The Tangent College
Hello Colleagues,
As there is all the buzz around AI these days, I wish to coin another term as it applies to contemporary worship music. I would call it AW or AIW, which would refer to either “artificial worship”, “artificial intelligent worship”, or “automated worship”. Although the first is more contemporary and hard-hitting, “automated worship” is probably more accurate.
Many people, perhaps most people, have a difficult time in recognizing artificial intelligence versus natural intelligence. I don’t like initials, as they remove meaning from the words they represent, so I will mostly continue to refer to it as artificial intelligence even though most people recognize the initials “AI”. But the initials AI are used purposely by the enemy because they are less threatening than the words “artificial intelligence”. People should be appalled, and yet they are not, by the very presence of artificial intelligence, which is the mimicking, and in a tyrannical sense, the mocking of natural intelligence which people seem to find burdensome.
It has always baffled me, though the more I understand it the more dejected it leaves me, that people cannot recognize the difference between canned soup and fresh soup, between a stunning picture of a sunset on their “smart” device and actually physically seeing a sunset in reality. We are increasingly living in a two dimensional world in which more and more the genuine versus the non-genuine can no longer be distinguished. God’s children are not mature enough to recognize the difference between genuine natural intelligence worship versus corporatized automated worship. They’ve been conditioned for decades by their franchised pastors –many too young in their Christian walk to know the history– to not be able to distinguish between the real and the counterfeit; between corporatized automated worship and genuine natural worship.
Because the corporations, just like artificial intelligence, have learned over the years which bromides sell best to Christians. It’s learned what they like to hear, and it’s learned what the pastors wish to feed to their flock. The machine learning gets better and better every year at mimicking the real thing. The corporatized worship industrial complex learns what is worth mass-producing and it shovels it out to every contemporary evangelical church, and to their delight, it is gobbled down like chicken feed. They’ve learned very well the perfect formula of religious worship music which the religious enjoy, providing a modest cash flow to the corporations and mediocre stardom to the Christian “artists”.
I am not saying that we are fully at the point of AI produced worship music, though I believe we are approaching it. The slow creep that has happened over the past 30+ years has been the incorporating of these “artists”, who are able and willing to produce this mush, into the worship industrial complex. They are able to use their gift, though in order to use it they must turn their creativity over to the machine. Their songs go into the meat-grinder where anything out of the ordinary – chords, rhythms, melodies, originality, texture, musicianship, Godly inspiration, Scriptures not fitting the social narrative, cleverness, flavor, and life – are stripped away leaving nothing but flavorless music (un-salt) that has lost its savor and is good for nothing except to be thrown out and trampled under the foot of men. But the worship leaders are unaware of this as the worship industrial complex pumps out one tasteless song after the next.
They all sound the same. I remember playing guitar in a worship band in a large church some 15 years ago in which I became aware that even though we played the same songs repeatedly from week to week, I could not remember any one of the songs by their title. The music had to be placed before me and every week I would read the chords and remember the song, but as soon as I left the service the song left my memory. We played robotically, there was little room for creativity, no allowance for musicianship or showmanship, but the worship got done. Members of the worship team would refer to a song and I would look at them blankly never remembering the song they were referring to. It actually makes me chuckle to this day when I think of it.
To continue with the phraseology from last week’s email – The problem is, is that I know what the problem is. And because I know what the problem is, it is very difficult to participate in franchise churchianity that is oblivious to the corporatized automated worship. It is why I told one pastor that if I were to lead worship I would start by throwing out the entire catalog of these corporatized flavorless songs. To use the line from the movie Educating Rita, she laments, “there must be better songs to sing than these.” – There are Rita, but the church leaders, the corporate gatekeepers, won’t allow you to hear them. Better songs are vibrant but threatening. Corporate songs are flavorless but safe. Given the choice, the church always opts for safety.
I am like an experienced banker who because of years of handling real money can spot the counterfeit. But to the inexperienced, it is almost impossible and they will swear to you that there is no difference. I can spot the difference and I recognize the creepy mechanized hand of artificial worship.
Artificial intelligence is not really a new thing. It has been with us throughout history; the principal occupation of Satan. He gets better and better at mimicking the voice of God. The contemporary evangelical church no longer distinguishes between the gospel of Judas, which sounds so loving and compassionate but is a counterfeit, versus the gospel of Christ which is genuine but upsetting.
Artificial intelligence is the next step of the continuous corporatization of our lives. In this sense AI has been going on for a long time. In the Christian church, I clearly recognized it growing in the Christian music, which more and more became the Christian music industry, let’s call it the “worship industrial complex”, as the churches began to grow into franchises. It was so apparent to me, that by the 1990s I had essentially abandoned Christian music and separated myself from this ever-growing worship industrial complex. This, as I’ve said in my previous emails on various topics, is one more thing that has caused me to be a very lonely man. I find no place to play genuine “natural intelligence” music; borne out of a growing relationship with God along with a natural understanding of what makes good music. The gatekeepers keep doling out the canned soup, and the people seem content with it, because they know no other. True food and true drink can make some feel uncomfortable, and the evangelical church does not do uncomfortable.
The counterfeit gospel of Judas is the idea that God’s central focus is on our needs, as Judas states, “couldn’t this money have been given to the poor?” Judas is concerned with Roman occupation, the never ending needs of the poor and the downtrodden, and is expecting this Christ to relieve Israel of its burden. But Jesus did not come for this purpose. As he replies back to Judas, “the poor you will have with you always, but you will not always have me”. Every sermon, every song in the franchised Church is directed at the people rather than God.
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So now let me turn to Israel, a subject which is so vast I could not possibly explain it in one email. Instead I imagine that I will revisit it a number of times. To say my thinking on Israel has changed is an understatement. With this latest “attack” by Hamas on “innocent” Israelis which was quite obviously allowed by the Israeli government, my eyes have been opened to the twisted narrative that I have always been taught, because we hear no other.
The Zionist narrative is pushed by Democrats and Republicans, all of the mainstream media and 80 percent of the “conservative” alternative mainstream media which sadly includes the likes of Dennis Prager and Ben Schapiro and Mark Levin. These three all call themselves “Jews”, Prager being the most Torah based of the three, Ben Shapiro leans more Talmudic, and Mark Levin is basically a secular Jew. But they all preach Zionism. Levin is particularly sensitive to “antisemitism” which has become a weaponized term in order to advance Zionism. The Semites are not even exclusively Jewish, but the term refers to all the people of Palestine. And yet we have Dennis Prager sending out this galling email:
“In the aftermath of the worst act of antisemitic terrorism since the Holocaust, it is imperative that patriots like you refuse to remain silent or intimidated. The terrifying trend of antisemitism, anti-colonialism, and anti-American hatred is on the rise. You see this in our media, our politics, and our school system. This is our time to defend truth, correct misinformation, and affirm our values. Thank you for joining us as we stand up for America, Israel, and the West against the forces spreading antisemitism, Marxism, hatred, and lies.”
Notice how he links together the terms “anti-Semitism”, “Anti-Colonialism”, and “anti-American”, but this tells you everything you need to know about the poisonous roots of Zionism. So the propaganda goes like this, if you are not supportive of Zionism, you are labeled as an anti-Semite. And who has been the king poster boy for anti-Semitism in the 20th century? – But of course, Adolf Hitler. So to the simplistic mind, if you do not support Zionism, which refers to the nationstate of Israel, then you are considered an anti-Semite and thus a Nazi. This is how the Zionist secular Jews have established the narrative.
Anti-colonialism? Wow! If this is not a dead giveaway as to the actual purpose of Zionism I don’t know what is. I will not get into all the historical details but suffice it to say that the nationstate of Israel was created by the British prior to World War II and after the Holocaust of World War II, the US partnered with the Brits in setting up the Western colony of Israel in the Middle East. Both the true Torah following Jews and the Palestinians have been the victims of British colonialism. And since the West establish this colony of Israel, we have since been inextricably linked with the West as they must support their colony in the Middle East surrounded by non-Western “enemies”.
Anti-American? So, according to Dennis Prager, if you don’t support Zionism, the nation-state of Israel established by British and American colonialism, you are not an American patriot. Am I the only person who is incredibly insulted by this? I have been a long time listener of Dennis Prager but his hard headedness has become most tiresome. He has become entirely unreasonable. In saying this he reveals his true attitude toward Christianity as inferior to his Judaism while continuing to posture himself as a great supporter of Christianity. But I have found his ignorance of true Christianity continuously frustrating. He vaguely understands the religion that has been created around the New Testament, but he fails to understand the true words of Christ and the essence of the New Testament which are antithetical to his religious Judaism. Like many Christians who wrap themselves in their religion and refuse to accept the God of reality, so does Prager wrap himself in his religion and closes his eyes to the reality of colonial Israel murdering Palestinian innocents, while claiming to be victims of Hamas attacks. Victimization allows you carte blanche to respond as you please.
Jesus spent a great portion of his ministry exposing the hypocrisy of the religious Pharisees and the secular Sadducees. Zionism is basically the modern version of these. When the Pharisees asked to see a sign from Jesus, they were asking not to see another blind man received his sight or demon cast out, but they wanted to see proof that he was the coming King who would defeat the Romans and reestablish the kingdom of Israel (for the Sadducees) or Judah (for the Pharisees). But this was never his purpose, as he spoke with Pontius Pilate, “Pilate…said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You up to me; what have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Pilate therefore said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” -John 18:33-37.
Jesus did not come for the purpose of reestablishing the nation of Israel/Judah but this is what the Pharisees, the Sadducees and Judas Iscariot were convinced of. It is why Judas betrayed Christ because he considered Christ betrayed this Zionist idea. The true Israelite, the true Jew, and the true Christian have a kingdom not of this world. Jesus did not come to establish a kingdom nation in Palestine, not until he comes in the clouds, in power, in his second coming. But even in his first advent he said, “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!” – Luke 12:49 Zionism has this turned upside down. In this way Zionism follows the gospel according to Judas.
This leads to so many more thoughts but I will save that for another time. I feel that this is a good beginning to the change in my understanding.
I would ask that you would take the time and watch this video of Stew Peters interviewed by Alex Jones on Info Wars. It is hard-hitting stuff and it will shake your world if you, like me, were a former Zionist or simply did not understand what Zionism was. This will be most informative. Please watch “Stew Peters BLOWS OPEN the TRUTH About Zionism with Alex Jones”.
Until next week, follow the path of righteousness, trust nothing that you hear in the news, and stay far from the camp of the Covidites.
Bill Ward