The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #7854 Message #48490
Posted By: Joe Offer
07-Dec-98 - 09:20 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Stand Up For Judas (Leon Rosselson)
Subject: Stand Up For Judas - Leon Rosselson
Gee, I'm glad you posted this song, Susanne. I heard it once, many years ago, perhaps while I was still a seminary student. I can't say I agree with "Stand Up for Judas," but it certainly gives me a lot to think about. I think there IS good reason to sympathize with Judas, and it seems to me that Jesus himself could well have been quite sympathetic toward him. The problems Rosselson brings up in the song are real problems. Christianity has done much harm to this world - but I think the harm is done by Christians who have twisted the teachings of Jesus. I don't think Jesus would approve of "Christian" activities such as the Inquisition or the Crusades - or the Holocaust. I think the main point of Jesus' teaching was the ideal of selfless love. While there are problems in this world that may be resolved only by revolution, bloody revolutions seem to beget only more bloodshed. Long-term solutions require generosity, respect, and love. I prefer the revolutionary techniques of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Jesus. Still, I really like the song. -Joe Offer-
Oh, and I have to gloat, just a bit - I paid 99 cents for Rosselson's "Bringing the News from Nowhere" at the Tower Outlet. I just didn't realize the song was in there. It's a great collection of powerful songs.