Is there a relationship between comedy and the divine? (Here you say “Are you nuts?”) But hang on, maybe there is. Both start with a premise: one, that there’s an all-powerful, omniscient being who watches over the world; the other, that a priest, a rabbi, and a gecko would walk into a bar. In comedy, accept the premise and you get a laugh – in religion, accept the higher power and you get eternal life, emotional support, and answers to all questions. (This may explain why there are more religious people than stand-ups.) This talk uses “Animal House,” Steve Carell, “Waiting For Godot,” Walt Disney and the novel “The Name of the Rose” to discuss whether comedy is fundamentally cruel or empathetic; how religion’s search for meaning has a corollary in comedy’s search for a punchline; how laughter is like religious ecstasy and transcendence; and how to achieve divinity through fart jokes. Seriously.

Zoom meeting ID: 384 422 5785