The Impact of Sarah Silverman's 'Jesus is Magic' on Comedy and Religion

"Jesus is Magic" is a comedy concert film created by the talented and witty comedian, Sarah Silverman. Released in 2005, the film showcases Silverman's unique brand of humor, which is often characterized by its controversial and provocative nature. In the film, Silverman fearlessly tackles various societal taboos, such as religion, race, and sexuality. She uses these sensitive topics as a way to shed light on the absurdities and hypocrisies that exist in our modern world. One of the recurring themes in her show is her satirical take on religion. Through her humor, Silverman challenges conventional beliefs and questions the authority of religious institutions.

Through her humor, Silverman challenges conventional beliefs and questions the authority of religious institutions. She cleverly uses humor to highlight the inconsistencies and contradictions found within certain religious teachings. This is particularly evident in her monologues about Jesus, where she pokes fun at the exaggerated and idealized image of him.

Magic Moments in Building Vocabulary with ‘It’s Cool to be Clever’

I had such a blast using this great (free) app that I couldn’t wait to get some time to blog about it. ‘It’s Cool to be Clever’ is about being different and uses the story of Edson Hendricks, an innovator who grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania and went on to develop an early design for what we now know as the world wide web.

The app is based on a book by a former teacher, Leanne Jones, and contains compelling video and some lovely original music. It was created by Agio Studios. In his own voice, Hendricks tells his personal experiences of growing up feeling different from his peers, family, and community. There are four segments to the app.

1. The Story : Narrated version of Hendrick’s biography, written by Leanne Jones, can be viewed so that you can read on your own, or have it read to you by Hendricks himself.
2. Clever Minds : Among other things, this part of the app has a section in which Hendrick explains how his mind works and a video of him giving words of advice to people who feel different from others.
3. About Bullying : This section includes clips of Hendricks talking about how it felt to be bullied and strategies he used to deal with it. There are also segments with information about bullying, what to do if you are being bullied, and reducing bullying in schools.
4. Inventing the Internet : This section continues Hendricks’s story, with clips of him discussing the process of invention, getting inventions accepted, and some fascinating history of the early internet. (We learned, for example, that the instant chat feature was present in even the earliest versions.)

How I Used This App
There are many ways to use the app, but my focus was on vocabulary learning. I was working with a middle school student who used a high tech SGD with a rich base of core language. I chose this app because she was experiencing a lot of the typical adolescent struggles in making friends, developing relationships, and fitting in. I wanted to show her that she was not the only one who ever felt disconnected and help her to see that being and feeling different was not necessarily a bad thing.

Rather than pre-selecting the vocabulary, I let HER choose which words to learn about. As she read each passage, I instructed her to stop and point out words she didn’t know. That allowed us to use the context of the passage to give us clues to the meaning. We ended up with new words such as invent, constraint, taunt, enthusiam, and anonymous. We also targeted some new meanings of familiar words, like dampen and suit, and considered some non-literal language (e.g., walking on eggshells). Over a few weeks, we used a general instructional sequence for vocabulary teaching.

Here are some of the things we did to make the word meanings come alive.

1. We spelled out the word in her SGD using the keyboard and listened to the pronunciation. (In most cases, we decided not to program the new word into the the SGD.)
2. I provided student-friendly definitions for each word, written out on sticky notes that we kept
3. We looked at the passage itself for clues to meaning, part of speech, etc.
4. She said the word frequently in each session, using spelling and word prediction.
5. We talked about the word structure and related it to known words with similar prefixes and suffixes.
6. We related the words to things in her daily life and past experiences. This was a powerful vehicle for learning, particularly when there was an emotional association with the word. For example, she told me that, in her school, people could report bullying anonymously.
7. I provided focused language stimulation by using the new words frequently throughout the session
8. We considered different forms of a root word (e.g., imagine, imaginary, imagination, imaginable)
9. We created semantic webs to record some of what we were learning about the words (e.g., definition, part of speech, synonyms or related words, usage in a sample sentence).
10. She used descriptive language to explain the meaning in her own words.
11. We listened for words in our conversations, and kept a tally of the number of times we heard them.
12. We took cut out magazine pictures and sorted them (e.g., enthusiasm/no enthusiasm).

Throughout it all, we both said the words. A LOT.

There are many other language goals that could be targeted with this great app. If you find a way to make some Magic Moments with ‘It’s Cool to Be Clever,’ we’d love to hear about it.

This post was written by Carole Zangari

Here are some of the things we did to make the word meanings come alive.

"Jesus is Magic" showcases Silverman's ability to address controversial topics while still maintaining a lighthearted atmosphere. She has a knack for using sarcasm and irony to expose society's flaws and challenge its norms. Her jokes are often thought-provoking and force the audience to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves and the world around them. While some may find Silverman's brand of comedy offensive or irreverent, others appreciate her fearless approach to comedy and her ability to push boundaries. "Jesus is Magic" serves as a reminder that comedy has the power to provoke thought and challenge societal norms, even when discussing sacred or sensitive subjects. Overall, "Jesus is Magic" is a testament to Sarah Silverman's comedic brilliance. It showcases her unique ability to blend humor with social and political commentary, making her a distinctive voice in the world of comedy. Despite the controversial nature of her jokes, Silverman's cleverness and sharp wit shine throughout the film, leaving the audience laughing and thinking long after it's over..

Reviews for "The Feminist Perspective in Sarah Silverman's 'Jesus is Magic"

1. Brian - 2/5

I was really disappointed with "Jesus is Magic Sarah Silcerman". I had heard so many good things about the comedian and her stand-up specials, but this one fell flat for me. I found the jokes to be mean-spirited and offensive, particularly when it came to religion. It seemed like Silcerman was just trying to shock the audience rather than genuinely make them laugh. I also felt like she relied too heavily on vulgar humor instead of clever wit. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this special to anyone who enjoys intelligent comedy.

2. Emily - 1/5

I watched "Jesus is Magic Sarah Silcerman" with high hopes, but I found it to be incredibly unfunny and cringe-worthy. Silcerman's jokes about religion were disrespectful and crossed a line, in my opinion. I understand that comedy is subjective, but this special just didn't hit the mark for me. The pacing was off, and Silcerman's delivery felt forced and awkward. I didn't find myself laughing once throughout the entire special. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time on this one.

3. David - 2/5

I've always been a fan of Sarah Silcerman's stand-up, but "Jesus is Magic" left me feeling disappointed. The jokes didn't land for me, and I think Silcerman's attempt to be edgy and controversial fell flat. The whole special felt disjointed and lacked a cohesive theme. It seemed like Silcerman was just trying too hard to shock the audience without actually delivering any genuine laughs. If you're a fan of Silcerman's previous work, I wouldn't get your hopes up for this one.

4. Samantha - 3/5

I have mixed feelings about "Jesus is Magic Sarah Silcerman". While there were a few moments that genuinely made me chuckle, overall, I found it to be hit or miss. Some of the jokes were clever and witty, but others felt forced and uninspired. Silcerman's delivery was inconsistent, and the pacing of the special was off. I wanted to like it more than I actually did, but I can't say it was a complete waste of time either. If you're a fan of Silcerman's humor, you might find some enjoyment in this special, but don't expect it to be her best work.

The Evolution of Sarah Silverman's Humor: From 'Jesus is Magic' to Today