Are you effected by BJ religious song content ?

Like Jax2004 I am also a Christian....and I don't think its a bad thing to have lyrics in songs relating to Jesus.

I must admit that when I hear religion of any kind mentioned in a song I always listen to the lyrics carefully to tell exactly what its talking about...but I really like songs like Keep the Faith and I Believe from that point of view.

Don't get me wrong, Becky - I know what you mean (sort of, I think) but why would someone believe in the Pope if they don't believe in Jesus? Believing in Jesus without believing in the Pope makes sense - and it happens. But just believeing in the Pope sounds a bit silly If you believe in the Pope it's because you think he's definitely Jesus's PR on earth, so to speak.

However, I'm still viewing the song showing a negative view of religion. That you should believe in yourself and *then* and only then see if you need to believe in something else.

I've marked in bold things that are pretty hard to turn the other way around and see in a religious way. Especially the "In a world that gives you nothing we NEED something to believe in" sounds to me like saying it's all made up because we're weak and can't face the truth.

You've hit the proverbial nail on the head. That is what I personally believe religion is.

It doesn't say I HAVE lost. It says I lost... past tense. It says I thought... not I currently think. That's why the song, to me, is a journey, and not a single place. The character in the song has gone through a period of questioning faith.

The Pope is just a single representative of men who claim to know what Jesus says. Obviously, he's the best choice for someone like Jon who was raised Catholic. It could just has well have said, "If I don't believe in Jesus, how can I believe the minister.... the preacher... the nun... the bishop... the missionary?" I think the song says you don't have to believe what any man says. You need to find out what the source (Jesus) says for yourself instead of blindly taking someone else's word for it. Then, if you have that background and that connection to Jesus, you are better prepared to know whether or not a religious leader is telling the truth or full of it.

I also think that the need discusses is the need to believe in some kind of moral base because that's what gives life meaning. If humans are just here to survive, then we're no better off than the animals who don't have the reasoning to know the difference between right and wrong (sin). If you believe life is more than suvival, then you have to believe in sin because humans are the only creatures on earth who understand the concept of sin. The world doesn't give you anything, so you have to find what you believe in.

BTW... this is just MY interpretation. I'm not saying it's the right one or the only one. But if finally made sense to me that Jon kept saying it was a positive song when I heard it this way.

Becky

Then we must agree to disagree because I definitely don't see it that way.

I was taught (And I've seen by myself) that the Americans - as opposed to Brittons - hardly ever used the present perfect tense and use the past simple in most cases unless they want to be very specific. So Jon's use in that doesn't mean much. But he does say "I WILL pretend I have something to belive in" and "we NEED".

And about the "need" I did say what I think.

I'm not trying to make you change your mind. Songs are there for everyone to make theirs and relate to them but it's just that I don't see it as a positive song as far as religion is concerned.

What about Hey God though?

You'll also find that most lyrics have grammatical errors - mostly because it fits ....


Personally, I don't think that song has so much to do with religion in a common sense, as it is a reflection of ones path in life (NOT in a spiritual way).

By 'my religion/god' I can mean many different things - not necessarily the catholic god or allah or any of those. It could mean my priorities in life, my view of the world, my goals. So, by losing my faith in god and religion, I could mean I've lost faith/interest in the things that I've viewed to be important in my life and now I am trying to adjust my priorities and find new goals to work towards....

Again, the mere fact that the words jesus and god have been used doesn't mean the song has to be about religion.

I lost all faith in my God, in his religion too
I told the angels they could sing their songs to someone new
I lost all trust in my friends, I watched my heart turn to stone
I thought that I was left to walk this wicked world alone

the first two lines in combination with the second two lines seem to me that the writer used religion, god, angels as metaphors rather than in their common meaning.

You have to believe in God to pose a direct question to Him. Faith doesn't mean always understanding EVERYTHING. There are many things in my own life that leave me thinking, "Hey God, what the hell is going on?" and questioning whether or not I believe in God/Jesus too. Faith isn't an easy journey. Even Jesus questioned God's will in the Bible (prior to crucifixion). If Jesus can question, surely a man can.

Becky

Tell me about it! "Should have drove all night" still torments me!

Jesus was a man.

Ice

And you have to recognize that some people believe He was a Deity in man form. So, to you, he may have been just a man. To others, He was and is much more.

Becky