Do you know what this is? It's the cover of a leaflet which was handed out by Christians at the December 18 show. OK, so I realise that Chrisitians poking their noses into business that isn't theirs is nothing new - I've had experience of it before, but this leaflet piqued my interest, probably because it was about Smashing Pumpkins and I was interested in seeing what they had to say.

But when I read it, I knew I'd heard it all before - just the same old "you're a filthy sinner, he will save you, please be on our side" shit. Don't they get it? I'm not interested! I don't want to be saved! In fact, as I'm certain that neither Jesus nor God ever existed, I don't even need to be saved. Perhaps the people that go to the trouble of printing this guff need to find out what's missing in their own lives (and please, don't try telling me that Christians are fulfilled - some of the most screwed-up people I've ever met are Christians) before setting forth on a quest to ruin it for everyone else. How about this: I'll listen to Smashing Pumpkins, I'll accept the consequences, how about that? Does the term 'live and let live' have any meaning for these people? Probably not. And look, before any Christians send me mail saying "You will burn in hell for this" etc etc, let me just say: no, I won't. God doesn't exist, therefore I don't fear him. I do, however, fear Christians. Further reading: Why Christians Suck.

Anyway, now that that little rant is over, we can get on with this leaflet. Instead of scanning in all the pages, I decided to just type it in - it'll make it quicker for everyone. If there's any bits where I've seen fit to chime in, my comments will (be like this).

AND GOD IS EMPTY JUST LIKE ME?

ZERO
"emptiness is loneliness, and loneliness is cleanliness
and cleanliness is godliness,
and god is empty just like me
intoxicated with the madness, i'm in love with my sadness"

God is everything but empty and He has so much to give to you!
(yeah, a life full of fun things like printing moronic leaflets and pushing your opinion on everyone else - cool!)

He loves you
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
(take a look at this)

He gives you peace
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I gove to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)

He erases the past and makes you a new person
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

BULLET WITH BUTTERFLY WINGS
"jesus was an only son
tell me i'm the chosen one
jesus was an only son for you
despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage
and i still believe that i cannot be saved

"That if you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

MUZZLE
"and the world is drawn into your hands
and the world is etched upon your heart
and the world so hard to understand
is the world you can't live without"

Jesus said, "This I command you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of this world, the would love its own; but because you are not of this world, but I have chosen you out of this world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:17-19)

"Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4)
(so what the bible is telling us is that we shouldn't care about the earth and the environment because we come from god and we're better than that? Read this)

TAKE ME DOWN
"and trumpets blew, and angels flew
on the other side
and you're all i see, and you're all i need"

1979
"and we don't know
just where our bones will rest
to dust i guess
forgotten and absorbed into the earth below"

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in a twinking of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

ZERO
"god is empty just like me"

TAKE ME DOWN
"there's a love that god puts in your heart"

If God is empty, how can He put love in your heart? And if there's a love that God can put in your heart, then obviously He's not empty

"A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." (James 1:8)

(it's all so clear now! ho-hum ... notice how they neglect to point out these songs were written by two different people? the writers of this leaflet were obviously into 'research' in a big way...)

(Lyrics from JellyBelly, In the Arms of Sleep, XYU, Galapogos, Thru the Eyes of Ruby, Cupid de Locke and Farewell and Goodnight here. No comments on any of them - how insightful.)

TONIGHT TONIGHT
'and our lives are forever changed
we will never be the same
the more you change the less you feel
believe, believe in me, believe

Jesus said to them, "This is the will of God, that you believe in Him whom God has send." (John 6:29)

The Bible says there's only one way to Heaven

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

NOBODY ELSE CAN HELP YOU

"For there is only one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

WHAT YOU MUST DO: PRAY TO GOD IN YOUR OWN WORDS

1. ADMIT you are a sinner, and that only the Lord Jesus can save you. (Romans 3:23)
2. REPENT: be willing to turn away from sin and submit to God. (Luke 13:5)
3. BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and shed His blood to pay the price for your sins, and that He rose again. (Romans 10:9)
4. ASK God to save you (Romans 10:13)
5. ASK Jesus Christ to be Lord (take control) of your life. (Romans 12:1-2)

IF YOU REALLY MADE JESUS YOUR LORD (KING), THEN ACT LIKE IT!

1. Read the Bible every day to get know Christ better.
2. Talk to God in prayer every day.
3. Find a Church where the Bible is taught as the complete Word of God and is the final authority. 4. Obey Christ's command and be batized. (Matthew 28:19)

Wasn't that fun?