and to burn the crowd that has a name Options

[Badman]

Actually I'm not a religious person in the usual sense of the word, so I wasn't at all offended.
And since I don't wanna go all off topic,we'll leave it at that.

[This thread jumps off this longer discussion in the Ed section]

Believe me, you aren't alone Opine. Most people on this website are pretty non-religious. I do have a theory for this:

In the absence of church leaders telling us what to do, many of us learned to think for ourselves. We sought out music that "made us think" such as TC and MJ which caused us to fall in love with the band. I mean, these songs are all open for interpretation and offer real advice for how to live our lives. We are the world, good pain, and the idea that water is both the giver and the taker of life. This is some deep stuff.

Because many of us feel this way towards religious and shallow music, we have experienced a complete rejection of Ed's new direction. This is a generalization of the fans from my point of view but I'd like to know if this resonates with anyone here. Has this music at some point in your life replaced/stood in for religious feelings?

[thefunkyredcaboose]

Not to shamelessly promote blog...

<promotes blog>

[Pokey]

Not to shamelessly promote blog...

<promotes blog>

You should really have supplied the link to his blog there, to help him out

[FishOutaWater]

You should really have supplied the link to his blog there, to help him out

By the way - on topic - Live has defintiely shaped my sprirituality. It inspired me to read Krishnamurti and Ken Wilber. It made me reflect on the meaning of the lyrics of songs like Mirror Song. After doing that, it is inevitable that your spiritual paradigm will shift at least a little bit one way or the other. Even if you are a Christian both before you experience Live music and after you experience Live music, the expansion of your horizons and understanding attained from listening to Live will alter your grasp on Christianity. I was raised Catholic and I believed that the church was teaching the inerrant truth. Over time, I began to question authority and I had trouble with some fo the beliefs and Live reinforced that thinking. With Live as a musical backdrop to my spiritual journey, I gradually began to investigate and explore spirituality more myself and rely less on what "authorities" taught me. Without that journey, I would not have been able to accept different, more open and universal, emerging views of what it means to be a Christian - like the thoughts found in Marcus Borg's books or the more expansive views in some forms of Protestenism. I went from being very restless about religion to being much more comfortable with it - and seeing more fundamentalist, intractable religious doctrines for what they are.

[Lebanon Corvalis]

By the way - on topic - Live has defintiely shaped my sprirituality. It inspired me to read Krishnamurti and Ken Wilber. It made me reflect on the meaning of the lyrics of songs like Mirror Song. After doing that, it is inevitable that your spiritual paradigm will shift at least a little bit one way or the other. Even if you are a Christian both before you experience Live music and after you experience Live music, the expansion of your horizons and understanding attained from listening to Live will alter your grasp on Christianity. I was raised Catholic and I believed that the church was teaching the inerrant truth. Over time, I began to question authority and I had trouble with some fo the beliefs and Live reinforced that thinking. With Live as a musical backdrop to my spiritual journey, I gradually began to investigate and explore spirituality more myself and rely less on what "authorities" taught me. Without that journey, I would not have been able to accept different, more open and universal, emerging views of what it means to be a Christian - like the thoughts found in Marcus Borg's books or the more expansive views in some forms of Protestenism. I went from being very restless about religion to being much more comfortable with it - and seeing more fundamentalist, intractable religious doctrines for what they are.

So this conversation has moved over here,cool. Let me see if I can hit everything we talked about on the other thread. Sorry if I jump all over the place I'm watching my 14 month or old and hes all over the place......anywhooo

I'm a practicing Christian. I listen to all kinds of stuff Tupac to KISS to The Beatles to Johnny Cash to The Dandy Warhols to Mano Chau To Lady GaGa and them some. (yes I said Lady GaGa) I love music and I love being a Christian. That doesn't make me a douche bag hater or some clone who can't think for himself and is forced to Love ALiVE cause Ed is a fellow Christian.

Not one part of my religion tells me what I can and should not be listening to, "My pastor has never given me a "christian cd and said "check this chick out she rocks for the Lord throw out your evil LIVE cd and start bumping DC Talk"

Music can be a religious experience I believe that I have seen it a few times especially at Marlyn Manson shows, People worship that guy and start crying for his ass, its crazy. I think he writes catchy stuff that is fun to drive too.

I have never chosen music or thought of it as a replacement for my religion. Music for me is several things it's my peace time, my enjoyment, my drive, Its is the soundtrack to my life. Some of it is Shit Like Scott Weilands X-mas album and some of it is thought provoking like MJ-TDTH or Bob Dylans "Time out of Mind". Just cause I'm religious that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a different perspectives.

What I got from LIVE's music and Lyrics was a longing for spiritual growth, It taught me that I need to look around more and notice life isn't perfect, that at times it can be plain fucking terrible, Too Search for answers and don't be so eaisly mis-lead, That its ok to question governments and religions, That there is more to you than what you see in the mirror. These are things I got from LIVE's music and that is why I love this band. So complex and thought provoking and the music wasn't bad either.

Ed's direction may be Christian & thats cool if thats what he wants to do and he's making money. Good for him. i want you to know that I would be the 1st to tell Ed that ALiVE wasn't awesome!
Am I happy that his music is Christian based? No. Cause all the above stuff I wrote about what I got from LIVE's music has become one dimensional. The music only goes in one directions and is boring and unchallenging. I don't have a problem with Christian music or any other styles if its good its good if its bad its bad and if its OK it's ALiVE.