This gave me more religious inspiration than any church service or preacher ever did...

[Matsubara]

I'll start off by saying I was born and raised secular - almost atheist. I went to church a time or two as a kid - on Easter, mostly, but religion was not a part of our family life.

And I was grateful of it. I have always hated dogma and the intolerance associated with so many religions.

I considered myself an atheist for the longest time - I thought myself fortunate to be free of the bonds of superstition and dogma.



But as I approach my 40th birthday and the midpoint of life (if I'm lucky), that has started to seem like cold comfort and I have started to want a deeper meaning to life.

I know that it's not in fundamentalism or immersing myself in scripture - God only knows that the one time I started reading the Bible a lot as a teen, the more I read, the more preoosterous, phony and made up it all seemed to me.

I still hate dogma, and I'm not big on church, but the funniest thing happened the other day.

I ahve always been a Prince fan, but Had not listened to him lately. In particular, it had been almost 20 years since I listened to the Lovesexy album all the way through.

but a youtube friend turned me on to video of "Glam Slam" that made me want to listen to the whole thing all over again.

What a great album! And upon listening to one spiritually-themed song, I felt an almost beatific joy. I don't know why.

Here are the lyrics:

I No

Rain is wet and sugar is sweet
Clap your hands and stomp your feet
Everybody, everybody knows
When Love calls, U gotta go
(I know) {repeat in BG}
Welcome 2 the New Power Generation
The reason why my voice is so clear
Is there's no smack in my brain
(This soul belongs to God)

Hundalasiliah! I know there is a heaven, I know there is a hell
Listen 2 me people, I got a story 2 tell
I know there was confusion, lightnin' all around me
That's when I called His name
Don't U know He found me?

No! - is what Spooky Electric say, it's not OK (No!)
But I know that Love is the only way till my dyin' day (No!)
Till my dyin' day I'll be OK
Cuz Lovesexy is the one till my day is done
Hundalasiliah! (Yeah oh!)

I know there is a devil because he talks so loud
He makes U do things your friends do (Do what your friends do)
Hang out with the crowd
But my Lord, He's so quiet when He calls your name
When U hear it your heart will thunder
U will wanna hear it every day

No! (People) - is what Spooky Electric say (Tell me, what'd he say?) (No!)
But don't U know that I know Love is the only way till my dyin' day (No!)
Till my dyin' day I'll be OK
Cuz Lovesexy is the one till my day is done
Hundalasiliah!

Alright y'all, everybody in the house (Serve it up, Frankie)
Here's what I want U 2 do (Ooh child!)
Raise your hand up straight in the air
Swing it 2 the right, savoir-faire
Up on the 2, swing on the 4
Everybody on the dance floor

(Shout - "Ho!") {repeat}
Sho'nuff
Y'all ain't got it, U're dead!
Go ahead {x4}
(Frankie, play!)

Raise your hand up straight in the air (I know)

(Put your hand up) {x2}
Alright y'all, come on, uh
Yeah

(Say no) (No!)
If U can't find your way, everybody say (Say no) (No!)
If U're afraid, everybody ain't got it made
(If U're lookin 4 the crown, come on y'all) (Say no) (No!)
If U want a drug other than the God above (Say it) (No!)
If U need a drink every single day (Sing it)
Then blow that devil away!

(Say yes) (Yes!)
If U want this feeling called love
(Oh yeah, come on, y'all) (Say it) (Yes!)
If U want it now raise your hand 2 the man above
(Y'all 2, I gotta say it) (Yes!)
Up on the 2, swing right on the 4
(It's alright, it's alright) (Yes!)
We want everybody 2 open this door! (Come on)

Yeah!

If U don't wanna live life under the gun (I know)
We know a better way 2 have some fun (I know)
I know there is a heaven and a hell
I know there is a heaven and a hell

© 1988 Controversy Music - ASCAP




I think it's like the Indigo Girls said:

"The less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine."



...if that makes any sense...

[windlight]

1. very cool

and the bit at the end from Indigo Girls reminds me of this Buddhist saying:

As to reaching the other shore, if one reaches it, one is not reaching the other shore. Both not-reaching and not-not-reaching are really reaching..If one sees Buddha, one is not seeing Buddha. When one sees there is no Buddha, one is really seeing Buddha.

[RebelOne]

2. The last lines remind me of a line from a Blood, Sweat & Tears song.

"I know there ain't no heaven, but I pray there ain't no hell."

[Matsubara]

3. I think the lyrics alone don't convey the feeling.

The whole song is just infused with this really positive energy and enthusiasm that I just loved.

The lyrics themselves aren't really all that important. It was just the feeling that this performer really wanted to put out a song that would encourage people and lift them up.

Whatever God may be, i think I feel it more from things like this, from "random acts of kindness and beauty" than from any sermon.

It's weird, when I was younger, I was one of thsoe people who loved my pets, but thought that people were'nt worth a damn,

but the older I get, the more often I and moved by the kindness and beauty of people around me, the more I love them.



And looking at Prince, I am just amazed at this nearly 50 year old man, who never touches drugs, alcohol, tobacco or meat, who sat down as a teenager and decided that he would be the next James Brown or Sly Stone, and who diligently put out one or more albums every year for the last thirty years, who still can fit into the same hot pants he wore in 1978, who puts on these amazing shows and NEVER gives a half-assed performance, EVER. I look at him and am dumbstruck that a person could live his life so fully, to accomplish almost all the things he wanted to.

I'm not sure what brand of religion he subscribes to, but I know he is a religious guy, but whatever it is, maybe there is something to it.