Whiskey and Rye

"The three men I admire most: the father, son, and the holy ghost, they caught the last train for the coast" -Don McLean, American Pie

"God is dead", penned Freidrich Nietzche.

Don't misunderstand this quote. Nietzche was in no way making a truth claim, or attacking Cristianity. He was saying that (according to him) a god-or God- was/is no longer a necessity to the human being.

Sound familiar?

Think Secular Humanism. The theology of Secular Humanism says "There is no god...Man is the measure. Man sets the norm."

Look at the epigram above.

That is a line from Don McLean's popular song American Pie. What does it say? God left us. God is no longer a factor in our lives.

This is Secular Humanism.

For the sake of a grade in English 12, I will catagorize my argument, according to 5 of Mj's 6 facets of analyzing worldview in literature:
1) God and the Universe
What is in control of the Universe? Not God; he left. Not the Devil; he's laughing along
with us (I'll discuss that later). That leaves us basically one option: ourselves.
2) Humanity and Identity
What does it mean to be human? To be mortal. We are gonna die. Sing the chorus to
yourself.
Are we innocent or guilty? Innocent. God left us. There is no longer any higher power to
tell us what is right or wrong. We can't be guilty of anything that is no longer wrong
3) Conflict
Where is there conflict? Between man and the God that left them. Take this quote again:
"The three men I admire most,
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast,
The day the music died"
A popular idea behind why this song was written was as a tribute to the plane crash that
killed Buddy Holly, Frankie Valens, and JP Richardson. This line, as I read it, says "Why
God let this happen?" It does also tie into the Secular Humanist theology, but it creates a
tension between McLean and God as well.
4) Hope
Where is there Hope? Goin' down to the levee with the boys and drinkin' it up, burying
your sorrows in the bottom of a bottle, singin' loud and havin' a good time. Hope is found
in yourself and the delights of the world.
5) Values
What is valued? The music. Every verse ends with "the day the music died". The music is
valued above religion, above fame,above even yourself.