by AK - Jeff 30 Replies latest jw friends
Is he a former witness?I know its off subject but I'm always looking for a good reading material.
I don't think so, SAW.
The heading on the paper I was reading says he is professor of literature at UC in San Diego.
I found this somewhere on the internet some time back and had copied but never read it all. I imagine it is still there. He makes ome interesting observations about the internet and the Watchtower organization. Let me know what you think if you read it.
Jeff
I think the lyrics to the "Kingdom Melodies" are hilarious... although the book that my boyfriend has at home is called "Sing Praises to Jehovah" or something... I think that they are still the same songs. The thing is, I think they are terrible. And this is not just because I don't like the Watchtower. The lyrics sound like a child wrote them! And the TITLES are some of the funniest things. I wish I had that book with me right now to type some of them. I think there was one called "Be Steadfast Like Ruth" or something. My boyfriend and I were really wound up one day and we were just sitting around, reading them to each other, laughing so hard we were crying. I mean, if you have ever listened to other religious music, or listened to Christian music, you'd see that a lot of the titles are so different... real Christian music just doesn't HAVE titles like that!
Another thing that really stands out, when I read the lyrics to the "Kingdom Melodies," is that most really aren't "praises to Jehovah" at all. Some might be, but most are just instructions. Real Christian music focuses more on praising God, singing to Him, expressing appreciation and gratitude to Him... whereas the Jehovah's Witness songs are really just directions, instructions like "Be Steadfast!" or "Pay Attention to Theocratic Order!" or something. They're not singing TO Jehovah... it's the Governing Body's instructions to the Jehovah's Witnesses!
Good for you Jeff!
's'okay, most of the Kingdom melodies are plagiarized (is it still plagiarism if it's music?) from Bach and stuff. So most people would think it was just a poor arrangement of a classic.
Very good article Jeff, thanks a lot !
"Internet saves souls !"
Joff
Another thing that really stands out, when I read the lyrics to the "Kingdom Melodies," is that most really aren't "praises to Jehovah" at all. Some might be, but most are just instructions. Real Christian music focuses more on praising God, singing to Him, expressing appreciation and gratitude to Him... whereas the Jehovah's Witness songs are really just directions, instructions like "Be Steadfast!" or "Pay Attention to Theocratic Order!" or something. They're not singing TO Jehovah... it's the Governing Body's instructions to the Jehovah's Witnesses!
Never been a dub, but from the lyrics of the melodies I've seen, this is exactly so.
Some Christian songs are first person, directed to God. Some are expressions about God. But I can't think of any that are simply admonishions....
Oh, wait, I can. But they are little kiddy songs!
bebu
Open mindedness is all well and good. But, I still make my husband turn off the Kingdom Melody tapes. He only puts them on when he wants to bug me.
Cellist
the kingdom melodies completely suck -- i remember several times the entire cong stopped singing because no one could follow the melody -- was downright embarrassing. my mother claims that of course the worlds most talented musicians arranged and wrote the kingdom melodies. i think there's subliminal messaging going on -- god knows what would happen if you played that stuff backward....
