Religious comedy

•To reflect on the use of humor regarding religion and explore whether religion has a negative attitude to religious comedy.

• Do you think that religion has a negative attitude to humour?

• What contribution does comedy make to religion?

Religious cartoons

We will now look at a series of cartoons about Christianity, including Jesus.

Consider the followinga) Do you find the cartoons offensive?b) Do you think a Christian would find

the cartoons offensive?c) Do any of them have a serious point

to make?

Task two – Written work

• What impact does comedy have on religion? Think about the television programmes and films as well as the cartoons.

Task three - ArticlesRead the BBC articles on the controversial ‘Jerry Springer – The Opera’.

1) List the arguments for and against showing the opera.

2) Which argument is the strongest for each side? Why?

3) Do you think the concerns of the religious groups show that religion has a negative attitude to comedy?

4) Do you think the Archbishop is right when he says that it would not be allowed if it was against Muhammad?

Essays so far…• AO2 (15 marks) • Assess the view that religious art must have a

religious subject.

• AO1 (30 marks) • Examine the purpose of religious art.  • AO2 (worth 15 marks) • ‘Only a person with religious belief can fully

understand the significance of religious art.’ • To what extent is this claim true?

• AO1 (15 marks)•  To what extent would you agree that the features of

a church could support worship? Refer to art in your answer.