Last week’s debate in Florida didn’t attract the top polling Republican candidates probably because they didn’t want to tangle with those who would call them on their less than honest statements about their beliefs. Beliefs which conveniently changed or suddenly appeared when they decided to run for the Oval Office. Or they knew this was a group of one-issue zealots who could only hurt them.
In other, vaguely related politically religious news, those who fired this teacher would have felt right at home at the debate.
“I’m just a little bit shocked myself that a college in good standing would back up students who insist that people who have been through college and have a master’s degree, a couple actually, have to teach that there were such things as talking snakes or lose their job,” Bitterman said.
Awful, awful, awful news item.
I can’t tell which is worse–the audience or that group of candidates–or that the hypocrits who fail to attend ARE the better candidates.
Awful!!!
Whoever has the copyright on God Bless America should sue but can you even call it God Bless America when they change the words?
#1 bobbo
I answered your taser question this morning but it scrolled off the bottom of the DU page.
May the ghost of Kate Smith fall on top of them.
Oh, and so when Democrats go to the first AME Church in Los Angeles and deliver political speeches that’s not hypocrisy? When “dvorak.org/blog” calls both sides on what it considers religious hypocrisy, then I’ll listen. Until then, all I see is an antiChristian and antiRepublican agenda.
Talk about hypocritical.
How interesting!!! I have spoken with Catholic and Lutheran ministers regarding the history of religion, and they have have pretty much told me the same thing this teacher repeated. Major religions are in agreement with this teacher’s lecture.
Stories are an effective method of communicating an idea. Many stories of the bible transcend time by means of a “moral of the story”. They are called parables. You cannot get the “moral of the story” with a literal or fundamental “understanding” of pretty much anything, religious or otherwise.
The big picture is often lost on narrow minds. Be wary of those who claim to be “saved” or “born again”. Born again = born yesterday. Amen. đ
@ #2
The parody act of 1994 (I think) would ensure that these people would not be sued as this is, in fact, a parody.
Even though I don’t really like the idea of them changing the words to a very patriotic song like that, they have did raise some very valid points. It’s completely stupid that our country will deny God’s existence one moment and then ask for His blessing the next! Does anyone else find this strange? Either you’re in or your out! Which is it? I personally believe that this country is going to the dogs because we have rejected the God and the Christian PRINCIPLES that formed this country.
To agree or disagree is your perogative, that’s just my 2cents worth.
I’m offended. This tune is not about what they are espousing.
I do not care for the current administration. However, I am before all a patriot. I believe the country and government deserve our respect above all. Object as much as you care, but certain things should not be fair game. National Anthem and ‘unofficial’ anthems should be among them.
Yeah- argue the flag burning should be allowed and so too should this. Sorry. As a musician, I believe this touches a different nerve.
#6 Russell
“I personally believe that this country is going to the dogs because we have rejected the God and the Christian PRINCIPLES that formed this country.”
What if I said the same thing but substituted ‘Allah’ for ‘God’ and ‘Islam’ for ‘Christian’?
Not everyone in the U.S. believes in Nobodaddy or the contents of the bible. Are you just going to discard all those millions of people?
2–Thanks, I responded too.
4–Matt: “all I see is an antiChristian and antiRepublican agenda” and quite likely that is all you will ever see. Why don’t you address the current post and raise other issues when they are relevant?
6–way to post like a fundamentalist Muslim–ie, the current enemies of freedom. Too bad you’re not kidding.
7–Vinny–“before all I am a patriot.” From your post, I can see that is a correct statement. Before common sense, before reasonableness, before appreciation of the freedoms this country was found ON and FOR. I hope you play music better than you think.
If you are more interested in understanding other than demagoging these people, you might ask the question of ‘why are they saying this’.
đ
#6, Russel,
I personally believe that this country is going to the dogs because we have rejected the God and the Christian PRINCIPLES that formed this country.
Which âChristianâ principles are those?
Slavery?
Torture?
Rulers are allowed hundreds of wives?
An âeye for an eyeâ justice?
Only men may vote?
Women may only hold property in their husbands name?
Woman belong to their husbands?
Thou shalt not steal even if you are the government?
Thou shalt not kill, (I didn’t see the governmental exception on this one)?
Resting on the seventh day instead of going shopping after church?
Killing all of mankind with a flood because they are âbadâ?
A man may beat his servant, wife, or child as long as they don’t kill or permanently maim them?
Beating swords into plows instead of building even more deadly weapons?
Eating pork?
Yup, mighty fine Christian principles there Russel. Of course, I would have exceeded reasonable posting guidelines to list them all.
There should be no problem with rewriting the words to any song. Unless you own the song and object to the change and use. Something such as Bruce Springsteen’s objection to the GOP using some of his music during the 2004 election comes to mind.
Shoot, Weird Al has been making a living doing that for years. As a child we would often change words to bring about a laugh. I think it is called âFreedom of Speechâ. And if it is good enough for me, than I would like to extend the same concept to others.
I thought god already blessed America … on 9/11/2001. Now, I just hope s/he will leave us the hell alone for a while.
#12 – Mr. Fusion,
What about cases where the author of the song is dead? Johnny comes marching home again (or whatever it is actually called) was originally an anti-war song with lines like “he’s got no arms and he’s got no legs. Hurrah Hurrah.”
What about when assholes play a version of John Lennon’s Imagine where they change the line to “… and ONE religion too …”?
Isn’t there a point at which the original author’s intent should be kept in tact? I’m not saying there should be a law against such changes. But, there should be social repercussions. People should stand up and say, “Write your own damn song!! Don’t change the intent of an already existing song in such a way that its author would find your version a total abomination. Have some respect for the author!”
6. Russell I personally believe that this country is going to the dogs because we have rejected the God and the Christian PRINCIPLES that formed this country.
I think that the US started to take a turn for the worse when they introduced a standing army and common currency, thus centralizing the government in Washington.
I’d be curious to know how many of the founding fathers of the US were, in fact, Christian. I always got the impression that they were a mix bag of liberals (for their day), agnostics, and protestants of various degrees (with most of those protestants being Episcopalian, formally Church of England, which is sorta half Catholic and half Protestant).
11. Mr. Fusion: very well put, but in fairness to the Baptists churches particularly, Christians were are instrumental and protesting against slavery and giving slaves ‘human’ status by saying if they accepted Christianity, then they were human (okay, not super PC by today’s standards but it better than 20 lashes with a whip….)
#6, it would probably help you clear things up in your head if you didn’t anthropomorphize “our country.” It’s not a person, so it can’t deny god or ask for his/her help. That solves the seeming contradiction.
Damn.
I guess I’d better not become a teacher, cause my ass would be toast.
#6 – Even though I donât really like the idea of them changing the words to a very patriotic song like that,
Whatever… It’s a poorly written song with music so dull it nearly stops the blood from flowing… On top of that, it’s an offensive song as well as jingoistic patter.
Oh… and Christianity had nothing to do with this nation, and Christian values are cruel and bitter.
#14 – Christians were are instrumental and protesting against slavery and giving slaves âhumanâ status by saying if they accepted Christianity, then they were human (okay, not super PC by todayâs standards but it better than 20 lashes with a whipâŚ.)
I’ll take the whip… Better yet, I’ll use the whip… on anyone who tries to force their mythology on me.
#9 – I hope you play music better than you think.
I doubt it… Possibly excepting for Mao’s Communist Revolution, patriotic music almost always sucks. It’s just too hard to cram jingo into a jingle…
Many if not most of the founding fathers were Deists, not Christians, as was becoming popular during the enlightenment. Therefore anyone who says that our country was founded on “Christian Ideals” is lying. It was founded on concepts developed by people like John Locke and Voltaire, not by the bible.
#13, Scott,
Good point. But,âŚ
Freedom of Speech shouldnât stop with what you or I agree with. Freedom of Listening might. Sometimes we just have to allow those we disagree with to have their say.
#7 –
With all due respect to you, I don’t understand why people feel the government *deserves* our respect. I believe it’s the other way around. The government should respect the people that it is supposedly of and for. This idea that the government deserves our respect is the same thinking that prevents confused patriots that they must side with the president just because they have a kid in Iraq. The government deserves our eternal skepticism.
That said, I do agree that we should respect our fellow Americans (i.e our country) enough to not force our beliefs on others. Parodying “God Bless America”, I think, falls into a similar category. It says “we know what’s best for everyone, even though we live in an ideological bubble”. I wish people like that would go buy an island to live on.
Here is an island in Uganda they could live on: http://www.privateislandsonline.com/nsongaisland.htm
…. not sure how much it’d cost in Ugandan dollars though đ