Religious Humor: A Longitudinal Content Analysis of Cartoons

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Abstract
A content analysis of cartoons dealing with religious themes published in The New Yorker magazine during 1930–68 suggests changing attitudes toward religion. Biblical and Puritan themes do not occur in significant proportions until 1960. There is also a large increase during 1960–68 of cartoons dealing with supernatural objects. More important, the amount of criticism of the clergy increases during 1930 to 1953 and then gradually decreases to a new low. These trends suggest that the clergy are becoming less differentiated from the rest of society while traditional mythologies are becoming more vulnerable to public ridicule. The church as an institution is also being perceived increasingly as a possible target of humor.

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