Imagine a Stupid Song

I cannot imagine a more unfitting song than John Lennon's "Imagine" sung to help Haiti. I have come across a number of artists here and there, singing to raise funds for Haiti, and choosing that song, of all songs.

To like a song, I have to like the lyrics. I hate the lyrics of Imagine.

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky

Ah yes, an atheist's song to represent the vibrant faith of the Haitian people, who, in the face of incredible poverty and destruction continue, not only to believe in, but to praise GOD. How utterly ironic. They don't need John Lennon or his song.

"Imagine there's no Heaven", now there's a depressing thought.

To quote the great conceited fool John Lennon himself; "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock and roll or Christianity."

"I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right." Wow. He's right because he's right. What insight. How can anybody argue with that?

Imagine all the people
Living for today

"Living for today", that is soooo sixties peace and love, The "me, me, me" generation. Let's not think of any of the consequences of our acts, nor if they are wrong or right, nor if they will end up hurting ourselves or others in the long run, let's just do what feels good in the present moment. Yep, Haiti surely needs a bunch of belly-button centered people right now. In the words of Socrates: “Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.” In other words, get your priorities straight.

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

"Nothing to kill or die for." What a worthless life we would live if there were nothing to die for. If there are things in life worth living for, it goes without saying that they are also worth dying for.

Obviously, he blames religion here, as one of the major causes of war and conflict. Well, excepting where religion is based on war and conversion by force, I have to disagree. The crusades, you ask? The crusades happened between the years of 1095 and 1291. A very slow reaction to the 911 invasion of Christian lands by muslim forces and done in the hope of freeing the Holy Land, which was now rendered inaccessible, among other things. Christians did not exactly start the conflict. Also, the denomination of "christian" vs "muslim" or "Catholic" vs "Protestant" such as in the case of Northern Ireland, does not do justice to the actual causes of the wars. Too many people in high places use religion as an excuse to wage war for much more greedy reasons. AS in the case of Northern Ireland, it is also easier to say "protestant" instead of "those descended from the British invaders (which happen to be protestant)" and "catholic" instead of "those descended from the original Irish inhabitants (which happen to be catholic) ". Thus, war fought purely on political grounds, involving the conquerors vs the conquered, suddenly becomes known as a religious war. Which is absolutely untrue.

True christians, following the teachings of Jesus, do not start wars, they are more often the peacemakers. They are overly tolerant of abuse, being used to "turning the other cheek". It is easy to beat up on christians, just look at the news today, how many people who hate christianity get away with saying things against christians that they would never dare say about any other group.

With no religion, John Lennon thinks, all people would live life in peace. So, no more Catholic charities in Haiti for instance. No more protestant charities either, nor jewish for that matter. Take down your hospitals and clinics, because the nuns running them are leaving. Does John Lennon really believe that people like Mother Theresa would exist without the Catholic faith? He is a fool, and "The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good." (Psalm 14:1)

Not that atheists are bad. Some are good. Most have some good in them. But none become Mother Theresas. Why? Because God puts good in people, and without Him, none can be truly, perfectly good.