{"id":786,"date":"2024-01-07T19:38:31","date_gmt":"2024-01-08T00:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thewordinevidence\/?p=786"},"modified":"2024-01-08T18:19:35","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T23:19:35","slug":"idolatry-dont-surround-yourself-with-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thewordinevidence\/2024\/01\/idolatry-dont-surround-yourself-with-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Idolatry –\u00a0 Don\u2019t surround yourself with yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
Idolatry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
When I was a teen, the world was different.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Growing up in the 1980s was a whole different animal. There weren\u2019t many people with personal computers. We actually had print media like magazines, newspapers, television and for a teen, or at least for me, radio was king. Or so it was, back then at least.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
In my cross-section of the world, as a guitar playing \u201cmetal head\u201d, Rush and Yes were among the biggest bands in the world. Along with their quasi-fusion, eclectic blend of what was then called progressive rock, their often philosophical and poetic lyrics were also a feature of their popularity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of Rush\u2019s most popular tunes, \u201cTom Sawyer\u201d, had lyrics that spun an interesting narrative tale about the title character with an embedded anthem of individualism borrowing the spirit of Mark Twain\u2019s 1876 novel of the same name.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I reflect on the lyrics to this tune which tell of \u201cToday\u2019s Tom Sawyer\u201d, a man filled with \u201cmean, mean, pride\u201d whose \u201cmind is not for rent, to any god or government\u201d, I realize that it really characteristic of the evolving focus of the self, individualism, existentialism and, of course the idolatry that is, when one is focused solely on the worship of self in lieu of God.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a bit unclear why Rush took this path when writing the lyrics to this song. Admittedly, their music is intelligently crafted and showcases their abundant artistic talent. It should also be mentioned that musicians often create music that doesn\u2019t necessarily reflect their own political views. In this sense, a musician is really like an actor. However, in any case, this song\u2019s lyrics are just indicative of the 1980s quest for the glitz and glamor and the worship of \u201cI\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course, the world was indeed different back then.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Like Rush, filled with excellent musicians like Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, and of course, the amazing guitarist, Steve Howe, there is no question that, on an instrumental level, Yes was top-notch in the realm of progressive rock.\u00a0 And, although I wasn\u2019t a huge fanatic of Yes, they did, in my opinion, hit a \u201chome-run\u201d with their song \u201cI\u2019ve Seen All Good People\u201d. It is a song of the sometimes self-righteous behavior that we don in our many guises and on the many stages of our lives. A rather prolific lyric within this song that still resonates with me today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The song actually has 3 thematic lyrics that depict its \u201cstory\u201d.\u00a0 The first is a veiled commentary sung in witness to the indifference of people. The lyric, \u201cI seen all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied, I\u2019m on my way\u201d presents an introduction to the decadence that exists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
But ah, yes\u2026This is an article about the 1980s. And the world was so very different back then.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
But getting back to tune at hand, Yes then segues to the 2nd thematic refrain below which offers first an ego-centric play on the \u201ctime\u201d of the self and an interesting analogy between the objective of the game of chess and materialism.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cause it\u2019s time, it\u2019s time in time with your time<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
And its news is captured<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n
For the queen to use!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n
Move me on to any black square<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n
Use me anytime you want<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n
Just remember that the goal<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Is for us all to capture all we want\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Lastly, and probably the most important lyric in the song is \u201c<\/span>Don\u2019t surround yourself with yourself<\/b><\/em>\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 which warns against the self-centered behavior that exists or as it existed back then.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oh, many will argue that the 1980s was perhaps the height of materialism or maybe just one of its seemingly infinite recurrences. Oh, yes, we had others. We can go back to just the last 100 years and cite the 1920s gilded age as another example. But that was then.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ah yes. When I was a teen, the music and the world was quite different. We had Arena-sized rock concerts with thousands of fans congregating around the year\u2019s biggest bands often chanting their mantras in the form of their song\u2019s chorus section.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And we had so many racial issues, incompetent world leaders, wars over the Gaza Strip, protests, terrorism, and materialism, materialism, materialism.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And of course, we had idolatry. Didn\u2019t anyone notice? <\/span><\/p>\n
Easton\u2019s Bible Dictionary<\/span><\/a> defines idolatry as \u201c<\/span>image-worship or divine honour paid to any created object\u201d<\/i><\/b>. In the 1980s, many worshiped sports, heroes, money and things. We even had one pop song from that era \u201c<\/span>Material Girl<\/b>\u201d that didn\u2019t even attempt to hide its quest for things created by man instead of God.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
But of course, it was a different world back then, wasn\u2019t it?<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Postscript:<\/b> Recently, I came across an excellent sermon given at Trinity Anglican Church<\/strong> by Rt Rev Jim Hobby<\/strong> on the subject of Idolatry in our present 21st century. Here is the <\/span>link<\/span><\/a> . I invite all of my readers to watch and listen to this thoughtful and intelligent treatment of this topic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I was a teen, the world was different.\u00a0 \u00a0 Growing up in the 1980s was a whole different animal. There weren\u2019t many people with personal computers. We actually had print media like magazines, newspapers, television and for a teen, or at least for me, radio was king. Or so it was, back then at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5321,"featured_media":795,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[150,153],"class_list":["post-786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-idolatry","tag-self-worship"],"yoast_head":"\nIdolatry -\u00a0 Don\u2019t surround yourself with yourself<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When I was a teen, the world was different.\u00a0 Growing up in the 1980s was a whole different animal. 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