Is ELP against christianity

Arteum wrote: AtomHeartMother wrote: Arteum wrote: maani wrote: Arteum: There is a very simple reason why God did not create humankind to automatically believe in and love Him: it's called "free will."  God gave us all free will.  And the ultimate "application" of that free will is the free will to believe or disbelieve in God Himself.  As others point out, if you are "forced" to love someone or something, what kind of love is that?  God wants us to love Him because we want to love Him - not because He makes us do so, or demands it.  God does not want "automatons" who love Him because He made them do so. Do you love your girlfriend (or boyfriend, or mother, or father, or whoever) because they expect you to or demand it of you?  Of course not.  Your love is freely given.  God's love is freely given, and he is looking for our love freely given. It can't be any simpler than that. Peace. Why is he looking for love freely given? Is he that queer? [I am serious] What's the point? And why then can't he create people so that they automatically give him their free love? He's all-mighty. Don't tell me he can't do it. It would solve all God's problems in an instant. Or he's just not that clever, is he? Or is he looking for problems? For himself and his puppets people? Strange chap that God is. I thought he was about solving problems, not creating them. His only problem is the Devil, not us. He wants love in order for the world to be perfect, and peacfull. Giving love is "queer" to you no doubt because society has said so, since it's not "cool" for their to be love these days it must automattically be "queer" huh? Sounds like somehting off of MTV to me. So why does not God destroy Devil then? It should be easy for him. He can do anything. This would solve everyone's problems, including God himself.

I may be wrong but from what I'm told there will one day be someone who leads all humans to be blasphemous and that will cause the final war between God and the Devil. I don't know why he can't just "kill" him, I don't think that one is answered in the bible, it may be but I dont know. It's not like this is some kind of Arnold Swartseneggar movie where the two forces just fight it out just like that. This is supposed to be part of a grand plan of God.

Arteum wrote: AtomHeartMother wrote: Arteum wrote: And, by the way, maani, any statement or conclusion you make is a sheer blasphemy. because only God is allowed to judge. he wants to have all the game to himself. People should not even open their mouths or indeed have a single though that in any way defines, summarizes, concludes etc. Ya, I'm sure you would know considering the fact that you are aethiest and don't believe in this stuff, it's like asking a blind man what the sky looks like right now. That's a blasphemy! Only God has the right to judge! you are sure? Only God may be sure! Or, you mean, I am wrong and not only God can judge? You can judge too? Then tell me where Bill Gates will go when he dies -- to Heaven or Hell?

You being some kind of Smart a$* doesn't help you in this useless arguement. I'm not judging, I'm just saying you don't know what you think you know and you are dragging this out way to much.

I have no beef with Christianity, or Religion, in general, as long as they don't try to ram their beliefs down my throat. I also have no tolerance for thoss who discriminate against others, branding them "sinners in the eyes of God".

The problem is it's difficult to criticize certain types of Christians, withought being accused, by some, of generalizing.

King of Loss wrote: Hah, You want Anti-Christian? (quote deleted)

Oh, those nutty death metal bands and their antics!

ELP - The Knife Edge

When the flames have their season

Will you hold to your reason

Loaded down with your tolerance(LSD)

Can you still keep your balance

Can you live on the a knifes edge.

Common psycho logic concerning as Jim Morrison said

Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting

waiting for you to sing our song

waiting for you to come along!

Waiting for the sun!

do we detect a deal in the making?

Its the seed of psychedelic rock, nothing new to a child of the 70's!

Your turn to learn!

Arteum's hatred for religion seems to spring from a very bad personal experience. 

I would love to be able to speak with Maani face to face.  Very intellectually and spiritually stimulating postings.  Thanks. 

Now, whether ELP is anti-christian or not, it really doesn't matter.  It's the music that matters.  

robertplantowns wrote: Even the ELP lyrics aren't anti-Christian in particular (except for the wine part).  They're anti-monotheism or anti-religious in general also.

i'd say those lyrics are not anti-christian but that they are actually just questioning religion as an ideology

wow, this thread is still going on!  at this rate it'll catch up to the mariah carey thread soon enough.

a thought just occurred to me, that might clear up my post from a few pages ago, that there's a difference between being anti-christian and being anti-fundamentalist.  I think most (if not all) anti-christian sentiments found in ELP's music, and other rock music for that matter, stems from fundamentalist preachers, and is a reaction to people in the vein of Jerry falwell and proponents of everything from 'rock is a message from the devil' to 'God hates fags'.  Since these are the most public faces of christianity, most so-called 'anti-christian' messages are a reaction to them, even tho those people do not represent real christian values at all IMO.