"One day, Johnny Depp and his cronies will face the judgment of our Lord and they will burn in hell for this filth." What's this all about? Read on....
Why are Christian groups are saying Johnny Depp is being blasphemous? Because the talented and reknowned actor is in a new song, "Jesus Stag Night Club", off British band, Babybird's new album, "The Pleasures Of Self Destruction".
Apparently Depp has been associated with this band for a while now going back to about 2004, including cameos on recordings and directing some of their videos.
The song starts out: "Saw a man in a bar with his hair like a lady/ Bloody thorns round his ear like he was a crazy/ He had holes in his hands and a cross for a spine/ Crushed a berry in his Perrier and called it wine."
| Babybird about to burn in Hell |
"Saw a man lying on the floor beaten up/ He had a fish finger sandwich and a yellow M coffee cup/ I bent down drunk and tried to pick him up/ But when I turned around I could see it was Jesus."
One could take that to mean it's the real Jesus. But it's cleverly ambiguous. He could be referring to the "Jesus" they were partying with, or the Historical Jesus. But I would argue that is not what it means at all, people just want to claim that's what it means because it fits their agenda.
If I went out with a Jesus look a like, I'd start calling him Jesus too. I mean, if he were dressed as Gandhi, I'd call him Gandhi, just to be funny. In fact, I was recently at ZomBcon in Seattle and there was a Jesus lookalike walking around. Actually, a Zombie Jesus (is it appropriate to capitalize the Zombie if we're talking about Jesus?). Sid Haig, the scary murderous clown character, Captain Spaulding (an homage I'm sure to Groucho Marx as Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding in Animal Crackers) from the Rob Zombie flick "House of 1,000 Corpses", was sitting with Tom Savini and another guy, in the bar restaurant where I was getting something to eat. I look up, and I see Zombie Jesus blessing the mad murdering clown. I had to do a double take. Surreal. Priceless. Moments like that are hard to come by.
The thing is, there was no thought of blasphemy in the Zombie Jesus' demeanor, or intent. I spoke with him later and he was a very nice guy, who played in a rock band. It was just his sense of humor. So what, we should stone him? Put him to death, as they would have even a hundred years ago, or perhaps still in some places in the world? Screw that. If you can't laugh at it, or find humor in it, or use it as a way to think out side your normal little life box, then at least be tolerant of it. Because that is learning Faith, and patience. It's easy to punch someone because they offend you. Turn the other cheek (yeah, I know, Christians are never going to live that one down).
So Johnny, "singing" with this British band, Babybird, is controversial, indeed. But he is an actor and an artist and that is what they do, push our limits. But I kind of liked the song. It's got a good beat, you can (almost) dance to it, I'll give it an eight out of ten, Mr. Clark.
But some groups are calling it blasphemous. Guess who?
According to E-Online:
"Lee Douglas, spokesman for the Christian Coalition, has already called for the song, currently vying to be the traditionally all-important No. 1 single on the U.K. on Christmas Day, to be pulled from British radio and called recording the tune tantamount to "blasphemy."
"I'm sure he thinks he's being very funny, but he's simply a disgrace," Douglas told the U.K.'s Daily Star of Depp's participation in the song. "One day, Johnny Depp and his cronies will face the judgment of our Lord and they will burn in hell for this filth."
"A spokesperson for Focus on the Family released similarly damning statements."
Well, I suppose it's understandable. But let's take a closer look....
People should really reconsider blasphemy being relevant only within their own tribe. If you hold a belief and you trash it in your own group, then that's blasphemous. But if someone outside your group does it, then how are they held accountable? It is after all, your belief. It seems to me you would be giving them some kind of power over you in that regard. So, why even allow that?
Religions especially, need to learn to live and let live. Regardless. If he were coming to your church and doing it, or playing the song outside your home like John Cusak in "Say Anything", then I could understand it. But we live in a multicultural world, were we have to learn to put up with things or we simply won't be able to get along. And it's only going to get worse. Certainly you should stand up for what you believe in, but there is a place and time. And most of what I see people standing up for anymore is just making noise, posturing, and not serving much purpose.
Faith among the faithless is a far stronger Faith than that among the Faithful. Jesus after all, didn't hang around the Faithful all the time, hiding from the world, from the degenerates, the sinful. He got out among those hurting, sad, pathetic, even the criminal, trying to help them. I don't think he was so much "saving them", as he was trying to help them, though. And that is an important thing that Christians, and all missionaries everywhere should listen to. You don't help people to convert them. You help them. If they convert, you did your job and got a bonus out of it. To go out and try to convert is self-serving, vain and prideful.
But blasphemous? A song? By a guy that isn't a "believer"? Perhaps, we should reconsider how we view what is blasphemous? This world continues to get smallerf every day, and we need more ways of being tolerant with one another. Otherwise, we're going to be living one day in a murderous and very deadly environment.
And religion will have been one of the main catalysts to have gotten us there.
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