Hey parents, here's reason # 999,999 not to let your children watch MTV
July 16, 2010 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
It’s teaching them atheism (among other things) with blasphemous songs like this one. Don’t underestimate the potential for your children to become corrupted and their faith in God wrested away from them by the popularization of atheism through things as simple as songs and videos. If you have MTV and its affiliated stations coming into your home, cut it off now. Don’t wait. Don’t dither. Don’t accommodate this malignant evil even for another second. And let’s also all take a moment to pray for the deluded atheists who produced this song and all those whom it is affecting.
this song was written and performed by andy partridge — who stopped performing live in 1983 due to stage fright, or panic attacks. panic attacks tend to occur in smart perfectionists. mine went away when I let Jesus into my life. like andy partridge, i was a harsh critic of the church before coming home. my guess is that andy would be happier, and a better musician, if he would simply surrender to the Truth.
I kind of like the symbolism – get rid of God and you chop down the tree that upholds mankind. There goes the whole concept of "made in the image of God" and with it goes any concept of human dignity and human rights. I doubt the video was meant to convey that, though.
Sue
First: They mentioned God! That has to be a miracle.
Second: It is ironic that the crying out against the pain and violence is beating an innocent tree with a couple hammers.
Third: Actually I have no idea what is third I just thought there should a third, wait I know! God bless us everyone!
>P<
'
Yeah, this isn't a reason to stay away from MTV now since they've dropped the "Music Television" moniker and don't play videos anymore, especially any by a band as old as XTC.
But did anyone know this song was also recorded by adult contemporary favorite, Ms. "Arms of the Angel" herself, Sarah McLachlan?
This is an old song that I liked back then and still do. I'm a Catholic. I agree with the others that say it is not an atheist song at all! The singer is crying out to God, he is in pain and grief, daring God that he won't believe in him because he lost at the moment. But he does believe, when he says his heart is on his sleeve that is the proof. It is a very deep, meaningful song.
This is an old song from XTC. anyway we all know that Atheists are fools as it is clearly written in the Holy Bible.
Rachel L writes:"I wouldn't support MTV, but at what point do we have to just go live in the backwoods with no contact with the outside world?"
Both the entertainment and the news media are permeated by very damaged people in need of prayers and, often, new professions. Let's not characterize them as "the outside world," they're a world unto themselves, and it shows.
Generally speaking, if you know more about what's going on on MTV than about what's going on at your local family music venue, you're not in touch with the outside world.
Only the tip of the Ice Berg. Programming our young people is now being done by TV programs and movies much the same way that we were programmed by the old black and white movies. Do you remember a movie made between 1930 and 1955 that did not show the actors drinking and smoking? Rare wasn't it? Family values were still around then and life for children was very good. Today there are no family values for most families and the filth keeps moving in. It comes in the form of early sex education in the government schools backed up by TV programs and movies that portray it all and the overwhelming permissive society that we now live in. When was the last time you talked to your children about morals?
This is filth. Fight these terrible attacks on America's youth. Spread the word about this new oppressive militant atheism. Take a bible, meet with a priest, educate you children, go back to church, pray the rosary…The closer you bring the world to God- The less junk like this we will see. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.
i thank God that He called me as one of His followers… i also thank my parents for guiding me and teaching me the right values.Miseries,and misfortunes are man made not by God…these are the results of our wrong decisions and selfishness…God is still calling us all to return to Him…remember the FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND….God exists!!! and He Loves us all!!! God bless everybody
Typical of those who refuse to see the beauty of life at the same time The Church has been reminding everytime abortion is a sin, pray for your enemies, etc but not everyone listens. Who's fault then?
Life isn't perfect. This writer wallows in his OWN misery.
JJ
That is so sad. It really says something not only about the author of the song, but the artist who performed it. There are many things that are sad in this world, atheism is one of the saddest most destructive force for our world and it's something that is trying to take over as it is slowly creeping into our hearts and minds, being taught to our children in schools. Sorry for the rant.
This person that wrote this song seems to have so much anger for God. Sounds like something happened in his life and he has to lash out at God; hope that he finds peace and faith and yes God down his path of wounds.
wow, I loved reading the comments, exceedingly thoughtul. I immed.made a decision to dislike it altho I like the music, but have read lots of reasons why people could listen and not take it seriously.
I agree (if) the people in the video believe these words that they are wounded deeply and perhaps this is their way of calling for help.
I'm not sure people would necessarily believe the words and take them to heart, however I am 65 and no longer think as I did many years ago.
I only know that I believe in Jesus Christ as my saviour and Lord and I will pray for the whole world cause its going to hell anyway!
Actually Allah would not be the same God if sameness means recognizably similar attributes. Allah is much more distant than the Christian God and the idea of a covenant relationship is repugnant to a true Muslim. It would be like you making a covenant with a bacteria. Allah wills what he wills and could arbitrarily pick people from Hell and bring them into Heaven or vice versa. He could send all "People of the Book" to hell and send all atheist to heaven. As mere vermin, we cannot expect that God is bound by our rules. We are to worship and submit to God because he is God and hope that he is merciful towards us poor souls.
Allah is a perfectly reasonable God to believe in.
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is very unreasonable. To suggest that God sees his people as his bride is to suggest that it is possible for a person to care for a bacteria culture with any sort of love. To say that God would die for man is just plain scandalous, just as it would be scandalous for a person to die for a bacteria culture. There is no sane reason why anyone would invent much less believe in such a religion, so it's not surprising why atheists can't. The cross is a stumbling block and foolishness…until it makes sense than anything else and is the key to explaining everything else.
Using 20+ year old videos to convince people to turn off MTV doesn't have much impact. Not unlike that ad you have on your left sidebar, for Kreeft's college survival kit; any reason they use someone who was relevant from, say, 1972 and not, you know, this decade? (And it would be so easy, too! Facial tats, multiple piercings, gages, maybe even a nose or lip gage for good measure?…I know you have no control, but still, if the intent is to elicit worried concern – like you are doing regarding MTV – there's a better way to do it.)
Being unable to avoid MTV at my gym (with all the giant TV screens all over) is much worse these days from the visuals alone. Lady Gaga's latest is really pornography, never mind the blasphemy. Even without the sound, it's truly damaging to get these visuals into one's mind.
~NYa
First, some background. I am a 69 year old convert to Catholicism. My whole goal in life is to be the best Catholic I can be and do what is pleasing to Jesus. I love, love, LOVE this video. This is not the condescending cynicism of the new atheists. This is the heartfelt cry of a thinking, feeling person. I have never been able to buy the "free will" explanation for all the suffering in the world. The best answer that I have found is Job 38: 4, "Where where you when I founded the earth?" Human beings are so arrogant. We think we can know everything. There are just some things beyond our understanding. Thank you so much for the opportunity to see this video. It expresses what I have thought and felt so many times.
Could this not be a learning experience? The lyrics present some of the classic arguments against God's existence, and I think talking about it with a child rather than shunning it is the better option. That which is outright forbidden without any discussion is more tempting.
The song itself is great. I've always loved the music and the melody, and the whole album is fantastic. Ironically, one of the songs on the album talks about the changing of the seasons and asks, "Who's pushing the pedals on the season cycle?"
Sound like the lyrics were written by Dorkins, pardon me, Dawkins.
Same ol' bull: 'why is there evil' (yet they do never ask what they can do to make the world a better place) 'why people fight over God' (they never ask why people usually kill each other for money when they cash their paycheck though :P), etc….
But this anti-theist song is not the reason I do not watch MTV for a long time now.
Some of the reasons why MTV is awful:
1- Incredibly stupid programs or that exalt stupidity (reality shows with Jessica Simpsons or – worse- Paris Hilton and other idiots)
2- Horrible songs. Most of the songs are either shallow pop with horrible messages in it (see Ke$ha) or rap and R&B (which is not my cup of tea and also has horrible lyrics).
MTV used to be OK. I remember about… well more than 10 years ago. They had pop, rock and the programs and shows were more interesting and funny.
The turn point for MTV from 'decent music station' to 'unwatchable' was when they started broadcasting Jackass. I was still about 20 then… so I was young… but even then I though it was needlessly juvenile.
==============
@ Anonymous
Well first I'd like to say that Allah is the same God as the Judeo-Christian God.
Second: these people grew up in a 'Christian environment'. It is logical that they attack what is close to them.
Last: These people consider God on the same par as Zeus and Thor.
Hitchens said "Tell me why you reject all the other gods and that is why I reject yours"
Clearly Hitchens and other (new) atheists put all the 'gods' on the same level thinking probably that the reason to believe in the Judeo-Christian God is the same as believing in Zeus or that these gods have all the same 'characteristics'.
Patrick we are too old. Don't you know. MTV doesn't play music anymore. 🙁
"I never hear them protest Allah, or Zeus, or Thor. or even Cupid!"
Allah would be the same God (even Christians in the Middle East use this term). As for the others, no one really believes in them anymore, so I think they're pretty well covered ranting against the Judeo-Christian concept of the Godhead as that's the only one seriously believed anymore.
This song isn't new… I like this song! The tone isn't malicious and hateful against God, it is sad and frustrated and ignorant. A place many of us started out from, frankly. I give this song a pass, with a prayer for the author that he receives some grace that he needs. Remember that God 'hears the cry of the poor'. And all non-believers are poor in spirit, and poor in faith. They need our prayers and mercy, not condemnations.
Sounds like someone in deep personal pain and wanting "someone" to blame for it.
It is pretty amazing the stuff that so-called atheists do to each other, to those that love them and those that have 'something" that they lack…
Is it strange that the "only god" they "don't believe in," is the same G-d of the Christians and Jews???
I never hear them protest Allah, or Zeus, or Thor. or even Cupid!
I'll have to agree with Anonymous. The ending sums it up "And if you're up there you'd perceive that my heart's here upon My sleeve."
He's angry at evil and doesn't know how a good God could cause all this evil. It's far from atheism. If you listen to C. S. Lewis' "A Grief Observed" you'll notice that there are points where he questions whether God is evil because "he took his wife" but came to his senses when he realized that this thought would do him no good. The Psalms and Lamentations and the book of Job also go into this territory.
The fact that he's speaking to God "I don't believe in *you*" rather than ignoring God and focusing on the evils of religion (as in Lennon's "Imagine"), means that God is real, he's listens, and the singer wants to cry out to God about the deep things he doesn't understand.
When they stopped playing videos, I lost all interest in MTV. Good thing, too.
I'm with Stu. In 19th century France, Baudelaire used to carve "God is Shi*" on park benches…
MTV still plays music?
I do not listen to this as something blasphemous, i listen to this as a way to express the deepest unmet desires of the human nature, the unfathomable reaches of our ignorance about God, and the many errors, hateful deeds and words of the ones that speak in God's name leaving no possible credibility in the Christian God for those that know nothing about Him, I find this piece of "music" not as a threat in itself but as a brilliant and unique way to open our eyes and start questioning how good we are in the Charity department before the eyes of the world, I hope you do that instead of blocking your eyes and ears to this while you pray your rosary. Think, medidate, act upon it and pray.
The classic atheist activity of shaking their fist at the one they don't believe in.
What a juvenile, sophomoric piece of nonsense ~ I don't think I've ever heard such a lousy 'song' before.
I won't defend MTV, but that song and video are like 25 years old! The chances of it being shown on today's MTV are remote, at best.
There's a lot of popular music out there with bad messages, rather than try to ban it, I think it's best to talk about why they're wrong.
that song is as old as I am! And while MTV might play it, well, so do radios. I wouldn't support MTV, but at what point do we have to just go live in the backwoods with no contact with the outside world?
More than anything, I feel bad for them. What a very sad person. He's obviously got a very, very deep wound. What a shame. I'll pray for them. I found it interesting that they don't believe in the devil or hell. Is that true for all athiests? God said that to whom much is given, much will be expected in return. Fortunately, for these poor souls, it seems that they weren't given much, so hopefully, in God's infinite mercy, not much will be expected in return. Jesus, I trust in You! May our most holy Mother, Mary, pray along with us for the conversion of sinners.
I love the (il)logic here… everything wrong in the world is "god"'s fault somehow. I guess He shouldn't have created us with free will. Oops, wait, but then the "artist" here wouldn't have been able to make this video criticizing "god". It's the circle of despairing logic that those atheists always seem to find themselves in.
I didn't even watch it. I can imagine it just fine. I'm a little incredulous that any Christian parent would allow MTV in their homes. I hope your warning is being issued to an extreme minority…or rather, totally unnecessary. Sending up an Ave.
This is an old tune, and one I frequently hear on college radio stations around major Christian holidays. Annoy an atheist; pray for them.