"Funny" - Really?

What’s so funny?

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).

One of the features I enjoy as a member/writer at hubpages.com is the “Feedback” section. At the end of each hub, before the comment section, there is a list of Accolades – Useful, Funny, Awesome, Beautiful and Interesting.  There is also a Vote Up and a Vote Down Option. This allows the reader an opportunity to offer his/her opinion anonymously and helps the writer to know if he/she is getting his/her point across and what people think of the writing. As a member of the hubpages I can then go to my account section and see the accolades marked for each hub. I can also see exactly how many times each hub has been viewed and how many comments were left. Not every reader leaves or marks the accolades and some may mark more than one. There are always fewer accolades than there are hub views. Therefore it does not reflect a real accurate opinion, but it does give the writer an idea of how his/her work is being received by other hubbers.

A Spiritual Message

I am always interested to see what people who read my hubs/blogs think of them. I have been surprised to find that several people (11 in all) considered different hubs I’ve written to be funny. It surprises me because I am a serious writer. All of my hubs contain some sort of spiritual message. Now I grant you that is very few funny votes when one considers that the total views on all of my hubs combined is at this point in time 8,834 - but really; funny? I fear for the souls of those who voted funny because they are not laughing at me, but at God and God is not laughing with them.

Below is a list of the hubs which were voted funny:

1.    The Truth about Hell – A Response to “To Hell with Eternal Torment”  Total accolades – 15 –  Total funny – 3 (Total views 1499)

2.    “Death” – A Christian Perspective versus an Atheist – Total Accolades – 5 – Total funny  2 (Total Views – 221)

3.    There is a Message in the Cross – Total Accolades – 6 - Total funny – 2 (Total Views – 358)

4.    A Daily Prayer for Thursday – Total Accolades 3 – Total funny – 2 (Total Views – 40)

5.    Blameless – Total Accolades – 1 – Total funny – 1 (Total Views – 221)

6.    In the Quiet of Night – Total Accolades – 11 – Total funny – 1 (Total Views – 40)

The first hub listed above, The Truth about Hell , was written in response to a hub entitled “To Hell with Eternal Torment”. The writer of this hub was basically saying that a loving God would not send the people He created to Hell. The three main questions/statements I addressed were;

1.    Why would a loving God damn the people He created to eternal punishment in Hell?
2.    Why would God create people just for eternal punishment?
3.    How can people/Christians say they love God and wish that their fellow human beings be dammed to Hell?

These questions pose a grossly wrong interpretation of Scripture and of sincere Christians. My responses to them came from a loving heart and a desire for all people to know the peace that comes from a personal relationship with God, our Creator and with His Son, Jesus Christ who sacrificed His life in our place opening the gate to Heaven for all who believe in Him.

There was nothing funny about this hub. God is not laughing with those who voted it funny and He is not laughing at them. He is grieving for their souls. God...wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2:4)

The recycling bin?

The second hub in the list; Death – A Christian’s Perspective vs. an Atheist’s was written in an attempt to reach out to an Atheist with whom I was exchanging information regarding God’s love for all people. It was my hope, to help her realize the importance of our Time of Grace here on earth. I had asked this person; What do you believe about where people go when they die?  In response she wrote her own hub and entitled it; Death – An Atheist’s Perspective. In her hub she addressed the following three statements:

1.    According to my beliefs, my physical body will return to its elemental state and feed the earth and my energy will be returned to the earth to be recycled. In short, I will go to the recycling bin.
2.    I have yet to see concrete evidence for the existence of god and the supernatural…I’ve been researching the bible and the history of Christianity, and can confidently conclude that the bible is a work of fiction…
3.    If the bible is fiction, and there is no concrete evidence for the existence of god and the supernatural, then how can we presume there is an afterlife?...Can we believe what is said about heaven and hell?

These statements of belief offer absolutely no hope for the future and no reason to continue life here on earth. I will end up in the recycling bin? That certainly doesn’t give me a reason to go on living. The other two statements make it obvious that our human reason has no answers as to our existence either. In my response, I tried to offer her comfort from God’s Word. In the end, I believe stubborn pride on her part overruled. Obviously a couple of people thought my beliefs to be funny. In the end they were not laughing at me, but at God.

Foolishness to those who are perishing

Two people considered There is a Message in the Cross to be funny. In this hub I responded to the many accusations and criticisms I received in the comment sections of previous hubs in regards to my belief in God as our Creator. I along with other Christians were referred to as being Misleading Ego Maniacs, Unloving, Extremely Delusional, Very Aggressive, Hypocritical, Slanderers, and Two-Faced.  They also referred to God as being Two-Faced. I was told that the Bible is plagiarized off previous mythology, that religion is just another addiction, Christian belief is Fear Doctrine, Christians are blinded by their beliefs, and that Science and the Bible don’t match up. I responded in a loving way to each accusation and my responses were based on Scripture.  In the end we know that; the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:21) This is not a laughing matter.

A Daily Pray for Thursday is as follows:

Dearest Heavenly Father,

As we begin another new day help us to glorify you in all we do and say. Give us courage as we face the temptations set before us today by the devil, the world, and our own sinfulness. Keep us from that Long Black Train which, as the song writer says leads to nowhere and in the end to destruction. Rather, help us and guide us as we climb step by step the rocky and difficult path that leads to eternity with you. Guide us as we press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)

A heart to heart talk with God

And dear Father, as we witness the breakdown of families in our society, we ask you to be with the many children who are the innocent victims of divorced parents. Comfort their hearts with the knowledge that you love them deeply. Help parents to realize the precious gifts they have in their children. Send your Holy Angels to walk beside each child and protect him/her from harm. May all parents remember these words spoken by Jesus; See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. (Matthew 18:10)

Help married couples to take their vows seriously and to remember that marriage is a Holy institution initiated by you and not to be entered into lightly, or in haste and without forethought. When problems arise guide them to your word for wisdom and help.

We ask it all in the name of Jesus our Savior and Brother, in the name of God the Father, our Creator and Preserver, and in the name of the Holy Spirit who gives us faith. Amen

There is absolutely nothing in this prayer that would be considered funny!

Blameless is a hub which was written to help people understand that because of what Jesus accomplished for us when He died and rose again, we are holy in God’s eyes and made fit for Heaven. When Jesus died on the cross he took the punishment we deserve for our sinfulness upon Himself and gave us His holiness. He rose from the dead three days later conquering death and releasing us from its fear. Through faith in Jesus we are washed in His blood and made spotless and holy in God’s eyes. He no longer holds us accountable for our sin. This is often referred to as God’s Great Exchange.

Jesus died for all people and all people are forgiven through His sacrifice, but only those who acknowledge their sinfulness to God with a repentant heart, will receive the free gift of salvation offered. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

(John 3:16,17)This is definitely good news. It brings relief to our troubled conscience, and releases us from the chains of sin which bind us and hold us captive. We are free to live for God and we no longer need to fear dying. Death is the end of our life here on earth, but it is the beginning of our life in heaven where God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

(Revelation 7:17)

One person voted this hub funny. I would not consider this at all funny, but it definitely brings joy to the heart and relief to the soul.

The quiet of night

In the Quiet of Night is a true story. It happened to my oldest daughter. It is the story of how God protected her from an intruder. I discussed how God uses His Holy angels to protect those who love Him, how He has control over all things, and will use the outcome (good or bad) for good and to draw us closer to Him. I also discussed how the angels report to God as recorded in Job chapters 1 & 2 and how He enforces limits on Satan and his power. It was not a funny story, but possibly there are those who consider the spiritual world something to be joked about. One person gave this story a funny accolade.

Bigger than our Unisverse

It really doesn’t matter to me what others think of my writings. I don’t write to give glory to myself. I write to glorify God. I love God and my heart overflows with a burning desire to proclaim His love to the world around me. I want others to know how wonderful it is to have a personal relationship with Him. All people need to know that they are loved by a God who is bigger than the Universe we live in. He is the God “who sees”. He is the great “I Am”. Humans are the crown of His creation. He loves each of us as if we were His only child. In spite of the many people in the world, He knows each of our needs. He promises to always be with us. He answers prayer. He will make Himself known in your life when your heart is open to Him. He never changes. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17) He is the ALL POWERFUL, EVER PRESENT, ALL KNOWING GOD. He is the ONLY true God. There is no other.

I have been a member of the hubpages for 2 years and have had my blog the same amount of time. If my writings have made a difference in the life of just one person of all the almost 9000 people who have read them, then it is worth all the time and effort. Only the Holy Spirit can change hearts, but we can plant seeds and once the seeds are planted, He can make them grow.

Gloria Dei! – All Glory to God!
By Kristeen