Evil As A Joke

How many times have we seen someone steal something small from someone else, then get caught and laugh, and say it was just a joke?  How many times have we heard someone say something that was not true, gossip or spread rumours or a lie, and then laugh when the other person fell for the deception?  It was only a joke right? 

 

As a young man, I remember the other boys would sneak up and hit someone from behind and laugh, and those same boys would get angry when the victim of their “joke” would defend.  I remember the young women who would say terrible insults about another young woman, and then would get angry and say worse things when their victim cried at their “joke.”

 

I remember it got even worse, when the young women or young men would “joke” around with sexual touching against those who did not consent to be touched, and when taken to the authorities, the perpetrators would just claim it to be a “joke.”

 

As a case worker for the prison system, there were lots of people doing the same thing in prison, where beating people was just a “joke.”  Molesting and raping people was just a “joke.”  Where do we draw the line?  After all, it is the exact same principle of using evil as a joke, just different degrees of it.  No matter the degree, it is still all on the side of evil.

Are these wicked things really a joke, or are they just another form of evil?  And if these perpetrators are really, “not all that bad,” then why do they have to use evil to joke?  Why the bullying and manipulation?  It is quite obvious; they are just evil.

 

Next comes the “You can’t judge me” line.  Of course this is only a one-way line, since the perpetrators are judging their victims, and extending out a measurement against their victims.  This is of course hypocritical, but nevertheless, a strategy of the wicked.

 

And let us not forget about the “I have repented” excuse.  Well, if you have repented, you would have stopped the sin, would you not?  After all, the scripture says, “he will confess it and forsake it.”  If you have not went to the folks involved and confessed, and forsook the crime, then you have not repented.  If you have not left your gift at the altar, and first been reconciled with the person who you have “joked”, then you have not repented according to the teachings in the scriptures.

 

All this aside, perhaps there is something in the fact that some people are so wicked that they use wickedness for jokes, and cannot seem to find enjoyment in righteousness! 

 

Heavenly Father does not use evil to “joke” with others.  The angels in heaven do not prank people with evil.  Those who use evil as a joke will not find acceptance in heaven either.  

The better option is to get rid of all evil, to stop finding joy in evil jokes and evil behaviour, and find joy in goodness.  Emulate the Saviour, and find joy in doing good to others!