Is listening to 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' a sin?

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Chabambou

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Hi everyone,

I was listening to the well known yet much criticized Beatles song called Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Is it a sin to listen and enjoy such a song?
Though John Lennon had continuously denied claims that it was about LSD, Paul McCartney in an interview (in 2004) said it was ‘pretty obvious’ that the song was about drugs. Even when reading the lyrics, you can tell its about a ‘trip’. Then yet again, one of John lennon’s favourite books is Alice in Wonderland.

If the song really is about drugs, what does the Church officially teach in regards to listening to this type of music?
 
Why would it be a sin? Explain why you think this.

The Church does not have a teaching on every little thing, including this. We are to form our conscience and use common sense.
 
1ke said:
Why would it be a sin? Explain why you think this.

The Church does not have a teaching on every little thing, including this. We are to form our conscience and use common sense.
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I thought it would be a sin because it’s a song that praises (rather than discourage) the use of drugs (if its about that anyway). And I thought that if listening to something like that is contrary to God, then its a sin…

Sorry I forgot to mention, I can be quite scrupulous…
 
Chabambou said:
Hi everyone,

I was listening to the well known yet much criticized Beatles song called Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Is it a sin to listen and enjoy such a song?
Though John Lennon had continuously denied claims that it was about LSD, Paul McCartney in an interview (in 2004) said it was ‘pretty obvious’ that the song was about drugs. Even when reading the lyrics, you can tell its about a ‘trip’. Then yet again, one of John lennon’s favourite books is Alice in Wonderland.

If the song really is about drugs, what does the Church officially teach in regards to listening to this type of music?
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The music writes and sings the was he wants.
The listener listen and interprets the way he want.
Th listener has the right to interpret the song in a completely different way from the songwriter’s purpose.
Paul McCartney does not own the song anymore. It is ours and we can do whatever we want.
 
I always heard that John Lennon’s son drew a picture and when asked what it was, he replied, “It’s Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” For the most part I find Beatles’ songs (and McCartney /Wings) to be pretty wholesome, and this is coming from someone who can be scrupulous. The Rolling Stones, on the other hand…they’ve always been my favorite group but I’ve stopped listening to songs like, “Start Me Up” and “Sympathy for the Devil” because I just don’t feel comfortable listening to that subject matter anymore. But some of their songs such as “Ruby Tuesday” or “The Last Time” seem fine to me. It’s all a matter of personal judgement and what YOU honestly think in your heart.
 
Chabambou said:
I thought it would be a sin because it’s a song that praises (rather than discourage) the use of drugs (if its about that anyway). And I thought that if listening to something like that is contrary to God, then its a sin…
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well, it seems to be speculation regarding whether or not it is even about drugs. And, the song is 30 or 40 years old and now very disconnected from whatever what going on at that time. There are a lot of songs that were about a certain war, event, or cultural touchstone that now have lost that original meaning.

Regarding listening to such things, it is not inherently sinful.
Chabambou said:
Sorry I forgot to mention, I can be quite scrupulous…
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Yes, I figured that. It is why I asked you to reason through it. You have to learn that it is your scrupulosity that skews things and makes them seem like sins.
 
I often picture myself in a boat on a river with tangerine dreams and marmalade skies. I find nothing sinful about this whatsoever! 👍
 
Chabambou said:
Sorry I forgot to mention, I can be quite scrupulous…
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An anonymous, online forum is not the venue to harsh through issues related to scrupulosity. Too often it simply adds fuel to what’s already an anxiety fire.

You need to take a talk with your spiritual director about your concerns with this and everything else related to sin and take his advice to heart.

Luna
 
I think a mature Christian can listen to such music and not be perturbed by it, but if it causes you difficulty, then don’t listen. Same with other music that conveys tropes that are not Christian - Rammstein with their sexual imagery, Korn with their lyrics about abuse and self-hatred, half the country music songs that sing about drinkin’ and cheatin’, the list can be quite long. If it causes you to sin, or if your listening to it causes others to sin then avoid it - if it doesn’t then there shouldn’t be harm in it.

For what it’s worth, I find Huxley’s writings such as “The Doors of Perception” to be fascinating despite their obvious proscripted subject matter - the idea of paying attention to the form of things rather than their outward characteristics is something that has inspired some of my own creative fiction.
 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_in_the_Sky_with_Diamonds

I wouldn’t judge whether or not it’s a sin to listen to the song, but the above link provides some interesting food for thought!

We see that John’s son Julian is credited with drawing an innocent picture of his classmate, Lucy, and depicting her simply in the sky with diamonds. I’m from the seventies (!) and yet never heard the controversy about the title until I saw it mentioned here. (the key initials of each word in the title are L, S, and D.) That may be an innocent coincidence.

I agree with other posters here that the Church does not give an instruction on every single thing. While we as Catholics are free to live out our lives as we believe best reflects His loving commandments, we can’t judge a person for his or her taste in music.

Just my own personal opinion here, but I like to know something about the musician, artist, or writer, and also, if what is presented seems to promote violence, hatred, or the occasion to sin, I would not be a fan of that artist/writer/musician. That doesn’t mean I would just someone else, though.

Many blessings,
Kathryn Ann:heaven:
 
Veronica97 said:
I always heard that John Lennon’s son drew a picture and when asked what it was, he replied, “It’s Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” For the most part I find Beatles’ songs (and McCartney /Wings) to be pretty wholesome, and this is coming from someone who can be scrupulous. The Rolling Stones, on the other hand…they’ve always been my favorite group but I’ve stopped listening to songs like, “Start Me Up” and “Sympathy for the Devil” because I just don’t feel comfortable listening to that subject matter anymore. But some of their songs such as “Ruby Tuesday” or “The Last Time” seem fine to me. It’s all a matter of personal judgement and what YOU honestly think in your heart.
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👍

Snopes, famed debunker of Internet rumors has an article concerning the song here. The even provide a copy of the original picture so you can inspect it yourself. (it is fairly characteristic of a grade-school aged child)
 
lol I can garantee u it’s not a sin, but if you have done LSD yourself and have listened to that song when you were on it then I’m sure the song will trigger a flashback. like sometimes I listen to a band that God gets mad at me for listening to they’re called hawkwind. I go through a lot of musical stress because I’ve listened to all my favorite bands at bad times 😛 but I guess that just might be his calling for me to live without music. A call perhaps to tune into god and his divine silence 🙂
 
Almost everything in the Beatles is somehow positive about drugs, free love, etc

The yellow submarine was originally a kind of pill.

“Why don’t we do it in the road”. Needs no explanation.

“The Taxman” presents those who collect taxes, ie the government, as an enemy.

. The “Imagine” song (which I loathe, but many love) extols the virtues of atheism and communism. Where does the sin stop?

Let’s not be scrupulous. The Beatles are now of mostly historical interest. No-one will be scandalized or turn to drugs because you enjoy a song that their grandparents did!!

ICXC NIKA
 
There are many musicians who commit a great deal of sin, but taking drugs isn’t one of them. Unless you do it to excess which could be considered idolatry perhaps. I don’t even think the church has any official teaching about drugs. Most of the people I smoke pot with are one denomination or another. If you think about it: wine is a drug, and we use it as part of our holy sacrament just as the Rastafarians use weed as theirs.

But simply listening to music would surely not be considered a sin, because you are not partaking of anything. I’m pretty sure no just or noble God of my understanding would send me to hell just for attending the Marilyn Manson concert in 2007. He has better things to do than that.

BTW I have taken acid 6 times many years ago, and I did not find it to be particularly enjoyable. It upset my tummy, and I found it frustrating to try and hold conversations when my thought patterns were too disrupted to hold a train of thought long enough to form sentences. In addition, it makes you fidgety and uncomfortable, you become tired but cannot sleep because you fail to find a pleasant sleeping position and there are weird shapes dancing in front of you when you close your eyes. Never again.
I hope the Beatles’ experiences on it were not as dreadful as mine for their sakes, yet it was possibly a sacrifice for their art.
 
stiffkittenbabe said:
There are many musicians who commit a great deal of sin, but taking drugs isn’t one of them. Unless you do it to excess which could be considered idolatry perhaps. I don’t even think the church has any official teaching about drugs. Most of the people I smoke pot with are one denomination or another. If you think about it: wine is a drug, and we use it as part of our holy sacrament just as the Rastafarians use weed as theirs.

But simply listening to music would surely not be considered a sin, because you are not partaking of anything. I’m pretty sure no just or noble God of my understanding would send me to hell just for attending the Marilyn Manson concert in 2007. He has better things to do than that.

BTW I have taken acid 6 times many years ago, and I did not find it to be particularly enjoyable. It upset my tummy, and I found it frustrating to try and hold conversations when my thought patterns were too disrupted to hold a train of thought long enough to form sentences. In addition, it makes you fidgety and uncomfortable, you become tired but cannot sleep because you fail to find a pleasant sleeping position and there are weird shapes dancing in front of you when you close your eyes. Never again.
I hope the Beatles’ experiences on it were not as dreadful as mine for their sakes, yet it was possibly a sacrifice for their art.
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Look on some of the older threads about marijuana.

I think you will find that the Church disagrees with you about drug use and sin.

God Bless and ICXC NIKA
 
GEddie said:
Look on some of the older threads about marijuana.

I think you will find that the Church disagrees with you about drug use and sin.

God Bless and ICXC NIKA
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So what exactly does it say in the Catechism and where? And how exactly is wine any less of a drug? You will be saying I can’t have caffeine next!
 
stiffkittenbabe said:
So what exactly does it say in the Catechism and where? And how exactly is wine any less of a drug? You will be saying I can’t have caffeine next!
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No, you won’t hear that from me.

CCC:
2290" The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.
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2291 The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law."
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In any case, wine is ok because our LORD drank it. To object to it would be to try to improve on HIM. Not a great idea.

But HE never smoked marijuana or dropped acid.

And with regard to wine, HE had access to it on HIS last night of human life. Yet although HE was grieving and so frightened He would later sweat blood (you or I would die long before that point), He did NOT get drunk, He kept His mind in phase the entire time.

So how can you say clouding up your mind with illegal substances (against our biblical duty to Caesar) is acceptable just for fun?

God Bless, ICXC NIKA
 
So is Shatner’s version more evil, less evil, or just as evil as the Beatles’ version?
 
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