash'ta mikol ha'amim
because You have chosen us and made us holy from all peoples
LOL. The Muslims would state otherwise. Someone's lying.
Islam: The Jews Are the Eternal Enemies of Muslims Regardless of the Occupation of Palestine [ youtube.com/watch?v=_X8dhrzQCHY ]
asher bachar banu mikol am v'rom'manu mikol lashon
who has chosen us from among all people, and exalted us above every tongue
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha-olam
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe
Cover you eyes with your right hand and say:
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha-olam
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe
Schmuk
"huge penis"
cokk?
@Hawaiiguest
You are here every time there is a post made about religions, you prove yourself to others that you don't have a job and that you are spending more time on your computer instead of being out there looking for a job. So between you and me, you are the loser, and the lazy one. Get a job and a life. And please, move that fat back bottom of yours and do something else with your life.
LOOOOOOSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR
How old are you Kok? You should be in bed at this time. Or do your atheists parents let you read these comments?
Brophy, are you still here? Why? You aren't equipped to argue with Moby or hawaii. I doubt you could hold your own with a dead cat.
I'm 47. how old are you. you probably should move out of your parent's basement by now.
All right, I wrote a nice post here. Where did it go?
@Margaret,
I suspect you used a naughty word. Words like ti-tle, doc-ument, va-gue and ausp-icious all contain 'naughty' words (t-it, c-um, v-ag, sp-ic) that get filtered automatically.
If you are having trouble, we can post the full list.
big cokk?
So much hate in this blog. So much hate in this world. The end is near, especially with the new turmoil In Israel. Repent NOW!!!
Men have been predicting the end of days since roughly 40 A.D. They have all been wrong. So are you.
12 21 2012
Delusional nonsense. Stop watching "Ancient Aliens".
@Stella
I don't want to be rude but i was reading some of your post and i noticed that you are floating on a cloud, i don't know if you're smoking mothballs or what but you should come back to earth and look around you. This world is full o non believers or people admiring Satanism and atheism and all kind of non-sense. Cults like atheism is not good at all. It will only bring this world into a system were everybody have no more boundaries and people will find excuses for their behaviors by saying it's ok and if you're not in accordance with them you will called anti this or anti that.There is no bright future with atheism, it's a dangerous cult. And please don't come telling me that it's not a cult because it is period. They're not any better than what catholic did in the past, or Hitler or Napoleon and every psychopath that ever walked this planet. Most of them hid behind the curtain of religion to do their dirty work. But none of them were firm believers. you can't believe in God and kill millions of people, it just don't match up.
Atheism is a cult in the same way that non stamp collecting is a hobby. Not stamp collecting is not a unifying activity just like atheism is not a unifying activity. "Off" is not a t.v. channel.
@Moby Schtick
Your Stamp Collecting comparison that you atheists keep repeating is just childish. Atheism is a Cult, most of you become atheists just because you think atheism is cool and a good thing to be a part of. Or simply because your friends in school were and you just want to be accepted and not being rejected by other kids at school. But in reality most of you don't even know what you got yourselves into. It is a Cult and you should wake up and look at what really atheism is.
First of all, Brophy, you bonehead, the word "cult" isn't a proper noun. It's not capitalized unless it's at the beginning of a sentence. As for your claim that atheism is a cult, why don't you look up the definition of a cult and post it?
<bDefinition of CULT
1
: formal religious veneration : worship
2
: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3
: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4
: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
5
a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad
b : the object of such devotion
c : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
And @Doomed is on a roll using both number one AND number eight on my top thirteen list of the most irritatingly stupid 'arguments' religionists make here:
1. Equating atheism with a belief in the non-existence of God:
eg: “Atheism is a religion” Ummm, no, really, it’s not!
Atheism is a religion like not collecting stamps is a hobby,
Atheism is a religion like bald is a hair color,
Atheism is a religion like off is a television channel
Atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex act
8. Absurd attempts to conflate atheism with despotic dictators
eg: ”Atheists have tortured and murdered more people in the last 100 years than were killed in all previous centuries” or slightly less inaccurately: “Atheists killed more than 100,000,000 people in the 20th century”
The syllogism:
- Communist despots ordered or failed to prevent the deaths of millions in the 20th century
- Not believing in God is a tenet of communism
- Therefore, atheists killed millions in the 20th century
deliberately misrepresents atheism. It’s a post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy.
coo coo
cult [kuhlt] Show IPA
noun
1.
a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2.
an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
3.
the object of such devotion.
4.
a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5.
Sociology . a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
Now, Brophy, think. It will only hurt a little. In what "rites" do atheists engage? What "ceremonies" do they have? What person, ideal, or thing do they venerate? What ideals do they all share? What "sacred symbols" do they use?
Well, well, looks like Brophy/Doomed ran off in terror yet again. Good riddance.
@Doomed
You level a ssertions without any reasoning to show WHY your a ssertions are correct--even if only to your own sense of logic. Anybody can do what you do. You might as well be saying that the moon is made of green cheese; you're offering just as much reasoning for that idea.
Sir Thomas Scott Last Words before Death:
"Up until this time, I thought that there was no God neither Hell. Now I know and feel that there are both, and I am delivered to perdition by the righteous judgment of the Almighty."
M.F. Rich: "Terrible horrors hang over my soul! I have given my immortality for gold; and its weight sinks me into a hopeless, helpless Hell!"
Thomas Paine
"I would give worlds if I had them, that The Age of Reason had never been published. O Lord, help me! Christ, help me! . . No, don't leave; stay with me! Send even a child to stay with me; for I am on the edge of Hell here alone. If ever the Devil had an agent, I have been that one."
DAVID HUME, the atheist, cried: "I am in the flames!" His despair was an awful scene.
Sir Francis Newport, the head of an English infidel clubsaid, "You need not tell me there is no God for I know there is one, and that I am in His presence! You need not tell me there is no hell. I feel myself already slipping. Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me! I know I am lost forever! Oh, that fire! Oh, the insufferable pangs of hell!"
spend a lot of time on your knees, do you stella?
While you kneel repeatedly Stella, you may be putting yourself at high risk of prepatellar bursitis. A knee-pad would be helpful, and if you need, I can give you a list of useful orthopedicians!
If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.
“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth; this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Matthew 24: 22-41
Stella
12 21 2012?
So, you believe in the Mayan gods and creation myth now? It is truly funny how most of the Christians I know still believe in things like voodoo, unlucky black cats, astrology, UFO and birth certificate conspiracies, and a bunch of other stuff that would have gotten them burned a few hundred years ago. Scratch a typical Christian and you get a pagan, ... a very gullible pagan.