i am no longer a fan of this band Options

[flyersfan62379]

Man, I'm glad I'm not religious one bit.

Just enjoy the music for the music.

[FishOutaWater]

I think you are reading Live and Ed accurately and if that bothers you as a Christian, then you should move on.

I personally think Jesus would be quite happy with Ed's lyrics on many levels.

how are both of those statements possible?

It's possible like this. My idea of Jesus and Christianity and yours are different. I think Jesus would be fine with Ed. But if it bothers you as a Christian then you should move on.

I think Jesus was an anti-authoritarian spiritual transformer who preached love, compassion and oneness in an environment of social, religious, economic oppression in the Roman Empire. He was a faithful and observant member of the Jewish religion whose leaders at the time were corrupt individuals installed by the Roman state; it was a hierchical structure that existed so that Judaism was permitted to survive in the pagan Roman empire.

Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding so that people could drink it and dance. Have you ever been to a Jewish wedding? They're FUN! Why in the world would Jesus object to a guy who is singing about infinte love, peace and rejecting the hypocracy of so-called spiritual leaders who say they have all the answers? Why would Jesus object to a loving family man who brings such light and spirit into the world because he drinks a little wine? Is that your religion? If so, then I think you are closed-minded.

[jaybb]

i can not sit back and let some guy that cusses, drinks and i'm sure he's been drunk...

Nooooo, Ed? Drink? I'm stunned. I can not call myself a fan anymore. lol.


Oh and "I Alone," was written about people trying to find their own faith and how truly religious leaders will not dictate what you should believe, but rather "leave you there, by yourself, chained to fate..." to discover what you believe in. So I don't know how that is "anti-Christian" in your mind, but seriously, I'm sure there was some point in your life where you "discovered" Jesus, so that song would then perhaps apply to you as well.

This post has been edited by jaybb: Nov 13 2006, 1:26 pm

[FishOutaWater]

Oh and "I Alone," was written about people trying to find their own faith and how truly religious leaders will not dictate what you should believe, but rather "leave you there, by yourself, chained to fate..." to discover what you believe in. So I don't know how that is "anti-Christian" in your mind, but seriously, I'm sure there was some point in your life where you "discovered" Jesus, so that song would then perhaps apply to you as well.

Great post.

[gotigrz]

If you were a REAL christian, you'd just forgive Ed.

you're right.

I think Jesus would be fine with Ed.

why? why do you think Jesus would be fine w/ anyone saying....

"Jesus, a man of love and strength,.......... but He doesn't mean anything to me today" - Operation Spirit. i doubt very seriously that Jesus would be "happy" with that statement.

"let me be your saviour" - Saviour for a Day. there's only one saviour.

"the greatest of teachers (Jesus) will leave you there by yourself chained to fate" - I Alone that's just wrong... Jesus never leaves us.

"to Christ: a cross to me: a chair i'll sit and earn the ransom from up here" - selling the drama. Jesus wasn't earning any kind of ransom. He was dying for us.

there are plenty more of these types of lyrics in Live's songs, but if you are a true Christian, how could these lyrics NOT bother you?

Why in the world would Jesus object to a guy who is singing about infinte love, peace and rejecting the hypocracy of so-called spiritual leaders who say they have all the answers?

i don't think for one second that Jesus would be upset w/ someone singing about infinite love, and peace. but, who are the so-called spiritual leaders that ed speaks about?

Why would Jesus object to a loving family man who brings such light and spirit into the world because he drinks a little wine?

i never said that. i'm not saying that ed is a bad person. i just don't think ed and i are on the same page when it comes to religion. and that is a large portion of what he sings about. if another Christian is reading this and thinks i'm wrong.... please tell me your thoughts.

Is that your religion? If so, then I think you are closed-minded.

my religion is Christianity. I believe that Jesus Christ is the flesh of God. and that we are all one in Him. i believe that Jesus died for all of us, so that we may be forgiven for all the sins that we could ever commit.

[aLIVEinNORWAY]

"I am no longer a fan of this band"

Well to bad for you, I am

[beau99]

"the greatest of teachers (Jesus) will leave you there by yourself chained to fate" - I Alone that's just wrong... Jesus never leaves us.

Ed was actually referring to God there, who did in fact leave people who didn't believe in Him chained to fate. I don't see how that line's offensive at all.


Oh... one more thing.

Christianity isn't a religion. It's a belief.

Religion is a club.

[gotigrz]

"from the mouth of a baby
will come the world-saving words
that will save us all
and from the lungs of a child
will come the everlasting breath of god" - brothers unaware


"heard alot of talk about this jesus
a man of love, a man of strength
but what a man was two thousand years ago
means nothing at all to me today" - operation spirit

how can anyone say both of these statements? i think the first song is speaking about Jesus. and if so, how can you proclaim that Jesus is the baby that came into the world to save us all,.... and then claim that He means nothing? HOW???!!!

[beau99]

If it makes you feel better, in concert Ed changes the Jesus line in "Operation Spirit" to Buddha.

[gotigrz]

Ed was actually referring to God there, who did in fact leave people who didn't believe in Him chained to fate.

well, in my defense.... i believe that Jesus is God. therefore, ed is saying that Jesus would leave you if you didn't believe. but, Jesus will never make the choice to leave anyone. it's their choice to accept him or not.

I don't see how that line's offensive at all.

to a Christian, do you now?

[beau99]

Well I personally don't care what Ed writes about.

He could write about Barney the Dinosaur for crying out loud. I'd still listen to Live.

[Wambangalang]

if you were a 'true' christian you would agree with gotigrz. Everyone has this puritanical idea about god and religion, that jesus was love and god is love and love love love. God is a very angry person if my memories of sunday school serve me correctly. Somehting about smighting the children in the town and heads rolling and teeth gnashing. Always with the wrath. God hates a lot of people. Ed is far from being in gods good books.

god was created by stupid scared people who believed the world was flat. There are babies who suffer more than jesus did.

[torcatofan]

"from the mouth of a baby
will come the world-saving words
that will save us all
and from the lungs of a child
will come the everlasting breath of god" - brothers unaware
"heard alot of talk about this jesus
a man of love, a man of strength
but what a man was two thousand years ago
means nothing at all to me today" - operation spirit

how can anyone say both of these statements? i think the first song is speaking about Jesus. and if so, how can you proclaim that Jesus is the baby that came into the world to save us all,.... and then claim that He means nothing? HOW???!!!

I don't think Brothers Unaware (or any song on Mental Jewelry) is about religion. A lot of it is very spiritual, but if anything it is anti-religion. I believe their main purpose for the album was to emphasize the need to bridge gaps between cultures - "We must all learn to appreciate the beauty of gray". I find it interesting that so many people interpret their lyrics as religious. They use a lot of religious words and stuff but I think a lot of their lyrics are specualtion about God, heaven, religion, etc. and not necessarily confirmations of their beliefs in anything.

[GvB]

The first thing I thought was: oh no, not such a thread again!
But this one is different.

I've been listening to Live over the past 5 and a half years, and I have figured out that Ed is not against God or whatever what religions at all!
He keeps an open mind for all religions.

He even advices his daughters to think of Jesus (In "Love shines")!
And you don't advice your children to think of Jesus if you don't believe in him, do you?
And in the interview on the dvd of SFBM Ed tells very openly about his believe.
He believes in God, but he has found his own way in it.

You know what I think?
I think that Ed wants to warn us.
Sadly there are people in this world that do as if they believe in God or Allah, to make people following them.
And there are people in this world who are prepared to follow anyone who mentions God or Allah.
Because they think: Hey, I hear that person say "God", or I hear that person say "Allah", that person believes and so that person must be okay! Let's follow that person!
What these people don't (want to) know is that that person who mentions God or Allah, actually wants to get the power, or a whole lot of money or both power and money.
And that is what Ed is warning us for in for example "Selling the drama" and "People like you".
("The world needs people like you" is meant cinical, please listen how Ed sings it).
I think he is not against believing, he is against fake-believers who don't hesitate to abuse God or Allah for their own sake and who don't mind to victimise a lot of people for their own power.
Religion is a good working resort.

Remember that Ed doesn't want to do us harm, he just would like us to be more aware.
He wants to tell us about the mystery of God and all there is.
But he also wants to tell us about the danger of believing everything other people say about God.

But what about "Operation Spirit" you may ask.
Well keep in mind that Ed was 20 year old at that time, and most 20 year old people are rejecting a lot of the things older people say, because they want to search and find out by themselves how they think about life, the world and how it all came to existence.

GvB.

This post has been edited by GvB: Nov 13 2006, 2:07 pm

[Deku]

Gotigrz - I assume that the 'spiritual leader' that you questioned is krishnamurti, who Ed was heavily influenced by when writing Throwing Copper. I have never read his works but I've read texts on a similar level by Osho who states that religion is possessive with it's temples and churches and it's restrictions. Ed lists in his heroes on his myspace 'Jesus' and in no way is he opposed to what Jesus supposedly did. But what his songs and lyrics do is question how the acts of someone ages ago are interpreted today by all these religions and 'religious' people.

You ask why Jesus wouldn't be fine with someone saying that what he did years ago meant nothing at all to him today? I think Ed wasn't saying 'I don't care about Jesus' but rather 'it doesn't mean anything in today's world where religion is so possessive and distorted'. Maybe he's saying that he was a man of love and strength yet in today's world people have forgotten these virtues. I wouldn't take it too literally, and Ed can be a complex guy

With the sorts of bands you get nowadays, surely it's a blessing that a band like Live exists? If JC ever shows up on earth again, I bet he'll be wearing a Live shirt!