I Think It Was Said Best Back In The 70's... "Jesus Is Just Alright With Me " - Doobie Bros

[WillyT]

And then the Evangelicals pushed it too far, and we got...

"The God I believe in isn't short of cash, Mister"

- Bono, Bullet the Blue Sky from Rattle & Hum

I ain't afraid of the faith, as much as I'm afraid of the faithful.

And just because the original "sin" was for humans to think, I find it ultimately sinful for a religion to not be able to withstand actual thinking and questioning.

What the Hell are you afraid of???

:evilgrin:

[madrchsod]

1. "cannibal christians-they suffer so..."

from david rea....but i`m not going to post the lyrics cause i`ll ruin my album. the lyrics are`t posted anywhere but believe me it`s a great song..

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

2. Jesus was a theme or referenced in many old rock songs. Jesus is good, it's the Christians, when

they don't even try to put on even the thinnest facade of practicing his teachings and actually do everything those teachings said was not good, that drive me crazy.

Leave it to RW fundies to ruin even Jesus's reputation.
MKJ

[pinkpops]

3. Doobie hits for Jesus?

[GeorgeGist]

4. What 'the faith' ...

are you talking about? Religious or spiritual?

[Breeze54]

5. I'm afraid of religious 'mind control'- Group Think-- Cults.

All religions are cults and operate on mind control and fear.

[porphyrian]

6. Amen. If something's true, why fear attempts to test that assertion?

And if religion is about fear and hate, I don't want it anyway.

[devilgrrl]

7. Their former bassist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's pushing it too far as well...

Defense consulting career

Baxter fell into his second profession almost by accident. In the mid-1980s, Baxter's interest in music recording technology led him to wonder about hardware and software that was originally developed for military use, i.e. data-compression algorithms and large-capacity storage devices. As it happened, his next-door neighbor was a retired engineer who had worked on the Sidewinder missile program. This neighbor bought Baxter a subscription to an aviation magazine, provoking his interest in additional military-oriented publications and missile defense systems in particular. He became self-taught in this area, and at one point he wrote a five-page paper that proposed converting the ship-based anti-aircraft Aegis missile into a rudimentary missile defense system. He gave the paper to California congressman Dana Rohrabacher, and his career as a defense consultant began.
Backed by several influential Capitol Hill lawmakers, Baxter received a series of classified security clearances. In 1995, Pennsylvania congressman Curt Weldon, then the chairman of the House Military Research and Development Subcommittee, nominated Baxter to chair the Civilian Advisory Board for Ballistic Missile Defense.

Baxter's work with that panel led to consulting contracts with the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He now consults to the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. intelligence community, as well as for defense-oriented manufacturers including Science Applications International Corporation ("SAIC"), Northrop Grumman Corp. and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. He has been quoted as saying his unconventional approach to thinking about terrorism, tied to his interest in technology, is a major reason he became sought after by the government.

"We thought turntables were for playing records until rappers began to use them as instruments, and we thought airplanes were for carrying passengers until terrorists realized they could be used as missiles," he has said. "My big thing is to look at existing technologies and try to see other ways they can be used, which happens in music all the time and happens to be what terrorists are incredibly good at."

Baxter has also appeared in public debates and as a guest on CNN and Fox News Channel advocating missile defense. He served as a national spokesman for Americans for Missile Defense, a coalition of conservative organizations devoted to the issue.
In April 2005, he joined the NASA Exploration Systems Advisory Committee (ESAC).

[cureautismnow]

8. I believe the Doobies covered the Byrds.

It seems like the Byrds recorded the original in the 60's. Both versions are awesome.

[freesqueeze]

10. Weren't the Byrds

Trying to counter the bad pub they got from their seemingly pro-drug hit "8 miles high?"

[last_texas_dem]

22. Maybe, but I think it also had to do with a general shift

in the direction of their sound. They moved more towards country-rock by their fifth or sixth album, and started recording some "Americana" songs that went with the territory. Some other "Christian"-themed songs they recorded include "Farther Along", "Glory, Glory" and "The Christian Life" (although from the way McGuinn sings that one, it sounds like he may be doing it tongue-in-cheek!).

[cureautismnow]

23. Personnel changes explain it a bit, too.

There were lots of group changes for the Byrds from 1965/66's "Eight Miles High" to 1969's "Jesus is Just Alright." The original lineup was:

Gene Clark – tambourine, vocals
Roger McGuinn – guitar, vocals
David Crosby – guitar, vocals
Chris Hillman – bass
Michael Clarke – drums, harmonica

By the time of '69's "The Ballad of Easy Rider" (where JIJA first appears), the lineup was:

Roger McGuinn - rhythm guitar, vocals
Clarence White - lead guitar, vocals
John York - bass, vocals
Gene Parsons - drums, vocals

McGuinn was the only constant. Also, the song was written by Arthur Reynolds who wrote other Christian songs, including "Glory, Glory."

[elocs]

9. Don't hold Jesus responsible for what "Christians" do in his name.

Jesus was a Jew and the earliest believer were Jews, not "Christians". Plus, we too often paint with a broad brush because there are millions of Christians, including many here I would guess, that are not "Christians".

[WillyT]

11. I Find It Hard To Hold Jesus Responsible For Anything, Since He Died 2000+ Years Ago...

Current favorite bumper-sticker: "Father, protect me from your followers."

:shrug:

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

12. Excellent.

Right along with the "When Jesus said love your enemies, he probably didn't mean you should kill them."

edited: interesting times make for interesting posts that require editing. MKJ

[mzmolly]

13. "The God I believe in isn't short of cash, Mister" ~ Bono

My personal favorite. :hi:

[upi402]

14. Jesus, save me from your followers

great bumpersticker!

[me b zola]

15. Damn, the body of your OP was going to be my response to your subject line

Jesus is (more than) just okay with me, it's (the majority of) those who call themselves christians who I cannot relate to.

[LaPera]

16. Not much of a religious song but SF's Quicksilver Messenger Service "What About Me" still says

it perfectly for me! (From the same area & time period, SF in the early 70's).

QMS (1970) If you know the tune, hum along in your head....If not, download it!

You poisoned my sweet water.
You cut down my green trees.
The food you fed my children
Was the cause of their disease.
My world is slowly fallin' down
And the airs not good to breathe.
And those of us who care enough,
We have to do something.......
(Chorus)
Oh.......oh What you gonna do about me?
Oh.......oh What you gonna do about me?
Your newspapers,
They just put you on.
They never tell you
The whole story.
They just put your
Young ideas down.
I was wonderin' could this be the end
Of your pride and glory?
(Chorus)
I work in your factory.
I study in your schools.
I fill your penitentiaries.
And your military too!
And I feel the future trembling,
As the word is passed around.
"If you stand up for what you do believe,
Be prepared to be shot down."
(Chorus)
And I feel like a stranger
In the land where I was born
And I live like an outlaw.
An' I'm always on the run..........................
An Im always getting busted
And I got to take a stand........
I believe the revolution
Must be mighty close at hand.......................
(Chorus)
I smoke marijuana
But I cant get behind your wars.
And most of what I do believe
Is against most of your laws
I'm a fugitive from injustice
But I'm goin' to be free.
Cause your rules and regulations
They dont do the thing for me
(Chorus)
And I feel like a stranger
In the land where I was born
And I live just like an outlaw.
An' I'm always on the run.

[sampsonblk]

17. K & R - Great starting point for a discussion

This, in my opinion, is where the fundies went wrong. Jesus was, among many things, a critical thinker. Faith in any almighty God ought to demand critical thinking. New situations arise all the time. How will we know how to adapt to those new challenges, except to be able to think for ourselves?

When we don't choose to think independently, then we end up needing a shepherd to guide us. That makes us sheep. And that opens us up to being mislead. Sorta like what's going on with fundies today. But let's not hate them. They honestly believe in what they are doing. But many of them have been bamboozled. There ought to be a law against that.

[Mythsaje]

18. Why would "God" give us reason

and then not expect us to use it?

Pure nonsense.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

19. very poor understanding of original sin

but interesting nonetheless


sP

[DarkTirade]

20. There are always the classic bumper stickers:

God, save me from your followers.
And...
We're supposed to have spiritual fruits, not religious nuts.
:)

[tbyg52]

21. I like Christians fine

As long as they are not the kind that feel sorry for me, want to convert me, and think I'm going to hell if they don't.

[Beelzebud]

24. I like how Bill Hicks summed it up. "God may have told Pat Robertson to run for president."

"But God did not tell me to vote for him."

[Ezlivin]

25. "Born again for the last time"

I'll go with Corrosion of Conformity in the category "Songs About Religion", Alex.

"When your life was lived fully cocked and loaded
but your soul was empty through and through
it makes you realize maybe you sold it
for the dream of a lifetime or maybe two... yeah you"

[OzarkDem]

26. And Skunk Baxter became a defense consultant to the Pentagon

:crazy:

GOP has always loved him, guess that's why.