Sampha’s latest song ‘Only‘ has some interesting lyrics which could link to predestination and an omniscient God (‘only God knows why’), as well as the need to consider how our actions might affect our afterlife (‘need to save my soul’). There’s also a line about faith: ‘I’m movin on faith and faith only’. Students have to consider what faith is, early on in their understanding of religions and beliefs. We look at the quote from Hebrews 11:1…
The words of Israeli prime minister Netanyahu to warn Jewish pilgrims who’ve travelled to Ukraine to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. It does seem a dangerous thing to do, travel as a pilgrim to a war zone, but 35,000 people from around the world are prioritising their faith (and maybe desire to party) over perhaps common sense.
Why Ukraine? The followers of the rabbi Nachman of Breslov see the Ukrainian city of Uman as a place worthy of pilgrimage. Nachman, a great-grandson of the founder of what is today broadly known as Hasidic Judaism spent the final months of his life in the Ukrainian city of Uman, dying in 1810. This puts Uman on the map and during Rosh Hashanah thousands of worshippers will say 10 verses from the Psalms together.
Some facts about Hasidic Judaism:
Imagine that when the clock’s moved forward last weekend that you went with the clock change and adjusted your routines to that one hour difference but that some of your neighbours and colleagues. What confusion might follow this simple change in time? Why time would the local bus arrive, would school start, the shops open or your fasting end each day?
Lebanon, a country found on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, north of Israel and west of Syria, dealt with this very issue. The country’s caretaker Prime Minister announced that the clocks won’t change until 20th April which might be welcomed by Lebanon’s Muslims who are fasting during the month of Ramadan which ends on 21st April. It will mean they can break their fast an hour earlier, at around 18:00 instead of 19:00, the time the sun sets. However it isn’t as simple as the whole country doing what their PM says. Christian authorities in Lebanon said the clocks would change on the last Sunday in March as they do every year.
The main religious groups in Lebanon are Shia Muslims, Sunni Muslims, Christians and Druze (ethnically Arab and Arabic speaking, a monotheistic religion with many beliefs from Islam, Judaism and Christianity, and influenced by Greek philosophy and Hinduism).
The result of some changing clocks and others not? Some confusion. Middle East Airlines relied on a compromise with their clocks and other devices staying in winter time but its flight times being adjusted to avoid disrupting international schedules. Meanwhile phones which automatically switch to daylight saving time did just change as the companies had not been notified of the delay in time which the PM announced. All this made me think of the old classic advice for clock changes…
By Wednesday 29th March everything will be smoothed over as the caretaker Prime Minister has backed down and said that all clocks will do the move forward. Phew!
Another lovely song in the charts which can link to what we’re learning in RE lessons. The new song by Niall Horan called Heaven, is about love but throws in a few RE references.
Heaven – In Christianity death of the physical body is not the end and a human’s soul (the non-physical part of the body) will go on to have eternal life in the afterlife. Many Christians believe that they will either go to Heaven or to Hell depending on how they are judged by God. Heaven itself is described as ‘eternity in the presence of God’ and something which is the ultimate aim of Christians. Below is the Austrian Paul Troger’s The Glory of Heaven from 1752:
Here are some of the lyrics from Niall’s song, Heaven:
Strange light revolves around you
You float across the room
Your touch is made of something
Heaven can’t hold a candle to
You’re made of somethin’ new
Let’s not get complicated
Let’s just enjoy the view
It’s hard to be a human
So much to put an answer to
But that’s just what we do
God only knows where this could go
And even if our love starts to grow outta control
And you and me go up in flames
Heaven won’t be the same
I’m havin’ revelations
You dance across the floor
Beyond infatuation
How I obsessively adore you
That’s what I do
I believe, I believe, I could die in your kiss
No, it doesn’t get, doesn’t get better than this
God only knows – This is usually a phrase used to means ‘it is impossible to say’ and ‘I don’t know why something is like that’. I wonder if it has at its root the idea of God being omniscient and knowing everything unlike us mere humans who don’t fully understand things. God Only Knows is also a brilliant song by the Beach Boys which was was performed eight years ago by a myriad of starts for BBC Music too.
Revelations – In a non-religious sense it is a surprising fact that has been revealed to people, whereas in a religious sense it is when a divine force like God has shown something vital to humans about their existence.
Book of Revelation -This is the last book of the Bible which has strong imagery of disaster and suffering. You may have heard before of the Battle of Armageddon, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and the hideous Beast whose number is 666.
An American Anglican priest is not allowed by the Church of England to deliver the funeral service of a family friend here in England because they break the Church of England rules of being gay and married.
The late Desmond Tutu’s daughter, Mpho Tutu van Furth married her wife in 2015. Mpho had been asked to officiate at her late godfather’s funeral in Shropshire but was banned from doing so. Why? In the US, the sister church of the Church of England, called the Episcopal Church does allow their clergy to have gay marriages. But in England, the Church of England does not permit it.
Desmond Tutu who won his Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his struggle against apartheid in South Africa, also campaigned strongly for gay rights.
“I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say sorry, I mean I would much rather go to the other place. I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this. I am as passionate about this campaign as I ever was about apartheid. For me, it is at the same level, ” Desmond Tutu explained.
Again music is showing it can have a positive social message. The song Victoria’s Secret by Jax is putting the spotlight on the lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret which has a huge marketing influence, mostly in the USA, with famous models walking down its catwalk dressed in elaborate lingerie, often with A-List musicians providing the musical backdrop.
The lyrics from Jax’s song do contain one swear word used as an adjective to emphasise how much pressure young people are under to look a certain way. Other than that though, the lyrics give a strong social message..
God, I wish somebody would’ve told me
When I was younger that all bodies aren’t the same
Photoshop, itty bitty models on magazine covers
Told me I was overweight
I stopped eating, what a bummer
Can’t have carbs in a hot girl summer
If I could go back and tell myself
When I was younger, I’d say, psst
The chorus explains how the person behind all this lingerie and influence on young people to look a certain way is a man from Ohio (a state in USA). The Ohio-born Leslie “Les” Wexner is no longer in charge of the company (CEO), standing down in 2020. He was the billionaire founder of L Brands Inc., the one-time parent company of The Limited, Bath & Body Works, Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria’s Secret. He didn’t found the latter, buying the lingerie brand in 1982 for just $1 million, and then turning it in just a decade into a hugely successful company.
A really memorable ‘public service’ video lasting 6 minutes by the brand Dove was the You’re More Beautiful Than you Think which explores the gap between how others perceive us and how we perceive ourselves. I think a reminder that all our bodies are different and we’re often overly harsh on our self-perceptions is a worthy one to keep in mind.
A song which helps you remember the Christian idea of hell and sin is Rina Sawayama’s This Hell. In the book of Matthew 13:42 it says, “They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” and Rina’s lyrics also try to describe the eternal damnation and fiery hell.
Damned for eternity, but you’re coming with me
Into the afterlife
This hell is better with you
We’re burning up together, baby, that makes two
The music video shows that the reason that people might go to hell is for gay relationships. The Bible doesn’t comment on people being gay, just the actions of being in an active gay relationship.
You can find Bible quotes such as “man must not lie with man” in Leviticus 18:22, 20:13 and in Romans 1: 26-7, “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion”
In the Church of England they don’t permit same-sex marriage and officially anyway they don’t bless same-sex civil marriages. They’ve stuck with Canon B30, namely that ‘the Church of England affirms, according to our Lord’s teaching, that marriage is a union permanent and life-long, of one man with one woman. . .’ Gay clergy (member of the church like vicars) are permitted to be in relationships, so long as they remain celibate (voluntarily not having romantic relationships and so avoiding sexual activity).
Alongside this the Church of England always says it is against homophobia. As you will accept, some people will think that an organisation that says you can’t have gay relationships might come across as homophobic in itself. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has said: “All bullying, including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying causes profound damage, leading to higher levels of mental health disorders, self-harm, depression and suicide. Central to Christian theology is the truth that every single one of us is made in the image of God. Every one of us is loved unconditionally by God.”
An upbeat song which will make you want to get up and dance, Sinner by Bklava and LP Giobbi has lyrics which revolve about self-belief, being fearless and accepting being a sinner.
LYRICS…
I’m feelin’ dangerous
You cannot pin me down
Not afraid of what tomorrow will bring
‘Cause I’m unstoppable
No tellin’ where I’ll go
Not afraid of what the future will bring
I’m not afraid to be a sinner
Doesn’t mean I’m not a winner
We’re not afraid to be sinners
Doesn’t mean we’re not winners
Being a sinner means going against divine law decided by God and committing an immoral act (something which isn’t seen as good and acceptable by the religion). So a person who is a sinner is in a way separated from God due to their actions. Saying that, there are parts of the Christian Bible where it is clear that all people sin. Apostle Paul in the book of Timothy states we should all recognise ourselves as sinners, for he says, “I am . . . the worst of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15–16). Furthermore, Martin Luther, the main guy in the Reformation which brought us Protestantism, said that people were both righteous and sinners.
Asked about her song ‘Playgod’ Poppy Ajudha explains: “Abortion is still illegal in many countries around the world and is shamed in even more. I wrote this song when a group of men tried to pass an anti abortion bill in the state of Alabama, America. I was angry at how in every corner of culture and society across every inch of the earth, men try to play God, again and again. But I am amazed at how humans are built with so much resistance and resilience for good when we know something is wrong and will always fight against it. This song is an act of resistance to those who try to control that which is not theirs to be in control of…”
The lyrics are really interesting with how the word God is used. The song explains how people are acting like God in an omnipotent, powerful way deciding on whether there is life or not:
[Verse 1]
Sister stand up for what you believe
I hear anarchy in the way you speak
Teach her not to give up, only how to seek
Ain’t no anarchy in the way they cheat
[Verse 2]
Sister stand up for what you believe
Fight the power or die at their feet
I know they don’t see what you see
But don’t fight the people for being sheep
[Chorus]
He plays God
He plays God
God are the men who make you pay
God are the men who force your way
Play God is the image that he made
What is anarchy? In a negative sense it is a state of disorder due to absence of authority or other controlling systems, whereas in a positive sense it is the absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual.
What is abortion? An abortion is the medical process of ending a pregnancy so it doesn’t result in the birth of a baby. There are different laws about abortion around the world. In England the Abortion Act of 1967 allows termination of a pregnancy by a registered medical practitioner. The woman is usually less than 24 weeks pregnant, and the abortion would be taking place to prevent serious damage to the woman’s physical or mental health, or any of her existing children. Abortion can also be legal, even after 24 weeks, if there is a serious threat to the woman’s health or life, or there is substantial risk that the child will be born with physical or mental abnormalities and be seriously disabled. In GCSE Religious Studies some schools learn about abortion, the alternatives and what religions think about abortion.
Wicca is a pagan mystery religion that worships a Goddess and God and is in awe of the Divine in nature. It has its origins in: pre-Christian religious traditions, folklore, folk witchcraft and ritual magic.
Most Witches draw their inspiration from the ‘Book of Shadows’, a book of spells brought together by of one of Wicca’s people Gerald Brosseau Gardner (1884-1964).
Big things to know about Wiccans:
There was originally a group in history called the Bavarian Illuminati who existed from 1776 to 1785 in Germany. At its biggest there were possibly 2,500 members and their aim was to teach the elite people of society who had power that reason and science were the best way to look at the world. They promoted secularism too.
Some people say this original group was successful in that it influenced some people but it did eventually vanish without much of a trace. In 1785 the Duke of Bavaria, Karl Theodor, banned secret societies, including the Illuminati, and handed out serious punishments for anyone who joined them.
In the mid-1970s, the Illuminati made a big comeback thanks to a literary trilogy called The Illuminatus Trilogy, by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. It was partly made of historical research mixed with fantasy and suddenly the Illuminati were being talked about again.
The group stayed in the public’s minds with Dan Brown’s popular novel Angels and Demons and various media types where it’s often mixed with alien myths, and control of the world. One of the main beliefs of the ‘faith’ is that creating criminal chaos in society could bring about social change and force individuals to question the reality.
Most people don’t actually believe in the Illuminati. In a survey of conspiracy theories conducted in 2012, he says zero people in the US claimed that groups like the Illuminati were controlling politics. However even as a conspiracy theory, there are celebrities like Jay-Z and Beyoncé who have used the symbolism of the group by raising their hands into the Illuminati triangle at concerts.
In a Rolling Stone interview in November 2021 Adele explained that the song, ‘Oh My God’, from her fourth album ’30’, “explores wanting to put herself out there but having trouble doing so as a superstar”. Adele’s marriage had ended and she was entering a new stage of her life where she was no longer in a long-term committed relationship with a husband (marriage) and is wanting to enjoy single life and meeting new people. In the lyrics she’s excited about meeting someone wonderful…
‘Oh my God, I can’t believe it, out of all the people in the world
What is the likelihood of jumping out of my life and into your arms?
Maybe baby I’m just losing my mind ’cause this is trouble, but it feels right’
The music video for ‘Oh My God’ is being released on 12th January and I’ll update this article when it does! Until then we just get a teaser clip, and the official lyric video.
The reason the song caught my attention are the religious references which can just be interpreted as exclamations to add an emotional edge to the song, or actually referencing Christian ideas.
‘Teetering on the edge of heaven and hell is a battle I cannot fight’
Above is a Doom Painting from a church in Salisbury which shows Heaven on the left and Hell on the right. Some Christians believe that people’s time on Earth will be judged by God and this will determine what happens to their soul in the afterlife. Most Christians believe that they will either go to Heaven or to Hell. Heaven is described as eternity in the presence of God (a state of being rather than an actual physical place). Whereas Hell has traditionally been shown as a place of eternal fire that symbolises pain and suffering.
‘Oh my God, I can’t believe it’
In this key part of the song you could ponder if Adele is actually talking to God (prayer) or is using God’s name in a way similar to ‘oh my gosh’. In our RE lessons we learn that when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments here he said: ‘You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.’ This is from the book of Exodus 20:7. So for a Christian, this command given in the Bible, should still be valid today. God’s name is seen as sacred and holy and for Christians it deserves to be treated that way. Whether it is blasphemy (the act of insulting a god and saying something concerning God that is very disrespectful) can be debated by Christians.
‘Lord don’t let me, I said lord don’t let me’
In Christianity when they talk about the Lord they usually mean Jesus who for Christians is one with God, part of the Trinity (with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit) and therefore also in this part of the song shows Adele singing either to God or using a phrase in more of an exclamation.
Look at RE and PSHCE 