tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post4235843942179604392..comments2023-09-24T07:53:50.826-05:00Comments on The Atheist Experience™: Who are you calling a sheep? (Another classical music post)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-2923967719612337622010-12-10T12:57:32.582-06:002010-12-10T12:57:32.582-06:00The musical phrasing ends on the word sheep. To m...The musical phrasing ends on the word sheep. To me, it sounds like the meaning is that "all of us are fond of sheep" as opposed to the intention, "in the manner of sheep".Scattererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10743899491263483777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-10102052470568189642010-12-09T22:57:40.579-06:002010-12-09T22:57:40.579-06:00The theist experience is perfect. All of Christia...The theist experience is perfect. All of Christian culture is unimaginatively ripping off existing stuff.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06015668466079746110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-35483384700751329782010-12-09T22:51:35.046-06:002010-12-09T22:51:35.046-06:00On the off topic
IMHO Hobbs was both right and wr...On the off topic<br /><br />IMHO Hobbs was both right and wrong, in his life and in his writings. He had some good insights, and should be rightfully applauded for his at the time uniquely practical view on politics and it's role in breaking the Divine Right of Kings mandate.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06015668466079746110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-65947205808102530742010-12-09T11:46:31.503-06:002010-12-09T11:46:31.503-06:00Sungyak,
i wonder if you agree with these descri...Sungyak,<br /><br /><i> i wonder if you agree with these descriptions of human nature.</i><br /><br />Nope.<br /><br /><i>i was glad to read this encouraging statement. so i just went ahead and created http://theisticexperience.blogspot.com. <br /><br />hope you don't mind.</i><br /><br />I'm certainly not going to tell you that you can't create a blog with (as it currently appears) the express purpose of responding to posts on this one. I might even enourage it, and may comment on it once in a while, although I wouldn't promise special attention.<br /><br />However, as a blogger of many years, I'm not sure I'd ever want to tie my identity so closely to somebody else's work, either pro or con. Do the responses to our posts somehow not fit the theme of the blog you already have?<br /><br />KazimAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05324968314168283095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-46517281868457219632010-12-09T09:53:10.800-06:002010-12-09T09:53:10.800-06:00"This blog encourages believers who disagree ..."This blog encourages believers who disagree with us to comment." <br /><br />i was glad to read this encouraging statement. so i just went ahead and created http://theisticexperience.blogspot.com. <br /><br />hope you don't mind.Sungyakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04066518133582818210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-65636837642143220002010-12-09T09:51:39.093-06:002010-12-09T09:51:39.093-06:00"You might interpret it that way, but that..."You might interpret it that way, but that's not how Handel apparently thought of it... the consequence of being dumb, frolicking, self-willed sheep is implied in the dark, brooding, angry minor key of the last few bars." <br /><br />cool observation about handel's messiah. i think it was fully intended by handel to create that dark effect. brings out the hobbesian state of human nature doesn't it? i wonder if you agree with these descriptions of human nature.Sungyakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04066518133582818210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-18761188750415812392010-12-09T08:15:16.905-06:002010-12-09T08:15:16.905-06:00I agree with Kari.
Some of the lyrics are actuall...I agree with Kari.<br /><br />Some of the lyrics are actually hidden spells, such as enveloping yourself in a globe of invulnerability, but that only lasts 4-5 rounds, so it's good to have some extra mana potions on hand.<br /><br />Satan is susceptible to cold spells, so having iceshield memorized may help as well.JThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08881036419280903737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-21688335499464757442010-12-09T05:51:33.670-06:002010-12-09T05:51:33.670-06:00I'm glad you can get past the whole religious ...I'm glad you can get past the whole religious aspect of the music and still enjoy it. You should listen more closely; it might just keep you out of hell.Karihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05985592525566766351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-7964506397260595052010-12-09T02:41:25.931-06:002010-12-09T02:41:25.931-06:00Sorry for an OT post, but where the thread relatin...Sorry for an OT post, but where the thread relating to the last AE episode? I think it was awesome, and we had Matt at his best during his talk with the theist claiming that God must exist, otherwise a lunatic with a gun who rapes and kills and then shoots himself is not going to get punished in any way. I think Matt's response to him should become a classic AE piece, and should be immortalized as a clip on YT or something:)<br /><br />Again, sorry for OT, but there's no relevant thread here yet.gaijinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18055913293956311745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-83212882318465584672010-12-08T12:27:06.292-06:002010-12-08T12:27:06.292-06:00@Kazim
He didn't specify WHICH God, though di...@Kazim<br /><br />He didn't specify WHICH God, though did he? ;)Inghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13024689390434414829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-42615898947786864082010-12-08T10:59:57.567-06:002010-12-08T10:59:57.567-06:00John: True story, I attended an Ozzy concert in co...John: True story, I attended an Ozzy concert in college, and he said "God bless you all!" Poor guy must have already been getting senile back then. :)<br /><br />But then again, he has been <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT8maUTzE48" rel="nofollow">the bleeping prince of darkness since 1979</a>.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05324968314168283095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-60319433259863076432010-12-08T09:55:21.581-06:002010-12-08T09:55:21.581-06:00Guillaume: More like, the rise of the middle class...Guillaume: More like, the rise of the middle class made it possible to get money without begging at palaces and churches. With all that competition, religious music is just another outlet competing for creative energy, with no special privileges.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05324968314168283095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-81977217862964911822010-12-08T07:47:46.656-06:002010-12-08T07:47:46.656-06:00Kazim: I don't know if you can characterize O...Kazim: I don't know if you can characterize Ozzy as a humanist or a skeptic. You have listed a lot of my favs though. I think I have only heard a handful of expressly skeptical songs, though I admit a counter position is a little weird to write a song about.<br /><br />Sure there are anti-religion songs, but they often trade religion for other types of woo and I would not really call them humanist or skeptical. Slayer is one of my all time favorite bands, but those guys are friggin insane.<br /><br />Will there ever be a piece as beautiful as Mozart's Requiem about critical thinking or skepticism? I sure hope so, but I think I will have to wait for now. I guess I am just a bit jealous of all the religious art reserves.John K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11579041716600940838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-28839191774917110352010-12-07T16:57:54.936-06:002010-12-07T16:57:54.936-06:00Religious music is a fascinating topic, I am glad ...Religious music is a fascinating topic, I am glad you blog about it.<br /><br />I love Handel's Messiah, but would not take any of the Biblical verses of the lyrics as moral example. But music, like all art, is not moral. The pleasure we feel listening to it is aesthetic. This is something religious people often fail to grasp (although I have heard some anecdotes about devout Catholics who felt guilty because they enjoyed religious music).<br /><br />Oh, and on an unrelated note: why do modern Christian musicians write really bad songs? It is as if God just stopped inspiring them.Guillaumehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12376749604845793465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-38050932624155183242010-12-07T11:20:53.969-06:002010-12-07T11:20:53.969-06:00John: Don't overlook Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Meg...John: Don't overlook Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Megadeth, and Rush. ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05324968314168283095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-22465983656473216312010-12-07T10:54:42.196-06:002010-12-07T10:54:42.196-06:00"and the government shall be upon his shoulde..."and the government shall be upon his shoulders."<br /><br />Yeah, lets just enjoy the music and ignore the lyrics. It is a pity humanists and skeptics do not yet have hundreds of years of music composers to write some great music. In time perhaps.John K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11579041716600940838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-18090636185453119832010-12-07T10:41:23.936-06:002010-12-07T10:41:23.936-06:00A remarkable comment from the YouTube comment thre...A remarkable comment from the YouTube comment thread:<br />"The end of this song always gives me goosebumps... In the movie "Revenge of Sith" (Star Wars), when the Emperor gives the order 66, that is to kill all the Jedi... well, it's the same chord, and I always remember the flim when listening Messiah and vice versa ^^U"felixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00749925395851545703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-29279829600246351612010-12-07T10:13:21.592-06:002010-12-07T10:13:21.592-06:00Sheep have been taking care of themselves for mill...Sheep have been taking care of themselves for millions of years. They aren't "bad" or "stupid" & don't go "astray". Of course, when man turned them into a domestic animal, we found their own natures were often in conflict with what we want them to do. They are only dumb & disobedient in relation to man's use for them. <br />I guess that makes mankind kind of "sheepish" in relation to a god who wants mankind to deny its nature and waste its existence standing around placidly, waiting for the end.......Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15389476095618700931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-53578047205470741452010-12-07T09:38:08.336-06:002010-12-07T09:38:08.336-06:00@Kazim - "It's that I don't agree wit...@Kazim - "It's that I don't agree with the Christian concept of what constitutes bad behavior."<br /><br />It's amazing how Christians can't get past that very idea. Their ideas of right or wrong, while they may drive the moral culture of our society, are not necessarily correct.<br /><br />I don't "want to sin." "Sin" is not a concept for the real world. It is a religious word that applies only to those who uphold a religious view.<br /><br />What I want to do is live responsibly, functionally and wholesomely in this world. If in the course of striving to do so I engage in what they consider "sinful" behavior, then so be it.<br /><br />If they voice an objection, then I will say to them "mind your own business!"dc1983https://www.blogger.com/profile/17225378137175602581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-84758525007214740722010-12-07T07:08:21.570-06:002010-12-07T07:08:21.570-06:00I've been to Handel's Messiah on at least ...I've been to Handel's Messiah on at least 5 occasions, but only last year was the first time I had the actual words available to me.<br /><br />I hadn't realized it was in English. (D'oh + Philistine). I blame poor church acoustics.<br /><br />So you can enjoy it without the words - or at least I did on four occasions.David McNerneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05607188814624253820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-55584763913310952852010-12-07T05:26:22.135-06:002010-12-07T05:26:22.135-06:00and Mary had a little lamb -
Humans are not the ...and Mary had a little lamb - <br /><br />Humans are not the only ones who grew up to be sheep!gswhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00464061976742965239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-62184016480498424492010-12-07T00:21:25.293-06:002010-12-07T00:21:25.293-06:00For me a particular Christmas Carol/Hymn influence...For me a particular Christmas Carol/Hymn influenced by liturgy that I learned as a child continues to make me smile. While participating in a church youth chorus we performed <i>Hark! The Herald Angels Sing</i>. What sticks with me about the experience isn't the music (and certainly not the theology) but rather the manner in which the musical director instructed us to pronounce the lyrics of the refrain. From that day forward whenever the <i>"In Excelsis Deo"</i> part is sung, I hear <i>In Egg Shell Seats Day-o</i>.John-Greyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07650182751863103611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-68627108721361215302010-12-07T00:15:19.237-06:002010-12-07T00:15:19.237-06:00Damn, so much for being clever.Damn, so much for being clever.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05324968314168283095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-78837513952215953282010-12-06T23:55:08.064-06:002010-12-06T23:55:08.064-06:00@Honest_guy87110
I can never ever EVER read that ...@Honest_guy87110<br /><br />I can never ever EVER read that passage, without hearing it pink-floyd style. Tried to link to youtube but the audio quality was too low to make it out. <br /><br />@Russel<br /><br />Back when my parents made me sing in the church choir, we made that joke ("We all like sheep") every. single. week. It was oh so funny in that bland, ned-flanders-esque way.erauqssihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16219367018908376819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-11205935542257741752010-12-06T20:39:59.088-06:002010-12-06T20:39:59.088-06:00As Monty Python pointed out years ago, a sheep'...As <i>Monty Python</i> pointed out years ago, a sheep's life consists of standing around a few years and then being eaten. (The Pythons neglected to mention that the sheep repeatedly get fleeced throughout their lives, as well.) It's such a wonderful metaphor—if you don't think about it too deeply. What's good for the shepherd is seldom good for the sheep!<br /><br />That said, J.S. Bach's <i>Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring</i> has always been my favorite piece of Christmas music. I don't care why it was written; it's just good music.GMpilothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07189308176043748343noreply@blogger.com