Raised agnostic as I was, I haven’t had any institution with absolute moral authority in my life. I mean, my parents were pretty powerful for a while there. But they didn’t raise me to believe in absolute authority.
During my childhood, the hypocrisies of Christianity and other religions were highlighted more often than their virtues. And from the age of 14 on, I had huge role models in John, Paul, George & Ringo. I don’t remember Lennon saying the Beatles were “bigger than Jesus” when it happened, but I did learn of the moral outrage in the Bible Belt, as the group was banned and their records burned.
Now, all these years later, I read that the Vatican has forgiven the Beatles. Given some of the moral difficulties the Church faces lately, it would be easy to mock their belated change of heart, but I rather like some of the sentiments expressed.
“They may not have been the best example for the youth of the day but they were by no means the worst. Their beautiful melodies changed music and continue to give pleasure.” And “Forty years later the Beatles still astound with their originality and they are a consolation against the continual assault on music lovers by the record industry.”
They even called the Beatles “a precious jewel.” To which I can only say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”
I’ve seen numerous retrospectives on the Beatles, all these years since, and I’m often struck anew by how polished they and their music were. They weren’t perfect (which this agnostic appreciates, in an odd way), but their music was as immaculate as any, and I still miss them. Not the Beatlemania. Not what the media frenzy reflected of our culture through them back at us. But the music and the messages they colored their songs with, how positive they were, and the easy grace they achieved, I miss all of that very much. Do kids these days have bands like that?
It took the Vatican what, 400 years to forgive Galileo and admit he was right about the solar system? So perhaps 40 years to forgive Lennon is an evolution, a progress, of sorts.
OmbudsBen 
I forgave the Beatles a long time ago for casting their unbridled Dyonesian curse on the innocent baby-boomer generation. Now we must forgive the Vatican pedophile-ring for corrupting generations of innocents. The truth must never come out.
Curse? Hardly.
And for what it’s worth: “Dionysian.”
I have to disagree with you about not revealing the truth either there, Johnny. I’m more the type who believes a free and healthy media is like bleach and has great antiseptic properties for a democracy… or an old-fashioned theocracy like the Vatican, too.
Have you tried listening to Rubber Soul lately? It might dispell a bit of harshness there.
I grew up on the Beatles, my mom was a huge fan. One lesson from the whole ‘Bigger than Jesus” thing is that if anyone had really listened to him, they would realize that he wasn’t saying they *should* be bigger than Jesus, just that the mania was out of control. So listening to people’s actual words in context is a good idea.
Another lesson in the whole religion vs. pop music star is that listening to people’s actual words in context doesn’t help when the people in question are lying liars, protecting f**king pedophiles. I think it might be a good idea to stop the whole celibacy thing for priests, because that might help to weed out people who have strange ideas of their own sexual capabilities and desires. I’m not saying that trying to be celibate turns a person into a pedophile. But I think celibacy goes against the laws of nature (none of us would be here, person, animal, or plant) without sex (with a few asexual exceptions, if you’re a nitpicker), and to require that of people, and make it one of the requirements, sorts for people who think they’re able to do sexual things against nature, etc. etc.
I pretty much agree, J.
First of all, about your Mom: she has good taste in music!
Second, I agree about the whole celibacy thing. It’s their theology, not mine, but requiring their priests to be celibate does, IMHO, signal some possibly unhealthy ideas about sex. (Further confirmed for me in their opposition to most birth control, especially when overpopulation is the one problem driving virtually *all* our other problems.)
The odd thing is that sometimes I almost feel sorry for the Catholic spokespeople. Certainly not for the pedophiles. And not so much for those who tried to cover it up by rotating the offenders, either.
But for the millions and millions of practicing Catholics who must be as horrified by this as we are, I feel a touch of empathy for them, in particular for anyone whose job it is to stand up and answer for this monstrosity when they had no part in it, other than having been born into that church.
It’s amazing how what was once claimed to be the detriment of youth is now accepted and even applauded. I suspect every generation must have it.
I don’t listen to much rock or pop these days… it’s on very rare occasions.
But I can’t imagine there are many, if any, bands for this generation that will have as much of an impact as bands of the past. Perhaps it’s because it was uncharted territory.
I mean what other band could pull off:
Goo goo g’ joob..
Goo goo g’ joob
I don’t know…
I’d better go.
It’s been a hard day’s night.