Elton John’s comments have been hitting the news the last couple of days. Here’s the entire text of the interview.
From my point of view I would ban religion completely, even though there are some wonderful things about it. I love the idea of the teachings of Jesus Christ and the beautiful stories about it, which I loved in Sunday school and I collected all the little stickers and put them in my book. But the reality is that organised religion doesn’t seem to work. It turns people into hateful lemmings and it’s not really compassionate.
The world is near escalating to World War Three and where are the leaders of each religion? Why aren’t they having a conclave; why aren’t they coming together? I said this after 9/11 and people thought I was nuts: instead of more violence why isn’t there a [meeting of religious leaders]. It’s all got to be dialogue – that’s the only way. Get everybody from each religion together and say ‘Listen, this can’t go on. Why do we have all this hatred?’
Amazing that a homosexual would ban religion? Hmmmmmmm? I wonder why? Romans 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Higghawker, have you ever masturbated? Who did you fantasize about when you did it?
Don’t lie now, that’s a sin too.
Sadly, it’s neither amazing nor surprising that one of our resident xhristians avoids content and context — and qualifies his response with homophobia.
Guess that’s called “proving the point”.
Higghawker, your comment actually came to prove Elton John’s point… Religion does indeed promote hatred.
Things like God and morals tend to get in the way when your a Liberal Democrat
What an amazing comment by Elton John! I never realized that all of the worlds problems could so easily be solved! I’m going to start looking towards entertainers and hollywood actors more often for answers to lifes biggest questions.
My hope for Mr. John is that he come to realize his behavior problem. This is not hatred, but for the love of his soul.
I am a “conservative” and a “Christian”… I would just like to point out that yes… orgainized religeon is frequently corrupt and evil… that’s due to our nature. We are all sinful – and power corrupts.
I would like everyone to think about this… if Jesus were here today… who do you think he would hang out with? The church goers – the church leaders?
NOT!
He would hang with the drug addicts – the prostitutes – the sick – the poor – the prisoners.
True christianity is not a political view – but a lifestyle of love and active concern for your fellow man – because of your thankfulness for what God has done for you.
We need more people who love those who are sick, broken, and have differing points of view – and less who participate in showy fancy religeon.
I would really encourage all believers and non beleivers to read about the real Jesus – the man in the bible. Don’t just believe something because someone told you – check it out for yourself…
Just my $.02 – Flame me if you like.
Elton – I wish the big man was here to have sit down heart to heart with you. – For that matter – I wish we all could have that.
Too bad Elton has become a religionphobe. When will we learn.
As for religion fostering hate and war let’s look at the the last century where Fascism and Communism were responsible for killing millions and millions of innocents in the worst wars in history. By the way both these “isms” went out of their way to eliminate religion. Worshiping Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Po Pot was to be so much more beneficial to the world.
I wonder where they were on the Gay rights issue?
#7, Love?
#1, Amazing that a homosexual would ban religion? Hmmmmmmm? I wonder why? Romans 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Comment by Higghawker — 11/14/2006 @ 5:58 am
Where is the love in that?
Go Pagans!
#9, you confuse religions here. The politics practiced by Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Mao, and others is that they were religions unto themselves. Their forms of communism required total devotion and submission to the leaders. Unlike the advancement into the North and South American continents where non Europeans were just slaughtered, christian and heathen alike, all in the name of Jesus.
But then too,, two wrongs never made a right. Unless you’re a Republican type right in which case, …
We do have Bono though.
Maybe we could bring Rodney King in also to bring us all together.
Don’t forget, most organized religions (as opposed to personal beliefs in God, etc) are a holdover from when they either were the government or at the right hand of government. They were used as a means to control the population. Won’t pay your taxes, go to war, build that monument, etc, you won’t just have to answer to the government, you will have to answer to God! Forever! In other words, organized religion is about control, using tenants of the religion (which may be very good) as a carrot to the stick of hell. That is what Elton is railing against; the intolerance of the few in charge being foisted on the masses of followers.
To all, By whose authority do you live your life under?
15 To all, By whose authority do you live your life under?
My wife’s.
1, 7, 15 – Trouble with morons is: they have no idea they’re morons.
Elton John has a valid position, as did John Lennon before him.
History bears out the truth of their observations.
I counter that it is not religion that promotes hatred, but fear. The religions of the world speak of love and moderation. There are people who have fear, and thus hate, both in the religious and secular sectors. There are plenty of hating seculars, on what do we blame their hate?
Religion is not the problem, people missing the point of their own religion is the problem.
I don’t hate Elton John. I also believe that WokTiny hit the nail upon the head.
Elton John just proves that the only diversity that will be tolerated is: Skin color, sexual preference, gender identity.
Diversity of opinion and thought must be extinguished at all costs
He has the right to use said hate speech, but I also have the right to practice free speech as in what not to listen to. I was (up to yesterday) a big fan of Elton John, he was my second musical artist, I had all his CD’s and alot of stuff of his, well today, I am not a fan, I have deleted all my mp3’s of his that I ripped from my CD’s and I will be looking to off load said CD’s and the other memoberia that I have of his, he now is on the list of stuff I don’t listen to. He has lost at lest one fan (it is possible that he has lost alot of fans from that statement.)
Things like God and morals tend to get in the way when you are a radical republican.
15 – To all, By whose authority do you live your life under?
My own, my own morals, and in some cases, the law of the land.
Amazingly I don’t need a vague mysterious threat of damnation to be a good person. My conscience is enough, and if you think that that is “god given”, rather than the product of my own beliefs and conclusions, then I say unto you: prove it.
Highhawker
Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools
Your turn!!
“authority” to “live under” — phew! I think we’re back before the Dark Ages with that one.
What’s wrong with material reality? You work at understanding as much as we’ve learned, so far.
That doesn’t require rote or rules from some ancient crockpot edited by priests and judges. Neither class of fool, in fact, can change the physical processes of the known universe.
I wonder if he’ll ever embrace reality. The reality is that it’s religious communities that are gaining in population, and the embrace of nonreligion just leads to takeover. Look at Europe becoming Islamic. In 50 years Russia will have fewer people than Yemen.
Good job Reggie!
Oh, and #21, are you planning a bonfire like they did when Lennon said the Beatles were bigger than Jesus Christ? The tabloids are waiting!
DAve
#16 – Your wife doesn’t control my life. My wife does. 😉
I do get tired of talking about God. It’s like talking about Popeye all day… Or Micky Mouse… There are real problems in the world, but instead we have to have this neverending hostility riddled debate about everyone’s favorite mythological figure… Jesus H Freaking Christ and that grumpy S.O.B. the Lord God Almighty himself…
What a glorious waste of time. Why do we even waste breath on believers? Their way of thinking is childish and illogical. They’ve rejected Allah and Bhudda and Mercury and Zues and Unicorns and some of them are even so goddamn stupid that they’ve rejected dinosaurs and evolution… But the Bible represents a credible source? Because a preacher said so? Because Mommy and Daddy were holy rollers? Why? I cannot fathom any reason why the same people who don’t believe in Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster still believe in God.
And their obsession with this poorly translated collection of tracts that covers a few hundred years of religious propaganda has lead them to believe in bullshit platitudes about sex or love and birth and death and crime and punishment and this notion of the everlasting soul and it all ends up polluting our political system… and its here that I begin to care… Because it is here that the inane prattling of Jesus Christ, that all powerful jackbooted feckless thug, begins to impede on my rights.
Elton John isn’t attacking religion… He’s defending against the never ending attack upon humanity by religion.
lol, religion
also, if Higghawker isn’t a troll, man, if you’re for real, dang. People who quote fairy tales are funny.