Not Funny

Our Christian conduct should be governed by the parameters of the Scriptures, which show us what is and what is not acceptable to God. Ephesians 4 warns us:
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

We have to guard against our minds become corrupted by the philosophies of this world and ideologies that stand in opposition to the Word of God. We have to be measured in our responses to people with whom we disagree, firm in conviction, but not displaying anger or bitterness, which do not further the cause of the Kingdom of God. We should avoid expressing ourselves in a manner that does not communicate with grace and reflect Godly character.

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In 2nd Timothy chapter 2, Paul exhorted Timothy to faithfulness to the study of the Scriptures, writing this:
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.
17a And their message will spread like cancer.

Well, the folks at Saturday Night Live on NBC seem to be at it again; in their feeble efforts to be humorous, they have taken a very serious subject and attempted to build an ill-advised sketch around it.

ChristianHeadlines.com reported on a recent such occurrence that has managed to offend people in the pro-life community.  Here's the gist of it, as expressed on the site:

According to Faithwire, the skit featured “Goober the Clown,” played by actress and comedian Cecily Brown, who has been a cast member on the late-night show since 2012.

The sketch was built around the recent arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court about the Texas heartbeat law, which bans abortion after a heartbeat is detected, generally around 6-7 weeks.

The article goes on to say:

Goober, who was wearing a top hat, spinning bow tie and red clown nose, appeared in the scene to joke around and talk about her abortion experience. After spraying Jost with a flower water gun, sparking laughter from the studio audience, Goober revealed that she had had an abortion just before she turned 23.

“I had an abortion the day before my 23rd birthday!” the clown proclaimed.

The controversial segment remained centered on “clown abortion concerns” as a way to drive home the comedian’s point that all people should have access to abortions.

Goober also said, “Did you know one in three clowns will have a clown abortion in her lifetime? You don’t because they don’t tell you,” adding, “They don’t even know how to talk to other clowns about it!”

As John Stonestreet contended in a recent edition of the one-minute commentary, The Point:

The intent, I think, was to portray abortion as no big deal, not as dark and scary as it’s made out to be, and to suggest that women shouldn’t be forced to talk about it.

But the sketch came across awkward and sad. Perhaps Strong’s parody was actually rooted in her own deep pain. But if it’s really no big deal, why wouldn’t people be more excited about the freedom abortion supposedly brings?

He stated that the truth about abortion is that it is an "act of violence perpetrated on both mother and child…which is why abortion is no laughing matter."

Christian Headlines featured quotes from other pro-life Christian leaders:

Jeanne F. Mancini, the President of March For Life, an annual rally and march in protest of abortion, tweeted, “Taking the life of an unborn child isn’t a laughing matter. Not for the mother or the baby.”

Live Action Founder and President Lila Rose said on Twitter, “Sacrificing your child to play a clown on SNL. Not worth it..."

Sadly, Strong said, “I know I wouldn’t be a clown on TV here today if it weren’t for the abortion I had the day before my 23rd birthday..."

The Faithwire article included a tweet from the Radiance Foundation, headed by Ryan Bomberger:

Nothing says "funny" like joking about killing the unborn. Epic fail @nbcsnl. Millions killed and you offer this lame skit. Because millions of women just want to laugh about such a decision.

We live in an age of enhanced sensitivity - there are issues that cause dissension between friends and heated rhetoric between strangers on social media.  We substitute polarization for conviction, and become desensitized about the wrong things.  We need a filter to know what we should make light of and what should be taken very seriously.  And, the sanctity of life is one of those topic areas that should not be minimized.  Abortion is not "choice," it is the taking of a life.

We should have some humor in our life; we should be people who convey a hopeful attitude and smile at one another.  I think that can help get us through difficult times - not in an aloof, insensitive manner, though.  We don't laugh at others' expense and we certainly should know what is and isn't appropriate.  Believers in Christ should possess a seriousness about the teachings of God's Word and the grace to be able to communicate it well to those around us.