Religious lyrics ?

But both religions consider as God, the God of Abraham.

Edited by Ivan_Melgar_M - May 29 2009 at 20:02

Maybe both can't be right, most surely can't....But I didn't said that, I said that both worship the God of Abraham.

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: Evolver wrote: Wow, Ivan, that's some nasty stuff.  I didn't know that about Martin Luther.  Thanks for posting it.   What is the context of that "hetero" line.  I can't tell from your original posting if it goes with the verses above it.  Is he singing from the supposed viewpoint of the Pope?   I am clueless about the absolutely out of context phrase, not something The Pope Leon X would say or even think in 1518, I'm sure nobody was tolerant with homosexuals then.   It's in the song "The Conflic" from Sola Scriptura   Iván

The word "preachy" seems to be applied to Christian prog in the same way the word "pretentious" is applied to prog in general. Just about all lyrics are preachy in some way or another, but for some reason it doesn't seem to bother anyone until it's a Christian doing it (or I suppose any religion, though I must confess that I am not up to date with the Islamic Prog scene). Peter Hammill writes a song about how we're all a bunch of lemmings blindly following our leaders off cliffs, and everyone says "Hey, what a great bit of songwriting!" but when some Christian artist writes a song about how we're all a bunch sinners blindly following our lusts into hell, everyone says "How dare they preach at us!"

I don't particularly mind either, and I do think that Lemmings is a great song (and it is just an example here, I'm not trying to single out VDGG or anything like that), but it just seems like a bit of a double-standard.


Edited by KingCrimson250 - May 30 2009 at 00:13

KingCrimson250 wrote: The word "preachy" seems to be applied to Christian prog in the same way the word "pretentious" is applied to prog in general. Just about all lyrics are preachy in some way or another, but for some reason it doesn't seem to bother anyone until it's a Christian doing it (or I suppose any religion, though I must confess that I am not up to date with the Islamic Prog scene). Peter Hammill writes a song about how we're all a bunch of lemmings blindly following our leaders off cliffs, and everyone says "Hey, what a great bit of songwriting!" but when some Christian artist writes a song about how we're all a bunch sinners blindly following our lusts into hell, everyone says "How dare they preach at us!" I don't particularly mind either, and I do think that Lemmings is a great song (and it is just an example here, I'm not trying to single out VDGG or anything like that), but it just seems like a bit of a double-standard.

That's how I feel.  Jon Anderson writes a bunch of clearly religious lyrics in Tales from Topographic Oceans and regardless, it's my favorite album of all time (and I'm not alone in that).

Christians don't get a pass because we don't have a nebulous religion.  We believe in sin and judgment- period.  That's a part of our message- certainly not all of it (praise God), but it's there.  That message offends people ("How dare you call me a sinner!"), and I shrug and go, "But I didn't.  God did.  It's in the Bible."  As I mentioned in another thread some days ago, being a Christian isn't a pedestal of moral superiority, and those Christians who treat their relationship with God as such (lording it over non-believers) are really missing the point.

Evolver wrote:    I also agree with your statement that artists should be able to sing whatever lyrics they feel are appropriate to their music.  But then, they shouldn't whine when their listeners don't buy it.

Part of being a prog artist (and a fan) is not caring how well-received the music might be.  If artists really cared about that, they'd be pursuing a pop career of some kind.

I'm not going to water down my message or my lyrics because I'm afraid people won't buy my albums.  As the late Oscar Peterson said, "If it sells one, it sells one."  I would expect prog fans to appreciate that integrity more than anybody else.

I have music in part to thank for my growing faith.  I am thankful for each song, prog or not, that had something to do with that.

Coven wrote some of the most horrific lyrics about Satanism on their first album (the last 13 minute track is a black mass service- no music).  I listened to that album in the course of reviewing it; I'll never listen to it again.  It isn't edifying to me, neither musically nor as a Christian nor as a thinker, nor does it entertain me.

That's why I think many of us listen to prog in the first place- it's lyrically and musically deeper than the garbage that usually gets produced for the masses today.

Now forget religion for a moment- what about lyrics I simply just don't agree with?  Andy Tilison of The Tangent wrote some anti-war lyrics I disagree with on A Place in the Queue.  Ditto Roger Waters on The Final Cut.  Yet I still love those albums (both got four stars), not in spite of the lyrics, but partly because of them.  As a political conservative who believes war is necessary and unavoidable at times, those albums give me pause, and in the course of entertaining me with some absolutely amazing music, force me to think about a position that is not mine, and through their words I begin to develop some empathy for the feelings or the songwriter.

The same goes with Neal Peart- sometimes I agree with him, and sometimes I categorically do not.  But does that keep me from listening to Rush?  Not at all.

I'm mature enough to read a book with a theme and viewpoint that is the opposite of what I currently believe and not whine because the author's ideas are off-putting (or even offensive to me).  So long as they are intelligently advanced, I don't mind listening to what other people have to say.  I thought doing that was a virtue.

Slartibartfast wrote: I know this is sure to offend some: Excerpt Frank Zappa Dumb All Over

Epignosis wrote:

Christians don't get a pass because we don't have a nebulous religion.  We believe in sin and judgment- period.  That's a part of our message- certainly not all of it (praise God), but it's there.  That message offends people ("How dare you call me a sinner!"), and I shrug and go, "But I didn't.  God did.  It's in the Bible."  As I mentioned in another thread some days ago, being a Christian isn't a pedestal of moral superiority, and those Christians who treat their relationship with God as such (lording it over non-believers) are really missing the point.
[/QUOTE]

By the way, when we secularists take over the government, just watch out for the cops at the door. 

The no cops at the door may be more of a problem though...


Edited by Slartibartfast - May 30 2009 at 10:50

admin edit: posting full lyrics is a copyright breach, please don't do it.


Edited by Tony R - May 30 2009 at 12:42

Whatever you do don't give proper credits to the lyrics.