Jefferson Bethke: Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word

Was born in Tacoma, Washington he made a viral video of his spoken word poetry about his journey to discover truth I found it to be a very insightful view into his world.

I also found an article about what inspired him to make this poem.



    A poem I wrote to highlight the difference between Jesus and false religion. In the scriptures Jesus received the most opposition from the most religious people of his day. At its core Jesus' gospel and the good news of the Cross is in pure opposition to self-righteousness/self-justification. Religion is man-centered, Jesus is God-centered. This poem highlights my journey to discover this truth. Religion either ends in pride or despair. Pride because you make a list and can do it and act better than everyone, or despair because you can't do your own list of rules and feel not good enough for God. With Jesus, though, you have humble confident joy because He represents you, you don't represent yourself and His sacrifice is perfect, putting us in perfect standing with God!
    —Jefferson Bethke, Crosswalk.com (2012)



 What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion
What if I told you voting Republican really wasn't His mission?
What if I told you republican doesn't automatically mean Christian
And just because you call some people blind doesn't automatically give you vision

I mean if religion is so great, why has it started so many wars
Why does it build huge churches, but fails to feed the poor
Tells single moms God doesn't love them if they've ever had a divorce
But in the Old Testament, God actually calls religious people whores

Religion might preach grace, but another thing they practice
Tend to ridicule God's people, they did it to John The Baptist
They can't fix their problems, and so they just mask it
Not realizing religion's like spraying perfume on a casket
See the problem with religion, is it never gets to the core
It's just behavior modification, like a long list of chores
Like let's dress up the outside make it look nice and neat
But it's funny that's what they use to do to mummies while the corpse rots underneath

Now I ain't judging, I'm just saying quit putting on a fake look
Cause there's a problem if people only know you're a Christian by your Facebook
I mean in every other aspect of life, you know that logic's unworthy
It's like saying you play for the Lakers just because you bought a jersey
You see this was me too, but no one seemed to be on to me
Acting like a church kid, while addicted to pornography
See on Sunday I'd go to church, but Saturday getting faded
Acting if I was simply created just to have sex and get wasted
See I spent my whole life building this facade of neatness
But now that I know Jesus, I boast in my weakness

Because if grace is water, then the church should be an ocean
It's not a museum for good people, it's a hospital for the broken
Which means I don't have to hide my failure, I don't have to hide my sin
Because it doesn't depend on me it depends on him
See because when I was God's enemy and certainly not a fan
He looked down and said I want, that, man
Which is why Jesus hated religion, and for it he called them fools
Don't you see so much better than just following some rules
Now let me clarify, I love the church, I love the Bible, and yes I believe in sin
But if Jesus came to your church would they actually let him in
See remember he was called a glutton, and a drunkard by religious men
But the son of God never supports self righteousness not now, not then

Now back to the point, one thing is vital to mention
How Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrum
See one's the work of God, but one's a man made invention
See one is the cure, but the other's the infection
See because religion says do, Jesus says done
Religion says slave, Jesus says son
Religion puts you in bondage, while Jesus sets you free
Religion makes you blind, but Jesus makes you see
And that's why religion and Jesus are two different clans

Religion is man searching for God, Christianity is God searching for man
Which is why salvation is freely mine, and forgiveness is my own
Not based on my merits but Jesus's obedience alone
Because he took the crown of thorns, and the blood dripped down his face
He took what we all deserved, I guess that's why you call it grace
And while being murdered he yelled
"Father forgive them they know not what they do."
Because when he was dangling on that cross, he was thinking of you
And he absorbed all of your sin, and buried it in the tomb
Which is why I'm kneeling at the cross, saying come on there's room
So for religion, no I hate it, in fact I literally resent it
Because when Jesus said it is finished, I believe he meant it




Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus - Spoken Word-Jefferson Bethke from Daniel Eggers on Vimeo.

If you like his spoken word you can find more videos of him performing various poems here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/bball1989

More infomation about Jefferson Bethke can be found here:
http://jeffbethke.com/

Dobby Gibson

Was born in Minneapolis, at age 26 he wrote his first poem. Dobby Gibson won the Beatrice Hawley Award in 2004 for his first book of poetry called, Polar. Dobby Gibson "free-verse poems combine lyric musicality, deconstructed aphorisms, and inventive humor"





I found a really good video of Dobby Gibson talking about what poetry means to him and his basic perception of the art form it was a real interesting video.



Poetry in Motion from Works Progress on Vimeo.   

Polar: by Dobby Gibson

Like the last light
spring snowfall
that seems to arrive
from out of nowhere
and not land, exactly, anyplace,
so too do the syllables of thought
dissolve silently into the solitude
of the body in thought.
Like touching your skin,
or the first time I touched ice
and learned it was really water
and that neither were glass,
so does the jet contrail overhead
zip something closed in us,
perhaps any notion of the bluer.
Glancing sunlight,
my shoulders bearing the burden
or any theory why these birds
remain so devoted
to their own vanishing.
One store promises flowers
for all your needs,
another tells you
everything must go.
One river runs like a wound
that will never heal,
one snow falls like a medicine
that will never salve,
you the Earth, me the moon,
a subject moved in a direction
you desire, but for reasons
I believe to be my own.

My Thoughts on Polar:

In my opinion Gibson provides a cold feeling and portrays the emotion of sadness, I especially like the last part of the poem where he talks about the earth and the moon. Its interesting because the moon orbits the earth and the way it orbits is really based on the way the earth is pulling it "a subject moved in a direction you desire, but for reasons I believe to be my own" This is a very good observation or way of looking at the moon and its relation to earth.

More information about Dobby Gibson can be found here:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/dobby-gibson

Donald Justice

Is an American poet who grew up in Florida and when to the University of Miami best known for his "finely crafted verse that frequently illuminates the pain of loss and the desolation of an unlived life". Donald Justice has published thirteen collections of poetry, He won the Lamont Poetry Prize from the Academy of American poets in 1961. He has also received many other awards including the Pulitzer prize for Poetry, the Bollingen Prize and the Lannan Literary Award.


I tried really hard to find a video of Donald Justice reading his poetry but I can't seem to find one so I decided to post a video of someone else reading his poetry.

Pantoum Of The Great Depression

Our lives avoided tragedy
Simply by going on and on,
Without end and with little apparent meaning.
Oh, there were storms and small catastrophes.

Simply by going on and on
We managed. No need for the heroic.
Oh, there were storms and small catastrophes.
I don't remember all the particulars.

We managed. No need for the heroic.
There were the usual celebrations, the usual sorrows.
I don't remember all the particulars.
Across the fence, the neighbors were our chorus.

There were the usual celebrations, the usual sorrows
Thank god no one said anything in verse.
The neighbors were our only chorus,
And if we suffered we kept quiet about it.

At no time did anyone say anything in verse.
It was the ordinary pities and fears consumed us,
And if we suffered we kept quiet about it.
No audience would ever know our story.

It was the ordinary pities and fears consumed us.
We gathered on porches; the moon rose; we were poor.
What audience would ever know our story?
Beyond our windows shone the actual world.

We gathered on porches; the moon rose; we were poor.
And time went by, drawn by slow horses.
Somewhere beyond our windows shone the actual world.
The Great Depression had entered our souls like fog.

And time went by, drawn by slow horses.
We did not ourselves know what the end was.
The Great Depression had entered our souls like fog.
We had our flaws, perhaps a few private virtues.

But we did not ourselves know what the end was.
People like us simply go on.
We had our flaws, perhaps a few private virtues,
But it is by blind chance only that we escape tragedy.

And there is no plot in that; it is devoid of poetry.

My Thoughts on "Pantoum Of The Great Depression"

I believe Justice did a good job of expressing the feeling of despair that people must have felt during the great depression but more importantly he emphasized the spirit and tenacity of the time. Times were hard but people made due with what they had and moved on. Also the last line which he stated that "it is by blind chance only that we escape tragedy.

And there is no plot in that; it is devoid of poetry." I think he was playing on the theme of people just accepting the situation for what it was and not really expressing how they really felt sort of like an untold story that would of been great had some decided to tell it. "It is the devoid of poetry" the great depression went without poetry is what I believe he was hinting at.


More information about Donald Jusitce's work can be found here:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/donald-justice

Jack Kerouac

Jack Keruac is an american poet and novelist. He was most famous for hes novel "On the Road" a book that played a part in inspiring the beat generation movement. I decided to do an introduction on Jack kerouac because after doing my research paper on the beat generation I have become more familiar and intrigued by his work.  Jack was born in March 12th 1922 and died on Oct  21st 1969. 







Here is a little video clip of Jack Kerouac reading some of his poetry


JACK KEROUAC from ALANSKY on Vimeo.


I found a book that Kerouac wrote called Mexico City Blues: 242 Choruses this book is pretty interesting because it was written in sought of a jazzy format after reading just a few random choruses from the book I was hooked. It feels as through the book sends you on a musical journey though his words. however I when I read a few chorus something felt a little bit off with the poems, I later then heard the same poems accompanied by some smooth jazz music and the words seemed to flow with the music perfectly. This was exactly what Kerouac was trying to achieve with this book and he did a really good job.







Below are a few choruses from the book if your interested in reading more I have found a link to the whole book Mexico City Blues


Mexico city blues 228th chorus

Praised be man, he is existing in milk
and living in lilies -
And his violin music takes place in milk
and creamy emptiness -
Praised be the unfolded inside petal
flesh of tend’rest thought -
(petrels on the follying
wave-valleys idly
sing themselves asleep) -
Praised be delusion, the ripple -
Praised be the Holy Ocean of Eternity -
Praised be I, writing, dead already and
dead again -
Dipped in acid inkl
the flamd
of Tim
the Anglo Oglo Saxon Maneuvers
Of Old Poet-o’s -
Praised be wood, it is milk -
Praised be Honey at the Source -
Praised be the embrace of soft sleep
- the valor of angels in valleys
of hell on earth below -
Praised be the Non ending -
Praised be the lights of earth-man -
Praised be the watchers -
Praised be my fellow man
For dwelling in milk”
– Jack Kerouac, mexico city blues 228th chorus



More information about Jack Kerouac can be found at:
http://www.jackkerouac.com/

Silliman’s Theme

Posted on October 16, 2012

http://ronsilliman.blogspot.ca/

Reoccurring Theme: Beat Poetry

I chose this the theme of beat poetry because I find that era of poetry fascinating and I admire the spirit of the times and the non conformist values they held. I believe it was a time of spiritual awakening these poets challenged the traditional views society deemed as being normal and dared to ask the important question of why? this form of poetry is like an introspective view on society.  This type of poetry speaks to me on a personal level because I often find myself trying to make sense of the world I live. I especially like the fact that the views on our society and culture vary so differently from person to person.

Christian Bok’s the Xenotext Experiment

Posted on October 16, 2012

I find it extremely interesting that Christian Bok chose to encode his work into living matter in this case a bacteria strand called, “Deinococcus radiodurans”. The XenoText Experiment takes using art and technology to new heights. This form of bacteria is extremely resilient and is able to withstand an atomic blast. The significance of this is your work could potentially out live the human race and live on in this simple organism. This marks a new era  for art and potential art forms.