In one sense, I love the song. It's a song written by a real guy living a real life. Like the Incarnation itself, it's as if the spiritual sensibilities of the song quietly invade a very broken life. What good is redemption if we don't the see the depth of our need?
Moreover, we're not going to win any prizes pretending to be spiritual when we're not, or at least pretending to be better than we are. Cohen doesn't waste any time attempting to convince he's the pope.
And there is some mysterious relation between sex and God that deserves exploration, not sweeping under a rug. The reason Billy Joel says, "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints/The sinners are much more fun" is that it's kinda true. It's not actual saints that are boring, it's that we all have the fear that loving God will be quite a boring affair, and the things of this world have an allure. If they didn't, they wouldn't be good. The rest of the world tells us, "Lighten up!" and for a few of us, they have a point.
Stop hyper-spiritualizing everything, jackwagon.
BUT...I hate this song. Every hipster and moody, artsy-fartsy melancholic from here to UC-Berkeley uses this song as proof that they are Serious and Spiritual and Deep when they are nothing of the sort. And remember how we talked about domesticating God earlier this week? Another way to do it is to imagine he hangs out in coffee bars and went to NYU and is obviously cool. Wait, isn't God the Judge of the entire universe? Um, I won't presume I have a ticket to the heavenly city, but I know the things that won't get us there. Like fornication and lust and drunkenness, and spending your extra cash on Jeff Buckley albums when people need your help. I repeat myself, and I digress.
The thing about pop culture and celebrity culture is that it worships at an altar called Real or Gritty or something, but no one involved has any idea what that is. As long as you're notable for something, apparently we should listen to you. Did you notice how it lionizes people who die, no matter how they died? You could be an uber-selfish narcissist who destroyed your family and self with drugs and who knows what else, but as long as some critic thinks you're "groundbreaking," it's cool. WHAT?! No. If I sound like the Church Lady, I don't care. This life matters. God is certainly Love and Mercy, but he doesn't miss anything. A lot of good having the Greatest Album Ever will do you if you are in Hell.
It sorta makes me want to watch Rick Santorum speeches while drinking craft beer.
Moreover, we're not going to win any prizes pretending to be spiritual when we're not, or at least pretending to be better than we are. Cohen doesn't waste any time attempting to convince he's the pope.
And there is some mysterious relation between sex and God that deserves exploration, not sweeping under a rug. The reason Billy Joel says, "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints/The sinners are much more fun" is that it's kinda true. It's not actual saints that are boring, it's that we all have the fear that loving God will be quite a boring affair, and the things of this world have an allure. If they didn't, they wouldn't be good. The rest of the world tells us, "Lighten up!" and for a few of us, they have a point.
Stop hyper-spiritualizing everything, jackwagon.
BUT...I hate this song. Every hipster and moody, artsy-fartsy melancholic from here to UC-Berkeley uses this song as proof that they are Serious and Spiritual and Deep when they are nothing of the sort. And remember how we talked about domesticating God earlier this week? Another way to do it is to imagine he hangs out in coffee bars and went to NYU and is obviously cool. Wait, isn't God the Judge of the entire universe? Um, I won't presume I have a ticket to the heavenly city, but I know the things that won't get us there. Like fornication and lust and drunkenness, and spending your extra cash on Jeff Buckley albums when people need your help. I repeat myself, and I digress.
The thing about pop culture and celebrity culture is that it worships at an altar called Real or Gritty or something, but no one involved has any idea what that is. As long as you're notable for something, apparently we should listen to you. Did you notice how it lionizes people who die, no matter how they died? You could be an uber-selfish narcissist who destroyed your family and self with drugs and who knows what else, but as long as some critic thinks you're "groundbreaking," it's cool. WHAT?! No. If I sound like the Church Lady, I don't care. This life matters. God is certainly Love and Mercy, but he doesn't miss anything. A lot of good having the Greatest Album Ever will do you if you are in Hell.
It sorta makes me want to watch Rick Santorum speeches while drinking craft beer.
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