Gaga

Because Lady Gaga seems to constantly be reducing women to sex objects, I have a personal problem with her.  And shouldn't all women have a problem with being reduced to sex objects? Shouldn't our boyfriends and husbands?

It's ironic that females, many of whom have long been pursuing women's rights, actually support artists who objectify us and reduce our value to so very little.  We're continually exploited by the people who entertain us.

But I'm not just offended by the way in which Gaga exploits my gender.  I'm more concerned about her anti-Christ behavior; she not only blasphemes the Savior, but continually promotes Satan through her lyrics and videos. She is thus, in every sense of the term, an anti-Christ figure.  And what I don't understand is given all of this, our culture is worshipping her.

I don't think it's possible to miss Gaga's blasphemous lyrics--or the Satanic symbolism in her music videos--but in case you have overlooked these blatant messages, let me point out a few:

"Judas"(my comments are italicized)

Ohohohoh
I'm in love with Judas, Judas

Ohohohoh
I'm in love with Judas, Judas

Judas! Juda-as Judas! Juda-as
Judas! Juda-as Judas! GAGA


Judas, the disciple who betrayed Christ by betraying Him to Roman soldiers, became the son of perdition (John 17:12). 

When he comes to me, I am ready
I'll wash his feet with my hair if he needs
Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain
Even after three times, he betrays me


Gaga references the woman who washed Christ's feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair (Luke 7:44); far worse, though, is that Gaga implies her ability to forgive sins when God alone has the authority to forgive sins (Luke 5:21).

I'll bring him down, bring him down, down
A king with no crown, king with no crown

I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby he's so cruel
But still I'm in love with Judas, baby
I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby he's so cruel
But still I'm in love with Judas, baby

Ohohohoh
I'm in love with Judas, Judas

Ohohohoh
I'm in love with Judas, Judas

Judas! Juda-as Judas! Juda-as
Judas! Juda-as Judas! GAGA


I couldn't love a man so purely
Even prophets forgave his crooked way
I've learned love is like a brick you can
Build a house or sink a dead body


I have no knowledge of prophets forgiving Judas.  
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/l/lady_gaga/judas.html ]
I'll bring him down, bring him down, down
A king with no crown, king with no crown

I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby he's so cruel
But still I'm in love with Judas, baby
I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby he's so cruel
But still I'm in love with Judas, baby

Ohohohoh
I'm in love with Judas, Judas

Ohohohoh
I'm in love with Judas, Judas

In the most Biblical sense,
I am beyond repentance
Fame hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind
But in the cultural sense
I just speak in future tense
Judas kiss me if offenced,
Or wear an ear condom next time


Beyond repentance?  That's for God to judge and I hope you're not, but if you don't come to see the light eventually--yes, Ms. Gaga, you will probably be "beyond repentance" in the "most Biblical sense."


You are acting like a "hooker" and a "prostitute wench"--I wish you'd stop.  


The line "Judas kiss me if offenced" refers to when Judas betrayed Christ. Judas told the soldiers he would show them who Christ was by kissing Christ on the cheek (Matthew 6:49) 

I wanna love you,
But something's pulling me away from you
Jesus is my virtue,
And Judas is the demon I cling to
I cling to


Gaga "clings to" the son of perdition rather than Christ.



"Born This Way"(my comments are italicized)

It doesn't matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M
Just put your paws up
'Cause you were born this way, baby



Alright, this should be obvious: "Capital H-I-M" refers to God.  (And surely it does matter if we love Him.) 


"Paws" implies we're animals/beasts, not humans with reason and agency.    

My mama told me when I was young
We are all born superstars
She rolled my hair and put my lipstick on
In the glass of her boudoir
"There's nothin wrong with lovin who you are"
She said, "'cause he made you perfect, babe"
"So hold your head up girl and you'll go far,
Listen to me when I say"

I'm beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track baby
I was born this way
Don't hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track baby
I was born this way


Yes, we are beautiful in our own way, especially because we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26)--and yes, God does not make any mistakes because He is perfect.  But WE make mistakes, and loving ourselves isn't enough--"love yourself and you're set" doesn't work because the first commandment is to "Love thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37) and the second commandment is "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 22:39).  Perhaps most important to note here is that Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).  If we love Christ, we follow Him by keeping His commandments--whether Gaga likes it or not. 

Ooo there ain't no other way
Baby I was born this way
Baby I was born this way
Ooo there ain't no other way
Baby, I was born this way
I'm on the right track baby
I was born this way

Don't be a drag - just be a queen
Don't be a drag - just be a queen
Don't be a drag - just be a queen
Don't be!

Give yourself prudence
And love your friends
Subway kid, rejoice your truth
In the religion of the insecure
I must be myself, respect my youth
A different lover is not a sin
Believe capital H-I-M (hey hey hey)
I love my life I love this record and
Mi amore vole fe yah (love needs faith)


Gaga's assertion "a different lover is not a sin" followed by "Believe capital H-I-M" implies that Christ accepts relationships other than heterosexual relationships (see below where she sings: "No matter gay, straight, or bi, Lesbian, transgendered life I'm on the right track baby...")  While I love my gay friends and want them to know that, I can't deny that as a Christian, I believe God created males and females to fit together--biologically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually--in relationships, and that claiming otherwise is blasphemy.  I like what Gil Rugh said: "Homosexuality is a biblical issue, not a political issue.  How we 'feel' about it is not relevant.  What the Bible says about it is completely relevant."  Lady Gaga can claim what she wants--but truth is truth, whether or not we accept it.  


Repeat chorus + post-chorus

Don't be a drag, just be a queen
Whether you're broke or evergreen
You're black, white, beige, chola descent
You're lebanese, you're orient
Whether life's disabilities
Left you outcast, bullied, or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
'Cause baby you were born this way
No matter gay, straight, or bi,
Lesbian, transgendered life
I'm on the right track baby
I was born to survive
No matter black, white or beige
Chola or orient made
I'm on the right track baby
I was born to be brave



 Now check out the symbols in the music video:




If you want help understanding the symbols, check out this article.  Interesting points and the writer interprets the capital H-I-M as Satan himself (though I interpreted the reference as God, I see how both interpretations could work here.)

"Alejandro"


Watch it and again, if you want to read about the symbolism try this.





Watch "Bad Romance" and then read this.




Apart from lyrics and music videos, Gaga has been fairly open about personal Satanic nightmares that she includes in her performances.  She said, "I do have morbid dreams...I put them in the show.  A lot of the work I do is an exorcism for the fans but also for myself."  Gaga spoke of an illuminati dream during an interview with Rolling Stone:

"I have this recurring dream sometimes where there’s a phantom in my home and he takes me into a room, and there’s a blond girl with ropes tied to all four of her limbs. And she’s got my shoes on from the Grammys. Go figure—pyscho. And the ropes are pulling her apart.  I never see her get pulled apart, but I just watch her whimper, and then the phantom says to me, ‘If you want me to stop hurting her and if you want your family to be OK, you will cut your wrist.’ And I think that he has his own, like, crazy wrist-cutting device. And he has this honey in, like, Tupperware, and it looks like sweet-and-sour sauce with a lot of MSG from New York. Just bizarre. And he wants me to pour the honey into the wound, and then put cream over it and a gauze."


Yuck.  

Do people not get what they're supporting every time they listen to and watch Gaga's filth? 

something I learned today

Girodet, The Entombment of Atala (1808)

The virgin Atala frees Chactas and the two run away; Atala, though now in love with Chactas, had already sworn in her faith to remain a virgin.  Atala poisons herself. 

i love learning!

Today I began classes for spring term and I was amazed at the spirit I felt in each class--a spirit of truth and inspiration.  Perhaps one of the basic reasons I love learning is because I so often feel inspired by the people who teach me.  And I feel their love and light--it's not something I can explain; I just feel it!

I've been thinking lately about how I'm surrounded by so many wonderful people, and I'm becoming more and more impressed as I notice the different talents each of us has.  I've been thinking about how COOL it is that we all can work together--using our unique talents--to help each other and learn from each other.  I'm so glad we're all so different.  

But even with all our differences, we have this basic "stuff" that makes us so similar--the stuff that makes us human--and we're all in this experience in life together.  If we could just remember that, think how much we could accomplish as we come together, seeing the good in each other and building relationships founded on love and respect for the divine light within us.  

There's so much beauty in the world, especially within each of us.  And what's so exciting is that we can create more beauty with what we choose to do in life!  

the influence of a woman.

"It is interesting to know how man is put together– how incomplete he is. His whole physical and emotional, and for that matter, spiritual nature, is formed in such a way that it depends upon a source of encouragement and power that is found in a woman. When man has found his wife and companion, he has in a sense found the other half of himself. He will return to her again and again for that regeneration that exalts his manhood and strengthens him for the testing that life will give him. A woman has the privilege and influence to transform a man into an able and effective...leader. However, for this there are two prerequisites. First, she must want to, and second, she must know how. Part of knowing how includes the genius of encouraging him to meet his obligations without replacing him in his role, without presiding over him."

-Boyd K. Packer 

happy studying!

Here's a little treat for my fellow BYU spring termers.  Good way to begin the semester :)

Happy Easter!

“For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living” (Romans 14:9). 

I know Jesus suffered, died and rose again for all of us.  I know "he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities" and that He heals us (Isaiah 53:5). Christ suffered so we don't have to; He overcame death so we can live again after this life.  I know He loves us, and I know He is our Savior and God. 

This is a video from my last trip to the Garden Tomb in December, narrated by my good friend Mary.  It's perfect for Easter.



Garden Tomb from Jenna Carson on Vimeo.

beautiful

our bodies are miracles and I sometimes forget how beautiful they are--this video helps me remember :)

"There is a set of men lately sprung up amongst us, who endeavor to distinguish themselves by ridiculing everything that has hitherto appeared sacred and venerable in the eyes of mankind.  Reason, sobriety, honor, friendship, marriage are the perpetual subjects of their insipid raillery; and even public spirit, and a regard to our country, are treated as chimerical and romantic.  Were the schemes of these anti-reformers to take place, all the bonds of society must be broken..." -David Hume

God's rain.

I'm filled with gratitude to God, and I want to share with all of you dear friends who read this blog!  I need to let you know that I know God is here for us personally, in every moment, in every situation, in whatever emotion and circumstance we find ourselves.

In my journal this semester I've been writing, writing, and writing some more about how I've seen God in my life; the more I look around me, the more I see His blessings. I see His infinite, unconditional love for all of us.

I want to testify that because God loves us, He makes us strong AFTER we demonstrate faith.  Moroni explains this principle so well in one of his most beautiful prayers: "...thou [God] workest after men have faith.  For thus didst thou manifest thyself unto thy disciples; for after they had faith, and did speak in thy name, thou didst show thyself unto them in great power.  And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared" (Ether 12: 30-32)

God manifests Himself to us in our lives after we demonstrate faith; we first have hope and we then act in hope--then the blessings come.  But sometimes the blessings don't come right away, because often God wants us to stretch ourselves to our limit. If God didn't stretch us and let us struggle and grow, how would we grow in the first place?  Even throughout all the pain, though, He's there all along, shouldering our burdens with us.  Sometimes it's so hard we don't even realize He's here; we cry and plead, and we think we're getting nowhere.  But after we continue to hang in there and get by--doing the best we can--things come together.  That's when God pours blessings like RAIN!  And it's not a sprinkling of blessings; it's a STORM of blessings.  I'm experiencing this right now.  God is flooding my life with blessings.  And the greatest blessing of all is that He's given me so much of His grace over the past few months that I've grown in ways I can't explain.  He's changing me.  Our souls are, as the scriptures say, like soft clay being shaped by a potter.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is our Potter; He died so we might live--and not live in sorrow, but in HAPPINESS as we live in His love, experiencing the miracles of His light and peace. :)

"great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds"

a happy end-of-semester to you!

last-week-of-school/finals survival tool: private mini dance parties. 

(definition of PMDP)
noun. 5-10 minutes of pure awesomeness including, but certainly not limited to, crazy dancing all by yourself.

PMDPs usually work well when no one else is home.

The best PMDPs tend to include things you usually don't do in front of other people (jumping on the bed, obnoxious singing, outlandish dance moves, and so on)

Why you might love PMDPs:

1. They're short enough to give you a break without taking too much time away from your studying

2. You can dance as weird as you want without attracting unwanted gazes from people who wouldn't appreciate your dance moves properly 

3. You can freely listen to artists you really love but pretend you don't in order to avoid humiliation (my newfound love, J. Bieber, for example)

4. You'll find you develop favorite PMDP songs you keep coming back to--and every time you hear those songs in the future, you'll fondly remember that one PMDP party that one time before you took that one final and how that one song helped you ACE that final.  yeahhhhhhhh babbbbyyy

Really good PMDPs might include the following: 

saturday night sing-along

Once in a while in the late hours of the night, Ariel, Elise and I end up looking up random videos on youtube and singing along.  We lose track of time and forget about homework.  These have been some of my favorite moments all semester :D

Here's a little sampling of some favorites for your listening enjoyment. As you can tell, we are proud lovers of Disney ;)  I think I love Disney more now than I did as a kid.

spirituality.

What is spirituality?  What does it mean to you?  Yesterday a friend told me his definition: "forsaking passions and possessions in order to come closer to God." He said, "That's sort-of Hinduism, but it applies.  I need to do more research."

I agree with Charles; spirituality certainly does entail forsaking passions and possessions as we work to become closer to God. And I also agree that all of us, no matter what religion, need to do more research on the concept.  I need to make time to ponder my own spirituality.  

I believe love is the foremost quality in spirituality.  It's the very basis of the two great commandments to 1) Love God with all our souls and 2) Love our neighbors like unto ourselves.  And I believe love is the element that motivates us to even become spiritual in the first place.  Certainly love is required before we can truly forsake those passions and possessions Charles spoke of. 

Learning to love God, ourselves, and others—and thus progress spiritually—requires a change of heart, not just a change of behavior but a change of attitude.  Life, rather than a continual checklist of to-do activities such as praying and scripture studying, gives us the opportunity to change not only behaviors but foremost, the way we think and feel.  When our actual thoughts and our intents change, we become like the Lord in mind and heart.  We learn to love as He does as He imparts His grace and changes us. 

Spirituality, then, includes forsaking passions and possessions as we come to love God.  If love of God does not come first in our hearts, the effort to forsake ungodly behaviors and characteristics means little—because it’s not done in the right attitude.  We cannot become like God until we begin thinking more like Him.  

As a consider questions like How can I think more like God? How can I truly grow in love? How can I change my attitude? I hope to share some of my personal discoveries on this quest to grow in spirituality and become more like God.