Wisdom of Pop Songs: God, Tiny Dancer, and "Big Brother"

by Nick Popadich

"Jesus Freaks out in the streets,
handing tickets out for God.
Looking back, she just laughs.
The boulevard is not that bad."

--Elton John/Bernie Taupin, Tiny Dancer

"The boulevard is not that bad," Elton sings. Well, apparently he hasn't seen Dort Highway in Flint, Michigan. I remember one day when I was driving down this seedy section of road with my mom. As we nearly careened into a car that made a quick stop at one of the many strip clubs on this street, my mom said, "I bet fewer guys would stop there if they had video cameras in the parking lot that were broadcast on the news." I chuckled, glad that I had never stopped there.

Here Come Da Judge!

Later that same week, I read a news story on abortions and discovered that someone was already using my mom's idea! Neal Horsley, founder of The Christian Gallery News Service (an anti-abortion rights group), had video cameras in place at abortion clinics and was broadcasting them on the Web site Abortioncams.com. Of course, the regular news media was very critical of this idea, but Horsley insisted that it was his right as a journalist to be there. In fact, the Web site had been recently deemed constitutionally protected.

In doing a little research on my own, I found out that the Web site also contained "The Nuremberg Files", which gave information on abortion-rights activists, politicians who supported abortions, women who had received abortions, and doctors and nurses who had performed abortions. The most chilling aspect of this Web site was that along with personal information about the abortion doctors, a black line had been crossed through the names of those who had been killed.

This had me wondering: where does a respect for life come in? The protestors had become just as much of a problem as those they were protesting against!

That's when Elton John's song really hit home for me. Horsley and his supporters were but "Jesus Freaks, handing tickets out for God." They seemed to want to do the Lord's work by becoming God's police officers. They attempted to usurp the Lord's authority -- self-appointed judges in an unjust world.

Elton's song reminded me of Jesus' command to "Not judge lest you be judged." It's an idea that we reiterate every week at Mass when we come together as a community of faith to say the Our Father. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." If this truly is the case, then I am sorry for the "Jesus Freaks" who spend their lives in judgment of others. I would not want to be judged for an Eternity.

Journalism -- or Terrorism?

Truly being a follower of Christ means not concentrating on sins, but rather concentrating on the people. Hate the sin, not the sinner. If you remember, Jesus spent a great deal of his time with women, prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, children, and out-of-work fishermen. All of these people were looked down upon by the self-righteous religious people of the day.

It reminds me of the story of a priest who tried to get hookers. (No this is not leading to a joke!) The priest actually paid these women for their time and counseled them! He offered them help and opportunities to start their lives over again. Should this priest be judged and condemned for "spending time" with prostitutes?

Abortion cams don't offer help; they only offer fear, guilt, and condemnation. They are not being used to teach, counsel or in any way help the women who are contemplating aborting their babies. These cameras are there to make them fearful. To terrorize these women into submitting to the dictums of these self-appointed judges. Considering the terror our nation faced after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon -- and the ongoing need for heightened security around the country -- I am surprised that people would stand for this. It is not journalism... it is terrorism.

I truly believe that we should all take heed of these words from Mother Teresa:
"If you judge, you have no time to love."

They are good words to live by.

The boulevard really isn't that bad. It's filled with people who yearn to be loved. Today, leave the camera and commandments at home and just get out there and love.

Life Application:

What really upsets you about society? How can you change this?
In what ways have you "handed tickets out for God"? What faults are easy for you to find in others? What faults dare difficult for you to find in yourself?
In your relationship with God, do you act out of fear of condemnation or out of desire to share His uninhibited love with the rest of the world?

Copyright 2001-2008 by Nick Popadich
All rights reserved.