Heaven on their minds

I’ve been listening to Jesus Christ Superstar recently.

Although I generally prefer Godspell, there’s something about the character of Judas that compells me, both his lyrics and the fact I can match the voice range well. Hey, I like to sing in my car.

But one song in particular really resounds with me. It’s the second song in the opera, right after the overture, titled Heaven on their Minds. Although the ensemble usually dances with that song, Judas is the only singer in the song, and it really defines his character from the onset.

Judas issue with the Jesus’ movement in the Opera ironically resounds with me as some of the major problems in mainstream Christianity. Too much Heaven on their minds.

Let me explain. One of the more common accusations towards Christians, much less religion in general, is that for people who proclaim and swear by a certain code of conduct then go and deny it out in their daily lives. More specifically, I’m talking about the type the can shout and wail about how much they love God and Jesus, but turn right around and ignore the basic level of compassion indicative to basic Christianity.

They focus too much on the life yet to come, but will ignore or even worse, berate and condemn the homeless man who stands on the street, the girl who stumbles into a teenage pregnancy, the immigrant trying to earn a living to support his family, or sometimes, even their friends for disagreements.

Too much heaven on their minds; too little concerns for their neighbors.