Does God Have a Sense of Humor?

Faith and Philosophy 32 (3):271-292 (2015)
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Abstract

This paper provides a defense of the thesis that God has a sense of humor. First, I sketch the four main theories of what it is to have a sense of humor that we find in the literature. Next, I argue that three arguments against the thesis that God has a sense of humor fail to convince. Then, I consider what one might take to be four biblical reasons to think that God has a sense of humor and argue that none of them are convincing. Subsequently, I give three philosophical reasons to think that God (if he exists) has a sense of humor, that is, reasons that any person who grasps the concept of God should be willing to embrace. These arguments differ in strength, but I argue that, jointly, they provide us with sufficient reason to think that God has a sense of humor. Finally, I spell out three implications of the idea that God has a sense of humor.

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Author's Profile

Rik Peels
VU University Amsterdam

Citations of this work

Can God be jealous?Rik Peels - 2020 - Heythrop Journal 61 (6):964-978.

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References found in this work

Humor.Aaron Smuts - 2006 - Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Seven reasons why amusement is an emotion.Robert A. Sharpe - 1975 - Journal of Value Inquiry 9 (3):201-203.

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