Magheetah

[primushead]

So...what exactly is the song about?  Who or what is Magheetah?  Any answers?

[MMJ_fanatic]

I believe there is a double entendre in play here--Mahgheeta is like a word play on my guitar and women's bodies are often compared with the classic shape of a guitar body.  so Jim is singing about sitting around with his honey and his guitar.  feel free to shoot this analysis full of holes :D

[primushead]

Interesting theories from both sides.  Jim?  Could you answer this one?

[marktwain]

It could be a funny way of spelling guitar.

OR he could be singing about his copy of the Bhagavad Gita.

[MMJ_fanatic]

It could be a funny way of spelling guitar.

OR he could be singing about his copy of the Bhagavad Gita.

Has he read that?

[tomEisenbraun]

man, I just checked out the Mahageeta after doing a Google search. Eastern religions are very frustrating to see that people believe these things. It's so off-kilter. "Wisdom is our inner nature. Godliness is our way of being. It is our center. It is the fragrance of our life, our being." That's so backwards. God is astronomical, a being we cannot even fathom, yet alone claim to be like in any way except that we were created in His image. To see these people claim that we are inwardly inclinated towards godliness is flat-out wrong. We naturally gravitate towards sin. That's the result of the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden. This is somehting we cannot fix, which is why Christ died: so that our sins, which we are naturally inclinded toward commiting, could be forgiven. Without Christ, we would not be able to enter into God's presence, as we would be essentially evil, but Jesus' dying to forgive our sins makes that possible. For these people to say that godliness is our way of being negates the necessity of God. If we, ourselves can be Gods, then what is the point of life and death? Why would there be death? If we are indeed "Gods" could we not save ourselves from death? Godliness is not our inner way of being. Where this quote is inherently wrong is where it assumes we can become God-like by ourselves. It is only through God revealing himself to us, and our will to change to be more like Him, that we can be godly, in the sense that we are able to reflect attributes of His, such as mercy, kindness, morality, etc. It is not possible to absolve ourselves of sin, however much we may want to try, because that sin nature, that allure of a sinful life is always present, keeping us from this "Godliness" that the mahageeta says is our way of being.

All of you who bothered to read that, please comment as you wish.

That said, "Mahgeeta" is an amazing song, and I can't wait for Bonnaroo to see them rock it live. I can't wait for Bonnaroo, period.  
 

[MMJ_fanatic]

holy crap!  I just read that post and now my eyes won't uncross!

[primushead]

It could be a funny way of spelling guitar.

OR he could be singing about his copy of the Bhagavad Gita.

Oh yeah!  'My Guitar' 'Ma Geetah' Sweet!

[tomEisenbraun]

I actually think that quote is very beautiful.  

Hmmm, how to approach this...

Eisey, there are many religions in this world.  I can see that you're quite passionate about yours.  Passion is cool.  

To call it "backwards" is your right, but I think it isn't seeing the quote for what it is.  I myself am not a religious person, but I can understand the desire to set up a system to live by.  I can see the benefits of attempting to create a code whereby people live together peacefully.  I can understand the questioning and the desire to find the best within yourself, and to try and live up to that.

I find with these things - religious, personal, what have you - that it seems like everybody is trying to get to the same place - a place where we can all live with each other and not blow the shit out of each other, or beat each other up, or talk shit about stuff that doesn't matter.  

You have a right to call it "backwards", but I guess I think you're missing the point.  I substitute the word "godliness" for "goodness" (or whatever) and then it makes sense to me.

Anyhow, those are my two cents.

Ummmm, Mahgeetah rocks.  Hard.  

Yeah!

Hmmm... I'm not trying to shoot you down, so I'm sorry if this comes accross this way. Either way, whether you substitute "goodness" for "godliness", though it may seem beautiful at first, it's not accurate. People are not inherently good. People who live godlessly are those more likely to cheat, steal, and murder to get things their way. Man, without God, is blind to why these things are wrong. Sure, we have society and the morals set up by eveyrhting around us to tell us what "right" and "wrong" is, but if you are looking to a non-Christian world for your standards, they are bound to be skewed. Many people see nothing wrong with cheating or lying in order to get ahead in this world. It would look, by the way the world unaffected by God works, that Nihilism is our inner way of being, not godliness. Left to our own devices, man would be in a pretty bad place.

[MMJ_fanatic]

you get a strong second here man

[marktwain]

Damn, I didn't mean to start all this!
(the Gita thing was a joke)

But, as far as godliness goes:  Some people think that it is our natural state, if we only listen to our "inner wisdom" or intuition, or conscience.

Some people believe that we are fucked up, but we can be godly if we get "washed in the blood of the lamb" and pray (i.e., listen to a God that speaks from the heavens rather than from within us).

Really, though, nobody knows where that font of wisdom comes from.  So instead of focusing on its source, we should just listen.

[marktwain]

Thanks for the props, Megan.  

And sorry, but I've just got to say one more thing.  One can't judge a whole religion based on cursory knowledge of it.  You are not only trying to understand something out of context (if you are like me and hardly know anything about "Eastern" Religions, despite reading a few books and taking college courses about them) - you are looking at it from a completely different context.  

IF someone who had never heard of Christianity googled "Jesus" and found out that Catholics drink his blood every week,  that person could not presume to understand anything about Catholicism.  This is ignorance in the truest sense of the word.

[Complainer]

You know, as a lurker who is only periodically aware of what goes on in this forum, I sometimes wonder how EC can be so positive all the time, as I'm a bit more cynical. But right now I honestly have to commend EC for being so understanding and patient after Eisey's arrogant, ignorant post.

You know what? Fuck it. I was about to type out a long, detailed rebuttal to Eisey's "argument", but there is absolutely no point in doing so. The fact that he would submit those two posts is enough for me to know that a discourse based on reason is likely to go nowhere. All I can do is hope that he'll save his pontificating nonsense for a religious forum. As a thinking person I am both insulted and amused that Eisey would presume to tell others "how things are". Fuck it, SINce I'm in the mood to hear some good SINging, I think I'll go listen to "I Think I'm Going To Hell", and thanks to Eisey, now I know why I'm going there!

[SMc55]

Boy this is getting deep. But fascinating. From my point of view religion scares me. I love finding out about different beliefs and I like to discuss them but I've found it's almost impossible to do that without offending somebody. I suppose it's in the nature of faith that it's just that - you have faith in whatever it is you have faith in. Perhaps it's difficult from that standpoint to understand that someone else has a different one, or to understand that to disagree is not to attack.

Nobody understands everything, so in that sense we are all ignorant. I think it's the certainty of some people's beliefs that frightens me. I've known people who in all other ways I consider perfectly reasonable who become furious and quite aggressive if somebody makes a comment they don't agree with. (I'm thinking, in particular, of the near impossiblity of discussing the problems in Ireland.) I don't really see a way around this, because if you have a belief you hold dear you're bound to defend it.

If I've said anything that offends anybody I'm really sorry.

[antoniostrohs]

Hey Megan,you should look into a career with the United Nations.You're always trying to help with the peace around here and I for one truly thank you for your grace and wisdom.

[utonynashm]

Ah ha ha ha!  Yeah, maybe they'd let me bring my guitar, and I could just sing them into their senses.  heh.

Definetly you can!  You are awesomely friendly and very talented!

Overall this is probably the best and most friendly place on the net I think...All you guys and gals are super cool.

Peace!

[tomEisenbraun]

Therefore, I know he's not posting about his beliefs in any other way other than he was just surprised to read about a different religion's take on godliness and where it comes from for them.  (I think) he wasn't trying to load his agenda onto the board or anything.  

thank you for being able to read and not fire back. There is such a thing as disagreeing kindly with something. I had no agenda in posting that, other than I went and read that passage from the Mahageeta and completely disagreed with it. I'm not bashing anyone in posting any of this, because I realize a lot of you are not Christian.

Once again, EC, there were a couple of things I'd like to clarify in your disagreements on the first page.

To all of you who disagree with what I have to say from here on after, DO NOT fire back. These are my beliefs. If they conflict with yours, it doesn't mean I hate you, or think you are a bad person. I'm not condemning anyone with what I say. If you choose to take offense to it, know that this was not typed with the intent of offending.

Though I believe in the God of Christianity and that only through Him can we enter into Heaven, when the generalizations I made were in reference to any God that a person may have. Whether it be Buddhist, Muslim, Christian...whatever. People who live Godless lives, in my opinion, are wasting it. The way I see it, without God, there is no point in beauty. Sure a sunrise or sunset may be beautiful, but to me, to know that God is up there, watching down upon this, and loving His creation, warms my heart more than anything. The true beauty found in nature is something that is magnififed so intensely for me by believing in God.  The trees changing color, fish playing in the water, sunrises, sunsets, being in the woods on a rainy day. THAT is beauty. But to see it without God, one could merely shrug it off. Yes, my life was good and I saw beauty and appreciated it before I was a Christian, but when I began to believe, the world opened up. I was able to admire God's creation, and just sit back and smile knowing that he put everything here for a reason, and that what lies after this life is infinitely more beautiful and joyful. Moreso than anyone could ever imagine.

Hmmm...I know that didn't refute much of anything, but maybe it will allow you guys to see why I believe. If you disagree, please let me know and why, rather than just posting a personal attack.

[corey]

But, again, to say that life is pointless, that beauty is pointless without a belief in God, I think is really not understanding that all people are different.  I believed in God pretty strongly when I was younger, and one day I kind of realized that I didn't actually believe, it was only that I had wanted to believe.

I was the same way when I was little...actually, I believed in God up until sometime when I was in high school. That's why I think it's kind of unfair to be dragged to church every Sunday when you're a child. You're pretty much forced to believe that God exists. You don't have much say in how you believe. OK, so you're not forced to believe in God, but you're brought up that way because you think it's right and that's what you're told.

[MMJ_fanatic]

I wonder if Jim finds our ponderings on his song amusing, distressing, or simply confounding.

[SMc55]

I wonder if Jim finds our ponderings on his song amusing, distressing, or simply confounding.

I've often wondered what the band think of us discussing them generally. Does it freak them out to have a bunch of people talking about their hair and so on? Maybe this would be better in the 'first question' thread.

As regards disussing lyrics, I imagine it's something any artist accepts when they release their work into the wild.

I've always thought it was about a guitar, by the way.