We live in a news and information age. The difficult part of this extraordinary time is filtering the shouting and propaganda to get to actual information that is fact checked, not trying to sell or market a product, and concerned for the common good. It appears that Maplight.org is such a site. This site tracks campaign contributions for our members of Congress. So, before you take the word of your favorite talk radio personality or TV anger salesman I encourage persons to take the time to do the cross discipline reading necessary to be informed about issues that matter to the world as well as our nation. If we are to emerge from this time in our nation’s history and bring intellectual honesty back to the conversations about how to solve problems it will take persons of goodwill putting the extremists out of business with facts and simply turning off the radio, TV, and not stopping by their websites.
Given the religious language and tone of our culture, the lyrics from Jesus Christ Superstar are more relevant today than when it first appeared on Broadway and on the screen. Though mostly orthodox as a story and theologically, it does have moments where the lyrics stretch the imagination and traditional theology. The closing Vegas style sequence contains the Superstar lyrics below.
Superstar
(voice of Judas)
Every time I look at you
I don’t understand
Why you let the things you did
Get so out of hand
You’d have managed better
If you’d had it planned
Now why’d you choose such a backward time
And such a strange land?
If you’d come today
You could have reached the whole nation
Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication
Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong, now
Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong, now
Don’t you get me wrong
Only want to know
Only want to know
Only want to know, now
Only want to know
Only want to know
Only want to know
Only want to know, now
Only want to know
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Who are you? What have you sacrificed?
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Who are you? What have you sacrificed?
Jesus Christ
Superstar
Do you think you’re what they say you are?
Jesus Christ
Superstar
Do you think you’re what they say you are?
Tell me what you think
About your friends at the top
Now who d’you think besides yourself
Was the pick of the crop?
Buddah was he where it’s at?
Is he where you are?
Could Muhammmed move a mountain
Or was that just PR?
Did you mean to die like that?
Was that a mistake or
Did you know your messy death
Would be a record breaker?
Don’t you get me wrong Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong, now Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong Don’t you get me wrong
Don’t you get me wrong, now Don’t you get me wrong
Only want to know Only want to know
Only want to know, now Only want to know
Only want to know Only want to know
Only want to know, now I only want to know
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Who are you? What have you sacrificed?
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Who are you? What have you sacrificed?
Jesus Christ
Superstar
Do you think you’re what they say you are?
Jesus Christ
Superstar
Do you think you’re what they say you are?
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Who are you? What have you sacrificed?
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Who are you? What have you sacrificed?
Jesus Christ
Superstar
Do you think you’re what they say you are?
Jesus Christ
Superstar
Do you think you’re what they say you are?