Nope. Note that the scriptures reference "loud" laughter and a "light mind." J. Golden Kimball, Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, Gordon B. Hinckley, and many other general authorities have not only used humour, but spoken of the therapeutic value of laughter.
Loud, raucious laughter (of the type which I am too frequently guilty) is not condusive to the feeling of the Holy Spirit. Worse: it can distract someone else feeling the Spirit! So it's no wonder that the Lord tells us to temper our laughter (just as we're to temper all our emotions, and it's just as difficult), especially in solemn settings. Those are the instances that the Lord brought to Joseph's attention -- Joseph was a man of powerful good humour who loved to laugh and play with children. (A friend who edits a competitive yo-yo magazine asked me if I thought Joseph would have played with the 19th century yo-yo -- called "bandalore" then, and I heartedly told him Joseph would have had difficulty getting back to work, because he'd have been out in the streets practicing yo-yo tricks with the kids.) And it's especially difficult when one feels pure joy -- there have been many times that I've felt so happy in the temple that I felt like laughing aloud. And it's probably been good for me to restrain myself. *jeep! --Chet "Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aaP9AU.bWix1n.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/create/index2.html ==^================================================================
