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Re: Eminem - Support the album but not endorse the lyrics?

Recently on TV, in passing, I happened upon a brief portion of an 
interview with somebody-or-other in the music/entertainment industry.  
[Editor: If I miss details here, please understand that the details is 
not the purpose of this Portions...but the attitude which we will 
observe and address.  I don't spend my waking hours following and 
investigating this stuff in detail!] The discussion was of the recent
Grammy nomination of Eminem. (sp?) The interviewer was asking about the 
apparent dichotomy of the concept of: giving an award to someone whose 
lyrics graphically portray all sorts of deviance, including torture and 
rape of women, and murdering people.  Denegrading women with words 
similar to "I'm gonna give you what's coming to you". Some of the 
lyrics, even, depicting atrocities against his own mother. (I think it 
was in the news that his mother was suing him because of those 
lyrics..?)

The person being interviewed said something to the effect that they
could differentiate between "promoting the album" vs "endorsing the
lyrics". That they were promoting the album, but not the lyrics.

My question is, "?? HOW ??"

This is the same mentality that gives the outgoing philanderer-in-chief
a 64% approval rating in the polls, because they are of the view that 
one's "private life" should have no bearing on public service. What is 
an album, if not, -the- lyrics? The lyrics is the essence of what the 
album is. Album titles are usually chosen based on the lyrical content 
of the album. Just like a person's private life is the essence of the 
character of a person...which then manifests itself in public policy.

The Jews of Jesus' day had a similar mentality. They had "corban": a 
person didn't have to provide for parents (they didn't have Social 
Security then) if they gave it to God. (Mk7:11) Claiming to worship 
God, while at the same time, nullifying His ordinance of "honor your 
father and your mother". They had traditions about swearing oaths. A 
person could be cleared of an oath if they swore by the temple, but not 
if they swore by the "gold" of the temple. Or, an example more like the 
Eminem album; if they swore by the altar, it was nothing, but if they 
swore by the sacrifice on the altar...-THAT- was binding. Jesus 
clarifies justice by proclaiming, "He who swears by the temple, swears 
by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears 
by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it." (Mt23:16-23) The altar 
existed for the purpose of sacrifice. One could not sacrifice without
the altar. The two were inextricably linked. One was not without the
other. Heaven is only "Heaven" because God is there!

The same with current hypocrisies. An album -is- the lyrics. One cannot
have one without the other. When the industry nominates an album for a
grammy, they are proclaiming approval for the album -AND- its lyrics.
In other words, the industry promotes sexual deviancy, violence,
brutalization of women, drugs, suicide and murder.

And, something we haven't addressed in awhile, if you allow your
children to dress, adorn and pierce their bodies like the pied pipers
of deviancy, and allow them to attend the concerts and listen to the
CDs, -you- are promoting (to your children) the same corruption the
industry promotes. If you allow your children to participate, you might
as well be part of that industry.

Ooooh, but! "Don't judge a book by its cover. They are -only- listening 
to the 'music', not the lyrics." C'mon, parents! Wake up! Have I yet to 
see any of these concerts on TV where, when they pan the audience, 
everyone isn't mouthing the words, singing along. They -know- the
lyrics!  "Well...  they don't -do- those things. My kids are "good
kids". After all, they are -only- 'lyrics'."

OK...the book's "cover", you say. Well... authors tend to have a say as
to what their book's cover is going to look like. A person who keeps
his outer appearance a certain way, does so because 'inwardly' they
approve of, and long for that which they are imitating.  The heart
tells the mind what to think and desire, and it is those desires which
ultimately 'dress' the person.

"For out of the heart prodeed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness (if they listen to that stuff, you
can ASSUME your children also -lie- to you regularly), blasphemies."
(Mt15:19)

Please stay tuned for next week's Portion. We will approach this from
the world's own recent 'professional' studies. In the mean time, please
read Proverbs 4:26 & 22:6 in preparation for it.

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