[HANASHIR:14700] Re: secular music

[sholom <sholom...>]

>> Where there is no distinction, and "Imagine" prays for the day where
>> there is no such distinction, there is no reason to remain Jewish.
>>
> In aleinu is about a time when "every knee" will bend to God and "on
> that day  every one will worship one God."   (yeah that part is in the
> second paragraph  that we rarely do in Reform temples even though it's
> in the book) If we all  worship as one, there will be no distinction
> since there will not be others.

Just because we all worship one G-d does not mean that there will be no
disctinction.  Aleinu most decidely does not way "worship as one."

Indeed, Islam already worships one G-d.  And some/all Christians already
do, too (depending upon views of the Trinity).

> BTW- i interpret John Lennon's vision as a time when organized religion
> is no  longer the institution that we need to worship God.

There is nothing in the song to suport this interpretation.

Here are the words to the first two verse:

======
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
======

He hopes for a day when there is no G-d (or, rather, when no one believe
in a G-d ("above us only sky").  There is nothing about whether religion
is "organized" or not.

The not-so-subtle message Lennon is telling us is: nations and religion
are the cause of killing and are at odds with peace.

> As a Temple
> educator I  have worked in 2 Temples plus several as a teacher in
> addition to being a  board member of another.   I am not sure that the
> "institutions" are so Godly that  their survival should be our goal.

Should the survival of the Jewish people, fully realized in its potential,
be our goal?

It is clearly not John Lennon's goal.

-- Sholom




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