EduClaytion

Quicksand Jesus

A few years back, exhausted from a late night drive, I crawled into a hotel room somewhere and flipped on the television to crash out. Some religious program popped on with talk of controversy over a song call Quicksand Jesus by the band Skid Row. Lead singer Sebastian Bach was laughing at criticisms that his lyrics were blasphemous or something.

Skid Row blew up in the 80s along with all those other hair metal bands in the years before Kurt Cobain killed the pretty boy culture by declaring everything so useless with his angst-ridden movement. (What a downer that guy was). My sister was always quick to point out that Bach (not the German composer) was tone deaf. I’ll be quick to point out that he’s Canadian. Some of you might be quick to point out he’s on Celebrity Fit Club, a show so terrible I wouldn’t watch it even if I had cable.

Anyway, back to the controversy in that hotel room. I should have paid better attention because I really can’t remember the argument. This is where my snarky friends say, “Good story hot shot.You oughta write that down.” Well, enough years have passed that I can take some artistic license here in recreating the argument.

Late Night Preacher Type With Bad Hair: This song is offensive.

Strung Out Canadian Front Man: Yeah right! (High pitched scream).

LNPTWBH: …Satan sings the chorus…

SOCFM: You couldn’t be more wrong. This song is actually about how people use religion as a crutch.

LNPTWBH: That’s enough for me.

Not known for theology

The real irony, other than the contrast of hair styles, is that they were probably both off the mark. Skid Row wasn’t trying to make the church happy, but they also weren’t exactly in league with Lucifer. The song is actually filled with questions, probably honest questions of someone trying to understand how spiritual beliefs work or matter so much to certain people.

***

The idea of Quicksand Jesus has generated a lot of discussion since its release nearly two decades ago. I guess the popular thought is that people turn to religion or Jesus when they are in the quicksand, when life is falling apart. That means God is either a crutch or a savior. You could move towards extremes in either direction from there. I’ve heard one person say those with faith are only sinking; another says once Jesus has you it’s like being locked in quicksand.

I think it’s pretty amazing that billions of people are still trying to figure out what to do with Jesus as we go on over 2,000 years after his crucifixion. Half the world doesn’t even believe in him and the half that does can’t decide whether he belongs on a cross or not. The man is not going away. He’s as relevant as ever.

Here we are at Easter, a holiday for which the very name has become divisive. People are having battles on Facebook and email and TV over just how offensive Jesus actually is. Some folks get enraged by the simple mention of his name while others think the whole thing is a joke. All of history is divided on his lifetime. Today, all of society is divided over his death. Some say it never happened. Some say he stayed dead. Many people, including President Obama again today, say Jesus came back to life.

What do you say? What do you do with Jesus? A lot of people just ignore that question.

Quicksand Jesus is filled with questions. One of my favorites is “do we live in fear or faith?” Most people don’t even realize that faith is the opposite of fear. Whenever you find yourself afraid of something, it’s because you don’t believe in your ability to succeed. Believing you can or will fail only leads to that probability. Staying positive is tough. Where does your hope come from?

The other big question in that song is “where do we go when we get where we don’t know?” Have you ever felt lost? Sometimes you reach a point in your life where nothing makes sense anymore. That often happens when everything we’ve ever known betrays us or falls apart. If your hope is tied in any way to another human, you’ll eventually find yourself devastated. No one comes through forever. 

Maybe that type of darkness was hanging over Bach when he wrote over and over “Quicksand Jesus I’m so far away.” He asked “who’s behind the rain” and questioned the “shadows of belief.”

Have you ever felt that the brightest and clearest thing in your life is nothing more than a shadow? That can be a tough place to live, a dark valley where the next step is never certain. The greatest hope for some is making it through another day without facing disaster. That’s a sad existence and no way to live.

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I’ve been thinking about these things ever since the night I collapsed on a hard bed in a dank motel room. Maybe Bach was just mocking believers when he finally screamed “Quicksand Jesus I need you. Quicksand Jesus I believe you.” Maybe he really wanted to believe. A lot of people really want to believe in something. Like he said, need and belief are always connected. We are all so desperate, yet we all pretend that we’re not.

So here we are at Easter. Some people see chocolates; others see a cross. Some people see a bunny; others see a savior. How about you? What do you see? What do you need? If you’ve never found any answers that truly satisfy, this might be a good time to take another look at the One who broke history in half by being broken on our behalf. The only way to overcome fear is through faith, and that quicksand can be some pretty scary stuff.

What’s it all mean to you?

Join me on Twitter @ClayMorganPA.

April 3, 2010 - Posted by educlaytion | Pop Culture, Religion