i think it's up to you to read into the lyrics.

i mean...

you can take some of his existential lines like the reviewer did from "speed of sound" and make it sound like he's referring to a god...

 

but then you can take a line like "if you love me, won't you let me know?" and make it seem like he's an agnostic.

 

i'm sure as many references as chris has towards a god, there are just as many that lean the exact other way.

 

http://www.myspace.com/themodernantiques

 

I agree with you, it's interpretation, but hey, that's what Chris likes. :D

 

I'm sure Chris would be happy that he's helping people grow spiritually as well.

i always thought of clocks as a song about hell, and salvation if you listen to the lyrics " light go out and i cant be saved"

 

then he says im on my knees oh i beg and plead stuff like that!!?

The majority of those articles are purely and simply putting completely abstract twists on lyrics that allow that approach. Martin's wordplay has always been vague enough to permit a large degree of flexibility of interpretation, and that's how he can relate to so many people.

 

To suggest that Coldplay are religious is nonsensical. As the article states, and as I remember reading elsewhere, Martin has expressed his confusion that people can still believe and his disillusionment with the faith that he was brought up around.

 

I myself, if you haven't guessed yet, am an agnostic with an almost decisive swing towards atheism: it will never be possible to know, but the laws of logic practically prohibit god's existence and there is no reasonable basis on which to believe in a higher power. I get a little bit offended when people suggest that Viva La Vida, for example, is a message to the general population not to sin else heaven won't await.

 

I'd just like a little bit of restraint. When JPB said there was more freedom of religion in the world nowadays, I'm fairly certain he didn't mean, "people can interpret the Bible and Jesus Christ's words more freely", but was rather talking about the other religious standpoints in the world, many of which outnumber Christianity by a great factor.

 

To answer the question though, yes, I can see how some of the words in Coldplay songs can take a very spiritual meaning if you are that way inclined. On the other hand, I as a songwriter myself tend to believe that religious connotations and imagery are more a good, populist way of communicating ideas, and religious symbolism is also a very majestic area. Some of Coldplay's music mentions religion but is in no way religious: GPASUYF, for example, mentions god specifically but is, to most reasonable people, not a hymn, but merely a way of saying that some people are blessed with certain qualities.

 

It's all about flexibility and interpretation. When it comes down to it, platonic love, romantic love and spiritual love have very few details to pick between them, and South Park has proven that anything can take religious meaning by whacking the words God and Jesus in there somewhere. It's just all about how you choose to perceive the love Martin portrays. I myself prefer to think that it's a girl. Or a guy, as I'm that way inclined. And so you get the picture. Context always affects what you take from music, and always will.

^^well said

The majority of those articles are purely and simply putting completely abstract twists on lyrics that allow that approach. Martin's wordplay has always been vague enough to permit a large degree of flexibility of interpretation, and that's how he can relate to so many people.

 

To suggest that Coldplay are religious is nonsensical. As the article states, and as I remember reading elsewhere, Martin has expressed his confusion that people can still believe and his disillusionment with the faith that he was brought up around.

 

I myself, if you haven't guessed yet, am an agnostic with an almost decisive swing towards atheism: it will never be possible to know, but the laws of logic practically prohibit god's existence and there is no reasonable basis on which to believe in a higher power. I get a little bit offended when people suggest that Viva La Vida, for example, is a message to the general population not to sin else heaven won't await.

 

I'd just like a little bit of restraint. When JPB said there was more freedom of religion in the world nowadays, I'm fairly certain he didn't mean, "people can interpret the Bible and Jesus Christ's words more freely", but was rather talking about the other religious standpoints in the world, many of which outnumber Christianity by a great factor.

 

To answer the question though, yes, I can see how some of the words in Coldplay songs can take a very spiritual meaning if you are that way inclined. On the other hand, I as a songwriter myself tend to believe that religious connotations and imagery are more a good, populist way of communicating ideas, and religious symbolism is also a very majestic area. Some of Coldplay's music mentions religion but is in no way religious: GPASUYF, for example, mentions god specifically but is, to most reasonable people, not a hymn, but merely a way of saying that some people are blessed with certain qualities.

 

It's all about flexibility and interpretation. When it comes down to it, platonic love, romantic love and spiritual love have very few details to pick between them, and South Park has proven that anything can take religious meaning by whacking the words God and Jesus in there somewhere. It's just all about how you choose to perceive the love Martin portrays. I myself prefer to think that it's a girl. Or a guy, as I'm that way inclined. And so you get the picture. Context always affects what you take from music, and always will.

 

I guess to each his own, but I agree that Coldplay's lyrics are very flexible. I just try to find spiritual value in a lot of the music I listen to, and it increases my enjoyment of the music.

 

I will leave you with these thoughts from the apostle Paul, however:

 

Romans 1:16-24

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for the salvation of everyone who believes, of the Jew first and of the Greek as well. 17 For in the gospel God's righteousness is being revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, "The righteous will live by faith." 18 For God's wrath is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and wickedness of those who in their wickedness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God himself has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible attributes-his eternal power and divine nature-have been understood and observed by what he made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. Instead, their thoughts turned to worthless things, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Though claiming to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images that looked like mortal human beings, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. 24 For this reason, God delivered them to sexual impurity as they followed the lusts of their hearts and dishonored their bodies with one another.

 

I do not mean this as a slam, but rather as something to ponder.

There is no Wizard with all the answers, only a man behind a curtain, as the movie plainly shows. Cause and effect. Motivations, natural laws, natural behavior, and what steers human societies towards more enlightened and harmonious ends. If we are connected, it is by the lessons on our individual nature, how we structure society, how loosely or tightly each structure is, and what are the outcomes? The strings of the universe bind us all, but it takes all the connections of family, friends, interactions, lessons, and common or shared experiences to bring us to a point of enlightenment, be that by the lessons on religious teachings, or be that through other means. What God Paul speaks of is the God of the one "heavenly Father", as opposed to the other religions of the time, those of the Greeks with their pantheon of Gods (deified humans, with idealized traits, and exaggerated abilities), or religions that used animals as symbolic of human qualities. Moving past that point, the Jewish, and latter Christian faiths looked upon the society elders, exemplified by the "one Holy Father" concept (the Moses), as the ideal God to live up to, and to listen to for guidance and correction. I would rather look towards common sense for the truth in all things - the Golden Rule, and Cause and Effect - the Age of Reason; the Enlightenment; although, the stories in the Jewish and Christian traditions are very often good tales of common-sense morality plays, and well worth contemplating.

Well, what is good is that necessary component of compassion in human endeavors, to counterbalance the drive for productivity and material gains. Without the one, we are cold and self-destructive of ourselves and the social fabric; without the other, there is no practical means for our survival. Coldplay is trying to connect the two, and I think they've got it right. The global injustices stemming from old patterns of thinking and structuring our global economy lead to many of the problems we're dealing with today. So, very basic things, like making trade fair between the two hemispheres, and considering our actions as individuals has a big impact on the stability of human relations and nations. If in a time of rampant nationalism, that means reaching out to connect people from all places in a common effort to bring about a sense of shared oneness to those living far afield, this can only yield good results. It's this sense that we're all really human, and we all have common experiences; that we share more in common with one-another than how we may differ - this they have done well in a spiritual sense, and continue to do so............

I've heard a lot of talk about Coldplay's flirtations with Christianity and being a Christian myself, this intrigues me.

 

Far from the truth. If you text the lyrics of Viva La Vida properly, (unfortunately) one could assume they are celebrating the crucifiction of Christ. Bad analogy but you should celebrate that in a different way. Right brother? :)

 

I know this will spark debate and im not going to get into it but singing that "Jerusalem bells are ringing and Roman calvaries are singing"??

 

Jerusalem betrayed Christ and Roman calvaries are best known for hanging Him on a cross.

 

Christian?

 

Nope.

 

P.S. - Who rules "the world"?

Yes, I didn't know he took the form of a donkey but when you're God you're God...

 

:shocked2:

 

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

:thinking:I really hope the band does lurk in these forums sometimes,

just so they may see the rather intelligent convo`s and debates that

come across this screen.

 

I`m glad to be in such company- in a place that could easily be filled just with

mindless chatter and endless perv threads...:embarassed::wink3:

Don't...

ever...

quote the Bible at me,

unless you want me to upset you by calling it fiction.

:thinking:I really hope the band does lurk in these forums sometimes,

just so they may see the rather intelligent convo`s and debates that

come across this screen.

 

I`m glad to be in such company- in a place that could easily be filled just with

mindless chatter and endless perv threads...:embarassed::wink3:

 

Hahaha - who says this thread won't go that way....?:sneaky:

Don't...

ever...

quote the Bible at me,

unless you want me to upset you by calling it fiction.

 

What many many many people forget is that the Bible is faaaaar from factual and I say that as a Catholic. You said you're an agnostic who signs toward atheism and in that you're like a lot of my friends but we all get on great and never really bring up our own personal beliefs so as not to like cause tension and because we respect one another. The Bible is the "inspired word of God" - key word being "inspired" - and much of it was written loooong after the events it seeks to portray. Its really a morality play - but I know a lot of the more right-wing Christians would seek my head on a silver plate for that one lol. For you, Knotty, you interpret VLV in a certain way, demonhunter interprests in a certain way and the millions of others who have/will listen to it will interpret in a certain way because how we interpret things is influenced by our backgrounds and who we are.

 

I shake your hand demonhunter and yours Knotty and bid this thread adieu.

 

Oh.....and Dawkins is a closet Scientologist:P:lol:

Yep. I've got no problem in people's beliefs. I've never been touched with the faith some people claim to know. I hate two things, though: people quoting the Bible at me as though it saying something makes it true, and people hoping that I one day get 'saved' or 'know the truth'.

 

Adieu aussi.

No way!

 

I, too, couldn't help noticing the religious allusions in the two singles... I always enjoyed the songs in a secular way, and now... priest clutching to their Bibles? Jerusalem? It almost ruins their songs!

 

GPASUYF and Moses are songs to be taken figuratively, and I agree that sometimes religion can be populistic... but Chris should be wise enough to leave out these phrases, as they really hurt the ear and the eye.

 

Dawkins is a Scientologist? It just porves once again how desperate Christians are when their beliefs are being criticised...

 

Adieu (a ha ha)

haha

 

that was funny.

 

"what? you don't believe the bible?

let me quote some scripture for you."

 

yeah like that's going to work.

if you do enough research you will find that Christianity is supported by logic.

Incorrect.

 

And I doubt Chris Martin is anything but Agnostic.

Don't...

ever...

quote the Bible at me,

unless you want me to upset you by calling it fiction.

Finally, a rational thinker in this thread.

:thinking:I really hope the band does lurk in these forums sometimes,

just so they may see the rather intelligent convo`s and debates that

come across this screen.

 

I`m glad to be in such company- in a place that could easily be filled just with

mindless chatter and endless perv threads...:embarassed::wink3:

A Christian's 'intelligent' conversation:

Other: Wrong.

Christian: Not wrong, bible says so, and God says the bible is free from error, and the Bible notes God is Omnipotent and Omniscient, so it's true.

Other: That's circular logic.

Christian: Not it's not, the bible says it isn't.

ooo

 

well... i'm agnostic but this:

 

"A Christian's 'intelligent' conversation:

Other: Wrong.

Christian: Not wrong, bible says so, and God says the bible is free from error, and the Bible notes God is Omnipotent and Omniscient, so it's true.

Other: That's circular logic.

Christian: Not it's not, the bible says it isn't."

 

isn't fair.

 

that's just as closed-minded as the extreme christians you're describing.

I'm sorry to have started this discussion, then. I was hoping to share with others how one could interpret SOME (not all) of Coldplay's songs as having a deeper spiritual meaning to those who are spiritual, but unfortunately this has turned into an argument against Christianity. I can only hope and pray that those who do not believe will one day accept Christ before it's too late., and as far as quoting the Bible, I hope you truly ponder the words that the apostle Paul spoke to the people of Rome who had rejected God.

yeah

 

see...

this is why these conversations always turn into a debate.

 

"I can only hope and pray that those who do not believe will one day accept Christ before it's too late., and as far as quoting the Bible, I hope you truly ponder the words that the apostle Paul spoke to the people of Rome who had rejected God."

 

why can't you hope for our happiness in believing what we want to believe?

 

i didn't say to you, "i can only hope that you accept logic and the natural rule of things before it's too late to not waste your remaining time with religion."

 

i guess i just said it, but i'm not directing it towards anything - just trying to make a point.

see...

this is why these conversations always turn into a debate.

 

"I can only hope and pray that those who do not believe will one day accept Christ before it's too late., and as far as quoting the Bible, I hope you truly ponder the words that the apostle Paul spoke to the people of Rome who had rejected God."

 

why can't you hope for our happiness in believing what we want to believe?

 

i didn't say to you, "i can only hope that you accept logic and the natural rule of things before it's too late to not waste your remaining time with religion."

 

i guess i just said it, but i'm not directing it towards anything - just trying to make a point.

 

Because this is more serious than you make it out to be, I wouldn't be a very good person if I didn't try to warn people.

Because this is more serious than you make it out to be, I wouldn't be a very good person if I didn't try to warn people.

 

my religion says that if you try to convert other people to your religion (which ever that happens to be) then you will go to hell and burn for eternity!!!!!

I'm sorry dude.

my religion says that if you try to convert other people to your religion (which ever that happens to be) then you will go to hell and burn for eternity!!!!!

I'm sorry dude.

 

Your religion is...Wal-Mart?

Your religion is...Wal-Mart?

 

 

:laugh3:

Your religion is...Wal-Mart?

 

LOL :lol::laugh3:

;)