The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #112434   Message #2382579
Posted By: Howard Jones
06-Jul-08 - 05:34 PM
Thread Name: Was 'Lord of the Dance' anti-semitic?
Subject: RE: Was 'Lord of the Dance' anti-semitic?
Gerry, if the heart of your problem with the song is over the "lie" that the Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus, then you have a problem not just with LOTD but with the Christian story, which does indeed have the Jews responsible for bringing Jesus before the Romans, and pressurising Pilate into having him executed. In this tradition, which the song follows, it is not a lie.

If you're Jewish, that may be a reasonable position to take. But it is no reason for others to censor, or self-censor the song, any more than they should alter those hymns which refer to Jesus as the Messiah, or indeed should alter the New Testament. This is one of those things on which different religions must agree to disagree. The traditions and practices of any religion are potentially offensive, if not blasphemous, to those of a different religion.

As a final thought, I suspect that there are some Christians who take offence at the dance imagery in LOTD.