Holy laughter

Holy laughter is a term used within charismatic Christianity that describes a religious behaviour in which individuals spontaneously laugh during church meetings. It has occurred in many revivals throughout church history, but it became normative in the early 1990s in Neo-charismatic churches and the Third Wave of the Holy Spirit. Many people claimed to experience this phenomenon at a large revival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada known as the Toronto Blessing.

History

Practices similar to holy laughter were observed in the 1800s in Holiness Christian meetings on the American West. John Wesley encountered uncontrollable laughter in his
Methodist meetings, and viewed it as an act of God.Porter 1996, p. 108 It also occurred in Signs and Wonders meetings run by John Wimber in the 1980s.Porter 1996, p. 106 The practice came to prominence in meetings led by the South African evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne in 1993 at the Carpenter's Home Church in Lakeland, Florida and was often accompanied by the "Slain in the Spirit" phenomena. The laughter ranges from very quiet to loud convulsive hysterics, which are said to be accompanied by temporary dissociation.Porter 1996, p. 102 It was also observed in meetings held at Oral Roberts University.Poloma 2003, p. 155 The phenomena was then popularized by ''Charisma'' and the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and became controversial within charismatic Christianity.Diamond 2000, p. 208

Though primarily found in Protestant churches, it was observed in some parts of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, as well.Cimino 2001, p. 33 The practice spread to the Association of Vineyard Churches, most notably to the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship in 1994. Religious revival meetings at the church became very popular, drawing 75,000 visitors that year. Many attendees at the meetings spent time laughing loudly while lying on the floor.

Analysis

Leaders who have promoted holy laughter claimed that the laughter was a result of joy that was supernaturally being given to people in the meetings.Poloma 2003, p. 4 They claimed that the joy was often accompanied by miraculous healing and the cessation of depression.Poloma 2003, p. 5 Margaret Poloma of the University of Akron has described the events of the services as a ritual facilitation of catharsis.Poloma 2003, p. 108 Philip Richter of STETS has drawn a parallel between holy laughter and Laughter Yoga.Porter 1996, p. 119

Reception

Many of the activities at these meetings, particularly the laughter, were controversial within evangelical Christianity. Though some religious leaders such as Pat Robertson embraced the movement, groups including the Christian Research Institute and the Southern Baptist Convention condemned what was occurring.Queen, Prothero & Shattuck 2009, p. 245 Critics charge that the practice is the result of psychological manipulation,Diamond 2000, p. 209 or demonic possession.Diamond 2000, p. 210

See also

* Gelotology
* Slain in the Spirit
* Theories of humor

References

Bibliography

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*{{citation, last1=Queen, first1=Edward L., last2=Prothero, first2=Stephen R., last3=Shattuck, first3=Gardiner H., title=Encyclopedia of American religious history, year=2009, publisher=Infobase Publishing, isbn=978-0-8160-6660-5

Charismatic and Pentecostal worship
Laughter