As a child were you ever told to stop playing and laughing in church? Somber and serious was a standard church protocol. Teilhard de Chardin’s “Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God’s presence” aligns more closely with the spirit of most world religions. Joyful stories abound: Judiasm’s Bal Shem Tov, Islam’s Nasrudin, Buddhist koans and many Christian saints are fabled humorists.

Join storyteller Sheila Otto to explore joyful stories from the world’s faith traditions. Discover how laughing at ourselves is holy merriment.