More confused spirituality from Lady Gaga?
“Judas,” her latest upcoming single, speaks about her love relationship with Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus with a kiss and killed himself after. Gaga told Carson Daly on Amp Radio that the track is about always “falling in love with the wrong man over and over again”.
Described as “backstabbing boyfriends of the biblical variety”, the song title was first revealed in Vogue Magazine.
“It’s about constantly walking towards the light in my life, but always clutching onto the light while peering towards the devil in the back,” Gaga told the Skorpion Show.
“I sing about what a holy fool I am, and that although moments in my life are so cruel and relationships can be so cruel I’m still in love with Judas. I still go back again to those evil things.”
Relaying in an exclusive interview with Google a few lines of the song, the singer recited, “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, I’ll bring him down, a king with no crown.”
“The song is about honouring your darkness in order to bring yourself into the light,” Gaga told Google. “You have to look into what’s haunting you and need to learn to forgive yourself in order to move on.”
And it’s really fun to dance to, she added.
Though the Grammy award winner’s use of biblical and spiritual references come as no surprise – she was raised a Roman Catholic and attended an all-girl private Catholic school – her exact religion still remains a mystery.
But one thing is clear. She believes in God and Jesus, whatever form they take.
“I do believe that God comes in many forms and I don’t believe we know what he looks like, but I see God in my fans,” she told Google. “They are who I worship and I believe what you worship in your life doesn’t have to be religion or an institution or a certain kind of God. It’s just you must worship your faith.”
Hoping to simplify her belief as she spoke in her self-proclaimed “Gaga tongues”, she stated, “I worship my fans. They are my religion.”
Yet in an earlier interview with Larry King, Gaga explained, “I suppose you could say I’m quite a religious woman that is very confused about religion. I dream and envision a future where we have a more peaceful religion or more peaceful world, a more peaceful state of mind for the younger generation.”
Unfocused on negativity, hatred and discrimination, Gaga’s confusion appears to be rooted in the prejudice and hatred of many religious groups and churches that openly attack those who do not fit into a certain mould.
Embracing differences, the gospel according to Gaga is one of acceptance, positivity, and love, resonating a similar note that appears to be taking stock among many Christians and non-Christians today.
The Rev Brian Kirk, a pastor in the Christian Church and adjunct faculty teacher at Eden Theological Seminary, applauded Gaga for her ability to echo Jesus’ unconditional love to the outcasts of the culture in her single “Born This Way”.
“I’m not sure why over the many years of the Church’s existence, we have often ignored this approach and have instead preferred to tell the story of humankind’s innate depravity and sinfulness. Many recent national surveys indicate that young people today primarily identify the church, not with a message of love, but with a message of judgment and self-righteousness.”
He continued to write in his column on the Mainline Protestant portal, “It is no wonder that some youth see the Jesus of Scripture mirrored more in the music of popular culture than in the life of the church.”
“Lady Gaga speaks directly to those the church would condemn and offers an alternative vision of a world without judgment – not unlike Jesus’ own vision of a kingdom of God centred in grace and forgiveness.”
On the other hand, Dr. Seth Polk, pastor of Cross Lanes Baptist Church, in Charleston, found Lady Gaga’s message confusing and misguiding. He asked readers of his blog, “Are we adequately prepared to think clearly about what we believe? Are Christians adequately prepared to refute this fuzzy thinking with the hope of the Gospel?”
Reviewing Gaga’s interview on Larry King, Polk noted that many of her stated beliefs concerning religion are common to today’s culture. Many believe that religion and church are completely separate, that people can be religious and spiritual and choose what they want to believe, and that there is no one way.
Dispelling the myths, the pastor clarified that believers must understand the battle for truth, know firmly what they believe about God’s word so as to effectively communicate it, hold clearly to the clarity and exclusivity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and love people, like Gaga, who are spiritually confused like Jesus does and point them to Him.
Then, instead of “falling in love with the wrong man over and over again”, those who are confused could have the chance to fall in love with the right man who never betrays and instead brings about change.
Gaga is clearly not afraid to take risks. Explaining to the Skorpion Show how she never wanted to play it safe, Gaga knew from the outset she was going to make a lot of records that were going to “p*** people off".
"I didn’t lie," she said.
Her next song “Judas” will be no exception.
Already garnering attention before its release for its over the top lines and biblically incorrect references, her next single faces a judgment of its own whether good or bad.
Either way, Gaga isn’t going to let any negativity bring her down, not even “Judas”.
The release of her second single will be announced at midnight on Tuesday via GAGAVISION, according to her Twitter.
Her third album “Born This Way” releases May 23.