Please Somebody Burn Down His House
The latest drivel from one of the liberal, art-sy elite, in this case David Byrne:
"This is why intelligent people can be religious. That's an arrogant statement -- it presumes that religion and intelligence are incompatible, that anyone with any sense wouldn't believe in unproven supernatural faith-based scenarios. But of course that is not the case. I personally might believe (believe!) that many religious beliefs are irrational and verge on lunacy, but I can both see their efficacy -- their attraction and usefulness -- and sense their beauty. One does not have to be a Catholic to stand in awe of the Sistine Chapel ceiling; be Muslim to hear the lure of the soulful cry of the muezzin and sense the power of the mass dance of the faithful in prayer; be Hindu or Jewish to read and enjoy a text that is often chock full of amazing and surprising metaphors and analogies. These dances, music, images, metaphors are, I sense, deep-rooted -- they are like the neural propensities for grammatical structures that Chomsky goes on about and are therefore similarly genetically inheritable. The dance that is religion has evolved within us, to be released and expressed in a thousand different forms, none of which make logical sense, and all of which, if looked at literally, require a large helping of denial. God is in the wiring, bequeathed by the genes."
It is comments like these that shine light on why the liberal elite -- especially Hollywood and pop stars -- should not be allowed to speak out. As much as I hate the French, they really had the right idea when drama people were all forced to be mimes. The man (David Byrne) wrote catchy pop songs in the late 70s through the 80s, yet now, for some reason, he believes himself qualified to pontificate on such things as religion, politics and the environment. Really, his transformation from singer to pontificator is exactly why pop music is a tool of the Devil. Yes, in the beginning, it all seems innocent and fun, but as we sway our hips and hum to ourselves, Satan is whispering in our ear, giving us delusions of grandeur.
"This is why intelligent people can be religious. That's an arrogant statement -- it presumes that religion and intelligence are incompatible, that anyone with any sense wouldn't believe in unproven supernatural faith-based scenarios. But of course that is not the case. I personally might believe (believe!) that many religious beliefs are irrational and verge on lunacy, but I can both see their efficacy -- their attraction and usefulness -- and sense their beauty. One does not have to be a Catholic to stand in awe of the Sistine Chapel ceiling; be Muslim to hear the lure of the soulful cry of the muezzin and sense the power of the mass dance of the faithful in prayer; be Hindu or Jewish to read and enjoy a text that is often chock full of amazing and surprising metaphors and analogies. These dances, music, images, metaphors are, I sense, deep-rooted -- they are like the neural propensities for grammatical structures that Chomsky goes on about and are therefore similarly genetically inheritable. The dance that is religion has evolved within us, to be released and expressed in a thousand different forms, none of which make logical sense, and all of which, if looked at literally, require a large helping of denial. God is in the wiring, bequeathed by the genes."
It is comments like these that shine light on why the liberal elite -- especially Hollywood and pop stars -- should not be allowed to speak out. As much as I hate the French, they really had the right idea when drama people were all forced to be mimes. The man (David Byrne) wrote catchy pop songs in the late 70s through the 80s, yet now, for some reason, he believes himself qualified to pontificate on such things as religion, politics and the environment. Really, his transformation from singer to pontificator is exactly why pop music is a tool of the Devil. Yes, in the beginning, it all seems innocent and fun, but as we sway our hips and hum to ourselves, Satan is whispering in our ear, giving us delusions of grandeur.