--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For telling a good and incisive religious…" description: "\"For telling a good and incisive religious joke, you should be praised. For telling a bad one, you should be ridiculed and reviled. The idea that you co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/rowan-atkinson-3883_atheism_for-telling-a-good-and-incisive-religiou_1425272.png" --- # For telling a good and incisive religious joke, you should… ![“For telling a good and incisive religious joke, you should be praised. For telling a bad one, you should be ridiculed and reviled. The idea that you could be prosecuted for the telling of either is quite fantastic.” quote by Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/rowan-atkinson-3883_atheism_for-telling-a-good-and-incisive-religiou_1425272.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/rowan-atkinson-3883_atheism_for-telling-a-good-and-incisive-religiou_1425272.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/rowan-atkinson-3883_atheism_for-telling-a-good-and-incisive-religiou_1425272.png) > “For telling a good and incisive religious joke, you should be praised. For telling a bad one, you should be ridiculed and reviled. The idea that you could be prosecuted for the telling of either is quite fantastic.” [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Religious jokes that are thoughtful merit praise, while poor ones deserve criticism; both should be protected from legal action. **In simple terms:** Good jokes praised, bad jokes criticized, both free. Key Takeaway Defend humor, judge quality. Themes ethics free speech religion Mood critical thoughtful Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - comedy writing - public speaking - media analysis Key Concepts satire social critique law Questions to Reflect On - What defines a “good” religious joke? - When should humor be censored? A Different Perspective Legal limits can stifle satire. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Fantastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantastic/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Joke Praised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke-praised-5058715/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Positive atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-atheism/) [Praised Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praised-telling-5058716/) [Prosecuted Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosecuted-telling-5058717/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-joke-3467021/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Telling Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-bad-603485/) ## Related quotes > [ORTHODOX, n. 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Not because I'm lazy; it's just all so stressful and worrying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/nope-i-don-t-enjoy-work-generally-not-because-i-m-lazy-it-s-just-all/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [A law which attempts to say you can criticise and ridicule ideas as long as they are not religious ideas is a very peculiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/a-law-which-attempts-to-say-you-can-criticise-and-ridicule-ideas-as/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [The path of my life is strewn with cow pats from the devil's own satanic herd!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/the-path-of-my-life-is-strewn-with-cow-pats-from-the-devil-s-own/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [I would never be a television presenter. It's not something I could ever do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/i-would-never-be-a-television-presenter-it-s-not-something-i-could/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [To criticise a person for their race is a manifestly irrational and ridiculous. But to criticise their religion - that is a right. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/to-criticise-a-person-for-their-race-is-a-manifestly-irrational-and/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [But I always feel that whatever I do, I could do better. 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