Last year I wrote about an event my youth group does every year. It's called Music Madness. Everyone decides on a song, prints the lyrics and either brings the song on a CD or makes sure it's available on YouTube. When everyone is there, we listen to the songs one by one, reading along with the lyrics and thinking about the lyrics unless our minds happen to wander (which happens to mine frequently). Singing along is discouraged as we're supposed to be thinking; it can be very hard to abstain from singing some songs, like "The Boxer" (Simon & Garfunkel). Then we discuss the song; in particular, we try to determine what the song is saying, what the message is. Mostly the discussions are purely literary; musical critiques are generally along the lines of, "What a cool song!" That seems fine to me; musical critique is not the point of the event.
This year I brought "Siberian Khantru," by Yes. Good song. Really hard to analyze, which is why I brought it in. The general consensus of the meaning was that it either dealt with the changing of the seasons or God, written while the lyricist was "high as a kite." Neither interpretation pleased me all that much, but looking back on it, I have to admit that both seem kind of apt.
But that is not why I'm writing this.
My parish priest brought in a number of songs, one of which was "Rapture" by Hurt. I'd prefer not to go into the exact story the song relates; if you would like to know, look up the lyrics. It's pretty clear. Suffice it to say that someone (either in the lyricist's imagination or someone they knew of) did something either very evil or very insane for religious reasons.
It was an interesting song for a priest to bring, as it was anything but friendly to religion. There is a line in it which goes, "Yes I would if I could destroy your god." Our priest said that line was exactly right--that if there was a god that wanted us to do what the someone in the song did, we should hate it, should want it destroyed. It was a very angry song, but a good song to have written. Says a lot of true things.
There are more things I could say but I don't want this to get too long. Adios.
I can't help but wonder if your priest was hinting about ISIS. Given that they continue to destroy shrines and temples of other religions this seems too fit the bill. ISIS's "God" is telling them to destroy other idolatrous symbols.
ReplyDeleteI am totally spitballing here, but it seems as if your priest is sending the message that ISIS is wrong. That if your god is telling you to prevent others from having freedom of religion, there is something wrong.
Again, totally spitballing, I do not know that this is what your priest was saying. But it does not sound implausible.