- jader3rd on Loud Laughter, Reality, and Gallows Humor: “The loud laughter clause was always strange. Given that we had to talk around it, because we obviously weren’t following it, we’re strange. It’s good that it’s gone.” Dec 19, 08:51
- on Loud Laughter, Reality, and Gallows Humor: “Only the person who has gone through a severe trauma can really decide the best way to process it. Laughing at someone else’s trauma falls under the category of using humor to injure. To be clear, I’m not arguing that humor is mandatory for all situations (good grief). I’m arguing it is not inherently wrong to view, process life through humor because life isn’t solely deadly and serious.” Dec 18, 11:32
- on Loud Laughter, Reality, and Gallows Humor: “The context you’re leaving out is two words: marital rape. I don’t see anything remotely humorous about that.” Dec 18, 10:12
- on Loud Laughter, Reality, and Gallows Humor: “These were collectively described as “unholy” and “impure”—loaded and unmistakable ritual terms that carry specific temple connotations. This is a bit off-topic, but I don’t think it’s fair to insist that “unholy” and especially “impure” carry “specific temple connotations” when the brethren have been known to assign them distinctly non-temple connotations. I’m thinking specifically of the early-80s fiasco regarding oral sex, which was temporarily deemed “impure”. (Even further off-topic, that incident was a classic example of how the membership can effectively push back. The pushback was sufficiently overwhelming that the interpretation was quickly rescinded. But it left no public record, so that people today, if they’re aware of it at all, can dismiss the whole incident as a rumor. But some of us, myself included, sat for recommend interviews during that period and know that it really happened. But that was before the internet, when it was possible to express an opinion without creating a public record.)” Dec 18, 09:15
- on Loud Laughter, Reality, and Gallows Humor: “I’ve recently been studying humor (laughter – loud or otherwise, light mindedness especially as this is how humor works). I just don’t see the distinctions the same as others. It seems like the argument is that humor aimed at certain things is wrong because these things MUST be taken seriously only. I disagree with that. As I said before, humor is a problem when it’s used to intentionally injure people. Laughing at things that cause stress/anxiety/pain (such as the previous versions of the temple ceremony for me) is coping, a way to put things in perspective, and find joy.” Dec 18, 08:25
- on Loud Laughter, Reality, and Gallows Humor: “It may have been removed from the endowment, but D&C 59:15 and 88:69 are still in the books. But see Eccl. 3:4 (cf. 2:2) and Luke 6:21. Of course this raises the question of why the endowment, if inspired, would change (and it changes a lot). The whole premise of continuing revelation is that not everything that comes by revelation is eternal unchanging truth: a lot of it is guidance specifics for certain circumstances. Was the original meaning different than how we understand those same words today? If so, do we have any evidence of the term “laughter” being used differently in the 19th century than today? Is it because something about the times and human circumstances has changed such that laughter is less sinful than it used to be? Are there any other possible reasons I’m not thinking of?” Dec 18, 06:59
- on Loud Laughter, Reality, and Gallows Humor: “I agree with Stephen. If you hear the wording that replaces “loud laughter”, it’s immediately apparent that loud laughter was referring to making a mockery of sacred things.” Dec 18, 05:26
- on Loud Laughter, Reality, and Gallows Humor: “Nobody here is saying to avoid laughter and mirth at all. (“Humor itself enriched life,” “some frivolity and humor is okay and even necessary in our day-to-day”) and the use of “light-heartedness” wasn’t a quote from the temple ceremony.” Dec 18, 04:37
- on Loud Laughter, Reality, and Gallows Humor: “It didn’t say laughter, it said loud laughter. Just as it didn’t say light heartedness, it said light mindedness. People who bray like jackasses could indeed stand to moderate themselves. Nothing wrong there.” Dec 17, 20:37