A Show of Faith
Millennial, Priest, Minister, and Rabbi walk into a radio station...
A Show of Faith
February 16, 2025 The Intersection of Music, Marriage, and Divine Love
Have you ever pondered the hidden religious messages woven into your favorite songs and commercials?
Join us on A Show of Faith as we explore this fascinating intersection of religion, philosophy, and culture. Through personal stories and cultural examples, we uncover how themes like the messianic age and the search for meaning seep into everyday media, often unnoticed, yet profoundly impactful.
Love, often seen as an emotion, is redefined in our discussion as a conscious decision and active choice. We challenge the traditional Freudian view, suggesting that love shines brightest through our actions and commitments, even amidst challenges. By sharing the recent experiences of someone who just embarked on the journey of marriage, we emphasize the significance of choice and commitment in this profound expression of love. It's a heartfelt reminder that love is more than just a feeling—it's an ongoing decision to care.
In our closing moments, we journey into the depths of marriage and faith from a Catholic perspective, exploring marriage as both a sacrament and a reflection of divine love. With insights from personal experiences and the spiritual mysteries illuminated by theological concepts like Karl Rahner's supernatural existential, we invite you to reflect on your lifelong connection with the divine.
Together with our guest, Nate Smith, we unravel the enigma of God's ever-present love, urging listeners to contemplate their spiritual relationships and the profound mysteries that lie within.
There's something happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear. There's a man with a gun over there Telling me I got to beware. I think it's time we stop. Children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down. There's battle's being drawn. Nobody's right if everybody's wrong. Young people speak in their minds Are getting so much resistance From behind every time we stop. Hey, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down.
Speaker 4:Welcome to A Show of Faith on AM 1070 Answer, where minister, professor, priest and rabbi and millennial discuss theology and philosophy and anything else of interest in religion. If you have any response to our topics or any comments regarding what we say, we would love to hear from you. Please email us at ashowoffaith at hotmailcom. Ashowoffaith at hotmailcom. You can hear our shows again and again by listening pretty much anywhere podcasts are heard. Our professor is david capes, baptist minister and director of academic programming for the Lanier Theological Library.
Speaker 1:Gentlemen, good to see you on a Sunday night here.
Speaker 4:Our priest is Father Mario Arroyo, retired pastor of St Cyril of Alexandria in the 10,000 block of Westheimer. Hello, rudy Cohn is our millennial. He is a systems engineer, has his master's degree in theology from the University of St Thomas. I am Rabbi Stuart Federo, rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Sha'ar HaShalom, the Clear Lake area of Houston, texas. Corey and Miranda are our board operators, not Corey. Miranda is our board operator and tonight, with Nikki, they help us sound fantastic. And tonight David brought a guest.
Speaker 1:I did. Nate Smith is with us from Corpus Christi. Hi, nate, welcome. And he's been relativized. He's a relative of mine.
Speaker 4:Well, relatively speaking.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I just graduated with a degree from Texas A&M and Corpus Christi in history and he's doing a bit of studying and thinking about what's next for him in life. Now I noticed how quickly that you went right past Rudy, as if you didn't even take a breath and you just sort of didn't wait for Rudy to respond.
Speaker 4:So I'm going to give you a chance. That's because he waited so long to respond. I didn't think he was going to respond.
Speaker 1:I'm just going to give you a chance to Stuart. Go ahead, not sorry whatsoever.
Speaker 4:Sorry.
Speaker 1:He's never been sorry. All right, rudy, where are you? You were in Brazil last week. Where are?
Speaker 5:you now I am, I am in, I'm actually I'm still in Brazil, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in a beach, actually not going to lie.
Speaker 1:Are you serious?
Speaker 5:Life is a beach Suffering for the Lord. Oh wow, yeah, it sounds like it.
Speaker 1:I bet it's really nice down there, really nice. Anyway, it's good to talk to you tonight. Glad you're with us. The rabbi is our show director, our official show director. Yes, so tonight's going to be really weird. Well, rabbi is our show director, our official show director, yes, so tonight's going to be really weird.
Speaker 4:Well, it's going to be strange. Yes, it is yes.
Speaker 1:It is, and what are we doing here, rabbi?
Speaker 4:Well, let me explain something. A long, long time ago, I used to give a sermon on commercials that were on the TV at that time, because I always felt they were selling religion, specifically selling Judaism. So, for example, and you will all remember this and I will not sing for you tonight, Thank you, send everybody's ears. You're very welcome, thank you. I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony and hold the world in my hand and keep it company.
Speaker 1:Okay, not everybody will remember that, because Miranda probably doesn't remember that Coca-Cola.
Speaker 4:Oh, she does remember.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right.
Speaker 4:Uh-oh, that is selling the messianic age. That's what's supposed to happen when the real Messiah comes, okay? Or you remember the ad Where's the Beef? Looking for meaning in our lives? Where's the substance? Where's the depth? Where's the substance? Where's the depth? Where's the content? Okay? So I also, a long time ago, used to do the same kind of thing with popular songs on the radio, and so tonight I happen to well, let me rephrase that, I happen to believe that, just like the commercials, I think that modern music well, modern, old, especially, because that's what I'm most familiar with are actually heavily influenced by the impact of religion, and I think they reflect religious values. Most of them don't, some of them do and some of them. You have to look at it, the words, carefully, and remind yourself of what our religions all preach. So let me begin with my first one.
Speaker 7:Okay, so are you going to go to each of us?
Speaker 4:No, no, I'm just going to. If you have songs, I'd like to hear them.
Speaker 1:I told Rudy about a Spanish one. Hey, Nate even has a song Cool On the way here. But I'm saying we figured it out.
Speaker 7:I'm trying to figure out what you're trying to do. Are you going to say, okay, mario, like what's your song, or no, that's?
Speaker 4:not. If you have one, tell me about it. I don't know, I just brought a bunch of songs, okay which? Which I handed out to you. That's the.
Speaker 7:Yeah, that's the.
Speaker 1:Right okay.
Speaker 4:The sheets of paper Right, so you might remember an oldies song I'll second that emotion by the Miracles from 1968. That's the only one I remember the year of. Okay, but I'm not going to sing, I'll spare everybody's ears. Thank you, you're welcome. But the lyrics are as follows Maybe you'll want to give me kisses, sweet, but only for one night, with no repeat, and maybe you'll go away and never call, and a taste of honey is worse than none at all.
Speaker 4:Oh, little girl, in that case I don't want nobody. I do believe that that would only break my heart. But if you feel like loving me, if you got the notion, I second that emotion. If you feel like giving me a lifetime of devotion, I second that emotion. Maybe you'll think that love will tie you down and you don't have the time to hang around. Or maybe you'll think that love will make us fools and so it makes you wise to break the rules.
Speaker 4:A little girl, in that case I don't want nobody. I do believe that would only break my heart. But if you feel like loving me, if you've got the notion, I second that emotion. If you feel like giving me a lifetime of devotion, I second that emotion. That, to me, reflects the influence of all our religions regarding monogamy and that. How do I put this nicely? Recreational sex Can I say that on the air? Yeah, you sure. Recreational sex is a sin and I think this song, unlike a lot of songs on the radio then and now which promote promiscuity, this song is actually reflecting our religious values.
Speaker 1:Father, you get it, you see it.
Speaker 7:Yeah, yeah, no, I see it. You know, no, I see it, but you know how I am.
Speaker 1:Yes, he's going to be contrary, I know, I know he's going to be contrary.
Speaker 7:No, no, no. I like, if you feel like giving me a lifetime of devotion, that's the whole point. That's the whole point. But the only part is that I've always spoken against the whole idea of I second that emotion. Well, that just rhymes. Yeah, always spoken against the whole idea of I second that emotion. I, I to me. This rhymes, yeah, that's that's. It rhymes, but it's still the words. And and I've never felt like, uh, like a love. I always have distrusted emotional love right as something that is passing, and so as just a feeling, feeling that that goes away.
Speaker 1:You know, I always.
Speaker 7:It's funny because when I preach in marriage, I always tell people you're not promising to be in love. When you get married, you're not promising to be in love, because by being in love, what we mean is an emotional state. That's why we speak about the words to fall in love instead of I ran into love.
Speaker 7:Or I choose to choose to love, because you cannot decide your emotions. That's why you fall into them. We talk about falling into a depression. So I love to me we. We bastardize that word constantly. Don't you love food? Don't you love see? That's the whole point it. It shouldn't be that word.
Speaker 4:Right, it's abusing the word.
Speaker 7:It's a word abuse. So to me I second that emotion. That's the only objection.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it rhymes, but I like the notion and I appreciate the devotion. No, I'm just kidding the idea that this is underscoring the value of monogamy.
Speaker 8:Exactly.
Speaker 1:If you want to give me and this is interesting if you feel like giving me. I don't like that. If you want to give me a lifetime of devotion, if you choose to give me, because that's what it's all about, isn't?
Speaker 4:it.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I think what it's saying is yes, people pursue promiscuity at times, but that is not going to satisfy.
Speaker 4:What is going to satisfy is a lifetime of devotion and Mario and David and Nate Hi Nate, If you want to jump in how would you define religiously, from a religious perspective, the word love?
Speaker 7:I always give it the word. Love is a decision to unite yourself with God in caring for the good of another.
Speaker 4:No, matter how you feel. No matter how you feel at any moment.
Speaker 1:And I would add, no matter what it costs you.
Speaker 7:That's a good point.
Speaker 1:I mean, you know, because you decide that you know it's going to, this is going to cost something Right, it'll cost time, it'll cost energy, it'll cost. Anything worthwhile is going to cost you, it'll cost time.
Speaker 4:It'll cost energy it'll cost. Anything worthwhile is going to cost absolutely including doing a good deed for someone.
Speaker 7:I think one of the greatest hoodwinks that we have swallowed is the freudian hoodwink that, uh, we are our deepest, most negative feelings we are our deepest and negative feelings. In other words, haven't you ever heard people saying let your feelings out, let your feelings out okay, and that your deepest, darkest feelings. What do you think psychoanalysis is? Psychoanalysis is all about finding feelings that you have repressed. Why did you repress them? Because they were not that great.
Speaker 4:Pretty darn bad feelings, right but freud said that was the real you freud said that that's the process of health is.
Speaker 7:The process of health is is is the finding out what's there and getting it out, because that's not the real. You I shouldn't have said that, but it but to get it out is the real, you Okay All right Now.
Speaker 4:Let me ask you both this, let me ask you both this, okay, and that is this. It's not working. It's not working. Mario when you define love. Okay, when you define love, you are incorporating God into that definition. You are saying we align ourselves with God, Thank you. But I don't believe that the secular community defines it that way.
Speaker 7:Actually, that's an expansion. My definition is an expansion of the definition of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church's definition is very simple Love is deciding the good of the other, Deciding the good Willing excuse me, willing the good of the other.
Speaker 1:Right Willing and then performing, you assume yeah.
Speaker 4:And that, I think, is a more secular….
Speaker 7:Well, yeah, the reason… Excuse me, I retract that.
Speaker 4:I think that's a more acceptable to the secular community definition.
Speaker 7:The reason I said that unite yourself with God is because that's what Jesus did. You know, father, notice, he doesn't forgive us directly. I was always impressed that Jesus did not forgive us directly, that he said Father forgive them, instead of saying I forgive you he said Father, forgive them. So what he was doing is uniting himself with God and then with God caring for us.
Speaker 4:Nate, you had something to add.
Speaker 6:Yeah, I think one important aspect to that whole discussion is how do we measure love? You know you're referring to measuring love by emotional feelings or something like that, and we see that in secular music as well as religious music a lot. But instead I think we would say a more accurate definition of love in the religious sense would be better measured by what you're choosing to do, in spite of what are the obstacles.
Speaker 7:What you're doing, it's the act, it's the decision.
Speaker 4:The decision which leads you to act.
Speaker 7:To the act.
Speaker 1:And that's why the emotional piece is not to be trusted. Yeah, because emotions.
Speaker 7:I mean, think about it. I always say that why do we say I fell in love? Why don't you say I chose to love you? Or I was elevated to love Nothing something, but we always talk about falling, and it's a very passive thing because we're unconsciously thinking about our emotions.
Speaker 1:You know one of the people here who's on this, who's fallen in love and we have one minute left who has fallen in love and gotten married recently, is Rudy. He's down there in Brazil.
Speaker 5:Rudy.
Speaker 8:In.
Speaker 1:Rio de Janeiro. We need to get him back.
Speaker 7:I know we've got to take a break and we want to hear from him, Right, Okay, this is 1070 KNTH the Answer, and we shall be right back.
Speaker 10:AM 1070, the Answer.
Speaker 8:The Harris County Toll Road Authority is excited to begin providing customers outstanding service as an enhancement to our services. To accommodate HCTRA customers with various working schedules, we have extended the call centers and EasyTag store hours to 7 am through 7 pm, Monday through Friday. Our Saturday hours will remain the same 8 am through 4.30 pm. The call center and EasyTag stores are closed on Sundays, but customers are welcome to visit HCTRAorg to manage your online account 24-7. Hctra is committed to providing exceptional service tailored to your needs. By being available during extended hours, we can ensure that EasyTag customers with busy schedules have more opportunities to reach out for assistance.
Speaker 8:Hctra's mission is to operate and maintain safe, reliable, sustainable and evolving mobility system that meets the diverse connectivity needs of all Harris County residents. Hctra will deliver mobility solutions that create value to customers and the community by incorporating stakeholder collaboration with community partners. Hctra's goal is to create dependable roadways and consistent service with quality on the road and off the road. Hctra is committed to maintain safety on our roads through a sustainable mobility system that meets the needs of all Harris County residents. Planet Lincoln, Spring, Woodlands.
Speaker 9:The nation's premier luxury dealership.
Speaker 8:PlanetLincolncom.
Speaker 9:With Texas' best selection of new lincoln's. Elevate your luxury experience to new heights with impressive new lease and purchase options on lincoln navigator and aviator. Indulge in perfection with enticingly low lease payments on lincoln modelis and corsair. Experience the luxury you deserve with planet lincoln's award-winning sales and customer service planet lincoln on 45 in spring PlanetLincolncom.
Speaker 10:Socialists and communists. Is there a difference? Not much. After all, communism is the next step after socialism. Both know they can change America by dismantling or neutering the Second Amendment. Without it, they know they can control Americans. That's why Armed American Radio is here. Join Mark Walters as he keeps you up to date on your right to own arms. Lock and load Armed American Radio's Daily Defense Hour, weekday mornings at 4 on AM 1070. The answer Johnny Angel.
Speaker 2:Johnny Angel, johnny Angel, you're an angel to me, johnny Angel. Johnny Angel, how I love him, how I tingle when he passes by. Every time he says hello, my heart begins to fly. Johnny angel, how I want him. He's got something that I can't resist, but he doesn't even know that I'm in heaven. I get carried away. I dream of him and me, and how it's gonna be. All the fellas call me up for a date, but I just sit and wait. I'd rather concentrate on Johnny Angel, cause I loved him and I pray that someday he'll love me, and together we will see how lovely heaven will be.
Speaker 4:And together we will see how lovely heaven will be Welcome back to A Show of Faith on AM 1070 Answer.
Speaker 1:Do you realize how bad you're screwing up that song?
Speaker 4:I am not screwing up. I am adding to the percussion section you are not, I am too. Love me, love my percussion, rudy.
Speaker 7:Rudy, love me, love my percussion. Rudy, talk about you're the only one who got recently married. Talk about what did you mean when you stood there in front of your lovely wife and you said I love you and you promised to love her. What did you understand that to be?
Speaker 5:Lord, help me please. Is she sitting? There with you, I'm going to need a lot of patience.
Speaker 7:Is she sitting there with you, uh-oh.
Speaker 5:Yes, she's here.
Speaker 1:You better be careful.
Speaker 5:Yep, yeah, Honestly, I think. Of course, as Catholics, the sacrament is forever, right till death, do you part? And of course there's some verses on marriage that Jesus speaks about right, where he kind of has to explain that in heaven, you know, things aren't like they are here on earth, right? There's no marriage per se. The completeness of love, of course, is God, and the way that we try to demonstrate love is by sort of acting in the same way God does, which is loving us, right. So it's kind of what Matthew speaks about when he talks about love love with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. And I think that's kind of the essence of what I took when I'm sitting there. Of course, I was actually married under a Maronite rite, which is—there's 24 rites within the Catholic Church. They're all Catholic, where they all follow, let's say, the Bishop of Rome, right, the Pope, and they're all in communion. So it was quite interesting.
Speaker 5:You put some crowns on. It's got a little bit more traditional aspects to it, but but the whole thing at the end of the day is, is is an oath and a promise. Right, it's, it's an oath and a promise to take care of the other person and, like father, says, regardless of what I feel, regardless of how I I feel, regardless if I'm sick, if I'm angry, if I'm not, you know up for it, it's it's. It's. That's kind of the reality. And there's beautiful aspects of it too. Right, you get to share intimacy and you get to share so many things you get to share life.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I mean the good and the bad, and yes, it's stressful and we get into fights, but also I mean I guess, the way I see it, she's also like my best friend. I mean the things we laugh about and we have sort of these inside jokes, exactly, and it's nice, it really is.
Speaker 5:And it's nice, it really is, and it makes you feel, I mean if anything maybe it gives you just a little taste of, hopefully, what heaven is like to the infinite degree. Right, I mean to participate in that sacrament. So those are my thoughts. Very good yeah. No that's great. That's great degrees, right?
Speaker 4:I mean to participate in that sacrament, so okay yeah, all right, very good, yeah no that's great. That's great. Mario has a song. He wants to? Yeah, but it's only three minutes left. Come on, can we start it and then discuss it at the end.
Speaker 1:No, he's being so contrary. Hey, let me, let me, uh, let me piggyback very quickly.
Speaker 7:I'll take it when we come back.
Speaker 1:Let me see if I can piggyback off of what he was just saying what Rudy was just saying, and it's a song by the Beatles called Something in the Way she Moves.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, which was kind of a classic song. Something in the way she moves attracts me like no other lover. Something in the way she woos me. I don't want to leave her now. You know, I believe and how, and I think that's something that happens mysteriously when you're not necessarily in love, but when you make the decision to be in love, that you find that the other person, the way they move, the way they laugh, the way they look, the way they talk.
Speaker 4:Yeah, something in her smile.
Speaker 1:She knows that I don't need no other lover, something in her style that shows me I don't want to leave her now. You know I believe in Hal, so the lyrics to that song to me just kind of spoke volumes as I was thinking about this idea of the beauty. And there's a book in the Bible called Song of Solomon that talks about the beauty of heterosexual feelings and relationships and such, and there's a lot in the Beatles music itself about that as well. Now, some of it's more trite than others, but this, I think, hits at the heart of what Rudy was just saying. You have these inside jokes, you kind of just know how the other person.
Speaker 1:There's an intimacy Physical, emotional, spiritual. Going through life, not alone Intimacy. Yeah, I know we've got to go to break and we'll come back and we will hear about the song I Will yes, I Will, it's called I will I won't.
Speaker 7:It's called I will, I will. Okay, so this is well, let's go to break early. This is Tant H 1070, and we'll be right back.
Speaker 10:AM 1070 and FM 1033, the answer.
Speaker 3:Looking for a gun show that will give you exactly what you've been looking for.
Speaker 3:Texas Gun Shows is committed to protecting and advocating for the Second Amendment rights of all individuals Looking for the perfect firearm.
Speaker 3:Come to the Texas Gun Show February the 28th through March 2nd in San Antonio at the Isles of Ars Shrine Auditorium. Can't make San Antonio. Come to Round Rock. March 7th through the 9th at the Mizzou Suites, round Rock. The Texas Gun Shows the premier gun show in the Southwest. Looking for leatherware, bags, holsters, scavenged jewelry and ammo. Texas Gun Shows is more than just a gun show. Get ready to come and have some fun Looking for a gun show that will give you exactly what you've been looking for. Texas Gun Shows is committed to protecting and advocating for the Second Amendment rights of all individuals Looking for the perfect firearm. Come to the Texas Gun Show February the 28th through March 2nd in San Antonio at the Al Zavara Shrine Auditorium. Can't make San Antonio. Come to Round Rock. March 7th through the 9th at the Macy's Suites, round Rock. The Texas Gun Shows the premier gun show in the Southwest. Looking for leatherware, bags, holsters, scavenged jewelry and ammo. Texas Gun Shows is more than just a gun show. Get ready to come and have some fun.
Speaker 8:You can hear this today at Preggertopiacom.
Speaker 11:My husband and I. Whenever we first started dating, he was very anti-Valentine's Day, but I told him that we needed to do something and our first Valentine's Day together, we ended up eating lunch at Wendy's. That's our Valentine's Day tradition.
Speaker 4:I think that's great. I'm sure your husband thinks it's greater than I do.
Speaker 11:Yeah, we both enjoy it. We both actually look forward to it a lot. Yeah, we both enjoy it, we both actually look forward to it a lot.
Speaker 8:Hear the entire episode. It's for Prager Topia members only.
Speaker 10:Go to pragertopiacom. Chances are she's listening to you right now. But Alexa is a lot of competition. Google Nest or Amazon Echo are two of the best. All you have to do is turn it on and tell it to listen to what you want this radio station, of course. When she hears our name, we start playing. Remember, it's as simple as Alexa. Play AM 1070, the answer.
Speaker 4:Go ahead, we're on the air. Welcome back to A Show of.
Speaker 7:Faith on.
Speaker 4:AM1070 Answer.
Speaker 7:Okay, well, this is a song from the Beatles that I have constantly experienced my relationship with God through this song. I experienced my relationship with God through this song and the reason is that the more I seek God, the more I know him, but the less I know him Because he is infinitely greater, and the more I experience him I experience the greatest, the deepest mystery of my life. So the point that I anyway listen to the. Just let me read the lyrics to you and then I'll just play you a bar or two, right? Okay, listen to the lyrics of this. Who knows how long I've loved you. You know I love you still. Will I wait a lonely lifetime? If you want me to, I will, for if I ever saw you I didn't catch your name, but it never really mattered. I will always feel the same and when at last I find you, this song will fill the air, sing it loud. So I can Now notice that in the song, the writer does not know who he's talking to, right?
Speaker 4:Isn't it interesting that that was only found at the end of the song. Well, no, but still not known.
Speaker 7:The second verse, for if I ever saw you, I didn't catch your name. That's the first hint, yeah.
Speaker 4:But at the end, where he sings and when, at last, I find you.
Speaker 7:When, at last, I find you.
Speaker 4:At the end I thought that was clever.
Speaker 7:See, my sense is that always that God is my favorite theologian. His name is Karl Rahner. He's a Catholic theologian who died in 1984. And he has a concept which has a fancy name, which is called the supernatural existential. Now, the supernatural existential is what he calls the unthematic presence of God constantly in your life, un-thematic. Un-thematic meaning you are always present to God, but you don't know him by that name. You don't know the experience of God by that name.
Speaker 7:I really believe that the day you die, you're going to face a God and you're going to say but you've always been there, you've always been there and you just didn't know his name, because he was so encompassing to you that you knew him but you didn't know him. You knew him but you didn't know him. And so who knows how long I've loved you? That's when you come to the understanding of you've loved him all your life, but you didn't know him by that name. Who knows how long I've loved you? You know I love you still. Will I wait a lonely lifetime? If you want me to, I will.
Speaker 7:Meaning it's a yearning and I can't catch you. I can't catch you, I can't, I can't objectify you, for if I ever saw you, I couldn't, didn't catch your name, but it never really mattered. I will and then love you forever and forever. Love you with all my heart, love you whenever we're together, love you when we're apart. I love god even when I'm in sin, because I long for him, even when I'm in sin, and even when you don't feel him.
Speaker 7:I still long for him, so just listen to about 30 seconds of this. Some people may not remember this song. How?
Speaker 2:long I've loved you. You know I love you still. Will I wait a lonely lifetime? If you want me to, I will, for if I ever saw you I didn't catch your name, but it never really mattered. I will always feel the same Love you forever and forever. Love you with all my heart. Love you whenever we're together, love you when we're apart and when, at last, I find you, your song will fill the air. Sing it loud so I can hear you. Make it easy to be near you All the things you do and be you to me, oh you know, I will.
Speaker 7:Anyway, that's basically the whole song it's a very short song.
Speaker 1:It's a short song called Paul McCartney, and John Lennon wrote that song.
Speaker 7:But it speaks to the yearning of all human beings to find meaning.
Speaker 7:To find. Yeah, because, remember, from the Christian perspective listen, just put that in because I agree with you. In the Gospel of John, god John says in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. What is the meaning of the word Word? It's not a single word. It's kind of like if I were to say to you hey, stuart, what's the word on what's going on at your house? Hey, stuart, what's the word on what's going on at your house? I'm asking you for the meaning, the purpose, the reasoning, the reasoning, the logic.
Speaker 7:So I always like to translate the first part of that Gospel of John In the beginning there was meaning, purpose and reason. Meaning, purpose and reason was with God. Meaning, purpose and reason was God.
Speaker 4:So whenever you're seeking for meaning, you're seeking for God. Mario, there's another quotation that you bring up on occasion that I think also applies through the eyes of this song, and that has to do with the yearning of the human to be with God, and it's like something about being held by God. Do you know what I'm?
Speaker 7:Well, augustine I don't know if you're talking about Augustine Augustine said I don't know who said it Augustine said you have made us for yourself, o Lord, and our hearts cannot rest until they rest in you. That's it.
Speaker 7:That's St Augustine, 4th century, and it really is. When you are not See the whole notion. When you are at peace, when you truly experience peace, that is the presence of God, not the world's peace, it is an inner peace and that's why Jesus said I give you peace, not as the world gives peace, but my peace I give you, which?
Speaker 1:really is his presence. Yes, that's right, which really is his presence yes it is his presence there. Rudy, you were saying yes rudy.
Speaker 5:Well, it's interesting that you talk about peace, because I started doing a little bit of research um and I'm sure you guys are familiar with it.
Speaker 5:But uh there's a lot of proven sort of scientific observational data on the effects that music has on our bodies. There's all sorts of therapeutic uses, there's all sorts of sort of neurological impacts that music has, neurological impacts that that music has. And and it's interesting because this kind of spans all the way back to uh, to the greeks, to the ancient greeks, I mean, I don't know if you guys have ever seen uh different hurts, right, because this is how uh music is is essentially sound waves, right, and it has a sort of spread, if you will, of that sound wave and that sound wave has specific geometric representations, right. So that's a whole can of worms. But the interesting thing is that when we actually have rhythmic and synchronous music, there's studies done, that thing that has an order that is uplifting but also is able to change our mood, our emotion, just kind of make a switch inside of us to feel more at ease with what I would consider a sort of disordered reality. So it's just sorry, I didn't want to sidestep, it's just an interesting thing.
Speaker 4:Rudy, aren't there also studies about how different kinds of music affect differently the babies in the womb?
Speaker 5:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Can you imagine the soothing effects that's pure sarcasm of some songs we have now on the radio about hate and curse words and taking advantage of women and all this other stuff. Any effect that would have on babies?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, you know babies are. You know, after the brains are formed and after the hearing organs are formed, they can feel those vibrations, and so they can hear the mother's voice they can hear another child If music has a tone or sentiment to it. And I think that's one of the reasons why there's such a positive effect of music, as we see in Scripture, we see it in the Psalms primarily referenced. We see lutes and guitars and we see tambourines and drums. Praise.
Speaker 4:God with the lute, all these kind of things.
Speaker 1:And with dancing, and with movement, rhythmic movement. All of that is good for the body, all that is good for the soul, all that is good for the mind and it can lift us and it can bring us.
Speaker 4:It can, it can do that right, and I think that's part of the effect of music reflecting the religious realm, the spiritual realm so all right, just.
Speaker 4:Uh. Here's another song, and we'll talk about it when we come back from break, because we're almost there. All right, again, it's another Beatles song and it's Nowhere man. He's a real nowhere man, sitting in his nowhere land making all his nowhere plans for nobody, doesn't have a point of view, knows not where he's going to. Isn't he a bit like you and me? That, to me, is the operative line.
Speaker 4:Nowhere man, please listen, you don't know what you're missing. Nowhere man, the world is at your command. He's as blind as he can be, just sees what he wants to see. Nowhere man, can you see me at all? Nowhere man, don't worry, take your time, don't hurry, leave it all till somebody else lends you a hand. Doesn't have a point of view, knows not where he's going to. Isn't he a bit like you and me? To me, that expresses the religious attitude of the other. Aren't every religion of ours is supposed to see the other person made in the image of god, little lower than the angels? We are supposed to see the face of god on the face of the other, and I could have just as easily picked eleanor rigby.
Speaker 1:Yep, okay, right, and that's one of the ones that I picked out, yeah in a negative sense.
Speaker 4:I could also have picked out fool on the hill. But fool on the hill, in my opinion, is a negative response to this, because the fool on the hill reacts with hate, reacts to being shut out and thought of in negative fashion. He responds with hate. He knows they're the fool. He doesn't try to get closer to other people. But nowhere, man. It says let's see where'd it go, leaving it all till somebody else lends you a hand To me. That's part of our religions too. What's? I can't think of the line. We have two hands, one to reach to God, one to reach to each other.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, but why does it say they're leaving it all until somebody else lends you a hand?
Speaker 4:Because we're supposed to be helping each other.
Speaker 1:I know why didn't it say leave it all till I come and give you a hand.
Speaker 4:It could be an expression of God coming into our lives.
Speaker 1:I'm commanded by God and I'm directed by God to do that exactly right, not to wait. Oh, I hope the government does something about this, or I hope somebody else does something about this.
Speaker 4:I pay taxes. Let the government pay it.
Speaker 1:Right, exactly, exactly speaking of that the tax man. We could do the tax man.
Speaker 7:So just kidding okay, this is KMTH 1070 and we'll be right back am 1070 the answer hi, it's Chuck chiller.
Speaker 3:Got a very important message for you. Terry Bush and insurance solutions for you wants to remind you when choosing health insurance for you and your family, you need to consult expert. Everyone's situation is different and there are multiple options to choose from. Terry Bush at Insurance Solutions for you has been helping people get the right coverage at the best rate for over 40 years. If you selected one of those high deductible, affordable Care Act limited network plans, you're not stuck with it. There is another option and Terry Bush is the man to help you with that decision. He'll come up with a customized plan just for you and it'll be affordable. You could say 30 to 60, call terry 866-566-3776 866-566-3776 that's 866-566-3776 or go online to insurance solutions for younet. That's insurance solutions, the, the number four Y-O-Unet. That's insurance solutions, the number four Y-O-Unet. They can customize a plan managed by you, not the government.
Speaker 8:Tune in every Sunday at 7 am for why it Matters. Why it Matters takes a lighthearted approach to things that deeply matter by utilizing a casual, interactive talk show format, sharing some wisdom and create some laughter to this end To get people thinking about what matters and why it matters. Sunday mornings at 7 o'clock on AM 1070 and FM 103.3 the Answer that's why it Matters. Sunday mornings at 7 on AM 1070 and FM 103.3 the Answer.
Speaker 10:This radio station is always on, but sometimes you need more content that you can take with you anywhere. That's why we invented the SalemPodcastNetworkcom. You'll find all the great hosts on this radio station, plus a few more, like Charlie Kirk, Dinesh D'Souza, Trish Regan, Jenna Ellis and Dennis and Julie. There's literally no end to what we can teach you. It's like radio on demand and just like radio, it's always on. Go, find out what you're missing. Download the app satompodcastnetworkcom.
Speaker 2:This is AM 1070, the Answer. I hold her hand much tighter now. Stars are shining brighter now and throughout the day, I find she's always on my mind. What a wonderful, wonderful feeling when like him. What a wonderful, wonderful feeling when liking Turns to loving.
Speaker 4:Welcome back to A Show of Faith on AM 1070. Answer Rudy. Rudy, did you have a comment about Nowhere man or a song that you were wanting to bring in, and then, yes, as a matter of fact, forget the Nowhere man? Yeah, I know you had a song.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I did and I had. There's a couple in Spanish, but you know, you know what song I was thinking when I started. Like, I started Googling atheists or agnostics that have written you know songs, catchy songs, and the first one I don't know, since we're in this whole Beatles thing the first one was was, imagine, imagine.
Speaker 4:Wait, that's the one you want.
Speaker 7:Imagine is the most disgusting song. Thank you.
Speaker 4:So he was kidding about that? No, he wasn't.
Speaker 7:See, I think, Rudy, what you're saying is that Let that boy talk, no, but I think what you're saying is that songs can negatively point to God, right. Yeah, so it's like it point to God, right.
Speaker 5:Yeah, so it's like it's ironical, right, because he's kind of painting this utopian world, right, he's painting a godless world, yes, a world without.
Speaker 4:What are you talking about?
Speaker 7:Because of the stupidity of it, but that doesn't help. It's anti-religion, no I know, but it's a stupid song.
Speaker 9:That's my point.
Speaker 1:Could Rudy?
Speaker 9:get a word in edgewise.
Speaker 5:Yes, mario, stop talking Come on, rudy, it's just a song. Because we were talking about songs and how they can have these undertones right. It got me thinking. Music in itself is essentially a reflection of our society, our culture and I mean I kind of hate to use this word but really of our spirituality too, right, and I'm using it in a sort of broad sense and I'm using it in a sort of broad sense and it's sort of the same way. At least I see it is politics, right?
Speaker 5:We can't really sit here and we've talked about this before we can't really sit here and try to—I know there's a separation of church and state you know, and we try to make up all these rules, but at the end of the day, this morality is engraved and it's in the blood of the Constitution, and I think it's the same way with our music. You can't separate the religion from the recording studio, if you will so what are the lyrics?
Speaker 1:let's go to the lyrics yes, please imagine yeah, yeah, I want to hear it. Do you have those with you?
Speaker 5:imagine there's no heaven. You don't need to sing.
Speaker 4:You don't need to sing I didn't sing, so you can't either. David already shut me out, shut me down okay, what's this word?
Speaker 7:just the words.
Speaker 5:It's easy if you try. Imagine there's no heaven, no hell below us. Yeah, imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try. No hell below us, above us, only sky. And you know, he kind of goes on like this and he kind of has this little catchy like whoop-do-do-do-do. Some will say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one, but I'm not the only one, you know, and it's just.
Speaker 7:I hope someday you'll join us and the world can be as one and you can be disappointed because religion divides us religion is going to totally disappoint your ass.
Speaker 4:I would never have chosen this song. I would not for tonight. This song. I would Not for tonight, no, but you're talking about I think it does reflect a feeling that people have.
Speaker 7:A stupid one.
Speaker 1:A concern about all the divisions that are in the world.
Speaker 4:The Bob Marley song we were talking about.
Speaker 1:There are a lot of religions Now to imagine this, to imagine that, I mean, it is the world really of communism, of an atheistic kind of communism which has been created, but it's not a utopia and it's not a world that lives as one as a result of that. If you say there's not a heaven above us, he says there's not a utopia and it's not a world that lives as one as a result of that. If you say there's not a heaven above us, there's not a hell below us, then there's no God, let's say, and there's no judgment, there's no afterlife, all those kind of things. If that's your conclusion, take a look at the places on the planet where people have concluded that, and what you have are bloodbaths, right, what you have are people who?
Speaker 4:Russia, china, north Korea? Right, you have Pol Pot.
Speaker 1:You have, you know, you have Uganda, Cambodia, Right? So I mean that's part of the reality of it. I mean, what happened to John Lennon, Right? I mean, tragically, what happened to John Lennon is a result of saying well, there's no punishment. There's no heaven above, there's no heaven below.
Speaker 4:And there's no morality. You can't say anything bad about what happened to John Lennon.
Speaker 1:There's no morality. That's your opinion.
Speaker 4:That's morality I can have an opinion that says it's okay, and a third person could say he agrees with me or agrees with you.
Speaker 6:So, it's a part of it well, I think a part of the, the tragedy of it, is that ultimately people can't be real irreligious, you can't fully remove it. I mean, if you look at the soviet union, I mean everyone recognizes that you have to replace it with something else and it's and it's and it's the state.
Speaker 4:You know it's an empty dream that they're selling and when there's an empty space, the world works to fill it, even if it's something like New Age and jewels that'll.
Speaker 7:You're always going to worship something.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 1:It's just built into humanity one thing.
Speaker 4:It is.
Speaker 1:Whatever you value the most, whatever you.
Speaker 4:Like the stars on the 50th anniversary, it could be Mother Russia. It could be Mother Russia, or the stars and the celebrities on the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live oh.
Speaker 7:Just remember the etymology of the word worship the ship is the suffix, is the art or practice ship. This WOR is a shortened version of the word worth Worth, so worth-ship turns out to be the art or practice of putting the things that are worthwhile in its proper perspective.
Speaker 1:Right, right, or you could worship money, or you could worship fame.
Speaker 7:That means it's at the highest hierarchy.
Speaker 1:But that's not a proper perspective. No, that is an improper perspective.
Speaker 4:David for the worship of money. Yeah, beatles song money can't buy me love. The material versus the spiritual world yeah, the Material Versus the Spiritual World.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I had that too. You did, I had that too. You're thinking like the great one Just kidding. Wow, just kidding. No, he's not. No, I'm kidding. But Pride Before the Fall, right.
Speaker 4:And every one of our religions moves in some way to make us acknowledge and recognize the beauty of the world that we've been given by God. Louis. Armstrong. What a Wonderful World. We don't have time to get to these, but those were two other songs that I thought we might have gotten to tonight. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, there's a whole lot more. I have my handy-dandy the Beatles Complete Chord Songbook here.
Speaker 4:It's about 500 different. But of all three of us, you're the one who won't sing.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm not going to sing.
Speaker 4:You're the one who can sing.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to inflict that upon these people.
Speaker 4:If I will, you should yeah, because you can actually do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, glass Onion. Let's think about Glass Onion, anyway. No, that's not, I'm just kidding. Is that a song? Yeah, it is. I'd like to be under the sea. That's called Glass Onion. No, that's not. No, okay.
Speaker 7:That's a yellow submarine. Wait is Glass.
Speaker 1:Onion a. Beatles song it is a Glass Okay.
Speaker 4:Anyway, it's a great idea because and what we're saying here is that there is an undercurrent of faith and religion- and longing and the yearning that is behind all of these, all this music right and there's a religious influence, even if, as they're writing the songs, they don't acknowledge it or realize it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4:And you can do the same thing with great stories, great movies, great novels.
Speaker 1:Do the same thing. Yeah, Rudy, go ahead.
Speaker 5:I was just thinking how many songs are written inspired by love or even a disordered understanding of love? Right, because, because we're sitting here and we're talking about sort of the transcendent nature, how it's, how it's fundamental to religious worship to write. I mean, we see it in, see it in the Old Testament, we see it in the New Testament. It's just music is sort of ingrained biblically too. But when we sort of step into this kind of modernity right too, and I don't really align with a lot of the music that's being played today I find it shallow really. I guess it's probably the best word to describe it.
Speaker 5:I'm not saying there's not good music, I'm just most of it I don't listen to, but it just makes me wonder how much of it. I mean, it's when you go write a piece and I've written some music, I play guitar, I enjoy it, but it's always sort of inspired by something, right, something that you either care about, you're feeling about, you're passionate about. It just kind of makes me yeah, you're passionate about it, and sometimes our disordered passions can lead us to also write music, right, maybe inappropriate music, but nevertheless it's there, right, it can still sort of provoke this.
Speaker 1:But it can speak to this longing. You know, I'm just looking here through this Beatles songbook and there's so many songs here about love and about you know, wonderful ideas about love and the longing for love, the longing for you know, this sort of connection with the other person and such the other, as it were. But it's yeah, they're just all over the place. I mean just the. It is probably 80% of the songs out there that are ever written have something to do with two people falling in love, you know, or two people expressing love.
Speaker 4:What Stuart Just real quick before Marla takes over for the close.
Speaker 4:Yeah, one final song. I want to leave people with Real quick Alfie, the music to Alfie, the movie. What's it all about, alfie? Is it just for the moment we live? What's it all about when you sort it out, alfie? Are we meant to take more than we give, or are we meant to be kind? If only fools are kind, alfie, then I guess it's wise to be cruel. And if life belongs only to the strong, alfie, what will you lend on an old golden rule? As sure as I believe there's a heaven above, I know there's something much more, something even non-believers can believe in. I believe in love, alfie. Without true love, we just exist. Until you find the love you've missed, you're nothing. Alfie. When you walk, let your heart lead the way and you'll find love any day.
Speaker 7:Okay, thank you very much. Hey, this has been an interesting topic. I loved it.
Speaker 9:I loved it.
Speaker 7:I loved it yes, this has been the KNDH. We'll see you next week.