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Add "Is there Humor in Heaven?" post.

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Nicolás A. Ortega Froysa
2025-09-03 21:13:40 +02:00
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<?php
$title = "Is there Humor in Heaven?";
$description = "A personal exercise in theological reasoning which I could totally be wrong about.";
$created = "2025-09-03";
$updated = "2025-09-03";
?>

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<?php
require 'config.php';
require '2025-09-03-is-there-humor-in-heaven.cfg.php';
require 'templates/blog-header.php';
?>
<p>
Probably around a year ago I was having a conversation with a friend of mine
over a beer (as you do) and at some point we got to talking about humor and what
is and is not acceptable, particularly as it pertains to why blasphemous humor
is wrong. The conclusion we reached was that the object of humor must be
something imperfect, but God and the sacred are perfect, thus they aren't a
proper object for humor. Then, this having been said, and as tends to happen, it
sounded about right to both of us and we moved on. But later, on my way home,
and for months ever since I have thought about not only whether this is true,
but also what the implications of it may be.
</p>
<p>
To start, I'd like to justify the claim before going any further, for otherwise
we're really just speculating based on possibly flawed assumptions. Furthermore,
I think the claim also requires some clarification, since without nuance it can
probably lead to some wrong conclusions about what we should be laughing at.
Therefore I'll start with the inductive case and then move on to the case based
on what I think is the purpose of humor. After that we can get into what the
consequences of this claim are.
</p>
<p>
When it comes to humor we can simplify and say that it always manifests itself
in some sort of a joke, or at least we'll use that terminology to refer to a
specific instance of humor. Now when thinking of jokes, whether ironic,
wordplay, sarcastic, etc. in all instances I have observed there is not a single
joke which has as its object something perfect, but always something imperfect
(or at least apparently imperfect). An imperfect expectation on the part of the
listener, an imperfect (or ambiguous) communication of meaning in a pun, an
imperfect use of language itself when one sarcastically says the opposite of
what one means. The object of our humor is always the imperfection. Even when an
atheist laughs at God himself, who is perfect being objectively, it is because
his subjective understanding of God is itself imperfect, and it is this
subjective understanding which is the object of his humor. I have dared friends
and family to find me a single example to the contrary, but none have given me
one example.
</p>
<p>
We must then ask the question “why?” Why is it that this is the case? And for
this we must tend to the purpose of humor and why we do it. For this I think
there is wisdom to be found in the proverb “a cheerful heart is a good medicine,
but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.” (Prov. 17:22) Or, as the modern
version of this proverb goes: laughter is the best medicine. Laughter seems to
be a means of healing; not the body, for which we have physicians, not the soul,
for which we have the Sacraments and the priests that minister them, but the
spirit. It takes that which is imperfect in life, and although it cannot fix it,
it gives it meaning and, in the more tragic cases, it also makes the yoke a
little bit lighter. In the case of the pun it makes the imperfect ambiguities of
language attain the higher purpose of elevating the spirit, and in the case of a
real tragedy, such as living under an oppressive regime, it provides relief
enough to keep pushing onward. We thus see that humor attains an almost divine
quality, as it does precisely what we Christians claim gives answer to the
problem of evil: that “[i]n time we can discover that God in his almighty
providence can bring a good from the consequences of an evil, even a moral evil,
caused by his creatures” (CCC § 312). This is not to claim, of course, that
humor makes up for the evil (which is what imperfection is) that is its object,
but certainly that it is one small piece which God has readily put at our
disposal.
</p>
<p>
So now that we know this, we can finally ask the question: is there humor in
Heaven? At first glance I think the answer must be a resounding “no.” The
Catechism describes Heaven as “[the] perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity
[...] the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state
of supreme definitive happiness.” (CCC § 1024) If there is no imperfection,
there is not object for humor. This may seem surprising, considering what joy we
get from it, but there are other goods which likewise will not exist in Heaven
for similar reasons. For what will we need forgiveness in Heaven if there are no
transgressions? For what will we need medicine if our bodies will not need
healing? Thus it is not outlandish to assume that humor too may fade as its
function was only necessary on this side of the <i>Eschaton</i>. One could argue
that perhaps we could continue to find humor in the imperfections of our past,
but I find this unconvincing, for however long history may have been it will
always be finite compared to the eternity we shall spend in Heaven, thus at some
point we will have exhausted all the jokes and there will be no more new ones.
So the eschatological future looks rather bleak for humor.
</p>
<p>
There is, however, one possibility, though for some it may at first seem
revolting, so bear with me. There is one place that for the rest of eternity
will suffer imperfection and to enormous degrees: Hell and the suffering of the
damned. Now certainly, to the damned their suffering would not seem at all
humorous, nor can there be humor within Hell since God would not provide them
with such a medicinal relief, for as the Catechism states:
</p>
<blockquote>
“The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone
man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for
which he longs.” (CCC § 1035)
</blockquote>
<p>
This does not mean, however, that those in Heaven cannot witness and find humor
in the imperfections of the suffering of the damned. This may seem cruel, but
this I think will may sense with perhaps a bit of explanation and example.
</p>
<p>
The reason we find it cruel is because we unfortunately imagine the damned to be
unwilling in their damnation. This is because we see the damned in the same way
we see the living who, at least in our own eyes, aren't necessarily living the
most Christian life. The Catechism says the following:
</p>
<blockquote>
“We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we
cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or
against ourselves. [...] This state of definitive self-exclusion from
communion with God and the blessed is called ‘hell.’” (CCC § 1033)
</blockquote>
<p>
Whereas with the living we are incapable of judging our neighbor and the state
of their soul, nor are we capable of knowing whether they shall eventually
repent and be saved by God, with the damned we are actually certain of the
sinful state of their soul and that they will never repent, for only these sorts
of people can exist in Hell. Furthermore, we must remember that Hell is a “state
of self-exclusion,” (ibid.) meaning that the damned person himself made the
conscious decision to prefer sin and damnation over repentance and eternity in
communion with the source and summit of all goodness; the <i>Summum Bonum</i>.
Therefore the picture that begins to form is of many wicked people causing their
own suffering, and then getting mad that they are suffering. It begins to be
quite comical and remind us of the Psalm: “Let the wicked together fall into
their own nets, while I escape.” (Ps. 141:10)
</p>
<p>
To give an example of how this sort of thing can seem humorous, let's take the
example of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. In this cartoon the Coyote is
constantly trying to trap the Road Runner with all sorts of schemes and plots,
but the punch line of every joke is that the Road Runner seems wholly unaffected
by the trap and the Coyote ends up falling into it himself. What's even more
funny is when he gets frustrated and angry, when we can all see that he himself
is the source of his own suffering, which he only exacerbates more by getting
angry. To add another level of silliness, he doesn't get angry at himself (the
source of his misery) but at the Road Runner whose only apparent crime was not
falling into his trap. Similarly, we can say that this is how we will feel about
the damned. They are angry at God for their punishment and blame Him for it,
when it is their own hatred of God which brought this punishment upon them in
the first place, and which continues to make them more miserable. What's more,
even the Devil himself, to whom we often mistakenly attribute a power he does
not have, we will see as nothing more than a pathetic and miserable being.
</p>
<p>
It should be noted that the Church does not officially condemn anyone to Hell,
nor should we assume anyone to be there besides Satan and the fallen angels. The
Church's mission is not to condemn souls, but to provide the means of salvation
to the world. Therefore it would not be wise to preemptively assume to be able
to partake in this heavenly form of comedy, which I myself am only speculating
as a possibility. Even in the most apparent case of someone most likely to be
damned, Judas Iscariot, the Church does not officially condemn him for it is not
her role.
</p>
<p>
Ultimately this is all merely some theological speculation on my part, and I am
perfectly willing to be wrong and change my mind. Send me an e-mail if you think
that's the case (though if you make it super long I may take a long while to
respond). I hope that at the very least this helped to reflect upon God and the
economy of grace and mercy, to reflect on what we believe as Christians, and to
strive for holiness in hope for the life to come, or at least in fear of the
punishment that awaits those who do not repent and love God and neighbor. God
bless you.
</p>
<?php
require 'templates/blog-footer.php';
?>