Imagine

[danielh41]

I found a new "easy listening" radio station here not too long ago, and I found myself listening to it more and more. Earlier this week, John Lennon's "Imagine" came on, and for once I actually started listening to the words and contemplated what they meant. The more I listened, the more I realized that the song goes against everything I believe in.

The first line says, "Imagine there's no heaven." Well, if there's no heaven, then there must be no God, something that I know is not true because God has worked in my life (especially in the past year). The first stanza goes on to tell the listener that in this imagined world there's "no hell below us." If there's no Hell (and hence no Satan), how then does one explain all the evil in the world? The Nazi attempted extermination of Jews, the 9-11 attacks on the U.S., the genocide perpretated by Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, Josef Stalin, the death of 50 million unborn infants in the U.S. -- none of that was the result of the work of Satan in this world? And if not, then what does that say about the human race?

The song goes on to tell the listener to imagine that there's "nothing to kill or die for." In the face of all the evil and oppression in the world, how could one imagine having nothing to fight for, to die for, or to kill for?

Lennon then asks the listener to "imagine no possessions." When I do, I see a communist world where there is no incentive to try to excel in anything. And if nobody is attempting to excel, where is the innovation, the improvement of life? Where is it in communist China? In the old Soviet Union? In Cuba?

Lennon's hope at the end of the song is that "the world will live as one." That's an admirable hope, and I do believe that it will happen one day. But it won't be because of anything that human beings have done. It will only come about because of the grace of God and the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

I don't know if I can listen to that song any more after really listening to it the other day, which is a shame for a song that on the surface sounds so beautiful but is in reality ugly. I reject everything that the song asks its listeners to do, and I have put my faith in a much, much higher power. I hope others will join me.

[SportsFan68]

Do not under any circumstances listen to ELP's "I Believe in Father Christmas," Daniel.

[earendel]

I found a new "easy listening" radio station here not too long ago, and I found myself listening to it more and more. Earlier this week, John Lennon's "Imagine" came on, and for once I actually started listening to the words and contemplated what they meant. The more I listened, the more I realized that the song goes against everything I believe in.

The first line says, "Imagine there's no heaven." Well, if there's no heaven, then there must be no God, something that I know is not true because God has worked in my life (especially in the past year). The first stanza goes on to tell the listener that in this imagined world there's "no hell below us." If there's no Hell (and hence no Satan), how then does one explain all the evil in the world? The Nazi attempted extermination of Jews, the 9-11 attacks on the U.S., the genocide perpretated by Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, Josef Stalin, the death of 50 million unborn infants in the U.S. -- none of that was the result of the work of Satan in this world? And if not, then what does that say about the human race?

The song goes on to tell the listener to imagine that there's "nothing to kill or die for." In the face of all the evil and oppression in the world, how could one imagine having nothing to fight for, to die for, or to kill for?

Lennon then asks the listener to "imagine no possessions." When I do, I see a communist world where there is no incentive to try to excel in anything. And if nobody is attempting to excel, where is the innovation, the improvement of life? Where is it in communist China? In the old Soviet Union? In Cuba?

Lennon's hope at the end of the song is that "the world will live as one." That's an admirable hope, and I do believe that it will happen one day. But it won't be because of anything that human beings have done. It will only come about because of the grace of God and the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

I don't know if I can listen to that song any more after really listening to it the other day, which is a shame for a song that on the surface sounds so beautiful but is in reality ugly. I reject everything that the song asks its listeners to do, and I have put my faith in a much, much higher power. I hope others will join me.

You sound like an episode of "WKRP in Cincinnati". On that episode, "Clean Up Radio Broadcasting" complained that WKRP played "obscene" music. Arthur Carlson went to meet with the leader of the organization. The following dialogue ensued:

Mr Carlson: I had one of my disc jockeys, Dr Johnny Fever, give me the lyrics to a song. He wants to know if you'd let him play that song on the air.
Dr Bob, reading: "Imagine there's no heaven, it's easy if you try. No hell below us, above us only sky. Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too. Imagine no possessions? Imagine all the peple sharing all the world?" That sounds like communism to me, if there's no heaven, no religion and, I assume, no God.
Mr Carlson: There's not an obscene word in here.
Dr Bob: Not the way I see it.
Mr Carlson: Does it go on your list?
Dr Bob: Arthur, this is typical of the kind of secular, liberal humanist point of view that gluts our airwaves.
Mr Carlson: Yeah, but we're not talking obscenities here anymore, Bob, we're talking about ideas - political, philosophical ideas! First you censor a word, and then you censor the ideas.
Dr Bob: The idea is man-centered, not God-centered. Man is an animal. The Bible tells us to put our reliance in God, not in our fellow mortals. Arthur, this song says there's no heaven.
Mr Carlson: Ah. No, it says just imagine there's no heaven.
Dr Bob: That's blasphemy.
Mr Carlson: On the list or not?
Dr Bob: I have no choice but to say on.

The point was that Lennon's song only asks to imagine what the world would be like if people didn't struggle over religion, greed, nationalism, etc. Lennon believed that such things were the causes of war and strife. It is an idealized viewpoint, to be sure, but it's not an "ugly" song.

[megaaddict]

Shouldn't you be out doing exorcisms instead of posting music reviews on a game show board?

Although if you need to know what a cubit is, you've come to the right place!

[ne1410s]

John Lennon was murdered 28 years ago today. I still remember the sadness I felt.