First off, I disagree completely with my dear friend Susan on this one. There is absolutely no need to take this off the Mudcat, in fact, given the wonderful, sincere, and thought filled way that khandu asked the question, my opinion is that it is a wonderful place for the question. It is often (as in my case) our values/morality that inspires our music. It belongs here exactly and fits in to what the Mudcat is and what makes it unique. As long as it does not descend into attack, it is a worthy subject for this community, IMHO. Rick, who I count among my dear friends, I will bet that the discussions you had with that Jesuit were interesting as hell. Oft times conservative Catholics asked me what happened in my life that turned me into such a questioner instead of a follower. I gave them a one word answer.............Jesuits. Let me explain.

khandu, your questions are the very ones that some of us ask ourselves. Most people, on meeting me, would not consider me overly religious. But the fact is, I am a very religious man. But I object to the whole thing you have described. I don't begrudge others this if they need it, but I do begrudge the whole "manifest destiny", public condemnation for not "getting it" thing that goes one. FOR ME, it is about attempting to imitate the life of Christ. As I read scripture and investigate the times, I see Christ as a man sent by God to forever implant on his followers a blueprint for what he knew would be an increasingly difficult world to have values in. The twentieth century proved that. He gave us elemental rules/guidelines that are timeless and help us deal with one another and the world. In my investigation, he was a man who questioned, always questioned, the politics of exclusion. He challenged rigidity in religion that had caused people to live to the word instead of the meaning. He told us that as you do to the least among you, so you do to me. He hung out with whores to the exclusion of the accepted leadership. I always found meaning in the fact that what are called his "miracles" were the easy things to do for him. Curing a leper was no big deal for the Son of God, but he couldn't heal peoples hearts, only they could do that and he showed them how.

These things drive my music, drive my politics, and drive how I deal with every day life. If you met me, you would not know from the words I speak that I live by christian principles...........that is, if you were looking for every other statement to be one of me wearing it on my sleeve. I choose instead to try to demonstrate to my God by my deeds and thoughts that I care about trying to do my bit to right what wrong I can, to treat the people I meet with the same great dignity and grace that I see being demonstrated by others and that Jesus practiced every day of his short life, and to judge not. I believe this one is abused more than all others. I get in trouble with my fundamentalist friends over this one. I simply do not believe that I have any right to do anything but be accepting and loving of other lifestyles, religions or lack thereof. The man that I call Lord lived his life that way. I must judge not. That is strictly and absolutely the province of the eternal. My job is to love one another as I have been loved. My job is to daily examine my actions and values and try to continually strive to be more like the man from Nazareth. I know I can't get there, but it is in the trying. That is why I am what I am, imperfect and flawed as that is.

Last thing in this ramble. I am saying things here that I have not said before. Any of youse layabouts what know me acts any different and I will be takin' a stick to yer knees. And those that don't know me, expect some funny and off color jokes, a fair amount of the good black stuff to be consumed, and a wee wink and a nudge to the fair ones................hahahahahaha. My God is OK with all that. In fact I think he would tell a lot of folks to "Lighten up".

All the best,

Mick