Oh dear, it seems that Nanny's puritanical feelings from the sixties have been reawakened.In the sixties, you will recall, Nanny was very upset by all that dope smoking, free love and general disrespect towards God.
I was a mere child at that time, and missed out on all the doings.
Ho hum!
Anyhoo, in a sort of flashback, Nanny's teaching chums at St Leonards Primary in Exeter have decided that a John Lennon song ("Imagine") is anti-religious.
The pupils had spent weeks rehearsing the song for an end of term show. However, the head teacher and governors decided that it was anti-Christian and unsuitable for the school.
The dangerous lyrics include:
"Imagine there's no heaven... and no religion too."
Seems to me the world would be a much better place without religion. However, as my 3 miserable years in a Catholic school taught me I will undoubtedly burn in hell for that comment.
Head teacher Geoff Williams said a teacher approached him, because she did not think the song was appropriate.
The Rev David Harris, a school governor, said:
"The song expresses longing for a different world and for eternal happiness
but it says you can have this without religion."
I would have thought that, if God exists, he doesn't give a stuff about your religion but how you behave towards others.
That being said, what do I know?; I am going to burn in hell.
Anyhoo, "Imagine" was replaced by "The Building Song".
I don't feel too concerned about this myself. There are so many people in this country shouting the odds and insisting on changes because of real or imagined slights on other religions. It's almost refreshing to hear of someone shouting the odds in defence of (what used to be) this country's religion of the majority. (I know "Imagine" doesn't specifically invalidate Christianity, but those who object to it are apparently Christians and objecting on that basis.) Maybe there's a kind of "If they can do it, so can we" attitude going on. Plenty of other issues wind me up far, far more than this.
ReplyDeleteIf you're going to burn in hell, I'll see you there.
ReplyDeleteWho cares anyway? Everyone knows the devil has the best tunes.
On the basis that the best you can say about the original choice was that it was hardly imaginative in the first place it seems to me that our memory of Lennon benefits by not being sullied by one more nasty delivery of the song by a primary school choir.
ReplyDelete"The Wheels on the Bus" would surely have been a much more PC and Ecotheological song to sing, though probably even more over used than Imagine.
I would have thought that, if God exists, he doesn't give a stuff about your religion but how you behave towards others.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Christianity, you would have thought wrong. St. Leonard's Primary School, Exeter is a C of E school, and it would be entirely inappropriate for it to promote in a school concert a viewpoint that was in contradiction with the gospel.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
"Imagine" is the worst kind of "we're all going the same way" lazy-minded tosh & its choice probably represents the deplorable taste & religious illiteracy of some one on the school staff rather than any original preference by the children, who deserve better. (cf another song "let me take you by the hand in defiance of our school's Touching Policy, and I will show you the streets of London" - appalling!) If the devil did have the best tunes that would certainly not be one of them.
ReplyDeleteWell said LBS. It was probably banned on the grounds of taste. It is a terrible dirge with the quality of lyrics that a 14 year old should be embarassed to submit as english homework (if homework is allowed anymore.)
ReplyDelete