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I took an exam tonight. Fundamental Theology. Welcome to the Catholic Church! You can learn an entire semester's worth of theology without touching a Bible. [Ha! I knew it!--ed.] Simmer down. There has to be a bridge between the truths of reason and the dogmas of faith. Enter Fundamental Theology. But we're not denying the Bible; we're dealing with the preambles to faith first. Duh. That's what you would do if you weren't a fundie. [Pagan.--ed.] Fideist. [Bread-worshipper.--ed.] Eucharist denier. [Ecclesiolator.--ed.] Schismatic. Anyway, I was thinking about humor. We were discussing absurdity in class not long ago, and our teacher said that two main reactions to absurdity exist: laughter and sadness. Personally, I've had too much of the sadness lately for my taste. I digress. "Humor...it is a difficult concept." "We learn by doing." Oh, dear, a Trek-gression has occurred! I hate it when that happens. What is the difference between good humor and bad humor? What makes Bill Cosby funnier than say, Jackass? Well, the absurd in observational comedy is nothing less than the distance between what is, and what ought to be. If we can be aware of our mistakes without being destroyed, we don't take it personally, and we can laugh at ourselves. It's like a risk pool for guilt and shame. There isn't as fine a line between funny and mean as some people think. And slapstick is only funny when we know no one gets hurt.

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