|
Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Protestantism & Protestant Churches > Other Protestant & Nonconformist Churches > General
Incorporating perspectives from religious studies, humor studies,
cultural and film studies, and theology, as well as original data
from textual analysis and the voices of religious comedians, this
book critically analyses the experiences of believers who
appreciate that their faith is not necessarily a barrier to their
laughter. It is often thought that religion and humor are
incompatible, but Religious Humor in Evangelical Christian and
Mormon Culture shows that humor is not only a popular means of
entertainment, but also a way in which an individual or community
expresses their identity and values. Elisha McIntyre argues that
believers embrace their sense of humor, actively producing and
consciously consuming comic entertainment that reflects their own
experiences. This process is not however without conflict. The book
argues that there are specific characteristics that indicate a
unique kind of humor that may be called 'religious humor'. Through
an examination of religious humor found in stand-up comedy,
television sitcoms, comedy film and satirical cartoons, and drawing
on interview data, the book outlines the main considerations that
Christians take into account when choosing their comedy
entertainment. These include questions about ideology, blasphemy,
taboos around the body, and the motives behind the joke.
Exploring the surprising presence of Christian Science in American
literature at the turn of the 20th century, L. Ashley Squires
reveals the rich and complex connections between religion and
literature in American culture. Mary Baker Eddy's Church of Christ,
Scientist was one of the fastest growing and most controversial
religious movements in the United States, and it is no accident
that its influence touched the lives and work of many American
writers, including Frances Hodgson Burnett, Willa Cather, Theodore
Dreiser, Upton Sinclair, and Mark Twain. Squires focuses on
personal stories of sickness and healing-whether supportive or
deeply critical of Christian Science's recommendations -penned in a
moment when the struggle between religion and science framed
debates about how the United States was to become a modern nation.
As outsized personalities and outlandish rhetoric took to the
stage, Squires examines how the poorly understood Christian Science
movement contributed to popular narratives about how to heal the
nation and advance the cause of human progress.
|
|