Quotes

Righteous Sarcasm?

Scorn and sarcasm radiate bitterness. Their ill-natured, cutting edges remove them in most cases from the realm of kindliness. Yet, just as anger at times may seem sinless, so sarcasm on occasions may be righteous. "Evil has its ludicrous side, and the exhibition of this is sometimes more effective than plain argument. Irony, however, is a dangerous weapon, and needs to be handled with skill. The anger that pours ridicule upon an opponent must have behind it a heart of love, if its wounds are to prove wholesome . . . Paul’s satire is always akin to charity; it is never satire with no pity in it." (Flynn is quoting The Pulpit Commentary, 1 Corinthians (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1944), pp. 155, 134.)


source: Leslie Flynn, Serve Him With Mirth tags: Humor

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