NBC’s “The Voice” Censors ‘Lord’ Out Of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?”
NBC’s hit reality singing competition The Voice is in hot water from country and gospel fans, people of faith, and general haters of censorship when on the Tuesday (Nov. 26th) installment of the show, they purposely censored the word ‘Lord’ out of the iconic country gospel song “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?”
The final 8 contestants on the show performed “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” with Seattle’s Starbucks Chorus backing them up to raise money for charity. But in the version of the song the chorus and contestants performed, ‘oh’ was swapped for ‘Lord’ in the portion of the song that goes, “in the sky, Lord, in the sky.” They also skipped verses mentioning ‘Savior’ and ‘Heaven.’
“Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” is often referred to as one of the main foundations for country music, and ranked at #5 on Saving Country Music’s Greatest Country Songs of All Time. It is not just a staple of the American gospel songbook, it is also the inspiration behind the architecture of the Country Music Hall of Fame rotunda where the plaques for all of the inductees are found.
Country artist Blake Shelton who is a judge on The Voice was apparently not too happy with the decision either, telling Zap 2 it after the show:
I don’t know what, uh — how it happened, or — I’m learning about it just like you guys are. I was sitting in my chair singing that song how I grew up on it, with ‘in the sky, Lord, in the sky.’ I sang it as loud as I could. And that might be why I didn’t realize until after the fact that ‘Lord’ was either taken out, or it was just performed some other way…I know it was performed — and it’s meant for a good cause, and they’re trying to raise some money. And that’s a good thing. But I will say, that’s not the version I grew up on. And that’s not the version I was singing sitting in my chair, if that clears up anything [about] where I stand on this thing.
The Voice executive producer Mark Burnett initially seemed just as disappointed with the decision as Blake Shelton, saying, “Especially for those of us who know this song from church so well … I realized immediately what had happened. I thought I’d misheard on the sound. Then came the next chorus, and I’m like, ‘OK, it’s live TV, so I’ve got to wait until the next commercial break. I’m running over there and asking the question.”
But later Burnett back peddled, saying The Voice had to use an older version of the song so it could be given away for free on iTunes. “My mistake was I assumed that the public domain version has the word ‘Lord’ in it,” said Burnett. Some older versions of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” which is a traditional song residing in the public domain, do not include “Lord” in the lyrics, but most modern country and gospel versions do.
But this doesn’t explain why the verses with ‘Savior’ and ‘Heaven’ were also omitted from the performance, and why ‘oh’ was added, when the traditional version of the song doesn’t say ‘Lord’ at all, meaning it wouldn’t need to be replaced with anything. The censoring of the lyrics appears to be a conscious decision by someone at The Voice or NBC not wanting to offend anyone from the religious connotations, regardless of the rights issues surrounding the song.
“Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” has been recorded by dozens of country artists over the years, most notably the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as part of their album Will The Circle Be Unbroken released in 1972. The album and song is given credit for introducing the hymnal and many notable country music legends to a new generation.
December 1, 2013 @ 9:59 am
Folks, please when commenting, let’s make sure to respect everyone’s religious or non religious beliefs.
And while you’re at it, if you want to know how to get the cool picture beside your comments, you can go to http://en.gravatar.com/ to get one.
December 1, 2013 @ 10:10 am
It is because of my respect for religions that I am disappointed in this censorship. This one of my favorite songs of all time and I’m just thankful that I don’t watch this show.
December 4, 2013 @ 1:51 pm
Maybe you should thank the LORD that you don’t watch the Voice. bah ha ha ha ha
December 1, 2013 @ 10:14 am
In the video, Shelton clearly says “Oh” and not “Lord” in the same verse..
December 1, 2013 @ 12:23 pm
Blake can leave singing songs like this to us “Old Farts” and concentrate on coaching the next Timberlake or Bieber.
December 1, 2013 @ 2:23 pm
I have no love for Blake Shelton, but I don’t see the reason to criticize him here. The video shows Blake singing at one specific instance in the song. I will take his word that he thought in the moment that “Lord” was part of the version, and at the worst, when he found out it wasn’t, he did the right thing and spoke out about it. Of course The Voice and Blake Shelton are a joke, that goes without saying. But multiple times we’ve seen Blake stand up and speak out and be on the right side of issues, including with the Westboro Baptist Church, and recently with the death of Wayne Mills when he offered public condolences. I think Blake’s disappointment to the lyric change speaks to just how universal this issue is.
December 1, 2013 @ 8:55 pm
Well (I read it from this site actually), he called everyone that likes “grandpa music” jack@$$es. I think “Let The Circle Be Unbroken” would qualify as such, being an older song. So I call B.S. on B.S. feigning respect for the original lyrics. Maybe changing the words is part of that “evolution” of country he was trying to bring about?
And as far as I know he has never apologized to us fans, only to icons he is kissing up to. Maybe to prove his credibility Blake could give up his Opry spot to reinstate Hank Sr.
OK, now I gotta go chug a double-shot-mocha-nonfat-caramel-soymilk latte, hold the foam.
December 2, 2013 @ 4:18 pm
Yes, you did read the “Old Farts and Jackasses” story here too, and you’re right, he did never apologize to fans. But that story did stimulate Blake Shelton to go see and pay tribute to Ray Price at one of his shows in Oklahoma, and go to the Opry to fulfill his membership obligations which had lapsed. And who knows, it also may have spurned Blake to reassess his perspective on classic country, and in the context of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” decide to defend the purity of the song when The Voice took liberties with it.
Look, the point of Saving Country Music is not to scream obscenities and vent frustration at pop country, demanding a bowl of blood for every perceived slight. It is about trying to work in a proactive and pragmatic manner to enact change in the country format. Hate on Blake Shelton all you want, I’m right there with you. But I can’t see in any way how it benefits Blake Shelton to say he was disappointed by the lyric change when in his heart he didn’t care. Maybe he truly doesn’t care, but it wasn’t his decision to censor the lyric, he was simply asked to comment on the situation, and he said what you and I would and should like for him to say. Would you rather him say, “I don’t care,” so you can parade your pitchfork up and down even more and act offended?
I feel like your anger is misguided here. There are plenty of things to be angry at Blake Shelton about. This is not one of them. Let’s be angry at The Voice, or whomever is ultimately responsible. Let’s be angry at the desecration of this iconic song.
December 2, 2013 @ 12:58 am
You are right Phil! I saw that Blake did that too! In fact I noticed that out of habit he started to say “Lord,” and quickly changed to “Oh”
December 1, 2013 @ 10:40 am
From a musical standpoint, I dont have a problem with this. They removed two hard consonants “L” and “RD” and emphasized “O” – this creates a smoother transition in the vocals.
I’m guessing here, but I’ll bet the removed verses were for time, not censorship. With an added bonus that America’s oppressed Christians would complain and give them free publicity.
Tis the War On Christmas season.
If you want to hear a christian song done right, check this out and play it loud.
Crooked Still – Ain’t No Grave (studio version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BkSFM1Hi7k
December 2, 2013 @ 1:02 am
Time? Are you serious?? lol
December 2, 2013 @ 8:53 am
Yes, Using Occam’s razor, (proceed to simpler theories until simplicity can be traded for greater explanatory power) we start with the time constraint of a scripted television show. The second bit of information we have (from the article) is that they choose a Traditional arrangement of the song for marketing purposes. The purpose being that they wanted to give the song away for free.
Time constraints + free download = knock off a couple of verses.
Sorry if those were your favorite verses, but we are on to the next part of the show.
Unless you can show evidence of a malevolent plot, this hypothesis will remain the most likely explanation for the edits to the performed version.
December 6, 2013 @ 8:36 am
Karl.. I am a songwriter and have had material published, I question the reasoning of “Free Download” If I understand correctly, once a song is recorded and made public, it becomes the right for anyone to perform it. Yes, there are some hoops to jump through if you record it for SALE but, if I am not mistaken you are free to offer your recordings in original form as long as it is not for profit. If you intend on selling the original version, there is a certain number of copies that have to be sold before you have to pay royalties. I believe the number is 5,000. However, if is not for profit I believe you can offer an original for free without any copyright violations. I may be wrong or laws may have changed but, that has always been my understanding.
December 7, 2013 @ 6:44 pm
I will defer to your knowledge. It was my belief that if an artist distributes a song for free or sale that they are obliged to pay royalties. If I am wrong about the free download part, I guess I would have to ask if royalties would apply because it was performed on TV, then distributed?
December 1, 2013 @ 10:46 am
Following a religion and having beliefs is a perfectly fine thing.
Following a different religion and having different beliefs is a perfectly fine thing.
Not following any religion and not having any beliefs is a perfectly fine thing.
”¦ but when someone can’t handle hearing words in a classic song relating to a belief system that they don’t happen to share. That’s just taking sensitivity to ridiculous new levels.
And for goodness sake, if this song was going to have to be changed and that was going to cause such a big thing (and they should have known it would cause a big thing, just look at all the “they took ‘under God’ out of the pledge of allegiance on the Dr. Pepper cans!!” emails that still get sent around) ”¦ why didn’t they just choose a different song in the first place?
December 1, 2013 @ 10:51 am
Why do we surprised? We live in godless times. Folks would rather worship their golden calfs.
December 1, 2013 @ 11:48 am
I understand that NBC is run by people who are chained to political correctness but what about those of us who believe in God? It’s offensive for them to take that out. On top of that, it doesn’t make sense. There have been many artists & bands who wouldn’t be considered “Christian” who have covered classic gospel / country songs and never changed the words. Maybe I’m biased because The Voice sucks but it’s yet another reason to not watch the show.
December 1, 2013 @ 12:43 pm
I feel this is a bit of a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. Militant atheists would’ve bitched about using a religious song, while militant christians are current;y bitching about the omission. It’s a shame it has to happen whenever anything religious is discussed today, we can’t simply live and let live.
December 1, 2013 @ 12:54 pm
The part of this that really annoys me is that everyone knows this is a religious song. I completely understand NBC’s desire to be “inclusive.” As a for-profit company, I get that. However, if your goal is to be inclusive, don’t pick a religious song. To me, the most foolish part of this is actively choosing a song that you intended to censor/modify.
December 1, 2013 @ 1:58 pm
NBC is a godless network which exalts in its own moral filth.
This is the same network which gave Alec Baldwin a show.
This is the same network which continues to give Chris Matthews a show.
This is the same network which gave Keith Olberman a show.
Unfortunately, NBC is my wife’s default channel, which means I begin each day with Matt, Al and Savannah interviewing Miley Cyrus (last week) or some other self-absorbed A-list celebrity.
The producers and television personalities at NBC react to references to God like a vampire recoils from a crucifix.
December 1, 2013 @ 2:10 pm
Could you explain how Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann are “moral filth”? Or are you just calling them that because you disagree with their political views?
For the record, both of them are (or in the case of Olbermann, was) on MSNBC, not the network NBC.
December 2, 2013 @ 1:08 am
Sarah Palin may differ with you on that one Eric.
December 2, 2013 @ 9:21 am
Eric –
I said that NBC was moral filth – not everyone on it, like Chris Matthews and Keith Olberman.
I am glad that we agree on Alec Baldwin, though.
I don’t think that Matthews is a vile individual – just a political hack masquerading as a journalist.
In spite of Matthews’ historically low ratings, NBC has kept him on its payroll and regularly trots him out as a political savant, because they like his message.
As for Olberman, I think that he is a true head case.
I left out Martin Bashir, although I don’t think many of us would disagree that he is a degenerate.
I also left out NBC’s faking footage of a Chevy truck exploding and burning up after a low speed hit from the side.
I am a little surprised that NBC isn’t a General Motors subsidiary after that scam.
I know that Matthews et al. have their shows on MSNBC, but NBC includes MSNBC and CNBC (which is a great station, except for Car Chasers), irrespective of their corporate structure.
As an aside, I don’t care for Fox’s hacks/prima donnas like Hannity or O’Reilly.
December 2, 2013 @ 12:28 pm
Alec Baldwin has made some mistakes due to his temper issues, but that does not make him “moral filth”.
I used to watch Hardball regularly (I practically grew up watching it). One of the great things about Chris Matthews is his knowledge of politics at the micro level, which makes the show very informative. Lately, his emotions have gotten a bit out of hand, but he still has more political depth than the vast majority of cable TV hosts.
Calling Olbermann a “head case” is unfortunate. I would label him as a passionate, courageous pioneer, although he has a tendency to sometimes get too emotional. Back in the Bush era, he was the first major cable host after Phil Donahue to actively voice his opinions against the war and against Bush. Keep in mind that he was risking his career in doing so, as MSNBC had previously fired Donahue for his anti-war views. Olbermann deserves the lion’s share of the credit for making MSNBC into what it is today, both by attracting a loyal liberal audience and by introducing the hosts who currently reign on MSNBC, including Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell.
I don’t regularly watch Martin Bashir’s show, but I don’t know why you would call him a degenerate.
As I mentioned, I agree that many of these individuals often go overboard on their emotions. However, I don’t think that any of them has ever gone as far as Sarah Palin did when she accused Obama of intending to set up “death panels” to determine whether her son with Down’s syndrome or her elderly parents would live or die. None of them have gone as far as Rush Limbaugh has when he repeatedly uses racist tropes to criticize Obama. And in the “head case” spectrum, none of them has ever come close to matching Glenn Beck.
December 2, 2013 @ 12:58 pm
Politics. All I wish to contribute is that I regularly watch Rachel Maddow. We share the same political beliefs and she crafts her presentations in a way not other talking head is able to.
December 2, 2013 @ 2:17 pm
Eric –
Alec Baldwin recently called a black security guard a coon and he leaves deplorable messages on his daughter’s voicemail, when he is not otherwised disposed making homophobic remarks. He is a pathetic spoiled Hollywod brat, but NBC has nonetheless continued to see him as a hot property (e.g. 30 Rock).
Martin Bashir recently suggested that we defecate in Sarah Palin’s mouth and urinate on her eyes. He is a degenerate by any estimate.
I agree with you about Glen Beck, whom Fox non-renewed when his contract expired. To its credit, MSNBC did the same with Olberman, whose “worst person in the world” segment was rather vile.
NBC, on the other hand, is buying out Jay Leno’s contract before its expiration, and replacing him with Jimmy Fallon. What are they thinking?
I remember during the 2008 Presidential election that Matthews and Olberman behaved so badly that NBC sat them on the bench for the remainder of the election cycle:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/08/business/media/08msnbc.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
In in the ratings, MSNBC is now (at least the last time I looked) a distant second and not a distant third place, which I guess is progress.
December 2, 2013 @ 5:09 pm
@ CAH, You are being a bit dishonest in your criticism of Martin Bashir. It was not a degenerate remake, it was a rude remark.
Sarah Palin made a dumb remark (she does that a lot) about slavery, I think she compared paying bills to slavery. Martin Bashir opined that people who make flippant remarks about slavery don’t know what it was like. He then described some documented horrors of slavery. Yes, the “Pooping” in the slaves mouth is a documented punishment. (google “Darby”™s Dose”). He then suggested that people would be less forgiving of Slavery, and people who make stupid clams about slavery if they actually experienced those horrors.
We could fill up pages and pages of nonsense, fake stories and lies that has been said by the folks at fox news about Pres Obama.
At this point, you’ve passed beyond reasonableness or even truth by spreading a right-wing smear. which recasts the statements Bashir made as degenerate (sexual) remarks by leaving out the context.
This type of smear is fairly typical of the far-right town hall / daily caller type sites where most readers don’t bother to double check the poop they are being fed.
December 2, 2013 @ 7:06 pm
“Worst person in the world” was always thoroughly tongue-in-cheek. Olbermann even put himself on that list a few times.
December 1, 2013 @ 6:26 pm
My wife watches that trash in the morning, too. If they’re not ridiculing and belittling normal, decent folks who haven’t purchased a one-way ticket on their progressive railway to Hell, they’re shilling for some other obnoxious cause or lying for the benefit of a crooked politician… A television is just a box in the corner that lies to you…
December 1, 2013 @ 2:54 pm
This sums up my feelings on these kinds of topics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4fQitwpNLQ
December 1, 2013 @ 4:56 pm
The “Seattle Starbucks Choir”pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it? Hipsters like to appear Spiritual without actually being religous. I have more respect for athiests who just say what they really believe.
“If you don’t love Jesus Christ, go to hell”
Billy Joe Shaver
December 1, 2013 @ 5:03 pm
I prolly will,…but I’ll back a good Billy Joe Shaver (qoute)…all the way there!
December 1, 2013 @ 6:54 pm
I don’t think that the Seattle Starbucks Chorus should be blamed for this. They were just there to back up the top 8 contestants. The decision to exclude the religious references was probably made at the producer level at The Voice or NBC.
December 1, 2013 @ 4:59 pm
True Country Music kicksass, no matter in what form! Censorship sucks ass in ALL forms!
December 1, 2013 @ 8:35 pm
As a left leaning Atheist who loves a good gospel song I don’t understand the need to censor a song anymore than anyone else on here. At the same time I don’t understand all the anger at the powers that be for doing it. It’s a fluff meaningless reality singing contest and nothing more. Nothing to see here let’s just move along.
December 1, 2013 @ 9:44 pm
Lean… Forward
December 2, 2013 @ 1:13 am
This is a strange one indeed. I mean, it’s hard for me to comment on the situation in the States, after all, I live in a country where roughly 65% of people class themselves agnostic/atheist.
But even though I am a firm and proud atheist myself (and a country music fan), I’ve never been offended at the use of any sort of religious connotation, from any denomination (not just Christian) in music, and think this is simply the network taking offence on other peoples behalf.
I don’t watch much American TV, but to counterbalance, I do see channels where “blasphemy” is bleeped and censored to appease religious people, and atheism is frequently belated on shows like O’Reilly and Hannity to a level that simply wouldn’t be tolerated where I live.
Live and let live is the motto and sentiment. That and don’t let TV networks speak on behalf of an entire section of a population.
December 2, 2013 @ 3:53 am
My wife watches this show and I have to sit through it often (while surfing the internet trying not to fall asleep). Things about the voice that irritate me more:
1) Redundantly calling everyone an “artist” when they’re nothing but karaoke singers. I’m sorry but a word like “artists” should be reserved for people that write and arrange music.
2) Judge panel requirement of completely selling out and telling everyone how amazing and special they are after every sing performance even if they suck.
3) Whatever Celo Green is wearing
4) The recent shift in reality singing shows where they’ve gone from singing older “dead” songs to songs that may have only released in the last week or two. It just does not seem respectful at all to me when you have armatures re-sing and then sell songs that were only very recently released.
5) Whoever that chick is that does the side interviews between songs. She has a super annoying voice and I’m baffled why anyone in their right mind put her in that job.
6) How everyone has a horrible tragic life story. I believe to get on these shows now, you have to be willing to sell out your dignity and cry and blabber on about how your life sucks. Dead relatives seem to be the preferred life tragedy to break down and cry about “I’m gonna sing this one hard for my dead moms yo”.
7) Spending more time on the show letting the judges ramble on than they allow for actual singing.
December 2, 2013 @ 4:55 am
God is censored, but OJAIOAN is free to comment!
December 2, 2013 @ 4:22 pm
That’s because on Saving Country Music, censorship is only used as a last case resort. This story is an example of why.
December 2, 2013 @ 6:57 am
I’ve never watched The Voice . This stunt guarantees that I never will .
December 2, 2013 @ 7:08 am
Personally I’am an atheist and I don’t care about any religion, but I’m strongly oppose to any form of political corectness… That’s pitiful…
December 2, 2013 @ 9:45 am
One last point. The song in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band / Johnny Cash video above is actually called “Can the Circle be Unbroken (by and by)” written by AP Carter. Carters version is a rework of the hymn by Ada R. Habershon. The chorus is nearly identical but the verses are completely different.
Carters version is a detailed lament about events at a funeral. Of note is that the implication in Carters version is that the singer WANTS to break the circle of life and death to spend more time with the dead mother. Carters song does not mention savior, or heaved, and concludes the events of the funeral with a house of crying children, they are not asking the savior for help or happy that their mother is in heaven, they want her back.
Habershon’s hymn is a very general message about family unity in the savior for eternity. The exportation here is NOT to break the circle but to have faith in the savior. One by one the seats at the table will empty.
So, my question is, did they sing the hymn or did they sing the AP Carter song? If they sang the AP Carter song, then Savior and heaven were not omitted,, because they were never there, If they sang the hymn, then they didn’t skip the word lord, because it was never there.
December 2, 2013 @ 4:24 pm
I think the talk about different versions of the song is simply a shell game to cover their tracks. They wanted to censor the religious connotations out of the song, and it is simple as that. Network TV has done this many times before. It’s a trend.
December 2, 2013 @ 7:04 pm
We will have to agree to disagree on the motive.
Strangely, I checked my library and I have six unique songs labeled “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”, five of them are actually versions of the Carter Family’s “Can the Circle be Unbroken (by and by)” and one is an incomplete version of the hymn “Will the Circle be Unbroken”, it is missing verse three (the savior verse). I don’t have a complete version of any band singing the hymn.
December 2, 2013 @ 10:14 am
Okay, I watched the video. First time I’ve ever seen any of “The Voice”. (Is it always this bad?)
They performed he hymn, not the AP Carter funeral song that Trigger linked in at the end of the article.
I’m now convinced it was edited for time constraints. They only sang three of the five verses and it still took almost 4 minutes.
They should have eliminated it entirely. It was truly amateur nite at the Karaoke Hall. Just pathetic.
December 2, 2013 @ 10:54 am
Really for me the only version of this song that needs to be heard is the Staples Singer version. I like many versions of the song but when the Staple Sisters get the gospel hands on it lordy (no pun intended) it just takes new heights. But I am biased as that was the version I first heard.
As to the history of the song, most people don’t even know the history of the lyrics and most young people, who are the shows main fan base don’t even know this song probably or possible what gospel even is. So for them it will amount to, “What’s the big deal?”
In this case I agree with the commentators who say the people at The Voice should have picked a different song if they wanted to avoid controversy. But they don’t, it drums up business. And I must give credit to them because this was a very clever way to it.
December 2, 2013 @ 11:51 am
One of the sources for the confusion is that AP Carter took the music and chorus from “Will the Circle be Unbroken” and used it in a song called “Can the Circle be Unbroken (by and by)” – Back in the 1920’s, everyone knew both songs.
Unfortunately, over time, the AP Carter song has come to be known as “Will the Circle be Unbroken” and what’s left of the hymn is just counterpoint to AP Carters funeral dirge. AP Carter never meant to supplant “Will the Circle be Unbroken”, it was just a dramatic device to referenced a well known (at that time) gospel hymn, to fill out the religious aspect of the funeral he narrates in “Can the Circle be Unbroken”. In a way, it can be thought of as Carter “samples” the hymn.
The result is that everyone uses the title “Will the Circle be Unbroken” then sings the song “Can the Circle be Unbroken”.
Here is Carter’s “Can the Circle be Unbroken”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjHjm5sRqSA
February 19, 2014 @ 4:31 pm
That’s what I notice. Of all the songs they could have chosen, they just had to choose one where they would be able to make a point of censoring an important word in the somg, just to show people that they can? There had to have been at least one or two other songs which would have been perfectly suitable without any pointed change of lyric, why this one? What was the point?
And will “time constraints” ever constrain them from singing George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” (Krishna Krishna) as written? I really doubt it.
December 2, 2013 @ 7:13 pm
I am saddened by the censorship not just because I love the sing but because the voice producers think they can control the people they should be renamed Congress.
December 2, 2013 @ 8:20 pm
This is a classic song and if they were not going to sing it as it was written, they should have chosen another song to sing.
December 2, 2013 @ 8:33 pm
You are all ridiculous. The original hymn does not have the word “lord” in it. “oh” is not considered a word and is acceptable to add to the public domain version. The public domain version had to be used for copyright reasons. I have performed this song 100’s of times for churches and I can tell you the melody they used was not the one that contained the word “lord”. Also, I know many Christians are against any form of wisdom, education or knowledge, but, that give all Christians a bad name. I am convinced they do more harm than good. So, just for the record there are 5 historically accepted versions of the Gettysburg Address (no one was there to tape it, remember) and less than half contain the word “God”. Also, “In God we Trust ” was not added to our money until the 1950’s. Finally, “under God”: was not added to the pledge of allegiance until the 1950,s. Both were added out of a fear of communism. Our fore father were decidedly against merging church and state. Here are the quotes. So, nothing was taken from anything. Your hysteria is the same as those that burn witches and your mentality is of lowest common denominator.
3. “We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this Land the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition”¦ In this enlightened Age and in this Land of equal liberty it is our boast, that a man”™s religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the Laws, nor deprive him of the right of attaining and holding the highest Offices that are known in the United States.”
~George Washington, letter to the members of the New Church in Baltimore, January 27, 1793
4. “The United States of America have exhibited, perhaps, the first example of governments erected on the simple principles of nature; and if men are now sufficiently enlightened to disabuse themselves of artifice, imposture, hypocrisy, and superstition, they will consider this event as an era in their history. Although the detail of the formation of the American governments is at present little known or regarded either in Europe or in America, it may hereafter become an object of curiosity. It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of Heaven, more than those at work upon ships or houses, or laboring in merchandise or agriculture; it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses.”
~John Adams, “A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America” 1787-1788
5. “The Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”
~1797 Treaty of Tripoli signed by John Adams
6. “Thirteen governments [of the original states] thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery, and which are destined to spread over the northern part of that whole quarter of the globe, are a great point gained in favor of the rights of mankind.”
~John Adams, “A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America” (1787-88)
7. “We should begin by setting conscience free. When all men of all religions shall enjoy equal liberty, property, and an equal chance for
honors and power we may expect that improvements will be made in the human character and the state of society.”
~John Adams, letter to Dr. Price, April 8, 1785
8. “I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibit the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state.”
~Thomas Jefferson, letter to the Baptists of Danbury, Connecticut, 1802
9. “In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own. It is error alone that needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.”
~Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Horatio Spofford, 1814
December 2, 2013 @ 9:37 pm
I’m still not buying the idea they changed the wording to make it a public domain rendition. So there’s versions of the song out there that if you perform them, the publisher will come after you? Who is the publisher? Let’s say Sony ATV owns the rights. How hard would it be to get permission to give away a live performance of their song for free on iTunes to help benefit charity? My guess is not very hard.
This talk of separate versions is just to confuse people and appeal to nerds who love to get mired in semantics, and take people’s eye off the ball that they really didn’t want to offend anyone by saying “Lord” on primetime TV.
December 4, 2013 @ 10:01 am
I boycotted NBC when they screwed Letterman over, then banned them permanently when they stuck it to Conan.
December 4, 2013 @ 1:57 pm
Man…. you so-called “Christians” sure do sit high up on your pedestals don’t-cha? Why don’t ya’ll just shut up and watch Pat Robertson?
December 7, 2013 @ 6:42 pm
I will defer to your knowledge. It was my belief that if an artist distributes a song for free or sale that they are obliged to pay royalties. If I am wrong about the free download part, I guess I would have to ask if royalties would apply because it was performed on TV, then distributed?
February 19, 2014 @ 4:20 pm
I would wager that if they had sung “My Sweet Lord” (krishna krishna), there wouldn’t have been any “copyright problems”.