Posted by:
Elder Strangelove
(
)
Date: February 15, 2014 09:45AM
Random Exhibits of How The Church of Latter-day Blah Ruins Everything
Today’s Edition: Rock ‘n’ Roll
It would seem that, if anything, the god of sex and drums and rock’n’roll would be immune from the Mormon God’s power to turn everything to celestial blah.
Nope.
Technically, I guess I shouldn’t have been listening to, well, most anything, according to a fireside once given to warn the youth of the evils of rock. This particular fireside seemed motivated by the bishop’s discovery of a cassette of Nirvana’s “In Utero,” on church property one morning. He informed the youth that after reading a few of the lyrics printed inside, he smashed the tape with his heel on the sidewalk. I guess this incident alone qualifies as a literal case study in how the church destroys rock’n’roll. But I digress.
I figured I was so superspecialrighteous that a little R.E.M. here and a little Doors there wouldn’t bring me down too much. Of course, I suffered the internal battle of telling myself, “It makes me happy. But, wickedness never was happiness. And rock doesn’t bring me closer to Christ. It must be wicked. The happiness I think it brings me is a fleeting pleasure. I will regret it later. The time spent with my headphones on is time I am not spending thinking spiritual thoughts. I will have to overcome this one day.” Queue the guilt.
Until I was ready to repent, however, I would try to keep my rocking ways as closely in line with church “standards” as I could muster. My sister still recalls how I edited out cuss words on mix tapes I made for her. Another technique of keeping rock sacred was by running the songs through my mental filter’o’righteousness. With some imagination, everything could testify of Christ!
A fun example of how I mingled the rock lyrics of man with scripture came during my missionary farewell talk. Inside Pearl Jam’s Vitology album is this short poem of sorts :
"I waited all day. you waited all day.. but you left before sunset...and I just wanted to tell you the moment was beautiful. Just wanted to dance to bad music...drive bad cars...watch bad TV...should have stayed for the sunset... if not for me."
I somehow worked this into the talk, encouraging people to stay with the gospel. If not for my testimony, then stay for “the Son.”
It’s funny to think how once upon a time, I was afraid that my musical tastes would eventually corrupt me. In fact, the church did the corrupting of enjoying things for what they were.
Another fun example comes from my mental processing of Led Zeppelin’s “That’s the Way.”
______________
That's The Way - Led Zeppelin
From Led Zeppelin III (1970)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDmEargkqLo______________
I’m ashamed to say there once was a time that, as I listened to this song, I thought of friends that had drifted to the “darker side of town,” according to my Mormon standards. I even conjured up the possibility that, since we all had within us the light of Christ, perhaps even Robert Plant was expressing in his own way that he recognized when a person was removed from God and the Spirit. Imagine that. Robert effin’ Plant has the light of Christ. Okay, okay. I can cut myself a break. Who didn’t feel the spirit the first 17 times they listened to Stairway? What’s that? You didn’t? You probably weren’t listening to it with a sincere heart. Keep trying. Read the lyrics and pay attention to your feelings.
Anyway, back to “That’s the Way.” I am sad to think that others now view me the same way, as someone hypnotized by “dirty” things, as someone to avoid, and that’s the way it’s going to stay.
I am encouraged to think that those friend who “drifted away” long ago might have found their way just fine, and their tears I perceived weren’t tears of sorrow after all.
At least, now I know that’s not the way it has to be.