Rosen: It's hard to 'Imagine' that

Published November 24, 2006 at midnight

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Elton John - make that Sir Elton John - recently declared in a magazine interview that "religion should be banned completely." At least he didn't say it should be banned selectively; that might smack of favoritism and discrimination. It seems his animus toward religion is driven largely by his status as a homosexual. He resents religiously based disapproval of his lifestyle and says that religion directs "hatred towards gay people." His ironic remedy is that religious intolerance, as he sees it, shouldn't be tolerated. He's also critical of religious leaders for not coming together to end war.

Now, Elton John is a talented musician. But like so many right-brained artsy types, he's given more to emoting than to reasoning or practicality. It's certainly true that throughout history religious differences have sometimes led to war. But he hasn't explained just how he'd "ban" religion or how the ban would be enforced. Would he have our armies go to war against religion? And would they first shoot their chaplains? What would Americans do with our First Amendment guarantee of religious freedom and those pesky references to "God" and the "Creator" in the Declaration of Independence?

Of course, Sir Elton is not to be taken seriously. He's just venting. As long as the vast majority of humans believe in one form of deity or another, there will be religion - for better or worse.

In the midst of his ramblings, Elton John invoked the memory of John Lennon, saying that if he were alive today he'd be fighting for peace (my oxymoron, not his). Which reminded me of Lennon's epic song, Imagine. Baby boomer romantic nostalgia notwithstanding, the puerile lyrics of that tune sound like a collaboration of Karl Marx, Cindy Sheehan and Dennis Kucinich.

Imagine there's no heaven/It's easy if you try/No hell below us/Above us only sky/Imagine all the people/Living for today

Even if you don't believe in rewards or punishment in the hereafter, responsible adults don't live just for today. They defer gratification and save for a rainy day and retirement. Think of the parable of the grasshopper and the ant.

Imagine there's no countries/It isn't hard to do/Nothing to kill or die for/And no religion, too/Imagine all the people/Living life in peace

No, I can't imagine that. It's anti-historical and contrary to human nature. People are inherently tribal and nationalistic. They band together, linked by common cultures, superstitions, beliefs, values and preferred systems of political economy.

You may say that 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

You're a dreamer. Never happen. The only way the world would be as one is under the guns of a militaristic, totalitarian regime. And even that would only be temporary. Empires invariably fall.

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

Good heavens, no! This is right out of The Communist Manifesto. No possessions? You mean no property rights? That means no rewards, no incentives, no creativity and very little production. Moochers living off a dwindling pool of hard workers. Who's going to harvest the crops while the "dreamers" are smoking dope and flashing peace signs with that silly grin on their faces? What everyone owns, no one owns. Think of the graffiti on the walls of community-owned property like a New York City subway station men's room. By comparison, have you ever seen graffiti on the walls of a bathroom in someone's private home?

You may say that 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

He's repeating himself. We've already covered that. Where's Mister Hold Button when I really need him?

End of song.

When I discussed this on my radio show recently, a well-meaning but hopelessly idealistic woman called in and defended Lennon's message as "aspirational," as in a lofty and hopeful goal. I responded that as an ambitious goal-setter myself, I've aspired to many things in life and proudly accomplished some of them. But I don't believe in setting your sights on things that are impossible to achieve or counterproductive. That's a formula for wasted effort, failure and frustration.

Remarkably, the woman described herself as a devout Christian whose "aspirations" apparently didn't include renouncing her faith. Islamofascists also have no interest in discarding their predatory religious beliefs, either. They just want you to give up yours. Imagine that.

Mike Rosen's radio show airs daily from 9 a.m. to noon on 850 KOA. He can be reached by e-mail at mikerosen@850koa.com.

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