Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

To me it is like a used car salesman saying 'trust me I am not making a penny on this deal.' And all the time you know that they are not being quite honest. But the words roll from their mouth, slippery and oozing with buttery complements to draw the attention from the car with only 3 wheels and a motor doctored with grease to make it run smooth. The smile never falters, the words fall easy on the ear...but, deep inside you know that it is a line rehearsed to fulfill the mission.... Beware of those who overuse words such as love, understanding, compassion. Without deeds, these are only words and those words can lead people from what is true and away from God. Put your trust in God, ask for guidance, and beware of wolves in sheep's skin.

cant beleve Loc: Planet Kolob

Your right. :thumbup:

Singularity

We all battle our "shadow side." It would be dishonest and unfair to judge another solely on the basis of perhaps the lowest point of their life. If I seemed abrupt and unkind in the past, please believe it was with the intention of helping limit exposure and attention to a momentary failing.

I have many kind memories of our past discourse and trust there will more positive exchanges in the future.

Thank you for the kindness of your intentions in offering prayers. I do actually see prayer, and meditation as well, as a positive and productive attempt to align oneself and one's motives and intentions to an ideal. A first step in improving one's behavior and view of one's fellows.

I offer random acts of kindness to people with no capacity to repay. For instance on rainy days I leave a couple rolls of quarters with a friend who owns a laundry mat so that homeless people can dry out their clothes and blankets. It gives me a better feeling than I used to have from praying for people, "Lord, comfort the poor..." and produces positive results in the lives of others.

Just offering the observation that both activities, prayer and alms for the poor, enrich giver and receiver and spring from agape/love... the conscious willingness to search for, embrace and enhance the best in those we encounter.

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

Yes, God loves each and every one of us for he has created us. He does not love us because of our sins, but because He knows we have the capacity to not sin. He does not celebrate the thief if he keeps stealing, nor the adulterer making no effort to change his behavior and continuing with his adultery So he loves the same sex attracted person but does not love the homosexual acts he does. Celibacy for the same sex attracted person is the same as the thief who steals no more. Both have stopped sinning. Fortunately he loves us even when we commit sins, but as Jesus said "Go, and sin no more"

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

No offense, but this would mean that the Christian Hell will be empty...

My point is I do not need to know with whom an individual has sex. It does not come up in conversations I have with friends or acquaintances. This is a personal matter between themselves and God (if they indeed recognize God). Regardless, a visitor at my home is treated with respect, they never leave hungry or in need. I do not have anyone fill out a questionnaire regarding their belief systems, sexual persuasion, or history.

Now then I do not know the mind of God. I know what is written, what I believe is the inspired words of God. In those words He speaks about homosexuals.... I can not be certain as some that God loves sinners. But, that is just my belief and I will leave the judging to God.

mwdegutis Loc: Illinois

:thumbup:

Singularity

Please listen and watch this video all the way through. I have included the lyrics below. My main points are illuminated in color, but I wanted to present them in context. Apologies for risking losing the attention of many readers
Hozier - Take Me To Church: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYSVMgRr6pw&list=RDMYSVMgRr6pw
Take Me to Church
Hozier

My lover's got humor
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshiped her sooner
If the Heavens ever did speak
She's the last true mouth piece
Every Sunday's getting more bleak
A fresh poison each week
We were born sick, you heard them say it
My church offers no absolution
She tells me 'worship in the bedroom'
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you
I was born sick, but I love it
Command me to be well

Amen (x3)

Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good god, let me give you my life

Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good god, let me give you my life

If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight
To keep the goddess on my side
She demands a sacrifice
To drain the whole sea
Get something shiny
Something meaty for the main course
That's a fine looking high horse
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starving faithful
That looks tasty
That looks plenty
This is hungry work

Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me my deathless death
Good god, let me give you my life

Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me my deathless death
Good god, let me give you my life

No masters or kings when the ritual begins
There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin
In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene
Only then I am human
Only then I am clean

Amen (x3)

Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good god, let me give you my life

Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good god, let me give you my life

March 11, 2014 4:30 p.m.
Q&A: Irish Musician Hozier on Gay Rights, Sexuality, & Good Hair
By Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
. . . In September, Irish songwriter Hozier released the video for his gospel-inspired epic, "Take Me to Church," a cavernous song that uses love and ecstasy as a religious metaphor. The video depicts two men's gentle intimacy, followed by brutal gay-bashing at the hands of masked vigilantes against lyrics like, "I was born sick, but I love it / command me to be well / Amen. Amen. Amen."

The song serves simultaneously as a message about human rights, a commentary about Hozier's upbringing in what he calls a "cultural landscape that is blatantly h********c," and a strong statement about the institutional homophobia in Putin's Russia. In the months since its release, the video has gone v***l (and we've been playing it over and over) — bringing the 23-year-old artist into sharp focus. (He turns 24 on St. Patrick's Day.) This week, Hozier — born Andrew Hozier-Byrne — is in the States for the first time, where he will play twice during SXSW and then tour around the country. The Cut spoke with him about the meaning of “Take Me to Church,” sexuality, James Joyce, and good hair.

Blues is a very physical music. It's often about sex, whether it's through innuendo or not. It's often about the relationship between two people. So in that sense, in a lot of my songs, there's a lot to do with the interaction between two people.

I figured we were just going to talk about sex, God, and death.

. . . "Take Me to Church" is a critique of oppressive institutions, with a woman or female pronoun used as a sort of savior.

"Take Me to Church" is essentially about sex, but it's a tongue-in-cheek attack at organizations that would … well, it's about sex and it's about humanity, and obviously sex and humanity are incredibly tied. Sexuality, and sexual orientation — regardless of orientation — is just natural. An act of sex is one of the most human things. But an organization like the church, say, through its doctrine, would undermine humanity by successfully teaching shame about sexual orientation — that it is sinful, or that it offends God. The song is about asserting yourself and reclaiming your humanity through an act of love. Turning your back on the theoretical thing, something that's not tangible, and choosing to worship or love something that is tangible and real — something that can be experienced.

But it's not an attack on faith. Coming from Ireland, obviously, there's a bit of a cultural hangover from the influence of the church. You've got a lot of people walking around with a heavy weight in their hearts and a disappointment, and that s**t carries from generation to generation. So the song is just about that — it's an assertion of self, reclaiming humanity back for something that is the most natural and worthwhile. Electing, in this case a female, to choose a love who is worth loving.

The video parallels that — it's a statement against state oppression and homophobia in Russia.

Absolutely, yes. It references the very organized attacks against L**T youths that are carried out with impunity, without action from law enforcement. There are a lot of far-right guys who film these attacks. Because the song was always about sexuality and about organizations that would undermine humanity at its most natural, we thought that — in Ireland, the church doesn't really have that kind of strength that it did, but there will always be organizations that will, and there will always be organizations that try. Hopefully there won't be one day, but there are, and this is a pure example of that.

It's people carrying out terrible acts through the justification of far-right traditionalism, and also a long campaign to make homosexuality equivalent with things like p********a and bestiality, which is absolutely appalling. So that's what we wanted to show. The video wasn't overexaggerating anything. We just wanted to tell it how it is.`£

Throughout the video, the characters bury and unearth a chained, locked chest. What does that represent?

I won't go into that. I think it's better that it's open for whomever to decide what it means.


Does the church proliferate institutional homophobia in Ireland?

Not so much from the church still, but there is that kind of public relations, tactical retreat of saying, "We love the sinner, but we h**e the sin." It's a backhanded way of telling someone to be ashamed of who they are and what they do. But right now there's a referendum next year for marriage e******y — for equal marriage. We have civil partnerships, but we don't have equal marriage. It's only recently in the last month there's been quite a hullabaloo over using the term homophobia in the media. But it's changing. It's getting better.

Is there a personal reason that you are outspoken about homophobia?

No, and I don't think there needs to be. To me, it's not even a gay issue or a civil rights issue, it's a human rights issue, and it should offend us all. It's just simple. Either somebody has equal rights, or they don't. And certainly in the Irish constitution, marriage is g****rless. There's no mention of a man and a woman. I didn't even have that many close L**T friends or anything like that, but I suppose it was growing up and becoming aware of how you are of a cultural landscape that is blatantly h********c. I'm sure it's the same over here. Where you turn around and say, Why did I grow up in a h********c place? Why did I grow up in a misogynistic place? You grow up and recognize that in any educated secular society, there's no excuse for ignorance. You have to recognize in yourself, and challenge yourself, that if you see r****m or homophobia or misogyny in a secular society, as a member of that society, you should challenge it. You owe it to the betterment of society.

In the song "Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene," you reference orgasm, but in contrast to "Take Me to Church," the woman in the lyrics is positioned as more of an anti-savior.

I wouldn't encourage you to read too much into it, only because I wouldn't share too much! [Laughs.] When I write songs, I try to remove myself a little bit. Obviously they're very personal to me, but it feels easier if I feel like I'm writing characters. I don't know, man! There's probably a lot of Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man in that song. I suppose it's about feeling liberation … and a woman whose references might be questionable at best.

It's your first time in New York. You flew out your family, too?
My father's here, and my second cousins, who came up from Boston, whom I rarely see. I know New York is unique as a place in America, so the culture shock isn't so deep, but once I get to Texas and L.A., we'll see.

I saw your father. You both have very luxurious hair.

Thank you! We grow it ourselves.

Do you share hair-care tips?

Yeah! Just don't brush it too much. I just h**e getting my hair cut. Something in the water.

TAGS:HOZIERMUSICQ&ATAKE ME TO CHURCH

PaulPisces Loc: San Francisco

NPP - Your metaphor does not hold water because you are comparing t***sgressions that materially hurt other people (theft, adultery) with homosexuality, which hurts no one - only the sensibilities of those that do not understand it.

And please do not define all homosexuality with a small sub-segment that make choices that are truly hurtful to others. If we used that standard then heterosexuality itself would be abhorrent.

Rufus Loc: Deep South

You do not know NPP. He is a strong Christian who has dev**ed much of his life helping kids and others who have been sexually abused. It bothers me that you would disrespect him in any way to defend your lifestyle that 98% of us do not agree with but that a small percentage of us are trying to understand. For many of us we have only seen the violent side of homosexuality. Homos cause the damage. People like NPP work tirelessly to repair the damage caused by homos and perverts. He can speak for himself and I am sure he will but you owe him an apology. He is a good man trying to do good to others out of a spirit of love. He protects you and your kind much more than I ever would. I do not like f*gs. Period.

PaulPisces Loc: San Francisco

Rufus - I actually have come to know NPP fairly well and have lauded him for his work with abused kids. We've even exchanged private messages and I respect him very much, as I think he does me. I even banter with his wife SWMBO on this site.

It is exactly because of this understanding and trust of each other that (I sincerely hope!) NPP knows I am never attacking him personally, but rather challenging him to understand in a new way.

I think we all fear (and sometimes h**e) that which we do not understand. That's one of the reasons I am very "out" on OPP - I hope conservatives can learn not to fear me, as I do not fear them. Life is short and we're all on the path together - we have to figure out how to do it together and peacefully.

Singularity

I do know something of NPP. And others like him. Wolves in shepherds' clothing. I have experienced his methods and motives and discovered he is not always as he presents himself. He is strongly motivated to help these children, but I ascribe much less pure motives than you. He seeks some way to simultaneously avenge his brothers pain while appeasing his father's wrathful disdain. He approaches this task with h**eful prejudicial and shaming attitudes and an unsophisticated understanding of outdated and flawed information. He has been challenged, presented with factual unbiased research, but rejects any new information in favor of clinging to his punishing, wrathful deity.

Oleaginous? Yes, sometimes one's skin does crawl to imagine the worlds (of pain) coming from one man's mouth that the spread of his h**eful propaganda has produced in young impressionable minds over the years.

LISTEN to the yearning and pain in Hozier's repetition of "amen." His character's heartwrenching offer of devotion is returned by an invitation to be at best a bastard stepchild in your family of faith or worse, the next scape goat to be offered on the altar of your bigotry.

And have you realized that your dislike of f*gs may interfere with your duty to love this son of man? Period?

She Wolf Loc: Currently Georgia

I truly believe God loves everyone. I, on the other hand, am not perfection. I wish no harm to anyone. I can not honestly say I love everyone.

The God I serve loves all his children equally. There are no favorites. However, I believe God can and quite often is disappointed in us all. I love my children. I have not always approved of their actions.

I believe somethings are private. Other people must make their own choices. Unless someone feels the need to discuss homosexual lifestyles with my children, it is none of my business. My rights end where yours begin.

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

First off, why would heterosexuality be abhorrent? I didn't think that raising children with a mother and a father was to be considered abhorrent. If reproduction, which cannot be done by cells dividing,or, as of now, by cloning,. it really does require a man and a woman to produce a child, is something you abhor then you would have to desire the species to die off, perhaps to leave the planet to the microbes and bacteria which do not need heterosexual reproduction to survive, any more than Ebola or HIV do. The Bible says that homosexual activity is a sin. It is not my right to decide which of God's laws should be ignored, and which should be followed, nor is it yours. Perhaps in the Brave New world of socialist Utopia where humans are cloned and preprogramed to be robots for the State, natural reproduction will be abhorrent. But then the entire human race will be operating toward Satan's goal so one more sin, that of homosexual activity, will make no difference.

Perhaps, though, I am mistaken and the Bible and the Ten Commandments really say "all forms of sexual activity are holy, as long as it feel right to the people participating in the act"

Rufus Loc: Deep South

Thank you. I hope I was not too defensive towards you. I do love NPP and will go to his defense. It appears I was out of line with you and ask your forgiveness. I do not do well on this subject at all, but I am trying to grow and be more understanding. I fall short in many areas. My best prayer has probably been, " Lord, teach me to love you and to love others." I need to pray this more often because I have really been struggling lately. There are a lot of good people on here, better than myself, and I am thankful for this. I have my own stories I could tell. My Dad was a baptist preacher and many preachers and their families had some serious problems especially after seminary. One in particular after having five children admitted he was gay and died of aids in New York City after leaving his family to be with a man. Needless to say his family has suffered much destruction and heartache including drugs, alcohol, jail and violence, depression, neglect, broken dreams, broken families, all as a result of the homo activity. I have never in my life seen positive results from homo activity. I could tell many stories of especially violence and brokenness. So I am not very understanding. I have yet to see any good come from homosexuality at any level for any person, ever.