Making light of marriage...

[Caroline H]

How do you feel about marriage jokes? You know, the ones where husbands are the butt of the joke and the wife is really the one in charge...or the husband is an incapable dummy without his wife telling him what to do next. They really irk me, and even more so when they come from Christians. Personally I think that they help colour our perception of marriage in a damaging way. What are your thoughts?

 

[JoJo]

I think commercials and sitcoms are particularly guilty of making husbands look like doofuses. What message is this sending to children?

 

[lovely]

Yeah, it's not good. When I was a young wife, I had a wise friend who wanted us to be accountable to each other in this area. When we spoke about our husbands, or problems, we couldn't take part in 'course jesting' or in blaming our husbands. Tearing down was just not allowed, and it helped us develop good habits. It was so refreshing, and I knew I could rely on her to pray and lift up our family without judging my husband...because I wasn't dishonoring him before her.

I think children's books also portray the father as a fool...like the Berstein Bears, and others.

 

[Caroline H]

Yeah, I wish I knew someone like that. It seems like the young women I know, married or not, see no problem with making wise cracks at their husbands or blaming them...as though they themselves were perfect. I just don't want to be pulled into that mind-set, because I think it affects how wives approach their husbands and children do pick up on that. I want to be an encourager, not a discourager. I think though, what really bothers me and made me start this thread is how prevalent the attitude in church circles is towards the husband/wife relationship. Preachers make jokes and the congregation laughs... I expect that from the world, but not from people who are supposed to be salt and light to this broken world. Also, how is a wife supposed to learn godly submission to her husband, if she is told that men are one-track-minded goofballs that need "training"?

 

[Armor of God]

How do you feel about marriage jokes? You know, the ones where husbands are the butt of the joke and the wife is really the one in charge...or the husband is an incapable dummy without his wife telling him what to do next. They really irk me, and even more so when they come from Christians. Personally I think that they help colour our perception of marriage in a damaging way. What are your thoughts?

I don't think all humor is unacceptable, including marriage humor. Of course, it should be done within reason.

You have a point about husbands being the butt of the joke. It's certainly evident in the hypocrisy of liberals in the media. In today's society if you are white, a man, or a Christian you can be made fun of and it's acceptable. If a comment is made about women, minorities, ect the same liberals whine about "tolerance" and accuse you of being a raciest or sexiest.

 

[jasoncran]

How do you feel about marriage jokes? You know, the ones where husbands are the butt of the joke and the wife is really the one in charge...or the husband is an incapable dummy without his wife telling him what to do next. They really irk me, and even more so when they come from Christians. Personally I think that they help colour our perception of marriage in a damaging way. What are your thoughts?

I don't think all humor is unacceptable, including marriage humor. Of course, it should be done within reason.

You have a point about husbands being the butt of the joke. It's certainly evident in the hypocrisy of liberals in the media. In today's society if you are white, a man, or a Christian you can be made fun of and it's acceptable. If a comment is made about women, minorities, ect the same liberals whine about "tolerance" and accuse you of being a raciest or sexiest.

aint that the truth, anyone remember the stink over the comment of quayle on murphey brown? in the west we can make fun Christ, but mohammed, or buddha its :o then :fullauto :twopistols
my 1/2 cent taxes taken now used to be 2 pennies gotta pay for those new programs.

 

[AskTheA]

I'd say joking is healthy. Some marriages are like that. Some are more patriarchal. Ideally it would be an equall partnership I think. Marriage is a funny thing to me anyways. You have someone whom you wish to be with forever and don't want to be with anyone else, yet you need to make a civil and/or religious contract? I'm not sure if I agree with that, especially as an atheist. I suppose I will get married if I find the right guy or girl, at least for the tax reasons and whatnot.

 

[LostSoul]

Jokes are healthy...to a point. There are a good number out there though that really should be questioned before spoken.

 

[Reido]

I find jokes to be a good thing, as long as they're not taken too seriously, or meant too seriously.
Though I find it particularly confusing when someone who wants to get married/plans to get married treats marriage as though it's a terrible thing that's going to trap them.
I have to wonder why they want to get married if they truly feel that way.

 

[Blazin Bones]

I think several are over looking the big picture. Jokes are good things, but just like The name of God, sin, or othering things God has instituted, Marriage is not one of these things we should scoff at. Ephesians makes it clear that a husband is to lead a home, not in a King fashion, but in a submissive to Christ fashion. If the wife does not respect her husband or jokes about how he is incapable as a leader, she is not just insulting her husband, but the union she accepted before God. Do we not say what God has put together let no man put asunder? Then why is it okay to joke about a marriage that is less than what God intends? Secondly, what right as believers do we have speaking against divorce if we ourselves are creating the same kind of bitterness in marriage by making light of our spouse?