Have you ever wondered the ideology driving the passion of leftists who seek to eradicate the Christians foundations of freedom and the pursuit of what is true and noble? We don’t need to catch a glimpse into the darkness as they are sharing their heart’s desire. There is a push underway to replace the American “Star Spangled Banner” with John Lennon’s “Imagine.” This is no surprise as God-haters have long swooned over this paean to self-indulgence that gives “My Way” a run for the money as the greatest celebration of narcissistic banality ever written.

Unlike the classic American anthem, the secular pretender to the throne doesn’t venerate the noble history of the country (which they look upon with contempt), but it paints the vision of where they want to take the nation based on an elixir or wishful thinking and self-indulgent vision-casting. In fairness, the “Star Spangled Banner” like all anthems is an idealized rose-coloured interpretation that is intended to inspire by celebrating how the nation persevered under adversity. I will not simply drill down into the political messaging under-girding these competing narratives because, as a Canadian and a Christian, I know what matters most is far deeper than political ideologies. What ought to matter is the moral system that defines a nation, so I will address competing secular and Christian visions.

“Imagine there’s no heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky”

      Here we see that Lennon does not attempt to engage in the Dawkinsonian method of trying to insist that there is no heaven; but instead he wants to wish away its existence. As I have addressed in a previous post (Missing Heaven, Choosing Hell), most atheists maintain uncertainty regarding heaven, but feel their general “goodness” should earn them a place in the celestial choir. While I can’t ask Lennon himself what he intended, it is difficult to know whether his animus toward heaven is based on his desire to simply become maggot food or because he doesn’t want to spend eternity with God and his faithful. Regardless, it is certainly logical that wishing away heaven also naturally engenders the desire to erase hell.

“Imagine all the people

Living for today,”

      Here, the secular left has left nothing to the imagination. Some years ago, Richard Dawkins’s initiated a billboard campaign in his native Britain. The signage put up in various locations read, “There’s probably no God, so stop worrying and enjoy your lives.” When I posted this campaign slogan without comment to a group of on-line atheists, all respondents expressed tacit and unequivocal support for this catchphrase. I pointed out that this sentiment reveals a cynical latent hedonism and shows blatant indifference to the welfare of others. Many absurdly and suddenly countered with the claim that rejecting God invites people to show compassion for others.  This is patently absurd and shows the lengths unbelievers are willing to go to gloss over the opportunism of their hedonistic worldview.

The Bible, alternatively, is filled with duties to put others first, seek to daily constrain our passions in pursuit of the fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control), and to daily take up our cross and follow Christ’s example. The song calls to a deeper notion of nobility that is eradicated under the provisions he insists are a prerequisite to achieving secular nirvana. Living for today sans this moral compass is why we have out of wedlock births, theft, massive debt and “children” living in their parent’s basement well into adulthood. This nurtures both a Peter Pan-like tendency to evade responsibility and an infantile insistence on having their needs met without regard for future generations.

Christians are encouraged not to become preoccupied with worries about tomorrow, but this is a direct teaching to live a life of meaning and purpose, free of anxiety but committed to the welfare of others. We know this because it is the central message of scripture. When Jesus was asked what commandment was the most important, he said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these tow commandments.” This is not what drives the atheist left as they insist that the “one percenters” pay the freight to make their daily life easier.

“Imagine there’s no countries

It isn’t hard to do”

      One could be mistaken for believing the hard left is sincere at least in this case given their efforts to eradicate the border with Mexico, but this would be as simplistic as conflating legal with illegal immigration. They don’t really seek a one-world government, but are merely useful idiots, allowing themselves to serve as pawns for those committed to this agenda. American and Canadian leftists are hyper-critical of their country’s shortcomings, but they have no intention of picking up stakes and moving to countries they elevate either implicitly (through refusing to criticize human rights abuses globally) or by selectively venerating aspects of some cultures to condemn their native land. How many countries would even permit the criticism and chaos they engage in for the sake of culture change? They don’t want no countries – they want a world living under their worldview – adopting a “will to power” approach and/or creeping toward an incremental coup d’état.

Christians recognise that the objective should not be the eradication of borders as the focus is on unity among believers. We are to have discernment when nations veer away from the values that help them to thrive. These are grounded in individual freedoms based upon moral duties. Nowhere is there a call to get rid of governments because of what Christians know to be true. People are inherently evil. No government leads to anarchy and excessive government will lead to abuses and eradication of rights and freedoms. The closer a nation adheres to Christian values, the better off everyone will be. Lennon and his sycophants seem to miss the admonition of G.K. Chesterton that, “(W)henever you remove a fence, always pause long enough to ask why it was put there in the first place.” Leftists tend to plow through barriers and end up surprised to see the law that “nature abhors a vacuum” inevitably kicks in. By then, it is too late to take back their regrets.

“Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too”

The irony is not lost on me when it comes to this stanza given the unique circumstances surrounding by The Beatles collectively and Lennon in particular. Charles Manson – decidedly not a believer in any organized religion – found inspiration in the words of The Beatles’ “White Album” (and notably in the song “Helter Skelter”) to viciously perpetrate a deadly attack on Sharon Tate, her pre-born baby and visitors to the home of Roman Polanski (also a secularist and pedophile) one fateful night. Manson created his own secular “family” and enacted his own perverted vision of justice. The Beatles became unwitting pawns in his malign and heinous violence with religion divorced from the process.

Add to this Lennon’s fate at the hands of Mark David Chapman. Again, this was not a religion-inspired attack. This was a man driven likely by mental illness and committed an act inexcusable except under the murky foundations of a naturalistic worldview. Lennon may have been personally devoted to peace – devoting a week-long “bed-in” to this cause (which inextricably failed to yield global peace), but alas his attacker did not share his convictions. In no way do I want to denigrate Lennon or the Beatles for actions they never would have endorsed, but since “Imagine” posits the need to throw off religion to find utopia; it is relevant to point out the failure of his thesis.

Notably, I would argue that Christianity is not “a religion” among many, but a relationship with Christ based on the truth of existence. I don’t “imagine” it to be true, but am convinced of the veracity. There is much to say that some religions are a source for evil (i.e. Islamists who follow the Koranic teachings, Hindus with their caste system and enacting brutal violence toward Christians). Atheist nations like China, South Korea, Iran, South Africa, etc. demonstrate that one need not be inspired by a formal religious worldview to perpetrate the most heinous of evils so the solution is not found in rejecting “religion” and godless secularism is certainly not grounding for paradise on earth.

“Imagine all the people

Living life in peace”

Even beyond the international examples cited above, the prospect of living in peace is clearly not the objective of the left in North America. Black Lives Matter, the Occupy Movement, antifa, college campus protests – wherever we look we see the violence is being committed by the political left. I asked repeatedly for non-believers to identify any organized effort from conservatives and Christians that actively promotes or excuses violence and no one has proffered an example. The Tea Party, March for Life, 40 Days for Life, etc. are not only the least violent, but the most respectful in their message and civility. Furthermore, many leftists implicitly defend the violence of their groups by parroting the “mostly peaceful” slogan peddled by the media and Democrats. Several have even maintained that the police or conservatives or Christians are responsible or complicit due to being targeted for squaring off against the violence, rioting and looting because intervention is treated as an incitement to violence. Clearly many are not just fans of Lennon but also Marx – believing that to make a socialist omelet, sometimes you need to break a few legs.

Christians are advised that we will not have peace this side of heaven. This was never what God intended. Our peace is found in Christ. We are promised division within our families because of THEIR actions. We are guaranteed persecution and are called to be peacemakers through it all. We know that there is no justice on this earth because deeply flawed humans are in charge of it, but we have the promise of a coming Judgment Day that will right the wrongs of this hour – including the eradication of personal and religious freedoms in favour of the call to deconstruction that under-girds the people who find “Imagine” to be inspiring.

“Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world”

The cynic in me would start by pointing out that Lennon had an estimated $800 million dollars in wealth to his name at the time of his death (which Yoko and Julian went tooth and claw to claim), but that’s not how I roll. Okay – maybe a little. Going deeper, the left wants us to believe that their devotion to others is inherent in their desire for socialism. In reality, they covet the freebies, vote for whoever promises the most, have no concern for the amassing of debt, and want the “one-percenters” to pay for their indulgences. Most seek to be government trust-fund kids for life. We know this because they use government as a proxy for sharing (redistributing) wealth and they are far less charitable of their time and money than are Christians and conservatives. They also tend to show indifferent toward the plight of the impoverished and enslaved around the world. They focus instead on perceived micro-aggressions and clearing the path from any ideas they don’t like.

I do confess that, for a people who is committed to getting any reference to God and “mankind” out of anthems; I’d love to see the infighting that would ensue over the inherent misogyny in “A brotherhood of man.” Even while capturing their spirit animal, Lennon was not sufficiently woke even for the faithful of his flock.

Christians are clearly tasked with caring for widows and orphans and the obligation we owe to those in need is beyond question. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus makes clear that our failure to provide for others will cause professing believers to be cast into the lake of fire. It is not an option. Any attempt to argue before God that we voted in politicians who promised to take money from the wealthy to distribute to others including ourselves is not likely to go well for that person.

“You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will be as one”

     Beyond the confounding notion that this song can be seen in any light as aspirational, this seemingly innocuous section is what I consider the most pernicious. I don’t care if leftists find comfort in this piece of sophistry, but they do not HOPE we will join them – they demand it. That is what all the efforts to destroy any vestiges of Christianity and conservatism by any means necessary is about. I have no problem if like-minded fools want to build their own secular Benedict-option version of communal living. They require that all of us get behind their nightmare vision or be made to care through indoctrination, force, or any means necessary. To them, coexist means, “bend the knee before our god.”

Is it any wonder that a more fitting anthem for the Christ follower is found in the words of the renowned song by Mercyme?

“I can only imagine what it will be like

When I walk by your side

I can only imagine what my eyes will see

When Your face is before me

I can only imagine

Surrounded by Your glory

What will my heart feel?

Will I dance for You, Jesus

Or in awe of You be still?

 

Will I stand in your presence

Or to my knees will I fall?

Will I sing “Hallelujah?

Will I be able to speak at all?

 

I can only imagine when that day comes

And I find myself standing in the sun/son

I can only imagine when all I will do

Is forever-forever worship you.”