I just got out of Mass, and the Communion hymn this evening was What Child is This.
Rather than making me think of God, I thought of this thread. So if I’m in Purgatory a little longer, I’m blaming all of you!
Heh, same song for us this morning. And in fact the only Christmas song we had this morning: The others were two peace songs and two Mary songs.
My sentiments over these things match yours closely, I think. I’m a pagan at heart, and not a religious believer – with a hard-to-shed gut-feeling that "religious = a mixture of ‘killjoy’, and ‘just plain wet’ ".
I especially feel with you, re the above part bolded by me. I recall (an “in-reverse” thing, but, I feel, basically in the same ballpark) my first encounter with the song Lord of the Dance, a very long time ago. Heard it sung as a “throwaway” thing, by a highly-secular folk group; with someone mentioning that the tune was an old Shaker one. I thus got the impression that the song was basically a bit of random “doodling”, happening to be about Christ, and likely dashed off by some thoroughly heathen “folkie”, to fill up an idle half-hour. In that context, I thought – “hey – fun ‘curiosity’ of a song – catchy tune”.
Discovering later that the song is in fact a solemn and serious creation, held in high and reverent regard by Christians; and the work of the devoutly Christian songwriter Sydney Carter (who I’m sure was a most excellent chap) – caused my liking for it, greatly to diminish. I’m going to hell, for sure…
I’m not sure I follow you, there… “Lord of the Dance” is a thoroughly religious song through and through. How could it in any way be mistaken for secular?
A question to those (at least those still around) who have never heard it as WCIT: are you from an English speaking country?
Given the song’s origins, I can see it taught as a folk song and made into a Christmas song in the English language. Just my WAG.
I’m sure I heard both songs and never realized they were the same music til it was explicitly told to me in one way or another.