Frank Ocean's "Bad Religion": Or, Why Frank Ocean Understands Good Religion

Frank Ocean, a young R&B singer, has been creating a buzz for well over a year now and performed live on television for the first time last night. He performed the song which created the rumors that were eventually confirmed in this open letter in which he confesses that the first time he fell in love it was with another man. For various reasons related to perceptions of African American males in the US, R&B singers, and hip hop artists, this was deemed a groundbreaking event in the hip hop world. The internet was quickly abuzz about how this confession would impact the career of this seemingly brilliant young talent.

Unfortunately, this has led many folks to miss the profound theological point of the song: romantic relationships, especially ones in which the level of love and commitment aren’t mutual, can become idolatrous religions that bring people to their knees (and not in prayer). He’s experienced the pain of unrequited love, as many have (no matter the sex of the beloved), and nothing hurts quite like having one’s god not love them back.

Watch the performance here. Lyrics below:

[Verse 1]
Taxi driver
You’re my shrink for the hour
Leave the meter running
It’s rush hour
So take the streets if you wanna
Just outrun the demons, could you?
He said “Allahu Akbar”, I told him don’t curse me
“But boy you need prayer”, I guess it couldn’t hurt me
If it brings me to my knees
It’s a bad religion

[Chorus]
This unrequited love
To me it’s nothing but
A one-man cult
And cyanide in my styrofoam cup
I could never make him love me
Never make him love me
Love
Love

[Verse 2]
Taxi driver
I swear I’ve got three lives
Balanced on my head like steak knives
I can’t tell you the truth about my disguise
I can’t trust no one
And you say “Allahu Akbar”, I told him don’t curse me
“But boy you need prayer”, I guess it couldn’t hurt me
If it brings me to my knees
It’s a bad religion

[Chorus]

[Outro]
It’s a bad religion
To be in love with someone
Who could never love you
I know
Only bad religion
Could have me feeling the way I do

In this song, Ocean provides a powerful view into the world of one who has placed their faith in the wrong person/thing. It’s a world of deep pain and regret. We all struggle, in our own ways and with our own idols, with the temptation of idolatry. For many it’s money. For others it’s power. And for others it’s nation. Or race. Or family. Or religious doctrine. (A sure test for whether something has the potential to become an idol is if people are willing to kill other people for it. History has shown that there are some things people repeatedly kill for. They are the most dangerous idols of all.) It doesn’t matter what the idol may be (and they can come in any form), the monotheisms, including Christianity, are consistent in their rejection of idolatry. Too frequently, people have taken that to simply mean a “graven image,” but this is an exercise in missing the point. The prophets remind us that graven images are nothing. Rather, it is the power that we give to idols, which they greedily accept, that is the danger.

Money. Power. Nation. Race. Family. Doctrine. Romantic Relationships. May Frank Ocean’s words remind us that we all struggle with idolatry and that it is always bad religion to give in to the temptation.

About these ads