Unknown Caller

[UAME]

Thanks! UAME suggested me to do the same thing, so I'll follow your advice!

I can't wait to read the Psalms actually, knowing how much they've influenced the band, I want to experience it for myself

FYI - Eugene Peterson (author of The Message version) has a very good book entitled A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, which is based on the "Psalms of Ascent" (Psalms 120-134.) I assume you know that Bono has referred to the next album as the "Songs of Ascent"...

 

[cathou_u2]

FYI - Eugene Peterson (author of The Message version) has a very good book entitled A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, which is based on the "Psalms of Ascent" (Psalms 120-134.) I assume you know that Bono has referred to the next album as the "Songs of Ascent"...

Yes!
And Bono has been quoted too saying that line "A long obedience in the same direction. And changing the world. Let's not forget it."

 

[UAME]

Yes!
And Bono has been quoted too saying that line "A long obedience in the same direction. And changing the world. Let's not forget it."

Really?? I hadn't heard that. Was this recently?

 

[cathou_u2]

Really?? I hadn't heard that. Was this recently?

Back in March
Carla and Bono: 'Intimacy is the new punk rock!'

 

[Casamares]

My advice: read the New Testament first, and Psalms and Proverbs. If you start at Genesis and try to read straight through like a regular book, you're gonna hit all those long chapters about measurements and rituals and you're gonna glaze over.

2 or 3 years ago I decided to read Bible from the beginning to the end, but I stopped halfway Exodus

 

[cathou_u2]

2 or 3 years ago I decided to read Bible from the beginning to the end, but I stopped halfway Exodus

So I guess it's a good advice Rachel gave me!
I'll have to buy the book from amazon as I couldn't find it, plus I want to read "One Step Closer: Why U2 Matters To Those Seeking God" around the same time

 

[Casamares]

So I guess it's a good advice Rachel gave me!
I'll have to buy the book from amazon as I couldn't find it, plus I want to read "One Step Closer: Why U2 Matters To Those Seeking God" around the same time

I heard something about it but must find out more

I've recently read "WALK ON: The Spiritual Journey of U2". I had this book in my bag in the first day of the current school year and my friend saw it (she is a devout Catholic and thinks I'm a Satanist or something She also doesn't know Bono's nickname but says he's got awesome voice) and asked me, shocked: Are YOU reading THIS?! Spiritual journey? YOU?

 

[cathou_u2]

I heard something about it but must find out more

I've recently read "WALK ON: The Spiritual Journey of U2". I had this book in my bag in the first day of the current school year and my friend saw it (she is a devout Catholic and thinks I'm a Satanist or something She also doesn't know Bono's nickname but says he's got awesome voice) and asked me, shocked: Are YOU reading THIS?! Spiritual journey? YOU?

Aww girl U2 brings the best out of all of us!
I mean I grew up with a Catholic mom but who doesn't practice and a dad who've complained left & right about religion, with some valid reasons and some which aren't. I'm just at a place right now where I truly feel "open" to it all, after listening to U2/Bono talk about it for all these years, I want to uncover the mystery for myself. I've read some really great reviews about "One Step Closer" so I want to give it a go too "Walk On" has been added to my list as well!

And never forget, only fools never change ideas, so you're entirely free to think one thing one day and to change your mind the next day, that means that you're evolving, learning & growing up! We'll have some lovely talks this summer about it all!

 

[Casamares]

Aww girl U2 brings the best out of all of us!
I mean I grew up with a Catholic mom but who doesn't practice and a dad who've complained left & right about religion, with some valid reasons and some which aren't. I'm just at a place right now where I truly feel "open" to it all, after listening to U2/Bono talk about it for all these years, I want to uncover the mystery for myself. I've read some really great reviews about "One Step Closer" so I want to give it a go too "Walk On" has been added to my list as well!

And never forget, only fools never change ideas, so you're entirely free to think one thing one day and to change your mind the next day, that means that you're evolving, learning & growing up! We'll have some lovely talks this summer about it all!

It's the best start, believe me
Paraphrasing one of my history teachers (what a great man he is! Once he brought for our extra lessons a DVD with U2 concert and we were talking about the genesis of the catchword "COEXIST"): if you had grown up in a religious community (eg my country: 38000000 citizens and 33500000 Catholics), there's a big possibility that your religion would be for you not faith but just folklore.

 

[cathou_u2]

It's the best start, believe me
Paraphrasing one of my history teachers (what a great man he is! Once he brought for our extra lessons a DVD with U2 concert and we were talking about the genesis of the catchword "COEXIST"): if you had grown up in a religious community (eg my country: 38000000 citizens and 33500000 Catholics), there's a big possibility that your religion would be for you not faith but just folklore.

Exactly, it's a really good start!
Now I guess you have to turn the "folklore" into something more meaningful
Such an awesome teacher you have!

 

[UAME]

"One Step Closer" is in my library, and I find myself reaching for it every few months. Awesome book, and the author had the foresight to leave some blank space for notes, so that you can ammend and add new U2 material as it is released!

If you are looking for a wonderful theological overview of Christianity (largely untainted by varying church views and reduced to it's most basic principles), then I would highly recommend C.S. Lewis's classic, Mere Christianity.

 

[Casamares]

"One Step Closer" is in my library, and I find myself reaching for it every few months. Awesome book, and the author had the foresight to leave some blank space for notes, so that you can ammend and add new U2 material as it is released!

If you are looking for a wonderful theological overview of Christianity (largely untainted by varying church views and reduced to it's most basic principles), then I would highly recommend C.S. Lewis's classic, Mere Christianity.

I read C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters and I must read more publications. So I'm addindg Mere Christianity to my list

 

[cathou_u2]

I read C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters and I must read more publications. So I'm addindg Mere Christianity to my list

I haven't read either, but I know that Bono read and loved "The Screwtape Letters"

My U2 list of books keeps growing

 

[cathou_u2]

I've checked the summary of "Mere Christianity" on Amazon and am planning to read it when the school year is over

Here's one of the review that's written on the back cover of the paperback edition, I definitively recognized myself in it , perhaps others will too

"C.S. Lewis is the ideal persuader for the half-convinced, for the good man who would like to be a Christian but finds his intellect getting in the way." - Anthony Burgess, New York Times Book Review

 

[Rachel D.]

If you are looking for a wonderful theological overview of Christianity (largely untainted by varying church views and reduced to it's most basic principles), then I would highly recommend C.S. Lewis's classic, Mere Christianity.

Yes, this book is excellent!

 

[UAME]

I've checked the summary of "Mere Christianity" on Amazon and am planning to read it when the school year is over

Here's one of the review that's written on the back cover of the paperback edition, I definitively recognized myself in it , perhaps others will too

"C.S. Lewis is the ideal persuader for the half-convinced, for the good man who would like to be a Christian but finds his intellect getting in the way." - Anthony Burgess, New York Times Book Review

Lewis's non-fiction works can sometimes be a very difficult read. The man's intelligence was simply on another level compared to most people. However, his fiction works like Screwtape are a joy. Mere Christianity is actually a compilation of radio talks that Lewis gave over the air waves to a British community that was still recovering from the horrors of WWII. A lot of the issues and examples of forgiveness and healing are related to what the world was feeling towards the Germans at that time. One thing I love about the book is that the chapters are pretty short and on a layperson's level - just as a radio address should be. The language isn't as verbose as many of his other books. For me, the only difficulty in the book was familiarizing myself with some of the pieces of British vernacular.

 

[cathou_u2]

Lewis's non-fiction works can sometimes be a very difficult read. The man's intelligence was simply on another level compared to most people. However, his fiction works like Screwtape are a joy. Mere Christianity is actually a compilation of radio talks that Lewis gave over the air waves to a British community that was still recovering from the horrors of WWII. A lot of the issues and examples of forgiveness and healing are related to what the world was feeling towards the Germans at that time. One thing I love about the book is that the chapters are pretty short and on a layperson's level - just as a radio address should be. The language isn't as verbose as many of his other books. For me, the only difficulty in the book was familiarizing myself with some of the pieces of British vernacular.

Thanks for info!
I love reading about historical events, and now with this one with its religious spin on it should definitively be captivating, but most importantly, insightful

 

[Casamares]

I haven't read either, but I know that Bono read and loved "The Screwtape Letters"

My U2 list of books keeps growing

Yeah! Macphisto is based on this book. C.S. Lewis quotes at the beginning Martin Luther's sentence: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." and also Thomas More's statement: "The devil...the prowde spirit...cannot endure to be mocked." (I can recommend you one book written by More, I read it and I think it's really great but I must find the title which I've forgotten).

I've checked the summary of "Mere Christianity" on Amazon and am planning to read it when the school year is over

Here's one of the review that's written on the back cover of the paperback edition, I definitively recognized myself in it , perhaps others will too

"C.S. Lewis is the ideal persuader for the half-convinced, for the good man who would like to be a Christian but finds his intellect getting in the way." - Anthony Burgess, New York Times Book Review

So I know what I'll be looking for during my next visit in library! Sounds good!
It also remebered me about an another book I must recommend you. It's very thin, easy to reading. It about the relationship between faith and intellect.
Do you rember this fragment from "Bono: In conversation..."? - "But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was — the Messiah — or a complete nutcase." - this book is about all that Bono said. Josh McDowell "More than a carpenter" Amazon.com: More Than a Carpenter (9780842345521): Josh McDowell: Books: Reviews, Prices & more

Spoiler

This titles exchange is

 

[UAME]

So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was — the Messiah — or a complete nutcase.

Actually, Mere Christianity lays out this same argument, almost verbatim. One of Lewis's points is that the modern position that Christ was a great moral teacher, but nothing more, cannot be accepted. There was no room left for that opinion, because His teachings were too interwoven into His claims to be THE Son of God.

My own analogy would be that picking out Jesus's good moral teachings, and discarding all the rest, would be similar to picking out the good points of Hitler's speeches. You might find some nuggets of value buried in there, but to do so is to blatantly disregard the big picture of what the man stood for.

With Jesus, you either have to accept that He was truly God, or he was nothing more than another insane cult leader. He didn't offer anything, if He didn't offer eternal salvation.

 

[cathou_u2]

Do you rember this fragment from "Bono: In conversation..."? - "But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was — the Messiah — or a complete nutcase." - this book is about all that Bono said. Josh McDowell "More than a carpenter" Amazon.com: More Than a Carpenter (9780842345521): Josh McDowell: Books: Reviews, Prices & more

Spoiler

This titles exchange is

That part was BRILLIANT!
I agree this book title exchange is quite something!
But, the thread was actually all about Unknown Caller , so well, if you've any other book title to recommend, let's talk about it on and on in our profile messages

Add the title to my list! Plus, the little book you mentioned, is it the Carpenter one, or another one?

 

[cathou_u2]

My own analogy would be that picking out Jesus's good moral teachings, and discarding all the rest, would be similar to picking out the good points of Hitler's speeches. You might find some nuggets of value buried in there, but to do so is to blatantly disregard the big picture of what the man stood for.

With Jesus, you either have to accept that He was truly God, or he was nothing more than another insane cult leader. He didn't offer anything, if He didn't offer eternal salvation.

I'm left speechless here, I can't help but agree!
Very true

 

[Rachel D.]

Actually, Mere Christianity lays out this same argument, almost verbatim. One of Lewis's points is that the modern position that Christ was a great moral teacher, but nothing more, cannot be accepted. There was no room left for that opinion, because His teachings were too interwoven into His claims to be THE Son of God.

My own analogy would be that picking out Jesus's good moral teachings, and discarding all the rest, would be similar to picking out the good points of Hitler's speeches. You might find some nuggets of value buried in there, but to do so is to blatantly disregard the big picture of what the man stood for.

With Jesus, you either have to accept that He was truly God, or he was nothing more than another insane cult leader. He didn't offer anything, if He didn't offer eternal salvation.

Yes, Bono used this same argument when the interviewer from Bono: In Conversation asked him about his faith. He must have read Mere Christianity and was inspired. It would be so interesting to discuss C.S. Lewis with Bono. I'd like to ask him about "Unknown Caller," also.

 

[cathou_u2]

Yes, Bono used this same argument when the interviewer from Bono: In Conversation asked him about his faith. He must have read Mere Christianity and was inspired. It would be so interesting to discuss C.S. Lewis with Bono. I'd like to ask him about "Unknown Caller," also.

True! He did make that argument in "Bono in Conversations": "So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was”the Messiah”or a complete nutcase."

To be able to discuss anything under the sun with him would be amazing!
I must say though that the mere act of listening to him talk about his own faith has lead me to go in search for my own

 

[Casamares]

Yes, Bono used this same argument when the interviewer from Bono: In Conversation asked him about his faith. He must have read Mere Christianity and was inspired. It would be so interesting to discuss C.S. Lewis with Bono. I'd like to ask him about "Unknown Caller," also.

Let me dream about it

True! He did make that argument in "Bono in Conversations": "So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was”the Messiah”or a complete nutcase."

To be able to discuss anything under the sun with him would be amazing!
I must say though that the mere act of listening to him talk about his own faith has lead me to go in search for my own

This is so lovely
"God must have a great sense of humor to have me on board." said Bono, but I must add He knew what to do, when He was creating him

 

[cathou_u2]

"God must have a great sense of humor to have me on board." said Bono, but I must add He knew what to do, when He was creating him

He sure did!

That's what I could find about Bono talking about UC, he said this in Barcelona "It's about a guy at the end of his route, very dark, very depressed. He checks into a hotel room, don't know what's going to happen. He takes out his phone, can't get an outside line, no signal. Then a strange thing happens; the phone starts to text him, instructions, it gets him out of there alive. He doesn't know where it's coming from; God? Best mate? Who knows? It's called Unknown Caller."

Even he lets us decide for ourselves what the song is about, it's all very ambiguous but that's exactly the place where U2's best songs are

 

[Casamares]

He sure did!

That's what I could find about Bono talking about UC, he said this in Barcelona "It's about a guy at the end of his route, very dark, very depressed. He checks into a hotel room, don't know what's going to happen. He takes out his phone, can't get an outside line, no signal. Then a strange thing happens; the phone starts to text him, instructions, it gets him out of there alive. He doesn't know where it's coming from; God? Best mate? Who knows? It's called Unknown Caller."

Even he lets us decide for ourselves what the song is about, it's all very ambiguous but that's exactly the place where U2's best songs are

This is awesome.
Something mystical happens in this song, whomever is this Unknown Caller.

 

[cathou_u2]

The whole concept of the song if we look at it as though God was texting him "instructions, it gets him out of there alive" is truly amazing
Using technology as a way to contact God in your hour of need, I don't mean to say that it works that way, but I love the imagery

"Speed dialing with no signal at all"
This line gets me every time. We've all felt that way at least once in our lives, desperately trying to find help, anything that would pull us up from the hole we've fell in. Plus the "speed dialing" means that we all have a direct, open connection to God. It's right there at the tip of your finger but in order to reach Him you must be "ready to let go." And this can be very hard to do But in the grand scheme of things, perhaps giving up some of your control to God is the only way you can really stay well-balanced. Having that duality might be the best way to live most completely.

"In despair, I did pray to God. And I discovered that, even sometimes in the silence, God does answer. The answer may not be the one you want to hear but there's always an answer, if you are serious, if you are ready to let go." -Bono, U2 by U2. I've said it before, but Bono speaks about religion in a way I can understand and relate to. He's like a stepping stone

As for the lines:
"On the edge of the known universe
Where I wanted to be"
Does it mean like an outsider looking in? You know what's out there but you're stuck somewhere else, maybe caught up in yourself, with your fears acting like road blocks preventing you from truly living?

 

[Casamares]

The whole concept of the song if we look at it as though God was texting him "instructions, it gets him out of there alive" is truly amazing
Using technology as a way to contact God in your hour of need, I don't mean to say that it works that way, but I love the imagery

It remembered me about what said a pastor of my friends' church: "Scientists discovered a part of brain which is responsible for religious experiences! And they announced: There's no God, only imaginations. But don't they see the truth? When God was creating people he wanted to being able to communicate with them!" It was something like that.

"Speed dialing with no signal at all"
This line gets me every time. We've all felt that way at least once in our lives, desperately trying to find help, anything that would pull us up from the hole we've fell in. Plus the "speed dialing" means that we all have a direct, open connection to God. It's right there at the tip of your finger but in order to reach Him you must be "ready to let go." And this can be very hard to do But in the grand scheme of things, perhaps giving up some of your control to God is the only way you can really stay well-balanced. Having that duality might be the best way to live most completely.

"I was lost between the midnight and the dawning
In a place of no consequence or company" - perfect description of this situation.
We should also remember that when we feel like you said above, a decision belongs to us, because God calls us or always waits for our call.

Once an interesting thing happened to me. A few times per month I receive messages with quotations. And I read in my cell phone's screen: "God always answers the telephone, regardless of how much time elapsed since the last conversation".
It was like "3:33 when the numbers fell off the clock face."

"In despair, I did pray to God. And I discovered that, even sometimes in the silence, God does answer. The answer may not be the one you want to hear but there's always an answer, if you are serious, if you are ready to let go." -Bono, U2 by U2. I've said it before, but Bono speaks about religion in a way I can understand and relate to. He's like a stepping stone

Because this is the way everyone should talk about religion. Some preachers etc. use that language as if God was so abstract.
I'm a fan of a Polish Christian journalist, writer and TV presenter Szymon Hołownia (he writes excellent and funny things but unfortunately I don't think so that the're translated into English). He is a really laid-back, young guy with a big sense of humour and he said that it isn't normal when priests say "cherish" not "love", "tread" not "go" etc. - and we should go with them to a pub.

Religion can be concrete and can be also poetry. Bono is a master of talking on these two levels.

As for the lines:
"On the edge of the known universe
Where I wanted to be"
Does it mean like an outsider looking in? You know what's out there but you're stuck somewhere else, maybe caught up in yourself, with your fears acting like road blocks preventing you from truly living?

For me it's related to the Bono's sentence that thanks to Bob Dylan's songs (was it Bob Dylan? I'm 90% sure now) when he was 14 he discovered the second world to explore.

 

[cathou_u2]

But don't they see the truth? When God was creating people he wanted to being able to communicate with them!" It was something like that.

That's just brilliant! I'm all for science and advancing technology, but I truly believe that science & religion can COEXIST One shouldn't exclude the other, one shouldn't be the only explanation for something.

"God always answers the telephone, regardless of how much time elapsed since the last conversation".

While Bono depends on Grace because if the world was only ruled by Karma, he'd be in big trouble, this quote truly defines where I'm at in my life right now I depend on God's ability to say that it's okay if I haven't been around him for so long, as long as I'm getting closer now, that's all that matters.

I'm a fan of a Polish Christian journalist, writer and TV presenter Szymon Hołownia (he writes excellent and funny things but unfortunately I don't think so that the're translated into English). He is a really laid-back, young guy with a big sense of humour and he said that it isn't normal when priests say "cherish" not "love", "tread" not "go" etc. - and we should go with them to a pub.

Exactly! That's the kind of non-flowery language that seems like the most honest to me. It might be too simple and direct, but I'll take honesty over pretension any day of the week!

Religion can be concrete and can be also poetry. Bono is a master of talking on these two levels.

For me it's related to the Bono's sentence that thanks to Bob Dylan's songs (was it Bob Dylan? I'm 90% sure now) when he was 14 he discovered the second world to explore.

Indeed, Bono's a master of blending these two quite nicely!
Not sure if it's Bob Dylan, it might be John Lennon, we'll have to check!

 

[Casamares]

That's just brilliant! I'm all for science and advancing technology, but I truly believe that science & religion can COEXIST One shouldn't exclude the other, one shouldn't be the only explanation for something.

I don't understand why some people claim that faith and science exlude themseves God gave us intellect for something. In turn science can explain everything. If we can derive advantage from both, we shouldn't resign of one of them.

While Bono depends on Grace because if the world was only ruled by Karma, he'd be in big trouble

If Bono was in trouble, I'd spend whole eternity in the deepest circle of Hell

, this quote truly defines where I'm at in my life right now I depend on God's ability to say that it's okay if I haven't been around him for so long, as long as I'm getting closer now, that's all that matters. [/qoute]

It's never too late Do you know the story about this criminal who was crucified with Jesus?
Luke 10
42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom." 43He said, "Don't worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise."

Last minutes of his life!

Indeed, Bono's a master of blending these two quite nicely!
Not sure if it's Bob Dylan, it might be John Lennon, we'll have to check!

I found: "When he was 14 he happened to listen to If I had a hammer and then Bob Dylan “made him realize that there was another world to be explored”. "