In an interview with Paste magazine, front man Win Butler offered a telling statement about the nature of the album: “There are two kinds of fear,” he said. “The Bible talks a lot about fear of God???fear in the face of something awesome. That kind of fear is the type of fear that makes someone want to change. But a fear of other people makes you want to stay the same, to protect what you have. It’s a stagnant fear; and it’s paralyzing.”
Quite a declaration, one that runs vis-??-vis the topical scope of Neon Bible. Far from a gospel album, Bible never really endorses God, or any other thing for that matter. It won’t tell you how or what to believe; it’ll simply cast a reflection???you decide if change is needed. Bible does this through a series of reprimands???against organized religion, popular culture, the government, and opportunists in general. Let the chips fall where they may.
…
The cynicism doesn’t mean Arcade Fire is necessarily out to down religion, though. In the same Paste interview, Butler said Neon Bible is ultimately about “addressing religion in a way that only someone who actually cares about it can. It’s really harsh at times, but from the perspective of someone who thinks it has value.”
[Aside: I love this disclaimer that CT has started using for their music reviews and think I might have to start adopting the same: Unless specified clearly, we are not implying whether this artist is or is not a Christian.]
