Bob clearly had a personal epiphany prior to doing those three religious albums "Slow Train", "Saved", and "Shot of Love". It made him much more certain of himself than he'd probably ever been before, and it produced some very intense and focused music (whether you love it or hate it or don't care...). I find it fascinating listening to him giving unruly audiences a tongue-lashing over their ungodliness and general moral corruption in those fiery days. ;-) Have heard that on a few bootlegs from the period.

What he experienced was for him personally...as such experiences always are. It would have been unrealistic to necessarily expect other people to relate to it. Some might, many would not.

Guest, a PM is a private message sent from one member of this forum to another...an in-forum email, so to speak. You cannot do that until you have become a member of Mudcat Cafe. It's one of the things that is handy when you are a member.

Philosopher, let me ask you what you think gets in the way of people knowing God personally. What do you think?

I think it's fear. And the sense of fear arises out of the sense of individuality and the feeling of separation (from everyone and everything else) that comes with it. When people love without any reserve at all, they no longer feel separate from the beloved. Since God loves everything and everyone without any reserve (by virtue of simply BEING everything), God is not separate from anyone....but that doesn't mean they know it! Not knowing it, not perceiving it, they feel separate, and they imagine a God that is separate...or they imagine that there is no God at all. In the first case, they feel very distant from God and at a great disadvantage...like some kind of miserable sinner who must struggle against all probable odds to gain acceptance from "the Allmighty". In the second case, they feel completely alone and vulnerable in an enormous, probably meaningless Universe, engaged in a struggle for survival and short-term pleasure which can only end in the final defeat they call "death".

In either case, tremendous fear arises...and it evidences itself almost continuously in all kinds of disturbed behaviour, conflict, and negative thought patterns. That's the human tragedy.

Dylan has written about it very eloquently throughout his career. My impression is that he normally sees God as distant...but for a short while between about '79 and '82 he felt like he was making direct contact. As such, he was very inspired at the time.