Recurrent thoughts about mathematics, science, politics, music, religion, and Recurrent thoughts about mathematics, science, politics, music, religion, and Recurrent thoughts about mathematics, science, politics, music, religion, and Recurrent thoughts about ....
Saturday, March 03, 2018
Who's the Comedian?
I wrote a joke that was once voted the funniest religious joke of all time. This what I looked like in high school.
In the Age of the Internet, I take it we're meant to look up the answer, so I did.
It uses an impressive level of detail, which I assume is real. It raises the further questions, how many Christian denominations are there, and why?
There can't be an exact number, because it might be changing as I type, but the answers I found suggest there are 40,000 +/- 10,000 different Christian organizations and 40+ major belief schisms - that is, the claim is made that many of of the organizations can be combined under a single belief system.
I was brought up in a Wesleyan Methodist church, and read that the WM's split off from the Methodists circa 1860 because the WM's were strict abolitionists and the Methodists were not. I think they kept the same formal creed, so I am not sure they would be considered to have a different belief - but it seems to me that different moral preferences must constitute different beliefs if you claim all morals come from your god. (Of course maybe now most Methodists are also abolitionists.)
"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me."
Emo Philips?
ReplyDeleteEmo Philips? I love that joke!
ReplyDeleteIn the Age of the Internet, I take it we're meant to look up the answer, so I did.
ReplyDeleteIt uses an impressive level of detail, which I assume is real. It raises the further questions, how many Christian denominations are there, and why?
There can't be an exact number, because it might be changing as I type, but the answers I found suggest there are 40,000 +/- 10,000 different Christian organizations and 40+ major belief schisms - that is, the claim is made that many of of the organizations can be combined under a single belief system.
I was brought up in a Wesleyan Methodist church, and read that the WM's split off from the Methodists circa 1860 because the WM's were strict abolitionists and the Methodists were not. I think they kept the same formal creed, so I am not sure they would be considered to have a different belief - but it seems to me that different moral preferences must constitute different beliefs if you claim all morals come from your god. (Of course maybe now most Methodists are also abolitionists.)
Emo Phillips.
ReplyDeleteEmo Philips
ReplyDeleteI figured it was the man-on-the-bridge joke, but I looked it up to make sure.
ReplyDeleteI prefer this one, though:
ReplyDelete"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me."
(h/t Atrios)