I like Manson—I don’t love him—but I like him. I appreciate the fact that he speaks out against hypocritical establishment. He calls himself a performer and is frank about his shows being entertainment. Visually, I find him disturbing and this intrigues me. I’ve “You-Tube’d” him plenty of times–just to catch banned videos (or versions) if nothing else. I think he’s original and pretty damn sharp.

Would I want to be in a room, alone, with the band? I’ll have to think about that one…I just remember seeing his Anti-Christ Superstar documentary and….wow. Maybe I’ll just stick to LISTENING to the music.

todd: I’m not big on censorship. This is true. But yet I had a hard time when my daughter learned of the torture of christ and I fail to read her the true bits of pieces of certain stories containing death. So am I ‘not big’ on censorship in word only? maybe.
i think creating should be limited only in it’s ill treatment of the human soul. and even that is subject. i struggle with creativity when it’s not driven from the true self (driven by money, greed, or irresponsible hate) and even that is subject. your points are good/hard/somewhat impossible to know. but not struggling with it is not the answer.

free:
I think manson makes a mockery of the state of his soul. “i joined the crowd that wants to see me dead. right now I feel I belong for the first time” I think feeling like a worm must be looked at face to face. ignoring it only makes it worse. acknowledging in gives you a starting place..and where does one go with it? you can mock it, you can love it, you can run from it, you can fight it. Most of us love it and thrive in it or are unaware of it (both lead to addictions). Running doesn’t work, it only lands you in the wrong places celebrating an absence of soul (as well as addiction). Yes. He celebrates it. And mocks it. I guess after a while pretending it doesn’t exist leads to a bigger tumor. I don’t think he’s right, but I don’t think there is a right when it comes to depression. It just is. And for me and many (i believe) singing about it somehow absolves it of it’s power.

I grew up being taught by the church that I was so-called “worm.” And I think it is crap. God created me and somebody else is responsible for scarring me with evil. I had nothing to do with it. All I have to do is deal with it. God isn’t holding me responsible for that. I am not a worm. God created me and said it was good. I may be broken, but I am not a worm. I think this is what Manson fails to see.

I have never been a fan of Manson myself but I can respect his honesty. You are absolutely right about how we picket the wounded on the side of the road instead of picking them up and helping them.

I feel like in the past couple years my eyes have really been opened to what Christianity has become in America today. It is a dim shadow of the Kingdom that Jesus came to establish, and it does more to hurt and repel people than help and attract.

Todd, there are a lot of things that I don’t let my kids see or hear but I don’t believe in censorship either. “Christians” today are too concerned about making the culture comfortable for themselves and their children at the expense of those that are wounded. Why do we think that we have to stand up for our rights? Why not rather be wronged? Why not be like the one who when he was reviled did not revile in return? (btw, this rant isn’t directed at you Todd, but the Christian sub-culture. I know you were just asking some good questions)

Musically, the guy is sick (sick as in “good”).

It is terribly disheartening to me that there are so many people who choose to spew hate at a guy who is so willingly transparent about the state of his soul.

-Having said that, I wonder if his work is too accessible to those whose age prevents them from truly understanding the meaning of the lyrics?

-Having said THAT, on what premise should we restrict a person’s ability to create?

-Having said THAT, shouldn’t there be limits?

-Having said THAT, are Christians justified in attempting to legislate “Christian values” to those who don’t believe as they do?

You know what is also disheartening matches? SOME of the same people who would crusade against the mere existence of Marilyn Manson probably know every lyric to every Toby Keith song ever written. It is ironic how Manson is burned at the stake for singing about his own angst and misery, but Keith is given a free pass when making backhanded comments about–and passing judgment on–entire people groups.