This is my first post here and I hope I don't get the boot right off.

I am a long time fan of Arlo. I have loved his music but his spiritual journey sounds like he has been hanging around Melanie Safka to much.

I am a fan of Arlo but, I must admit I am a bigger Melanie fan. She is beginning to act like Arlo in her old age. What's with all this one world religion crap they preach? I don't get it. Arlo says it was religious "fundamentalists" that brought down the twin towers. I thought it was terrorists????

Melanie called me a "predjustice biggot" because I challanged her Hindu guru hugging whatever. I thought Jesus said," I am the ONLY way." All these artists pushing their one world religion are hurting people. I wish they would keep their religion to themselves and stop pushing them on this fan. You can read more on my website about Melanie and the god-woman if you would like. http://LetHerIn.org

Maybe I should start another page about Arlo.

I think enough has been said about Madonnas cult. I am going to leave her alone for now.

If I sound angry, it's because I am. I m so sick of artists saying they AREN't pushing any religion. It's just a lie.

Jim Baldwin,
Spokane WA
PS: I DON"T SPELLCHECK so please don't correct me like some high school teacher. Thank you.

Hello TarBabyJim. Welcome to the site.
I am not sure if Jesus said I am the only way or if it was one of the Ten Commandments from GOD you mean. I go with the writing form Ma over the entrance to the Guthrie Center saying: One god- Many forms.
Anyway you live in a country where you are allowed to speak and write your mind, be grateful for that and allow others to have the same right, including artists. Or should they not talk about politics either, or economics or love or ..........
What kind of music or paintings or plays do you expect would be created without the personal beliefs or experiences of the artist?
Brigitte

Yeah, Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me. It's John 14:6. When Arlo said they were religious "fundamentalists", I don't think he meant like fundamentalists Christians but that simply they were zealous in how they believed & did. I think he is a very spiritual man who loves God. I think artists religious views show a part of who they are & what they believe. I looked at your Melanie site & it was interesting...

the terrorists ARE religious fundamentalists! Ask em yourself...

Being new here myself, I wasn't going to stick my foot in this door. I have never been kicked out of a restaurant, and hope I won't be now either.

Personally, I have never felt an artist pushing anything on me. As Brigitte said, we are allowed to speak and feel and believe whatever we choose. Arlo's spiritual journey is just that...Arlo's ! If he wants to share it with me and all of us, then I will happily listen. If I choose not to listen, that's fine too. Would something he believed in that I didn't, change the way I feel about his music or his charactor? For me, no. For others, the answer may be different.


I just never thought about anyone, artist or otherwise, enspousing their beliefs as pushing it on me. I'm free to close that door, open a window and just listen to the music. After all it's what brought me here in the first place. Personally, I'm enjoying tagging along. It's been very educational and I don't see it becoming any less so in the future! I don't feel it's being pushed on me in the lest. In fact, he's likely getting tired of me stepping on the hem of his jeans because I don't want to miss anything! Does that make me a follower or a seeker? I wonder, therefore I seek. He's not pushing...I'm looking. Looking for a better way to navagate in this sink hole of a world. He has some great ideas.
I'm listening.

Wish I could have said it like that Stephanie

In my Father's house there are many mansions.

One of the beauties of this place and community for me is that we're all seekers and pushing is not encouraged.

I've never known Arlo to "push" any religion, but rather accept them all. It's what one might expect from a guy that started a " bring you own God church'. It would seem that tolerance, although preached by many religions, is not practiced as it's preached.

BTW Folks,

I don't think the guy who started this thread has any interest in what anyone else has to say, it's just some idiot rant. At first I was wondering what world religion I was preaching. I couldn't think of one. As most of you know, my take has always been that's there's one truth and infinite ways to approach it.

The key to the guy's fundamentalism is this: He says "... I challanged her Hindu guru hugging whatever. I thought Jesus said," I am the ONLY way."

In other words, it's inconceivable to him that Melanie's hugging guru could be a part of Jesus' way. How small his Jesus is compared to the biblical Jesus who is there for anyone who asks, who seeks, or who preaches love.

As he cannot arise to meet the big Jesus, he makes his Jesus small enough to meet him. He has made a God in his own image, to fit into his small heart, and he called him by a familiar name.

If he does create a web page for me, I hope he'll be man enough to put these words in it.

adg

Thanks, Arlo. In the 38 years I've known you, I can't recall a single time, whether on stage or in personal conversation, that you've ever "preached" or proselytized. I do recall a passage in Laura Lee's book about your religious beliefs being "all."

As someone raised Jewish, I had a classmate friend from an Arab country. We used to sit and talk about religion and he told me that his father taught him that we are all approaching the same place, just from different directions. His Arab father's business partner is a Jew! And not in the USA, either... they are in one of the middle-east countries near Israel... I can't recall which, it's been too many years.

From where I sit, if Jesus proclaimed that his is the ONLY way, that would be for those who follow him. But for those who don't, no matter what he may or may not have said is of no consequence. When I was a child, my mother insisted that Judaism is the ONLY way. That Judaism is the only "real" religion (whatever that means!).

I have fundamentalist and charismatic friends, I have friends who are Native American, as well as Catholic. I find religion to be a very interesting subject and have taken some courses in it (of course, from an anthropologic point of view). It never mattered to me how others believe. And I don't think it should matter to anyone how someone else believes.

Yep Thanks.... I could not agree more!!!

well thanks for that post Jim... I don't think you got the boot, but it appears you're getting the well deserved bird!

and don't worry, I'm not a high school teacher, I'm not that privileged!
But I do know that some people choose to not use a spell checker because they don't want to appear as if they were smart.
Have no fear, mission accomplished.


and finally let me add, as Larry pointed out, Arlo started a "bring your own god church". Well, by extension, I've always felt that this was a "bring your own god (and chonklit cake)" piece of the internet. And THAT is one reason why arlo.net is a cool place to be.
It IS all Arlo's fault. And that's a good thing.

I think you did! There is a lot of wisdom in your words.

TarBaby's post just took me by surprise. Posting feelings and beliefs and thoughts and knowledge online for everyone to read isn't pushing anything on anyone. I don't understand why an artist's religion & them speaking of it, should make him angry. Well I didn't, but I think Arlo cleared it up for me...

"As he cannot arise to meet the big Jesus, he makes his Jesus small enough to meet him. He has made a God in his own image, to fit into his small heart, and he called him by a familiar name. "

You have no idea HOW tempted I was to... well, I AM a teacher, after all, although it's just middle school

The only things Arlo pushes are truth, love and beauty, through words, music and deeds. We need not judge those we admire and then accost them when when our perception doesn't fit our way of thinking (or feeling, because in this case, there isn't a lot of thinking going on). I deeply admire Arlo, but I bet there is plenty we disagree about spiritually. That doesn't change my mind about him, nor might I take offense. Last time I checked, we still had a First Amendment to the Constitution (but that was 5 minutes ago, so things may have changed).