In the book of Proverbs we read: "A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." A better translation says it more plainly: "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones." The issue is also clearly stated by the preacher in Ecclesiastes: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ... A time to weep and a time to laugh." In the Gospel of Matthew this very clear reminder by our Lord: "Do not look dismal, like the hypocrites."

Webster tells us that "laugh" is the general word for the sounds made in expressing mirth and amusement. But it seems that religious people in particular are quite suspicious of mirth and amusement. H. L. Menchen once defined Puritanism as "the haunting fear t…