wws@siemens.UUCP (William W Smith) (07/27/84)
From the Police album Synchronicity: Everyone I know is lonely And God's so far away, And my heart belongs to no one So now sometimes I pray Please take the space between us And fill it up some way Take the space between us and fill it up some way O my God you take the biscuit Treating me this way Expecting me to treat you well No matter what you say How can I turn the other cheek It's black and bruised and torn I've been waiting since the day that I was born Take the space between us and fill it up some way Take the space between us and fill it up some way The fat man in his garden The thin man at his gate My god you must be sleeping Wake up it's much too late Take the space between us and fill it up some way Take the space between us and fill it up some way Do I have to tell the story of a thousand rainy days Since we first met, It's a big enough umbrella But it's always me that ends up getting wet......... ____________________________________________________ This is a song about the suffering of a person who has also become separated from God. Perhaps he or she has suffered great pain due to the cruelty of fate or disease. The person knows he is distant from God and asks that the distance be closed. The pain of suffering causes the singer to tell God, "you take the biscuit treating me this way." When the pain of one's experiences is still fresh and an open wound, it is difficult to accept God's healing love and not to feel like saying "Damn God!" for causing the pain that has disrupted the singer's pleasant expectations of life. "How can I turn the other cheek" is a sign of bitterness and anger. Pain is a difficult theological and philosophical problem. Why should a God who loves all mankind cause anyone to suffer? While the singer is suffering from his sores, platitudes that pain will make you stronger seem empty and hollow. Reconciliation with the pain through healing and distance might allow the singer to accept that the bad times are over. He or she survived the ordeal with intact dignity and the knowledge that it is possible to survive lesser pains. With reconciliation with the pain, reconciliation with God is possible. God's love wants growth in all parts of a person's life. Intellectual, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well being are but parts of the wholeness that God means every person to have. Bill Smith ihnp4!mhuxi!princeton!siemens!wws
ab3@pucc-h (Vombatus Hirsutus) (07/28/84)
You know, Bill Smith, besides misinterpreting the song completely,
and violating copyright laws by posting it to the net, your bullshit
article wasn't half bad.
Take your god and ram it.
--
---Rsk
UUCP: { decvax, icalqa, ihnp4, inuxc, sequent, uiucdcs } !pur-ee!rsk
{ decwrl, hplabs, icase, psuvax1, siemens, ucbvax } !purdue!rsk
So long, and thanks for all the fish.rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (08/03/84)
> Rsk the Wombat: It seems that all you have to "contribute" to this group is > reflex defiance of God -- i.e. nothing but short flames, which is what your > articles tend to be. I'd rather read even a defiant Rich Rosen article than > such stuff as yours (not that I enjoy his stuff, either); at least he puts > some work into his attacks rather than just responding like a computer -- > i.e. if anything favorable to God appears, you automatically respond (as if > you were programmed to) with the word "bullshit" or something very similar. > Such articles add nothing of value to this group; I recommend that you > forbear from posting them in future. [SARGENT] I guess I should thank you, Jeff, but I'm not sure... I thought about posting something about the original article on "O My God", but decided not to. (Yes, this DOES happen occasionally.) I found it quite extraordinary that the original author got a completely opposite message out of the song from what I got out of it (and also, apparently, from what Mr. Sumner [alias Sting] had intended). Just shows to go about art: you can never predict how someone is going to interpret it; remember Manson and the "white album"? ... It also could say something about interpretations of certain books, but I'll let that one pass (for now) ... [Was THIS one of my "attacks"? "*even* a defiant Rich Rosen article"? Hmm... ] -- Now I've lost my train of thought. I'll have to catch the bus of thought. Rich Rosen pyuxn!rlr
holt@convex.UUCP (08/03/84)
#R:siemens:-24300:convex:45700015:000:435
convex!holt Aug 3 15:56:00 1984
To me the song seems to paraphrase the eternally ignored (by the devout)
question:
If God is ALL POWERFULL, why is there so much suffering and
evil in the world?
ie, if He is all powerfull, He should be able to undo any effort of
the devil and make life a bowl of cherries.
Maybe he just enjoys watching us suffer...
a humanist? OH NO!
Dave Holt
Convex Computer Corp.
{allegra,ihnp4,uiucdcs,ctvax}!convex!holtgreggt@ncoast.UUCP (Gregg Thompson) (08/08/84)
True God can 'fix' the world to
be perfect but where would the free
will be? God gaves us a free will if
everything would be perfect He would
have to control us.
God has to 'turn to the other
cheek' because He is that powerful. It
wouldn't be a fair fight.
--
Gregg Thompson
{ucbvax}!decvax!cwruecmp!ncoast!greggt
{ucbvax}!decvax!cbosgd!aat!m-net!greggt
{ucbvax}!decvax!microsoft!trsvax!sneaky!greggt
{decvax}!ucbvax!dual!proper!greggt
{ucbvax}!decvax!vortex!ihnp4!wlcrjs!greggtab3@pucc-h (Rich Kulawiec) (08/14/84)
That's just fine...but let me tell you something: if the god you
speak of comes back, I for one will start looking for sturdy trees
and good rope again; he's got a lot to answer for.
--
---Rsk
UUCP: { decvax, icalqa, ihnp4, inuxc, sequent, uiucdcs } !pur-ee!rsk
{ decwrl, hplabs, icase, psuvax1, siemens, ucbvax } !purdue!rsk
I like to drink and dance all night,
Comes to a fix, not afraid to fight,
You got that, right?