I "Imagine" so. :o)

Yes. you are.

I think you are ...

No. I'm sure a lot of people in organized religion find it offensive. It challenges your thinking. And that scares you. It's message should be aligned with your goals such as peace and compassion and what not. I'm sure anything that challenges thinking like that in such a profound way is offensive to you.

Imagine that, you are the only one. So far.

I have better things to do than be offended by good music.

Yes, but being a 'catholic', that's a typical reaction.

Why do you not like it? He's asking you to imagine something, not telling you what to think.

I was offended by John Lennon full stop. He was a tube.

I find it boring. I'm a Christian, ain't ashamed of that, and do not think that a well-intended (for lack of a better term) challenge of my faith is offensive, insulting, nor out of line. "Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try. No hell below us Above us only sky. Imagine all the people Living for today..." I would also challenge all the Christians of the world to imagine that there is no Heaven nor Hell. Make it a part of a discussion group at your church, and do it in the spirit of the song, not just instant dismissal of the concept. By the end, you may then question your own faith, or it may have made it stronger. Still, could be a reccomended exercise for any religious group in which to partake.

Yes, it looks like you are. I liked it. :-)

My guess is that only the wimpiest could be offended by such a bland challenge to faith. Should the rich be offended by "Imagine no possessions..."?

do you find it offensive or spam?

He forgot to imagine a Godless world without deranged sociopathic killers making religion his least concern.

I would think more people would have been offended by his song 'God': God is a concept, By which we can measure, Our pain, I'll say it again, God is a concept, By which we can measure, Our pain, I don't believe in magic, I don't believe in I-ching, I don't believe in bible, I don't believe in tarot, I don't believe in Hitler, I don't believe in Jesus, I don't believe in Kennedy, I don't believe in Buddha, I don't believe in mantra, I don't believe in Gita, I don't believe in yoga, I don't believe in kings, I don't believe in Elvis, I don't believe in Zimmerman, I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me, Yoko and me, And that's reality. The dream is over, What can I say? The dream is over, Yesterday, I was dreamweaver, But now I'm reborn, I was the walrus, But now I'm John, And so dear friends, You just have to carry on, The dream is over.

I don't think his intention was to attack religion or offend anyone's belief system. I think his message is that we need to realize how much the same we are and not make arbitrary divisions. Embrace our similarities not our differences.

I like Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World" a little bit better but I don't have a problem with "Imagine". I can never tell if your questions are serious or just baloney looking for a "knee jerk" reaction.

I'm not offended by it, but it does give me the s**ts. Really not my kind of music. Quite liked a lot of the Beatles' stuff, but that and a couple of others get turned off.

I seriously wonder what is offensive about it. It is a very good and unoffensive song.

May I ask why you find it offensive?

I don't find it offensive, but I do find it naive.

Actually, you might be one of the few that think about the lyrics -- quite a radical song! So many people treat it like it was "America the Beautiful" without realizing what a challenge it is to ordinary consciousness. That is why I really like it, even though when I first listened to it, I didn't like thinking about "above us, only sky." Really the song is amazing because it is soo simple and yet so profound "imagine no possessions -- i wonder if you can" wow. I really do wonder if I can! "Should I?" is another question. Nevertheless, I think the song is a step towards pushing people towards enlightenment and I salute you for speaking up about how the song challenges you.

I find it stupid and pretensious: 60's schmaltsey brain-dead sentimentality and anti-religious bigotry masquerading as deep philosophical insight, social awareness, and profound idealism. John Lennon got we he deserved: Yoko Ono. I dare say eternity in Hell might actually be something of a step up from that.

Maybe, we sang it in grade school choir class. Although we had to change the word "hell" to "nothing"

how is it offensive

It would seem from the responses so far that I am the only one who finds it offensive. Hmm.

I can't "imagine" why it would be offensive to express an alternate way of viewing life. Everyone can choose to do that and choose to share those views. No one is being forced to accept it, after all.

That song has been the topic of much controvesy. I am personally not offended by the song, but there are many others that are.Many religious listeners were offended, because they took Mr. Lennon's words to mean that the world would be better off without religion. Many other listeners were offended by the fact that a rich man was singing "Imagine no possesions." I personally take a different message from the song. Maybe I'm just an optimist, but I try to find the positive message of the song. When I read the lyrics, I think Lennon is trying to make people think about the world in a different way. He says: "Imagine there's no Heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today " I hear: Imagine if all people would live good and moral lives without the promise of heaven or threat of hell. Imagine if everyone was good and moral just because it was the right thing to do. (And I'm not saying that all religious people are moral to get into heaven, just to clarify.) He says: "Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace" I hear: Many wars and much violence in the world's history are started over land (countries) or religion. I like to think that Lennon is saying, what if we all lived together in peace. No borders, no labels, no nationality. Everyone lived and belvieved what they believed and let others do the same. These are obviously idealist thoughts that will probably never become reality. Lennon was an idealist. He just wanted to get his thoughts out there for others to hear and ponder. These are not my beliefs, but they are intersting to think about.

I will put it simple as it gets NO living life in harmony with others WOW it would be nice all as one :)

Religion has sparked so many wars and so much hatred in this world. Anybody who criticizes the religion part should think twice about it. He is simply asking us to imagine a world in complete peace. That the world could be as one.

Yes, I think you are the only one. Most people are more readily offended by those who take offence at sincerely written song lyrics.

well with freedom of religion it really shouldn't be offensive.

There being nothing new under the sun -- In Biblical times, were there any expressions of this idea (peace thru absence of religion and wealth)?

Jesus said: do not lay up treasures on earth, where moth and rust, etc., lay up treasures in heaven. Lennon appears to be saying: do not lay up treasures at all. I am bothered by "living for today" because it implies not working for the future. Everything we depend on to make life good, or even possible, was made by somebody in the past, working for the future. If we followed his program we'd be back in the Stone Age, which I don't think was especially peaceful. And I wonder how we can eat without possessing food. I wonder what bad experiences he must have had with possessions and religion.

There is nothing to be offended about unless you are the type of person who sees yourself as better than others due to your religious beliefs, amassed wealth, or national origin. John Lennon wasn't telling people to stop believing in God or their religions. He wasn't saying you should give up your possessions or burn your country's flag either. He was saying that when you look at another person, to look at who they really are. Don't judge them based on their religious beliefs, their wealth or lack thereof, or the flag they pledge allegiance too, nor the color of their skin which comes from the area of the world their ancestors came from. He's just telling people to look at each other and see each other for what they are, equals. If people didn't see and judge others on these things, there would be no wars, because we would see that everyone underneath is basically the same. We all desire the same basic things, but we just each have different ways of finding and getting these basic needs and wants. Getting offended while listening to this song is a clear cut case of not seeing the forest through the trees. Wouldn't this world be a better place and our hearts more full of love if we didn't see these things when we looked at someone? If we saw others as equals, our brothers and sisters rather than opponents or people who need to be saved? So I guess my question to you is, do you not like this song and are offended by it because you feel that you are better than others? It'll be easy enough for others to write you off as such since you waive your religion in front of you like a badge of honor. It could seem that you think that because you're Catholic, that makes you better than all the non-Catholics around here. I know that's not how you feel though. No, you're not like that. So what is it that makes you find this song offensive if not for an elitist mentality? Listening too much to the words, instead of the message, no? Not reading between the lines?

Well David Archuleta is singing it as his last song on American Idol. Wonder if the religious right is gonna all vote for the other dude because of it. Or maybe they'll recognize it for what it is. A good song.

It is one of the greatest songs of all times.

Whatever about Religion,Lennon was very fond of posessions. He lived in a exclusive hotel in New York and seemed to have accumalated massive wealth before died.

why yes, yes you are.

I 'imagine' there are others out there who may find it offensive..I haven't met any of them.

Yes, and might I add that some of us find you offensive.

I haven't read any of the answers to this yet but I see there are many so you may have already been asked why you find it offensive. I don't myself. Why do you?

I don't find it offensive, I find it very unrealistic. Noble sentiments indeed, but asking people to give up belief? Riiiiight!

(This is in response to answer 33 comment to me.)First of all, I didn't say you owned a god. I stated your god as opposed to someone else's god. You see, not all people believe in the same god. I.E. see Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, etc. Lennon said, imagine no possessions. I liken it to how some Indian tribes looked at land. You couldn't own the land, you existed with it. Percieved abilities meant that some purported actions taken by your god seem to contradict the way man is supposed to conduct himself in your bible. You are free to extract whatever you want from the bible and compare whatever passages you want but I really don't think Lennon was attempting to contradict the bible in any way with this song. It goes way deeper than the bible ever could. It is referring to the fact that more people have died over religion than any other one thing in history.

Imagine there's no Heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today When I first heard the song, I thought it was very beautiful, and it was an interesting trip he took us all on... Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace Then one day I began to think about the words themselves, and I realized that it was pretty clear that he was preaching atheism... You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Realizing the life he had lived, I understood he had been for many years with ending war, ending famine, ending oppression and so on, and thought it was nice of him to wish peace for everyone... Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world But the day I sat down and really thought about the words, I listened to the song two or three times, and suddenly realized he was not only preaching atheism, but he was actually preaching communism... You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one That's when I started having a hard time listening to the song, because as a musician I was also aware of the subtle power of music, and how people accept a message couched within a nice melody that they would not accept otherwise... for many years I found it disturbing to listen to, very much as someone having to endure a religious Christian hymn if it were played every so often on a rock radio station... But now, all these years later, I can listen to it again and hear the beauty of the song, but I'm fully aware of the message it contains. John lennon was an idealist, and a visionary, and with his understanding of the world, right or wrong as he may have been, he was a man who was simply trying to do the best he could and the best he knew how to make the world a better place for all of us. That is what I truly believe his heart was, and that is what I hear in his music when I listen to it now... a desire for all people to be at peace, to stop arguing, and to see each other with a heart filled with love... We should realize that it's quite possible that had we had the same life, the same experiences, and the same relationships as the other fellow has had, we would do no different, be no different, and believe no differently than what he does... it is simply a lack of understanding and compassion that causes all of our strife.

I prefer to listen to it with the same ears I had as a child-not putting too much meaning into it and enjoying the song for it's lullaby effect. I think it's pretty, if I don't like the deep meaning of a song I ignore the meaning and enjoy the sound.

Sol te.

I think you very well may be.

I think so, yes. Think about how many people have been killed because of religions.

probably not, but i'm not offended by it the first stanza made me depressed as a little girl, just thinking that this is it, and how horrible that would be if this was the only thing - and then the way we're tearing the only thing in this life we have apart...not uplifting at all . the second stanza i also found unrealistic, but that line about no religion...growing up i was catholic, and thinking about no religion - or at least nobody trying to shove their religion down our throats...that would be good and peaceful if religion didn't cause so many problems with people. . the next verse (not the chorus) was pure socialism. honestly as lovely as that is, the minute you bring the human element into the equation the whole thing goes kaput, so it's nice to "imagine"...but i don't think it'll ever happen.

No, you are probably not the only one, unfortunately. But for a lot of people like me, it is one of the best songs of the last century, with a great message. "You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one" So, mister, you may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. And if you find this song offensive, then you are sick in your mind.

I don't know what song you're speaking of, and apparantly neither does Paul Mccartney.

I like apc's cover of this song. they brought it heavy.

Well here you probably are, but in the world, no. People are just so angry when someone challenges their faith no matter what way they do it. Some people hate Atheism for existing. One person who did find it offensive was some f*cking stupid evangelical nut who tried to get the song banned.

You must REALLY hate "God", then, huh? -

Please clue us in on what is so offensive about a beautiful song about peace & unity?

Yes, sad to say, you are the only one. :(

I don't find it offensive in the least. o.O It's one of my favourite songs of all time. I love it, it's incredible. =D

Yes, only you. What's your problem?

As a Christian I am not offended by it. It was titled *Imagine* for a reason. If it was titled *Some Atheist Believes This To Be Fact*, then I would be offended.

I am sure you are not the only one. After all it's a big world. You don't have to look hard to find someone who is offended by something. Songs, nipples, women who work, sweaters for dogs...everyone in this country has their panties in a knot over something or at least it feels that way sometimes. Silly me, very little offends me. Except of course people with thin skin and a limited world view who are it seems deliberately ignorant superstitious religious zealots who spend their time inflicting or attempting to inflict their view on everyone else. Now that offends me haha

Yes

I'm sure there are other religious zealots who are offended by the idea of imagining there is neither a heaven nor a hell. He only asks you to imagine it, he doesn't say they don't exist. The fact that he asks you to imagine could actually be taken as evidence that he believed in them.

Oh no, you are absolutely right, it IS offensive!! How dare he sing about a peaceful world full of love!! How sick and immoral!

Imagine there's no cliché That Lennon wouldn't try Sitting in his penthouse Up there in the sky Imagine that you're loaded Thinking of the poor oh oh oh oh oh.....

I don't know how you can be offended by being open to love, peace and joy. I'll bet it is the line, "Imagine no religion..." that got you all bent. Right? Well, try to imagine a world without religion in the context of John's song. It was referring to a world without wars and arguements over religion. A wonderfilled and joyous thought in my mind. You need not feel your religion is threatened in order to imagine a world without it. I often imagine things that I do not necessarily want in my life. Try it! You might find the world isn't as scarey as you thought. And beautiful songs are not something to be offended by.

You wouldn't feel that way if you listened to the song in its context. Remember when he wrote it and what was happening in the world. People back then probably weren't into being politically correct and sensitivity the world shares today. It was the time of the Vietnam War as well as the Civil Rights Movement and I don't know what else. Music reflects the culture. Study music in its context and try to imagine what tomorrow's peoples are going to say about our culture through the music we have today. Don't take the music of the past personally.

I am not offended and I am a Muslim woman.

Im a little touchy I guess I love the song but in a snit I broke and old album with it on it because I couldnt understand the lyrics. No need for greed "or hunger" of brotherhood "of Man".."something in there" I HAVE ALWAYS HATED WHEN I CANT UNDERSTAND THE LYRICS IN A SONG IT MAKES ME FEEL RETARDED AND GOD KNOWS I MAYBE AM BUT IT DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF THE MUSIC TO ME!! YELLING!!! I have a replacement now.