According to some popular musicians in the United States, Christianity
has been used to justify exclusion, oppression, and death through
its practices, beliefs, and doctrines. Such justification runs
contrary to the fundamental bases upon which Christianity is
founded. A religion based upon love and acceptance, the musicians
claim, should not justify the aforementioned; either Christianity
redefines its doctrines and their acceptable uses, or society
must reject Christianity's championing of fundamentals, such
as love, defining these fundamentals in ways truer to their own
nature.
Introduction
[1] In September of 2002, Disturbed, a band whose previous album, The
Sickness, dealt with the immanent ills of society, released
their follow-up album, Believe. According to D. Draiman,
Disturbed's lead singer, the album and the specific track, Prayer,
were responses to comments from clerical figures such as Jerry
Falwell blaming the September 11, 2001 attacks on gays, lesbians
and feminists.1 "In
particular [Prayer] is about the clergy's reaction to 9/11," says
Draiman. "Instead of consoling their flock, people like
Jerry Falwell and Oral Roberts chastised them and used the
situation as a means of empowerment, saying it was our own
fault because we're a decadent and promiscuous people."2
[2] What frustrates Disturbed is noteworthy. Christianity bases
itself upon a belief that God is a god of love; however, this
so-called god of love apparently does not love everyone. As
voices speaking from the sphere of Christianity, Falwell and
Roberts cast the onus of September 11th's tragic events upon
those they believe outside the love of God–in so doing,
they define who is in and who is outside of this love. While
in theory they would not disagree that God does love everyone,
in truth, only those who find their names on the appropriate
membership roster authentically enjoy this love. Everyone else,
it would seem, is expendable: for blame, to bear the burden of
evil, and to be used as object lessons for the "righteous." Moreover,
they believe that gays, lesbians, and feminists are products
of a society not in sync with God's divine intention for it.
Disturbed reacts to this conclusion. Religious belief founded
in love should not demand a worldview negating society and
individuals within it. Such a worldview already sets in place
the parameters for exclusion; it divides social existence
into those who endeavour to materialize divine intent for
creation and those who are stumbling blocks hindering materialization.
Because divine intent is the ultimate goal of creation, as
the worldview goes, removing those hindrances and stumbling
blocks ultimately benefits creation. Christians, therefore,
bear a divine responsibility to bring about such removal.
When Christians fail to do so, God will react, to discipline
and to teach a lesson.
[3] Disturbed is not alone in their frustration with Christianity
and its various voices. This investigation will set musical lyric
into conversation with academic work to demonstrate musicians
have important voices of criticism that should be heard by Christianity.
Collectively, their voices call for Christianity to reevaluate
its beliefs on society and to faithfully practice the very doctrines–e.g.,
love–that are fundamental to it. One should also note that
for any variety of reasons–be it the length and format
of the song, an incomplete understanding of religion, among others–some
musicians quoted show a tendency to reduce all Christianity into
a single, analyzable bloc. Without doubt, Christianity exists
a complex and multifaceted religion; one cannot reduce it to
a single refutable element. To be clear, these musicians are
not presented to dispatch Christianity but to offer external
perspectives of reaction and critique. Where these voices are
important is in their experiences of Christianity (in whatever
form). In addition, where I insert my own theological generalizations–to
move into specifics would require a great deal more literary
space–I do so to address general forms of thought found
in fundamentalist and/or conservative thought, bringing them
into a dialogue with selected lyrics. Moreover, I also work in
and out of a discussion with certain Calvinist-influenced presuppositions
(e.g., predestination) because I see a common plane of dialogue
between these and some of the selected lyrics.
Christianity's Rejection of Society
[4] In spite of its obvious dependence upon society, Christianity
struggles to separate itself from society and culture. Society
and culture, this religion teaches, are tainted products of evil
and sin and God therefore requires the faithful Christian to
separate the self from them. The sacred cannot dwell within and
among the profane. Note, for instance, N. Pearcey:
The danger is that if Christians do not consciously develop
a biblical approach to the subject [i.e., a specific area
of knowledge], then we will unconsciously absorb some
other philosophical toolbox, stuffed with terms and concepts.
. . . In other words, not only do we fail to be salt and light
to a lost culture, but we ourselves may end up being shaped
by that culture.3
Pearcey assumes the membership of her audience; her readers,
the "we," are Christians as she understands the term.
In addition, she assumes one true perspective on knowledge and "truth" and
only Christians can attain it. This so-called Christian perspective
is the only true perspective because it belongs to those who
are members of the saved–without this membership and conscious
perspective, a "lost culture" will greedily shape the
individual into something lost. She believes culture, in its
very nature, is lost. Note Pearcey again: "Our calling
as Christians is to progressively clean out all the "idols" remaining
in our thought life, so that we may pursue every aspect of our
lives as citizens of the City of God."4 She
qualifies any perspective on knowledge other than a "Christian" perspective
an idol. Nevertheless, what is a "Christian" perspective?
From what society and its produced set of beliefs does this definition
come?
[5] The Indigo Girls may have a theory critical of Pearcey's
conclusions: "And as for the truth it seems like we just
pick a theory / the one that justifies our daily lives / and
backs us with quiver and arrows / to protect openings cause when
the warring begins / how quickly the wide open narrows / into
the smallness of our deconstruction of love."5 To
what extent is Christianity guilty of narrowing truth and reality
to the "smallness" of its own deconstruction? If one
judged from the voices collected in this article, "to a
great extent" would be the conclusion. The "theory" of
Christianity has become in countless ways a means through which
to "justify one's daily life." Truth partitions itself
against evil, the excluded, and those things that are threatening
to the Christian worldview. To read the Girls more closely to
this last statement: Christianity controls access to truth and
life through the means of membership, access to which requires
one to accept a narrowed definition of both.
[6] Thus, the benefit of membership is life and salvation. Yet
the idea of eternal salvation, and even the necessity for it,
is strictly a religious idea defined by Christianity. At its
root, Christian salvation entails the liberation of an individual
from the ensnarement or oppression of the world because salvation
refers to being freed from the ensnarement and oppression of
sin or evil, which, of course, are traits defining the world.6 Christianity
teaches the individual cannot find true freedom or happiness,
being bound by the world, until he or she obtains this salvation.
Yet because attainment is through religion, those who maintain
control over the religion, its doctrines, and its ideologies
guard this path to true freedom and happiness. Note, for instance,
how Christian conversion narratives demonstrate the manner through
which one ultimately receives life and salvation: the narratives
entail/require the admission of one's state of being destitute
and lost; burdened by this lack of fulfillment, the individual
searches endlessly (often unconsciously–to be realized
in retrospect) for answers in anything and everything until he
or she "finds Jesus" or is found by him. Jesus found
illuminates the individual, granting full understanding of truth
and life and the sought-after membership resulting in eternal
life. To find or be found by Jesus, however, the individual must
utter a specific script in a manner similar to magical incantation.
Knowledge of this script often eludes those not familiar with
the methods of Christianity.
[7] Of course, this can lead to a belief in "divine election." To
obtain salvation one must obtain membership,7 and
to obtain membership, one must first meet several criteria, among
which the religion's control over a lifestyle is prominent. This
definition develops quickly into a feeling of "chosen-ness" by
those who are "in the group." Perhaps it is for reasons
not too far from this that Metallica echoes a feeling shared
by those who do not–even
cannot (physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually)–conform
to a Christian categorical lifestyle. Because the religion often
rejects difference, such people may feel they are left without
access to freedom and happiness: "Where do I take this pain
of mine / I run but it stays right by my side / so tear me open
and pour me out / there's things inside that scream and shout
/ and the pain still hates me / so hold me until it sleeps."8
[8] A different approach is taken by Jewel, who obliquely suggests
that
salvation is found in the here and now, in social and individual
relationships and responsibilities:
If I could tell the world just one thing / it would be that
we're all OK / and not to worry 'cause worry is wasteful /
and useless in times like these / I won't be made useless
/ I won't be idle with despair / I will gather myself around
my faith / for light does the darkness most fear. . . . we'll
fight, not out of spite / for someone must stand up for what's
right / 'cause where there's a man who has no voice / there
ours shall go singing.9
Action defines this faith, in being a "voice" to those
who have none. Faith, in other words, is an acceptance of social
responsibility, to be an active part of society, to aid those
in need. Salvation, then, is to "gather oneself around one's
faith." No qualification for membership exists other than
being: being an active part in society, and being concerned for
those whom society or religion has rejected and/or silenced.
[9] Jewel's understanding of "salvation" demonstrates
that conventional religious belief and salvation have become
functional and mechanistic. Belief's functionalism, the gears
driving its mechanics, is not willing to meet the needs of society.
Instead, it rooted in the conservatism of doctrines and ideologies
that have turned to an inward focus upon self-preservation. Note,
for instance, P. Glynn who writes,
Modern organizational theorists have noticed how bureaucracies
tend to replace the goal for which they were originally
established with the goal of advancing their own survival
and interests. This is no less true of churches than of other
human institutions. Through much of human history, even modern
history, churches have been tribalistic.10
[10] Peter Berger writes that legitimations of social reality
in the face of death are necessary for any society; religion
offers to maintain this reality by legitimating events such as
death within a sacred reality: "This permits the individual
who goes through these situations to continue to exist in the
world of his society–not "as if nothing happened," which
is psychologically difficult in the more extreme marginal situations,
but in the "knowledge" that even these events or experiences
have a place within a universe that makes sense."11 Yet
if religion is used to justify the problematic causes of death
or the act of killing (which brings about death), the so-called
sacred reality that has a legitimating function in society has
become defined by those holding death's tools. When Christianity
justifies war, it positions itself to be nothing more than a
religion of death; no preservation of life can be found there.
Christianity must therefore ultimately commit itself to whether
or not it believes that God desires the elimination of human
life. If Christians decide in the affirmative, then they must
redefine Christianity's idea of love. If hate equals the absence
of love, then a love that justifies killing can be perceived
easily as hate. Still frustrated with the Christian voices who
make the affirmative conclusion, Disturbed writes,
can't you see that the pace / has just fallen behind / all
the hate in your heart / will be leaving you blind / so bold
motherfucker / don't you limit your mind / this time / waiting.
for your modern messiah / to take away all the hatred / that
darkens the light in your eye / still awaiting. I.12
[11] The dissonance created by Christianity's perceived stumbling
fulfillment of its social role has led many to reject both
God and religion together. Disturbed feints toward this conclusion,
but retains some level of hope that religion in general will
cease creating dissonance. Some point out the deficiencies in
religion, its offered explanations, even its function, because
they have felt abandoned by Christianity's exclusivism–an
exclusivism produced through control over salvation, membership
and its inward focus, among other things. The Indigo Girls write, "We
go to the bible, we go through the workout / we read up on revival
and we stand up for the lookout / There's more than one answer
to these questions / pointing me in a crooked line / the less
I seek my source for some definitive / the closer I am to fine."13 Christianity,
as the Girls understand, has become nothing more than a workout,
at its best, it can only be one answer to life's questions. A
Perfect Circle (APC, hereafter) likewise proclaims their frustration: "You're
such an inspiration for the ways that I'll never ever choose
to be / oh so many ways for me to show you how the savior has
abandoned you / fuck your God / your Lord, your Christ he did
this / took all you had and / left you this way / still you pray,
you never stray / never taste of the fruit / you never thought
to question why."14 APC
spits the futility of remaining loyal to an institution and its
god, both of which have apparently done nothing for the individual
or society. Promised freedoms and salvation, it would seem, are
nothing but hollow promises.
[12] A religion that teaches love but legitimates war is problematic
for many. In the United States, the vocabulary used by the presidential
administration to justify the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is
often influenced by religious terms and ideas. The "other" is "evil" and
perpetuates it. No good comes from this other and so the other
should be "hunted down" in order for the "divine
right of freedom" to be bestowed upon a wanting people groaning
under the weight of social and religious oppression.
[13] A commonly held belief in the United States is that capitalist
democracy is God's choice for the human social environment. "God
bless America," and "May God continue to bless America" reveal
a belief God blesses the United States–and not, for instance,
Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria–because the United States
correctly embodies the social reality God desires for individuals
and society and their expression of freedoms and rights. Under
God's blessing, the belief goes, the country enjoys material
gain and international influence and holds the responsibility
to spread democracy, which equals freedom (or so it is believed),
to other less "prosperous" nations. Before the growing
dominance of this belief and its justifying of war, APC writes, "And
so once again / oh, America my friend / and so once again / you
are fighting us all / and when we ask you why / you raise your
sticks and cry and we fall / oh, my friend / how did you come
/ to trade the fiddle for the drum?"15 (The
drum is a reference to a war drum.) Does God favour one political
nation over another, giving the divine seal of approval on destructive
acts, a seal which Christianity seems to claim is confirmed in
the material prosperity of the chosen nation?
[14] To justify the death of others as God's will is self-refuting,
especially so if Christianity presents God as love and the giver
of life through self-sacrifice in the material world (cf. Matt.
5:43-48). Yet throughout history, both God and religion have
been used to justify a great number of acts destructive to humanity.
In Joshua 9:24 the Gibeonites tell the "sons of Israel" they
know God (YHWH) promised Moses to give their land to the children
of Israel and to destroy the inhabitants–which included
the speakers–already there. Or a different example, the
Crusades were wars against Islam "legitimated" in part
by the belief God despised the presence and threat of the "infidel."16 Christianity
teaches that God is the giver of life, but death often seems
to be its outcome throughout history. Modest Mouse responds, "Well
we sat on the edge of the river / the crowd screamed, 'Sacrifice
the liver! / if God takes life, he's an Indian giver.'"17
[15] To many outside the sphere of Christianity, the religion
has not exampled the love of its god. Some have made a plea to
one of religion's fundamental bases, love. R.E.M., for instance,
writes, "Now love cannot be called into question / forgiveness
is the only hope I hold / and love, love will be my strongest
weapon / I do believe that I am not alone."18 Others
have simply voiced a question that is poignant in its lack of
an answer: "What will I tell my daughter? / what will you
tell your son? / where were all the doves? / that we were nothing
but a shadow / a faceless generation devoid of love? / the crucifix
ain't no baseball bat / tell me what kind of God is that? / ain't
nothing more godless than a war / so what are we fightin' for?"19 Live
rejects the idea of membership, as does Jewel (above), claiming
that heaven and God are accessible in and through life and nature.20
Christianity and the Preservation of Life?
[16] Christianity claims God's ultimate intent for the world
is the preservation of life and the dramatic activity and presence
of love. Yet it fails to escape limiting its intended audience,
which is not open to all humanity but to those who meet
the right criteria. Others can only look forward to death and
emptiness: "On a cobweb afternoon / in a room full of emptiness
/ by a freeway I confess / I was lost in the pages / of a book
full of death / reading how we'll die alone / and if we're good
we'll lay to rest / anywhere we want to go," Audioslave
mournfully admits.21 Should
the freeway imagine for Audioslave's listeners a means of death
(such as suicide), or a path toward somewhere, something, or
someone the speaker is not on? Emptiness has driven the speaker
to a book, perhaps in a search for something hopeful. Yet the
book—an unspecified reference to the Bible—offers
no life, only death.
[17] Advocates of the Bible argue that it is the path or key
to life, freedom, and salvation. Yet such ideas are accessible
only through a knowledge that is attainable upon membership.22 Outside
this "enlightenment," anyone who read the Bible would
not be likely to reach the same conclusion. One finds in this
book a divine a commandment and legitimation of genocide; overshadowed
by the modern political turmoil occurring in the Middle East,
this key's promised life, freedom, and salvation may appear quite
empty. How accessible is salvation or its necessary component,
redemption, when Christianity wraps the ideas in beliefs such
as, "This is the rich content that should come to mind when
we hear the word Redemption. The term does not refer only
to a one-time conversion event. It means entering upon a lifelong
quest to devote our skills and talents to building things that
are beautiful and useful, while fighting the forces of evil
and sin that oppress and distort creation."23 (That
same sentiment has been used to justify wars, giving them divine
legitimation).
[18] And herein lies another problem: militaristic vocabulary
is common in Christianity. Members often describe the "struggle" of
the religious institution against society and culture as a religious
and social war.24 The
book of Revelation, for example, is often interpreted to suggest
only through war can God ultimately restore the world and God's
original intent for it. Even children do not escape such influences.
An old Christian children's song, for example, indoctrinates
them early on: "I may never march in the infantry / ride
in the cavalry / shoot the artillery / I may never zoom o'er
the enemy / but I'm in the Lord's army." The child may never
physically march, ride, shoot, or zoom, but the song inescapably
links the terms to the military. Moreover, the actions are not
portrayed as wrong or being contrary to Christian belief. Terms
such as "army" and "enemy" are
not the words of one surrounded by peace. With the motions attached
to the song, children act out being marchers, riding horses,
flying/being airplanes, and mimicking the sound of artillery.
So whether or not the actions are physically undertaken, they
are "spiritually" performed.
[19] Because of the prominent position the Bible holds in Christianity
and the widespread nature of Christianity in the United States,
one cannot avoid these issues. How is it that the same God who
creates life commands death for those outside divine election?
Outside the religious sphere these issues are troubling, while
within it many justify such narratives through the concept of
sin. People are sinners and therefore God commands their deaths.
Some Christians even legitimate the war in Iraq on this doctrine:
Islam is contrary to God's will because only Christians are "in
tune" with God; Islam threatens the fabric of Christianity,
therefore Islam must be put down. For these ideas, the Bible
offers easy justification: the punishment of sin, after all,
is death (cf. Rom. 6:17-23; Jude 1:1-27).25 Yet
this argument conflicts with an even more fundamental doctrine:
God is love; God intended the salvation for all as embodied in
the person and atoning sacrifice of Jesus.26 Accordingly,
if the punishment of sin is death and Jesus fulfilled that punishment,
then death as a retributive act should no longer justified within
Christianity (cf. Heb. 2:9-18).
[20] So does God really actively punish sin–a concept defined
differently in each society by virtue of culture–with death?
A positive answer might reveal a rationalized belief that God
is looking out for the Christian specifically while untold thousands
die by human and natural disasters.27 So
how does one determine whether actions are "good," being
righteous, or "bad," being sinful? "And on I read
/ until the day was gone / and I sat in regret / of all the things
I've done / for all that I've blessed / and all that I've wronged
/ in dreams until my death / I will wonder on."28 Audioslave's
narrative "I" concludes that the only option left is
for one to regret everything ever done, all actions both good
and bad. After all, how can one be certain? God, for a related
biblical example, strikes Uzzah down in 2 Samuel 6:6-7 because
he was "irreverent." Now, one should note that all
Uzzah intended to do was protect the ark from falling when the
oxen nearly upset it. Irreverence? Before this event, the Philistines,
enemies of the Israelites, took the ark–by hand, they had
no forklifts–and placed it in a temple of Dagon (1 Sam.
5:2). Only the idol of Dagon was knocked down (1 Sam. 5:1-7).29 Does
God knock people off at a whim? For what purpose did God command
the Canaanites be utterly wiped out because of sin (cf. Deut.
9:4) but restored the Judeans after God exiled them for virtually
the same reasons (cf. Ezra 1:1-11)?30 Christianity
legitimates these glaring inconsistencies with the concepts of
sin and divine selection–concepts it itself defines.
[21] Each religion defines what it believes is sin, and often
such definitions are situated around what distinguishes individuals
from being in or out of membership. Divine action and judgment
are means through which God insures the perpetuity of the chosen
religious body. This is done by preventing, through death or
other means, "sinners" from setting up camp against
religion's walls. In desperation, Audioslave concludes, "On
my deathbed I will pray / to the gods and the angels / like a
pagan to anyone / who will take me to heaven."31 Not
having membership, this is the only possible cry, that some divine
being will take pity and show love.
[22] Modest Mouse takes a different approach. "If God controls
the land and disease / keeps a watchful eye on me / if he's really
so damn mighty / my problem is I can't see / well who would wanna
be? / Who would wanna be / such a control freak?"32 Even
more, if, as Christianity teaches, God keeps "track" of
every individual, then the thousands that die every day were
chosen for death. If God watches over "me" to preserve
and keep "me" safe, then in the face of so many dead,
God has rejected the life and salvation of others.
[23] Live anguishes over Christianity's presentation of God with
the following: "and to love / a god / and to fear / a flame
/ and to burn / a love that has a name."33 The
love of God is the very same that casts individuals to the flame.
The irony is this: God loved everyone so much God created hell.
Christianity teaches true life is found in membership and without
it, one can only look forward to the flames of hell. Live, however,
rejects the modern religious qualifications for both heaven and
hell: "I don't need no one to tell me about heaven / I look
at my daughter, and I believe / I don't need no proof when it
comes to God and truth / I can see the sunset and I perceive."34 If
existence testifies to God, then all who exist, who live in and
have lived in the present moment have access to God.
The Purpose of Christianity in Society
[24] Is the social function of religion to create and uphold
a system of boundaries and criteria that causes those not a part
of the system to yearn for what they cannot have? Should religion
recognize its genetic tie to society and respond to social trends?35 Throughout
history, religions have given societies a sense of morals and
ethics, or as Durkheim describes, fundamental modes of conduct.36 Perhaps
an appropriate question is, can Christianity ever fail in its
social function? That is to ask, in spite of all actions taken
or products produced, does Christianity still fulfill its social
function no matter whether or not it actively chooses to admit
its dependence upon society? Weber writes, "But the more
the development tends toward the conception of a transcendental
unitary god who is universal, the more there arises the problem
of how the extraordinary power of such a god may be reconciled
with the imperfection of the world that he has created and rules
over."37 How much
more so this becomes a problem when religion justifies pain,
death, and oppression. When Christianity justifies these, it
calls into question the nature of God and whether or not God
really loves all individuals.
Perhaps some reconciliation does occur between a universal God
and pain, death, and oppression, but its "rationalism" is
only accessible by those who are its members. And therein lies
a paradox.
[25] G. Leibniz, as is generally accepted, coined the term theodicy
to refer to the theoretical justification of God's goodness in
the face of evil within the world. The conflict that many others
before and after Leibniz have also addressed (although perhaps
not with the same term) is based on a western notion of the world
being divided into good and evil. All reality is placed within
one or the other category, and religion controls the means that
legitimate an object's or individual's placement in either category.
[26] Max Weber describes the problem of theodicy being resolved
in several ways. One resolution is to teach a messianic eschatology,
pointing toward a future political and social transformation
of this world.38 The
presence of suffering was the result of ancestral sin, contaminating
this world, and for which God holds the descendants responsible
(cf. Ex. 34:6-7). Religion patiently endures the pain of society
until such time it is liberated (often by the divine).
[27] Another resolution is the idea of predestination, and here
the problem of theodicy disappears.39 Predestination
asserts that individuals were preordained either for salvation
or for condemnation. God chose at the beginning of existence
those whom God would ultimately save and those whom God would
condemn to hell: "In such a context, ethical behavior could
never bring about the improvement of one's chances in either
this world or the next."40 Audioslave's
despair sounds even more poignant under this possible resolution: "In
your house I long to be / room by room patiently / I'll wait
for you there / like a stone / I'll wait for you there / alone."41 No
favourable resolution, no salvation exists for the speaker; although
longing and waiting patiently, he waits forever alone and in
emptiness.42
[28] So we have arrived temporarily at a problem with predestination,
a problem that lies in its entirely inward focus. The saved are
saved, the rest of society must accept its place and suffer;
actions, good or bad, are of little consequence. God, who has
a complete understanding of the identity and actions of individuals,
foreordained their fates from the beginning of existence. Here,
religion offers to society the explanation that things are the
way they are because they simply are and nothing can change it.
[29] Perhaps it in response to this outlook that Jewel writes, "We
are God's eyes / God's hands / God's mind / we are God's eyes
/ God's hands / God's heart."43 God
is no longer accessible to only a few, whether through categorical
membership or divine election; God is accessible to all. In fact,
every individual comprises a part of the essence of God. To be
sure, panentheism is not the only logical conclusion to these
words. Within monotheistic Christianity one often hears the phrase "we
are Jesus to others," reminding the hearing member of the
Great Commission given by Jesus (cf. Mark 16:15-16). Even more,
the concept of imago Dei makes a quite similar claim:
God made humans in the image of God (Gen. 1:27).
[30] The sources from popular music I have used appear to share
an understanding that religion is important as a structure for
belief in love and the goodness of humanity, in the preservation
and salvation of life. Several of these representatives have
despaired of the institutional Christianity because they believe
it to contradict not only this belief, but also itself through
an incompatibility between ideology and practice. This contradiction
led APC, for example, to write, "Christ, so many ways for
me to show you / how your dogma has abandoned you / pray to your
Christ, to your god / never taste of the fruit / never stray,
never break / never, choke on a lie/ even though he's the one
who did this to you."44 Cardinal
Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, had stated that rock music
was "the vehicle of anti-religion," and because one "lowers
the barriers of individuality and personality" to "liberate
[the self] from the burden of consciousness," rock music
is "the complete antithesis of Christian faith in the redemption."45 Not
only are such claims based on rock/popular music reduced to a
singular, analyzable bloc, they reject any possible means of
conversation between popular culture, in more general terms,
and Christianity. Where one can understand APC, for instance,
to be writing from the perspective of an individual(s) rejected
by or frustrated with the tendency toward a rejection of others
in domains of Christianity, the cardinal's comments seem to legitimate
such a perspective, seemingly enforcing such perceived rejection
by dismissing rock/popular music as a legitimate voice of human
expression.46
[31] In summary, Christian belief has been used to justify exclusion,
oppression and death. While this is not the only possible outcome,
this justification has become an insurmountable obstacle for
many. The discussed musicians have responded by broadening the
definition of Christianity, doing away with membership criteria,
and presenting God in ways more accessible to everyone. The frustrations
of these popular musicians and their subsequent responses demonstrate
an implicit call for Christianity and those controlling the flow
of Christian doctrine and ideology to reevaluate Christianity's
role and function in society, and for Christianity to see society
not as an evil "other" but as the hand and heart of
God.
Notes
1. Jon Wiederhorn, "Disturbed
Conjure Fire, Earthquakes for 'Prayer' Video." VH1.com,
June 13, 2002, accessed February 23, 2005, <http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1455152/06122002/disturbed.jhtml>; "Falwell
Apologizes to Gays, Feminists, Lesbians." CNN.Com,
September 14, 2001, accessed February 22, 2005, <http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/14/Falwell.apology/>.
2. Wiederhorn, "Disturbed
Conjure Fire."
3. Nancy R. Pearcey, Total
Truth (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2004), 44.
4. Pearcey, Total Truth,
40.
5. Indigo Girls, "Deconstruction," in Become
You, Audio CD (Sony, 2002).
6. Weber, The Sociology
of Religion, translated by E. Fischoff (Boston: Beacon
Press, 1993), 44.
7. W. Craig puts it in terms
of belief. One is either a believer or an unbeliever; see William
Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics (Wheaton,
IL: Crossway Books, 1984), 32-36. Note the distinction. Human
society is reduced to division-based action: one either believes
or does not believe.
8. Metallica, "Until
It Sleeps," in Load, Audio CD (Elektra, 1996).
9. Jewel, "Hands," in Spirit,
Audio CD (Atlantic Label, 1998).
10. Patrick Glynn, God:
The Evidence: The Reconciliation of Faith and Reason in a
Postsecular World (Rocklin, CA: Prima, 1997), 149.
11. Peter L. Berger, The
Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion (Garden
City, NY: Doubleday, 1967; reprint, New York: Anchor Books,
1990), 43-44; see also Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation
of Cultures (New York: Basic Books), 109.
12. Disturbed, "Liberate," in Believe,
Audio CD (Warner Brothers, 2002).
13. Indigo Girls, "Closer
to Fine," in Indigo Girls, Audio CD (CBS, 1989).
14. A Perfect Circle, "Judith," in Mer
de Noms, Audio CD (Virgin Records, 2000). M. J. Keenan's
commentary on Judith explains that the phrase "fuck your
God" is said with an emphasis on "your" god
and not an actual God. He rejects the concept of a god defined
by, what he says, fundamentalists and extremists, a god who
isolates and is devoid of compassion. Billy Howerdel, A
Perfect Circle–Amotion, DVD (EMI Distribution, 2004),
75 min.
15. A Perfect Circle, "Fiddle
and the Drum," in EMOTIVe, Audio CD (Virgin Records,
2004).
16. P. Glynn puts it uniquely: "By
the Middle Ages the Church was hardly distinguished from any
other political entity. The pope ruled the papal states, vied
in secular power struggles, and even rallied Christians to war–including,
of course, the Crusades, in which Christians slaughtered Muslims
as a way of witnessing to their faith. . . . The Inquisition
burned witches and heretics and persecuted independent thinkers.
The bloody persecution of the Jews was a recurrent phenomenon." Glynn, God,
the Evidence, 157-58.
17. Modest Mouse, "Bukowski," in Good
News for People Who Love Bad News, Audio CD (Sony Music
Entertainment Inc., 2004). In ancient Near Eastern societies,
the river was a tool of divine judgment. Livers, opening to
an even greater number of societies, were used by augurs to
discern divine will and action. It is not clear Modest Mouse
intended these nuanced meanings, but the possible connection
is informative.
18. R.E.M., "Final
Straw," in Around the Sun, Audio CD (Warner Brothers,
2004).
19. Live, "What Are
We Fighting For?" in Birds of Pray, Audio CD (MCA,
2003).
20. D. Bonhoeffer, while
still holding onto the notion of membership, defines the church,
or Christian body, not as structure or institution, but as a
social community. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together,
translated by J. W. Doberstein (New York: HarperCollins, 1954).
His understanding of religious body was developed under Nazi
oppression.
21. Audioslave, "Like
a Stone," in Audioslave, Audio CD (Sony, 2002).
22. P. Johnson opines, with
specific reference to a discussion anti-naturalism and pro-creationism,
the most important knowledge is an understanding of the values
and purposes of "the Creator." Phillip E. Johnson, Reason
in the Balance: The Case Against NATURALISM in Science, Law and
Education (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995),
13.
23. Pearcey, Total Truth,
49, emphasis mine.
24. For instance, see Johnson, Reason
in the Balance, 12, 112, 116, 183-84. See also Craig, Reasonable
Faith, xi-xvi.
25. This concept has been
used to justify social acts of punishment such as the death penalty.
26. P. Glynn suggests Christian
history might have been very different if Christians had remembered
the human motivation for killing Jesus was religious persecution
(Glynn, God, the Evidence, 150).
27. As J. Falwell and O.
Roberts proclaimed, God brought on or allowed the 9/11 attacks
as punishment for the "ills" of society. The presidential
administration explained these same attacks as "evil" acts
by "evil" people. The rational behind such terms has
been extended to justify even the current wars in the Middle
East.
28. Audioslave, "Like
a Stone."
29. Seven months later,
tumors and smiting would visit the Philistine town, but this
is because the ark was ready to return home and not because anyone
touched it (cf. 1 Sam. 5-6).
30. Exile is explained as
punishment of covenant disobedience, or sin (cf. Deut. 3:1-20).
31. Audioslave, "Like
a Stone."
32. Modest Mouse, "Bukowski."
33. Live, "Selling
the Drama," in Throwing Copper, Audio CD (Universal,
1995).
34. Live, "Heaven," in Birds
of Pray, Audio CD (MCA, 2003).
35. H. Küng admits
to religion's (his term is "church") dependence upon
society. "Our concept of the Church is basically influenced
by the form of the Church at any given time. All too easily the
Church can become a prisoner of the image it has made for itself
at one particular period in history. Every age has its own image
of the Church, arising out of a particular historical situation;
in every age a particular view of the Church is expressed by
the Church in practice, and given conceptual form, post hoc or
ante hoc, by the theologians of the age" (Hans Küng, The
Church, 1967, translated by R. Ockenden and R.
Ockenden [New York: Sheed and Ward, 1967], 4).
36. Émile Durkheim, The
Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, translated by K.
E. Fields (New York: Free Press, 1995), 4.
37. Weber, Sociology
of Religion, 138-39.
38. Weber, Sociology
of Religion, 139.
39. Weber, The Sociology
of Religion, 142-43.
40. Weber, Sociology
of Religion, 143.
41. Audioslave, "Like
a Stone."
42. Compare John 14:2-4.
43. Jewel, "Hands."
44. A Perfect Circle, "Judith." The
song is about M. J. Keenan's mother who suffered paralysis and
the so-called faithful who would compliment her faith–"Your
Lord and your Christ / he did this / took all you had and / left
you this way / still you pray, you never stray / never taste
of the fruit / you never thought to question why"–and
then talk behind her back.
45. The cardinal’s
quotes are taken from, John Allen, "Cardinal Paradox," The
Tablet, September 18, 2004, accessed May 14, 2005, <http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/register.cgi/tablet-00936>.
46. Compare also n. 14.
References
A Perfect Circle. "Fiddle and the Drum." In EMOTIVe.
Audio CD. Virgin Records, 2004.
———. "Judith." In Mer de Noms.
Audio CD. Virgin Records, 2000.
Allen, John. "Cardinal Paradox." The Tablet.
September 18, 2004. Accessed May 14, 2005. <http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/register.cgi/tablet-00936>.
Audioslave. "Like a Stone." In Audioslave. Audio
CD. Sony, 2002.
Berger, Peter L. The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological
Theory of Religion. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1967;
New York: Anchor Books, 1990.
Billy Howerdel. A perfect circle–amotion. DVD. EMI
Distribution. 2004. 75 min.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. Translated by J.
W. Doberstein. New York: HarperCollins, 1954.
Bourdieu, Pierre. The Field of Cultural Production. Edited
and translated by R. Johnson. New York: Columbia University
Press, 1993.
Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and
Apologetics. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1984.
Disturbed. The Sickness. Audio CD. Warner Brothers, 2000.
———. "Liberate." In Believe.
Audio CD. Warner Brothers, 2002.
———. "Prayer." In Believe.
Audio CD. Warner Brothers, 2002.
Durkheim, Émile. The Elementary Forms of the Religious
Life. Translated by K. E. Fields. New York: Free
Press, 1995.
"Falwell Apologizes to Gays, Feminists, Lesbians." CNN.com.
September 14, 2001. Accessed February 22, 2005. <http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/14/Falwell.apology/>.
Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Vultures. New
York: Basic Books, 1973.
Glynn, Patrick. God: The Evidence: The Reconciliation of Faith
and Reason in a Postsecular World. Rocklin, CA: Prima,
1997.
Indigo Girls. "Closer to Fine." In Indigo Girls.
Audio CD. CBS, 1989.
———. "Deconstruction." In Become
You. Audio CD. Sony, 2002.
Jewel. "Hands." In Spirit. Audio CD. Atlantic
Label, 1998.
Johnson, Phillip E. Reason in the Balance: The Case against
NATURALISM in Science, Law and Education. Downers Grove,
IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995.
Küng, Hans. The Church. Translated by R. Ockenden
and R. Ockenden. New York: Sheed and Ward, 1967.
Live. "Selling the Drama." In Throwing Copper.
Audio CD. Universal, 1995.
———. "Heaven." In Birds of Pray.
Audio CD. MCA, 2003.
———. "What are we Fighting For?" In Birds
of pray. Audio CD. MCA, 2003.
Metallica. "Until it Sleeps." In Load. Audio
CD. Elektra, 1996
Modest Mouse. "Bukowski." In Good News for People
who Love Bad News. Audio CD. Sony Music Entertainment
Inc., 2004.
Pearcey, Nancy R. Total Truth. Wheaton: Crossway Books,
2004.
R.E.M. "Final straw." In Around the Sun. Audio
CD. Warner Brothers, 2004.
Weber, Max. The sociology of Religion. Translated by E.
Fischoff. Boston: Beacon Press, 1993.
———. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit
of Capitalism. Translated by T. Parsons. New York:
Routledge, 1999.
Wiederhorn, Jon. "Disturbed Conjure Fire, Earthquakes for
'Prayer' Video." VH1.Com. June 13, 2002. Accessed
February 23, 2005. <http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1455152/06122002/disturbed.jhtml>.
