Posts by glenster

"Imagine"--it's origin as a sugar-coated Communist Manifesto
and how John got sugared himself
Some more familiar with communism may want to add details.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Communist_Manifesto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

Some humanists think religion causes people to neglect current human
conditions in favoring an existence to come. This ignores the better
religious social efforts and progressive advocacy in strict adherence to
the communist view that religion is "the opiate of the masses" and should
be eliminated.
Imagine calls for people to not have a hope for a possible Heaven beyond the
known things in the name of a plan for a real "heaven on Earth" beyond
what's realistic to expect.
In communism, government will become unnecessary because everyone will
share...after a communist government makes them do it for a while....
Violence between governments will not exist although it's a recipe for
worldwide anarchy so not a cure for violence.

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

The communist stance of everyone sharing everything. It might diminish the
motive for higher learning for people to end up with the same whether they
take eight years of college or none.
http://www.rusbasan.com/Politics/John_Lennon_Imagines.html

This view evolved with time.

For John on a communist advocacy of revolution, free the workers/proletariat,
Janov's primal therapy, real pain, etc., and discouragement of bourgeois
capitalism, religion, parent figures, etc., see the site at the next link.
(John Lennon and Yoko Ono talk to Robin Blackburn and Tariq Ali for the left-
wing newspaper Red Mole)
http://marxsite.com/Lennon%20interview.htm

"So that’s my feeling. The idea was don’t aggravate the pig by waving the
thing that aggravates–by waving the Red flag in his face. You know, I really
thought that love would save us all. But now I’m wearing a Chairman Mao badge.

"I’m just beginning to think he’s doing a good job. I would never know until I
went to China. I’m not going to be like that, I was just always interested
enough to sing about him. I just wondered what the kids who were actually
Maoists were doing. I wondered what their motive was and what was really going
on. I thought if they wanted revolution, if they really want to be subtle,
what’s the point of saying “I’m a Maoist and why don’t you shoot me down?” I
thought that wasn’t a very clever way of getting what they wanted.
http://www.jannswenner.com/archives/john_lennon_part2.aspx

"'Imagine that there was no more religion, no more country, no more politics,'
is virtually the Communist manifesto, even though I'm not particularly a Commu-
nist and I do not belong to any movement." He told NME: "There is no real Commu-
nist state in the world; you must realize that. The Socialism I speak about ...
[is] not the way some daft Russian might do it, or the Chinese might do it. That
might suit them. Us, we should have a nice...British Socialism."

Lennon once told Paul McCartney that "Imagine" was "'Working Class Hero' with
sugar on it for conservatives like yourself."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagine_%28song%29

Around then John moved from the UK and high taxes to the US and more rewarding
capitalism.

"the radicalism was phony, really, because it was out of guilt. I’d always
felt guilty that I had made money, so I had to give it away or lose it. I don’t
mean I was a hypocrite, I mean when I believe, I believe right down to the
boots. But (what I was doing) fighting the American government just because
Jerry Rubin couldn’t get what he really wanted--a nice cushy job." (Newsweek,
Sept 29, 1980)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2638486/posts

If it boils down to just support for some welfare programs, encouragement
for charity, and discouraging people from being 'centric and intolerant about
things that aren't character determinants, the call for no heaven/religion is
is an awkward reminder of the concerns the song arose from. It would be better
served by a suggestion to not be 'centric and intolerant about the belief/non-
belief differences in calling on everyone to support welfare, etc. Like John
adjusted, Imagine can be imagined that way to adjust to that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagine_%28song%29

13

Governing Body more popular than Jesus Christ? Where have we heard this before?

by Newly Enlightened in

growing up in the 60's i've heard this before.

even before i knew there was a governing body......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcwjsd-s3ha.

.

glenster

"Imagine what would cause him to later make a song about the peace of no
religion."

I think John will back me up:

Lennon told Sheff that Dick Gregory had given Ono and him a Christian
prayer book, which helped inspire in Lennon what he described as:

"The concept of positive prayer ... If you can imagine a world at peace, with
no denominations of religion—-not without religion but without this my God-is-
bigger-than-your-God thing-—then it can be true ... the World Church called me
once and asked, "Can we use the lyrics to 'Imagine' and just change it to
'Imagine one religion'?" That showed [me] they didn't understand it at all. It
would defeat the whole purpose of the song, the whole idea."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagine_%28song%29

Not all one religion or all disbelief--just don't be 'centric and intolerant
about the differences.

13

Governing Body more popular than Jesus Christ? Where have we heard this before?

by Newly Enlightened in

growing up in the 60's i've heard this before.

even before i knew there was a governing body......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcwjsd-s3ha.

.

glenster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0R8D6WTIlA

13

Governing Body more popular than Jesus Christ? Where have we heard this before?

by Newly Enlightened in

growing up in the 60's i've heard this before.

even before i knew there was a governing body......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcwjsd-s3ha.

.

glenster

Actually, if the point is an overview of believers and non-believers with an
eye to not wanting harm, I'd recommend neither basic view be 'centric and
intolerant. If you add specifics beyond that to either basic stance, add
liberal (separation of church and state, evolution, rights for women and LGBT
people, etc.) specifics, politically or religiously. You don't have to be
either, or imagine no heaven or believe in one, imagine no religion or belong
to one, for that.
http://glenster1.webs.com/basics.htm

I think John was just referring to a news article that showed the Beatles
were more popular in the UK than church attendance--that if he'd said "TV"
instead it wouldn't have created such a reaction. I'd rather have the following
event with John on Youtube--I think it would have been funnier:

An excerpt from the book "The Quarrymen," 2001, by Hunter Davies has it that
in 1968, according to John's childhood friend Pete Shotton:

“One night, after a few joints, a bit of LSD, we were sitting around at Ken-
wood playing tapes when John suddenly said: ’Pete, I think I’m Jesus Christ.’
’You what?’ I said. ’I’m Jesus Christ. I’m back again.’ ’Oh yeah,’ I said. ’What
are you going to do about it?’ ’I’ve got to tell the world who I am.’ ’They’ll
kill you.’ ’That can’t be helped,’ said John. ’How old was Jesus when they
killed him?’ ’I reckon about 32.’ ’Then I’ve got at least four years to go,’
said John. ’First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll go into Apple and tell the oth-
ers.’

Next morning, Pete contacted Apple to arrange an emergency board meeting. All
four Beatles turned up, plus Neil Aspinall (once the Beatles’ roadie, later Ap-
ple’s managing director) and Derek Taylor, their press officer. "Right," said
John, sitting behind his desk. "I’ve something very important to tell you all.
I am...Jesus Christ. I have come back again. This is my thing."

The Beatles looked rather stunned, but said nothing. "It was totally surreal,"
says Pete. "But nobody cross-examined him. No plans were made to announce the
Messiah’s arrival. There was a bit of muttering, then silence, till somebody
suggested the meeting was adjourned for lunch.' In the restaurant over lunch a
man came up to John and said: ’Really nice to meet you, how are you?’ ’Actual-
ly,’ said John, ’I’m Jesus Christ.’ ’Oh, really,’ said the man. ’Well, I liked
your last record.’“
http://articles.absoluteelsewhere.net/Articles/my_friend_john_davies.html

For John and a GB-like PR, my first thought would be him singing "Mother,"
about being sensitive about a parent not being around their child, but him only
seeing Julian about once a year after seeing to it Cynthia didn't get an alimony
commensurate with his income though she raised the kid.

15

"I'll see you at the movies." RIP Roger Ebert

by MrFreeze in

years ago, i didn't care for roger ebert.

i thought he was kind of a snooty film critic.. after watching films as sort of a hobby, i came to really appreciate his opinions on film.

mainly, what was the film trying to do.

glenster

In January 2005, film critic Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times said
in an article that Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo was overlooked for an Academy
Award because "nobody had the foresight to invent a category for Best Running
Penis Joke Delivered by a Third-Rate Comic." Schneider responded two weeks later
with full-page ads in Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, saying he had
done research and found that Mr. Goldstein had never won any journalistic
awards, commenting, "Maybe you didn't win a Pulitzer Prize because they haven't
invented a category for Best Third-Rate, Unfunny Pompous Reporter Who's Never
Been Acknowledged by His Peers." Schneider also wrote, "Patrick, I can honestly
say that if I sat with you and your colleagues at a luncheon, afterward, they'd
say 'You know, that Rob Schneider is a pretty intelligent guy, I hope we can do
that again.' Whereas, if you sat with my colleagues, after lunch, you would just
be beaten beyond recognition." He also called Goldstein a "real scumbag" in an
appearance on Tom Green's House Tonight when referring to Goldstein's
criticisms, and opined that Goldstein's criticism was unimaginative. Patrick
publicly asked, "Who are Schneider's colleagues and why would I want to have
lunch with them?"[citation needed]

In August 2005, film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times responded to
the Schneider-Goldstein conflict in his review for Deuce Bigalow: European
Gigolo. While noting that an online search showed that Goldstein had won a
National Headliner Award, a Los Angeles Press Club Award, a RockCritics.com
award, and the Publicists' Guild award for lifetime achievement, Ebert said, "As
chance would have it, I have won the Pulitzer Prize, and so I am qualified.
Speaking in my official capacity as a Pulitzer Prize winner, Mr. Schneider, your
movie sucks." (Ebert's 2007 collection of reviews of movies for which he gave
negative reviews was titled Your Movie Sucks, a reference to his review of Deuce
Bigalow: European Gigolo.) In a later interview with Stuff magazine, Schneider
called Ebert an "ass", saying that Ebert "irks" him and that he had been told
that Ebert is "not nice to the people he works with." Ebert rejected the
accusation, and reaffirmed his opinion of the film, stating, "If he's going to
persist in making bad movies, he's going to have to grow accustomed to reading
bad reviews." On May 7, 2007, Roger Ebert reported via his website that he had
received a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a note stating it was from "Your
least favorite actor, Rob Schneider." Ebert had recently undergone a very
serious surgery to remove a cancerous salivary gland, and spent months
recovering. Ebert saw the flowers as a kind gesture and publicly thanked
Schneider, and said that Schneider may have made a bad film, but he was not a
bad man. Ebert also expressed hope that Schneider would make a film that Ebert
finds wonderful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Schneider#Disputes

15

"I'll see you at the movies." RIP Roger Ebert

by MrFreeze in

years ago, i didn't care for roger ebert.

i thought he was kind of a snooty film critic.. after watching films as sort of a hobby, i came to really appreciate his opinions on film.

mainly, what was the film trying to do.

glenster

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRsPi7GxKtA

55

Moses and his God directed mass genocide.

by AMO in

was wondering what modern day christians take is on the slaughter of hundreds of thousands perhaps millons, on his god directed journey to the promised land.???.

.

amo.

glenster

News & World Events
"Moses and his God directed mass genocide"

Again!? (Sorry.)

General considerations: God's prerogative--God owns it all and can do what He
wants with it, including give or take all and any life as He wants.

Conservative: it happened.

Liberal: theology.

1

April Fool Easter!!! LMAO

by ThisFellowCheap in

so, the joke goes somewhat like this in paraphrase: an atheist was complaining about the religionists having preferential treament when it comes to religious national holidays, that the christians get their days and muslims and likes and they don't give just one to the atheists.

and up pops the witty christian and say, "oh, i thought that was what april 1st was meant for!".

and i had to gobble that up every year- no, not this year!

glenster

Atheists have a spaghetti monster. Put the spaghetti on the plate. A good
meat sauce, some salad, some red wine good for your health...Hell, I'd go to two
or three meetings. I hope you don't think it's just to listen to the speaker:
"We're good, the others out there are stupid and cause all the trouble in the
world." Boring them to death in the seats like all the others. Put the
spaghetti on the plate. You atheists are Bogarting that spaghetti.