munichhilton wrote on Apr 30
th, 2014 at 2:54pm:
sirmoonie wrote on Apr 30
th, 2014 at 9:17am:
munichhilton wrote on Apr 29
th, 2014 at 8:48am:
Not bad at all Keith...not certain what the anti-Christian Wailers song has to do with change but it's got a great groove!
It's not "anti-Christian," unless you consider any non-Christian act of religious homage (
e.g. putting a Star of David on your car as opposed to a "Jesus fish") to be anti-Christian. Considering the song Get Up Stand Up to be anti-Christian is to say that all religions are anti-all-other-religions. It's inherent. At least the song is an attempt to duke or suss out which religion, if any, is ultimately the correct one?
But you are right, I don't see what material or practical change substituting Rastafari for Christianity would have on the issues of the day, other than the legalized marijuana issue.
Heres where I get confused
In this groovin' song, the mighty Peter Tosh says of Christianity "We're sick and tired of the ism-schism game dying to go to heaven in Jesus name. We know and we understand that mighty god is a living man...you can fool...etc etc"
Even Bob feels like bombing a Church in "Talking Blues"...
Its ok...I don't take offense to the Rastafarian defensiveness towards Christ. I put it in the same category as Texas A&M mentioning UT in each of its school fight songs and UT couldn't give a rip...
Yes, I moogled the lyrics before I posted because, in decades of listening to the Wailers and reading books, magazines, watching documentaries, all the usual rock journalism, I had never heard any of their songs characterized as "anti-Christian" until now. Rastafari is considered by many Rastafarians and others who follow this stuff to actually be a Christian religion. Its a lot closer to mainstream American Christianity than Mormonism, for example (and obviously much less fraudulent, creepy, and joyless).
I don't see anything anti-Christian in those lyrics (assuming person with stable sensitivities). I think my point is understandable - asserting a faith in one version of unprovable events is an inherent challenge to the truth of every other version - but that surely can't be considered "anti-". Merely taking the next step and expressing that disbelief can't be "anti-" either.
I also don't see anything defensive in those lyrics. Defensiveness implies a degree of abrasiveness in an attempt to cover up a known weakness in one's position. From all I've read and observed of Rastas, they are just as convinced that their favorite supernatural events took place (
e.g., Jesus/Jah reincarnating in Haile Sellassie) as you are that yours did (
e.g., virgin birth, reanimation of the deceased Jesus, Lazarus, Dorcas, etc.). If anything, the lyrics express frustration that the only story they hear is clearly the wrong one. Hopelessly biased maybe, but no way are the Rastas ambivalent about where Jesus/Jah went for the second coming. To the contrary, your challenge to the lyrics to Get Up Stand Up seems more defensive than the Wailers could reasonably be accused of being in the first instance. Keep in mind, they were probably stoned.
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Playing For Change Announces 3rd Album: Songs Around The World with Keith Richards (Read 4,228 times)
