a quote by John Lennon

"Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We[the Beatles]'re more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock and roll or Christianity. " -John Lennon

This quote set fire inside my heart. The arrogance and ego that drips from these words burn the core of my being.

To give you some background...

I have a quotebook collection that I love to add to and review often. I had only just finished collecting quotes by CS Lewis, when I decided to browse the internet for wisdom by other people. When I typed "quotes" into google, it suggested quotes by Lenin... of course my mind flipped to the only Lennon I was truly familiar with, and I decided to browse through his sayings, and although I expected many of them to be largely hippie values, I was hopeful for something worthwhile.

Imagine my disappointment.

I had heard of this quote before. But not to the extent at which the computer revealed it to me. I'd heard it, paraphrased, as "The beatles are bigger than Jesus." At the time I'd shrugged it off. I was further encouraged to shrug it off when I heard that the quote was taken out of context and was actually only an illustration of how the Beatles' fame was getting blown out of proportion; so much so that they were feeling as if they were bigger than Jesus- truly reflecting the lunacy of such a statement.

But, really. Read that quote. Yes, I think context can explain a lot of things. But, truly. Aside from the fact that the idea that a rock and roll group could surpass the fame of the One who saved the world is at its core narcissistic and absurd, all the statements leading up to it are very pointedly aimed at Christianity, not towards the fame.

I have not decided whether or not to put this quote in my quotebook. My first instinct is to say absolutely not. But I wonder, it may be a good reminder to me of the extent that humnan arrogance and pride, and where it can lead.