"Imagine" Sung for Pope
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Pop singer Shakira sang John Lennon's "Imagine" before Pope Francis at the United Nations General Assembly.
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SusyLuvsPaul:
Pop singer Shakira sang John Lennon's "Imagine" before Pope Francis at the United Nations General Assembly.
I know lots of religious people who love that song. Do they miss, the "imagine there's no heaven" and "nothing to kill and die for, and no religion too."
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I go back and forth on this. I am religious, and yet I struggle with the lyrics. Still, do I really "believe" every lyric of every song I like? Am I supposed to? I doubt Shakira meant it as an insult. And Pope Francis is gracious enough to accept the sentiment of her singing the song for him, which ultimately is a song about peace. I played at a birthday party a week ago, the birthday girl asked for Imagine. I don't usually do it, but it was her birthday, so I sang it. Later, I thought, "I don't really believe some of those words, I do believe in heaven and religion." Right then I decided if I ever sing Imagine in public, I will merely skip that verse.
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You don't have to be monastic or religious to believe in the great spirit of love and peace! God is everywhere and not confined to any individual belief system. John always impressed me as having a much larger and more universally inclusive vision of the scheme of things. I think that the lyrics of the song mirror the sentiments of the prayer... "When your kingdom has come...your will, will be done...on earth as it is in heaven" Shakira and Francis deserve a big hug!
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If you listen to all Pope Francis says, he believes in the Greater Good. We should all be ONE and each help the other. No borders, we are one. Same message of Love and "a brotherhood of man," John wrote about. It is perfect.
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On an obvious level, the lyrics can be perceived as atheistic. My own thoughts are that John was lamenting horrors that had been committed down the centuries in the name of God and religion and believing it would get one into heaven, and that the world would be a better place if people would not commit violence in the name of God, religion, and the erroneous belief that violence can get you into heaven. Even Pope Francis has condemned these things during his visit to the US.
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Didn't the Pope also say that you don't have to "go to church" and be "religious" as long as you were spiritual and believed in the Golden Rule (do unto others as you would have them do to you) I'm paraphrasing what he said.
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Nancy R:
Didn't the Pope also say that you don't have to "go to church" and be "religious" as long as you were spiritual and believed in the Golden Rule (do unto others as you would have them do to you) I'm paraphrasing what he said.
Maybe. It is hard to tell what he actually has said versus what is being misquoted or downright made up!
If he said that, he was talking about non-Catholics, which is how it is anyway. -
RMartinez:
I go back and forth on this. I am religious, and yet I struggle with the lyrics. Still, do I really "believe" every lyric of every song I like? Am I supposed to? I doubt Shakira meant it as an insult. And Pope Francis is gracious enough to accept the sentiment of her singing the song for him, which ultimately is a song about peace. I played at a birthday party a week ago, the birthday girl asked for Imagine. I don't usually do it, but it was her birthday, so I sang it. Later, I thought, "I don't really believe some of those words, I do believe in heaven and religion."
So did John. He's not asking you to not believe in religion or heaven. He's only saying imagine it. Imagine a better world, in a lot of ways. A lot of bad things have been done in the name of religions. It's why the Pope did an interfaith service at the 9/11 Memorial. Imagine says "nothing to kill or die for", and I don't see anything wrong with that.
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And Pope Francis, in Philadelphia, just reinterated once again for people to treat everyone with kindness and compassion especially the weak and the vulnerable in society. Don't take advantage of the weaker people in your neighborhoods out of greed and opportunity.
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beatlesfanrandy:
RMartinez:
I go back and forth on this. I am religious, and yet I struggle with the lyrics. Still, do I really "believe" every lyric of every song I like? Am I supposed to? I doubt Shakira meant it as an insult. And Pope Francis is gracious enough to accept the sentiment of her singing the song for him, which ultimately is a song about peace. I played at a birthday party a week ago, the birthday girl asked for Imagine. I don't usually do it, but it was her birthday, so I sang it. Later, I thought, "I don't really believe some of those words, I do believe in heaven and religion."
So did John. He's not asking you to not believe in religion or heaven. He's only saying imagine it. Imagine a better world, in a lot of ways. A lot of bad things have been done in the name of religions. It's why the Pope did an interfaith service at the 9/11 Memorial. Imagine says "nothing to kill or die for", and I don't see anything wrong with that.
Amen!
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In front of the Pope??? Very inappropriate. Many musicians have asked Yoko if they could remove the "and no religion too" line and she always denies this request. Lennon is quoted as saying this is a very political song & virtually the Communist Manifesto. He only sugar-coated the melody so it would get played. I guess Macca was right when he said that after 1980 John Lennon turned into Saint Lennon.
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Pope Francis told the world tonight to "pray for him." If they didn't believe in religion to send him "good thoughts" something like that. He wants to get across his message of compassion, hope, service to others , love, and you don't have to be religious to do good deeds. Imagine. We are all one.
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RMartinez:
On an obvious level, the lyrics can be perceived as atheistic. My own thoughts are that John was lamenting horrors that had been committed down the centuries in the name of God and religion and believing it would get one into heaven, and that the world would be a better place if people would not commit violence in the name of God, religion, and the erroneous belief that violence can get you into heaven. Even Pope Francis has condemned these things during his visit to the US.
Exactly. I actually remember an interview with John at the time of the album's release in which he explained the line this way: "Not no God, no denominations."
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Here's some quotes from John to shed some light on the matter: "I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong." "I think a lot of bad things have happened in the name of the church and in the name of Christ and therefore I shy away from church." People always got the image I was an anti-Christ or anti-religion. I'm not. I'm a most religious fellow. I was brought up a Christian and I only now understand some of the things that Christ was saying in those parables. Because people got hooked on the teacher and missed the message."
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For me, there is a huge difference between God and religion.... even though the vast, vast majority of the population would equate the two as the same. Religion is the man-made construct that serves the purpose of political control. The manipulation of humanity for personal gain/wealth. By preying on/manipulating humanity's belief in God. So, I think John had it right when he spoke of "and no religion too". Certainly not anti-God. Well, in my eyes anyway.
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hey_kittay:
Pope Francis told the world tonight to "pray for him." If they didn't believe in religion to send him "good thoughts" something like that. He wants to get across his message of compassion, hope, service to others , love, and you don't have to be religious to do good deeds. Imagine. We are all one.
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beatlesfanrandy:
Here's some quotes from John to shed some light on the matter: "I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong." "I think a lot of bad things have happened in the name of the church and in the name of Christ and therefore I shy away from church." People always got the image I was an anti-Christ or anti-religion. I'm not. I'm a most religious fellow. I was brought up a Christian and I only now understand some of the things that Christ was saying in those parables. Because people got hooked on the teacher and missed the message."
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Thee actual originals believed that God was everywhere and not confined to any particular divided denomination of beliefs that men may create. The only thing I see John as having attempted to do, is resurrect the beliefs of the original followers of this truth.... You can hear Apostle Paul's thoughts on the subject in his talk at Mar's Hill in Acts, Chapter 17... 22Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
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SurSteven:
Thee actual originals believed that God was everywhere and not confined to any particular divided denomination of beliefs that men may create. The only thing I see John as having attempted to do, is resurrect the beliefs of the original followers of this truth.... You can hear Apostle Paul's thoughts on the subject in his talk at Mar's Hill in Acts, Chapter 17... 22Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
Yes! And you can hear all of this in Pope Francis's words in his US and Cuban visit! Very cool!
