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PaperclipPerfector  8mo ago (text post)   35307 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of September 15, 2025

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I looked up the two choir songs and they are both basically anti-Trump protest songs written in 2016/17.

The progressive retort would be that the fact you interpret a song called "Liberty and Justice for All" and a song about leading with love to be anti-Trump protest songs says more about you and Trump supporters than it does about churches. It's not political; it's called being a decent person—something even Christians understand.

Indeed, searching the first song yields a black songwriter, references to #BlackHistoryMonth, and an explanation that the song is part of the Justice Choir Songbook, where "Justice Choir is a template for more community singing for social and environmental justice. It’s designed around the Justice Choir Songbook, a powerful new collection of 43 songs about equity, justice, love, peace, and other issues of our time."

There's a fair amount of horseshoeing between the progressive left and mainstream religious right when it comes to sociopolitical topics such as Black Lives Mattering More. See, for example, Christians kneeling for and washing the feet of black people during the height of BLM, or how immediately various Christian denominations bent the knee for gay marriage.

A more recent example can be seen with the Austin Metcalf stabbing death, where the white father (Jeff Metcalf) of the slain high schooler publicly forgave the black stabber while denouncing those who Noticed and pattern-matched the incident. This triggered debates over the nature of Christian forgiveness, with five non-mutually exclusive contingents:

  1. Non-Christians (and some Christians) who were appalled by the forgiveness.
  2. Christians who defended the father's forgiveness as the Christianly thing to do.
  3. Christians who tried some jiu-jitsu, face-saving, and sane-washing: "Um, actually, forgiveness doesn't necessarily mean absolution..."
  4. Christians and non-Christians saying something to do the tune of: "Leave Jeff alone, he's a father grieving in his own way." Yet, I somehow suspect there would be a different tune if instead Jeff had reacted to the incident by chudding out and 13/52'ing.
  5. Non-Christians insisting the father's forgiveness was the right and Christianly thing to do with the vibe of "No, I'm not a Christian and I have nothing but contempt for your backward religious beliefs so yeah, this argument wouldn't work on me but maybe if I use it on you, you'll do what I want."

One commenter in /r/KotakuInAction remarked, paraphrased from my recollection: "These debates over what flavor of cuck God wants you to be reminds me of why I'm not a Christian."

Here's Liberty and Justice For All: http://songs.justicechoir.org/LibertyForAll

The Justice Choir logo features a closed fist. The lyrics:

We are frightened; We are angry; We are rising; We are hopeful; We are peaceful; We are striving; Won't stop fighting; Won't stop marching; Won't stop dreaming; Wont stop loving and proclaiming and believing

Our voices are united louder than hate, We have gathered here, We've had all we can take The time has come, you will hear our call. We're fighting for liberty and justice for all.

It includes this note from the composer:

The recent demonstrations and marches taking place throughout the country led me to the phrase 'liberty and justice for all.' Many steadfastly recite this line in the Pledge of Allegiance, but those words ring hollow for many Americans who find their civil liberties under attack, and the scales of justice tipped in favor of the wealthy and powerful. Protests are a small portion of what we must do in order to work toward a nation that truly provides liberty and justice FOR ALL

This is clearly a protest song with no indication that the hate being protested against is authored by Satan. Copyright 2017, it's either about Trump or police, probably both.

The Justice Choir logo features a closed fist.

Ha yeah, I Noticed that too but forgot to mention it.

I didn't feel like torturing myself by listening to a recording of it, but what also sprang to mind when looking at the sheet music is the sheer melodic simplicity of it, like Jingle Bells or Mary and a Little Lamb territory.

This footnote, which further corroborates @somethingsomething's feeling of infantilization during the experience, also made me inwardly chuckle:

"Performance Suggestion:

• For a unison or solo version, sing only the BIG notes above"

The BIG notes for BIG boys and girls! You can do it!

This is clearly a protest song with no indication that the hate being protested against is authored by Satan. Copyright 2017, it's either about Trump or police, probably both.

In the eyes of many, including those who believe in God, Trump or the police are a greater source of hatred than Satan.

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