Was put into the ceremony, because they knew so many of us would find out it was all a joke, and we are now engaging and loud laughter, and light mindedness. I don't think we speak ill of the lords anointed,I think we just alert the world when they lie, which is all the time.

I think Joseph Smith came from a pretty white trash family. At least, most of the other hardworking people of that area seemed to look down on the Smith family and see them as shifty. I think Joseph got tired at being laughed at and looked down upon by the good townspeople and when he had a little power, made sure that he would not have to put up with the same sort of crap from his followers. No matter how ridiculous his stunts, they were covenanted not to laugh at or mock him.

Of course, this is just my guess. It might be a ripoff from the Masons or some other source.

It's a ripoff from the Methodists of the time. I just read that somewhere...

My dad was a Mason (and a nevermo) and he liked to laugh out loud. He's dead now, but probably still laughing somewhere.

I certainly like to laugh loudly and heartily. It's liberating for the spirit. Maybe that's why ole Joe forbade it. The jerk.

It does all sorts of good things for the body and the mind.

Yoga has an exercise where you are supposed to laugh out loud. You don't have to think anything is comical, you just have to generate a good belly laugh for yourself. I once read an article were a prison in India was attempting laugh therapy for inmates as part of their rehabilitation. (I don't recall the evaluation of the results, however).

The temple rituals are laughable. The books, some hymns, the visions, the testimony meetings, and much of the doctrine are silly business. Garments are a joke. Joe Smith and present day leaders have to keep a lid on the laughter or members would see how foolish they are for believing in flimflam.

I once learned that an older member had remarked that she appreciated my testimony, but that I engaged in far too much loud laughter.

As a missionary trying my best to be good, it really hurt my feelings. For about a month, I did my best to slow down on loud laughter. That was probably the most depressing month of my life.

it's bawdy and lewd, and improper. It's associated with bars and drinking, and sexual promiscuity of the times. It's the opposite of "soberness" as found in the Bible to be the spirit of the righteous.

It's even found in some of the Buddhist teachings.
For a Buddhist monk in ancient times, to laugh out loud was an offense.

People have not always valued enjoyment as a virtue. I was told that at one time people thought being wise was better than being happy. Many photographs from the 19th century show people looking very serious and hardly ever (if ever) show them smiling or looking pleasant.

My father always complained about the way his parents posed for pictures. Both having been born late in the 1800's, they followed the perscription of their upbringing and almost always looked serious and stoic in photographs of them.

I think the admonistion against loud laughter and light mindedness has everything to do with mood and sensibilities of how people were expected to behave in the 19th century. Being happy, laughing and making light of things just wasn't an acceptable way to behave.

(immobile - frozen) while it took 3 to 7 minutes to take the picture.That was the reason for the facial expressions.
Nobody tried to hold a smile that long!
Many (up to 1/3rd) of the pictures were taken of dead people!