Let's Talk About Religion and Stand Up

Last week I talked about sex. This week let's talk about something more controversial: religion and comedy. When I first started doing stand up, I took a workshop that talked about ways to make money in comedy and performing in churches was on the list. At the time I was very involved in my church community. I was teaching at a private Christian school, co-running a Bible study, and attending an evangelical church in Simi Valley. I thought, wow, I could totally transition into the church market with all my contacts and general knowledge of church ethos and history. I could write jokes about Jonah and the Whale, Adam and Eve, and why churches all have the same bland wall colors like a prison. But a funny thing happened on my way to the church...

So let's talk about writing jokes about God, faith, and religion. Because I will make the argument the best jokes about God sound like Job talking to God. 

Faith is Both a Seriously and Ludicrous Matter 
I'm a Christian, but I also fully understand why people don't want to be. From the moral teachings to the types of people attached to the institutions, it's not always an easy vibe to groove with. Jesus called being a follower like a person who carries their own cross. The Apostle Paul called Christians to suffer with joy. These are not the best marketing terms. Other religions ask you to give up expectations (Buddhism), to submit to Allah and be ready for war (Islam), and to give up coffee (Mormonism). I'm fine with having no expectations and war - but lay off my caffeine, bro! 

Yet you must always remember that faith is sacred and for many a daily ritual or experience. So when you write jokes, if you "strawman" their faith or use hacky offensive statements, any chance you have of getting the crowd comfortable to laugh becomes harder. I write a lot of jokes about my faith but from the absurdity of the follower's interpretation. I have jokes about Christians being obsessed with football and the stupidity that breeds. I have jokes about Christians using swears and the double standards they project. 

There's a difference between mocking and making observations. And if you strawman the joke too much you'll invite white knights to heckle and argue. 

Being a Jobber v. Headliner with Fanbase 
Often, comics will want to emulate their favorite comic who talked about certain topics and approach the topic with the same energy. Comics like George Carlin and Ricky Gervais both made a career mocking religion and religious people. Currently, Louis CK has been bringing a Bible on stage and reading passages to talk about how weird these stories sound on a first read. But here's the caveat - they're famous and a fanbase came to watch them be outrageous and controversial. 

When you're starting out, you're performing in front of people who were brought by other comics. Maybe you have 2-5 friends in the crowd, but the other 10-20 people are a mixed bag of supportive family and friends. They came solely to hear their friend, so those first years in, anything that would divide the room will potentially be a disaster. Whether that's sex, politics, or religion. So keep that in your mind as you navigate the topics you want to be known for. 

The best workaround is through social media. If you want to post rant videos, sketches, or short stand up clips (with or without laughter) about religion, you can build a following through the algorithm which you can convert into ticket sales. I'm talking about pro or anti-religion jokes. This method is the most tried and true the past decade. If you get swept up in the TikTok or IG sphere, you can cultivate the crowd you desire.  

Another workaround is theme shows. Having a "Christian" comedy show or a "There is No God" show can create the expectations that other shows aren't taking advantage of.

Being Vulnerable is Another Step
What I've found is if you say "I don't believe in God and this why religion is stupid..." you aren't taking much of a risk. But if you say "I'm Mormon/Muslim/Jewish/Christian/Hindu/etc. and this is what I hate about my group..." the crowd gives you more room to play. While you might have some great jokes making fun of other religions, the general question audience members ask is "why does this matter to him/her?" 

Now, if you talk about coming out of a religion, you have a reason to talk about it. If your spouse switched religions on you, and now you have to attend a new church, you have something to talk about. Just thinking that you, a person with no notable accomplishments are going to make a career making fun of or celebrating a faith will be welcomed with open arms is a rather vain concept. 
If it works, great. But if you find the room pulling back, then take note you haven't created a space where they trust you with this egg shell of a topic.              

The Trick is in the Writing 
Some jokes rely on attitude. Other jokes rely on the cult of personality. Other jokes need act outs, props, or crowd work to fully form. But religious jokes are successful purely based on the writing. The writing has to be clear, with a concise punchline. The angles you attack need to feel fresh and original. Especially, when starting out. I can argue that as comics get more famous, their negative jokes about sex, religion, or politics tend to get lazy, but when starting out, you want to make sure you writing and rewriting all the time.    

I would start by writing serious complaints you have with an aspect of religion and then move into the setup-punchline territory. Ask yourself, are you going for a cheap laugh or making a point through humor? Because if you can stand by your joke, as if it was a debate, then you'll have more credibility on stage from both a persona and in delivery. 

Why I Never Got into "Christian" Comedy
If there is a market where comics can make manna from heaven, it's in the Christian comedy market. Churches will pay a pretty penny for comics to come on a Saturday or Sunday night to entertain the flock. In fact, you can ask for a "gift offering" and make a fortune after a good show. So why didn't I go that route? 

The reason is because Christian audiences seem to like safe, evergreen humor. They want jokes about airplane food and TV remotes that have too many buttons ("Which button takes me back to 1980 when TV was funny?"). Many Christians have no understanding about popular culture and are narrow minded when it comes to politics. Liberal Christians will see movies and go to clubs, so they're fine, but when you walk into a church setting to do 30-60 minutes of comedy...you better know your crowd. 

Church crowds tend to like jokes making fun of spouses and kids too. Jokes about how husbands are stupid, wives are lazy, or kids are the spawn of Satan get big laughs.

I don't have kids, nor do I think they're evil. I might think kids are annoying, but Christians like jokes about kids to be mean spirited. ("I'd be happy if I was married to Eve. I'd love my wife to eat a piece of fruit every now and then.") And they LOVE anti-spouse jokes. The wife who is a nag (ho ho ho). The idiot husband (ha ha ha). I'm not married. And if I was, I wouldn't want to make fun of the mother of my children. 

Christian crowds also love anti-gay, any-liberal, anti-trans, anti-progressive jokes. {"When lesbians go out on a date, who pays?") Some groups love stereotype racist jokes too. It's a mixture of MAGA and Christian groups these days, so you might offend half the group and then not offend the other half enough. This is the group afraid PC culture is ruining comedy because you can't say the R-Word anymore. It's a no win from the stage.  

So when people ask me why I don't play churches, it's the same reason I don't go to Turning Point USA events. It's not my jam. But if that sounds like fun to you...be my guest...the wages are great.         

Final Thoughts 
While everyone has a right to joke about anything they want, keep in mind that what makes niche crowds or open micers laugh compared to middle class working paying crowds is different. 

On top of that, when you try to dunk on any topic, you give it power. There are very few jokes when dunking on a person on topic doesn't make them more relevant. In a weird way, your religious jokes are a conversation starter. They get people thinking and deconstructing their faith journey. But they can also get people more angry and resent the opposing view. So always approach the material with some acknowledgment that you aren't "preaching," but instead just making jokes - whether they're smart or dumb. 

Jim Gaffigan made jokes about Hot Pockets and they went through a massive rebranding. Causation or Correlation? You can argue both. But he will forever be known for those jokes. If you want to be the religion comic, great, but only if you're prepared to be put in that corner the rest of your career. Because if Gervais or Bill Maher want to pivot, they can't. And if a Christian comic wants to branch out, they'll have to start from page one again. 

​Yet, as long as you are staying true to you, I say write what you want, and as long as it's funnier than it is "preachy" you're doing okay.