The Theology of Tool

[Butterfly_Soul]

I don't think anyone can deny that there is something divine about Tool. And as trite as this expression may be, listening to Tool, and especially to Parabol/Parabola truly is a "religious experience" for me.

My faith has floundered for the past few years, as I've wandered around this savage garden, looking for a sign that God has not abandoned us.... and I found it. That first time I heard Parabola, I realized that God was there, in that amazing music & those perfect lyrics that are not of this world. People are always looking for miracles; I say look no further than this. This is The Truth.

I'm interested to know if others have had similar experiences with this song, in particular.

Just for added enlightenment:

I have been reading a book entitled "Conversations with God" by Neale Walsch, which I highly recommend to anyone and everyone. Here are some selected passages from this book, which are mirrored within the lyrics of Parabol/Parabola:

"My messages will come in a hundred forms, at a thousand moments, across a million years. You cannot miss them if you truly listen. What is your purpose? To remember and re-create Who You Are." ----> [WE BARELY REMEMBER WHO OR WHAT CAME BEFORE THIS PRECIOUS MOMENT]

"Upon entering the physical universe, you relinquished your remembrance of yourself. You are, have always been, and will always be, a divine part of the divine whole, a member of The Body. That is why the act of rejoining the whole, of returning to God, is called REMEMBRANCE."------> [CHOOSING TO BE HERE, RIGHT NOW, HOLD ON, STAY INSIDE THIS HOLY BODY]

"Your job on Earth, therefore, is not to LEARN (because you already know), but to RE-MEMBER Who You Are. And to re-member who everyone else is. That is why a big part of your job is to remind others (that is, to RE-MIND them), so that they can re-member also." -----> [BE MY REMINDER HERE THAT I AM NOT ALONE]

Well, that's quite enough. For those of you still reading this, Thank You.

[revolver_7]

i wouldnt go that far (personally), but i think you made some good points about the similarities between those passages and the song itself...


maybe TOOL drew some inpiration from that book who knows it fits well...

[Nig]

haha my dad read that book!! not having a go at you, just was suprised to see it here, and he said i should read it too.....

[gnostic enigma]

i think you've got the right idea but you should reconsider your angles. there is as much divinity in tool as there is in each of us. the song and it's lyrics itself aren't neccessarily divine truth but rather an illustrated expression of basic spiritual principles. the spiritual theme of lateralus is quite obvious to anybody who pays attention to the entity as a whole... it's surface... undissected. the artwork, lyrics, videos and mood. very beautiful. my favorite line would be "celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing." and conversations with god is a good book if you can tolerate a judeo-christian opinion of god. some of the text is iffy and some of it is gold. h.

[soberwithapenis]

Butterfly i am very interested in how you found god in these songs. And while the similarities between those passages and the lyrics are very much so, i am going to have to agree with gnostic enigma. Now im not going to tell you that your angles are off because who am i to say that. Iam just curious as to getting a bit more evidence from you where you found god, or what it is that you preceive god to be. I just want to get as many views as possible, after all thats what it is all about.

all in one mind, thank you for the insight, your thoughts are well accepted.

Just read the quote on the Opinion Homepage.

[jpmanson]

Originally posted by All_One_Mind
Fnord

what is fnord? and should i care?

[Butterfly_Soul]

To answer your question, Sober with a Penis (great name, by the way :) ... the reason I believe that I found God in Tool's songs is simply this: the way they make me FEEL. We can all think and analyze to death the question of whether God exists or not, but when I heard Parabol/Parabola, I FELT something that confirmed his existence... something I couldn't rationalize away. I felt more moved at that moment than all the Sunday mornings spent listening to bible readings and sermons. That music and those lyrics just speak to me in a very personal way about who we are, and where we came from, and I find it hard to believe that such music could be created without divine intervention.

I'm not implying that Maynard took inspiration for his lyrics from that book, but when I read it, I immediately thought of this song. And it wasn't a coincidence, because there is no such thing. It was just a sign for me, personally, that my faith in God has nothing to do with what I've been told, but everything to do with what I feel..

And yeah, What the hell is FNORD?

[reedc33]

Butterfly_Soul, how old are you? Just curious...














No such thing as a separate and individual self...

[Tantobourne]

Songs like Parabol/Parabola definately reinforce my spiritual beliefs.

I'd mentally appended to the little snippet:
"My messages will come in a hundred forms, at a thousand moments, across a million years.

"..spoken by a multitude of voices."

We all sing a little bit of that 'God' and not meaning to pull away from Parabola, the words Keenan mentions in Reflection:

...This light is not my own ...

Is a subtle reminder that the inspirations that move us (be they a band, a book, an experience) do not spring "from" the individual but "through" them. A rapture birthed of a moment or as you'd mentioned a "rememberance". As an aside thought to the Myth of Maynard: It's all to easy to confuse the messenger with the message.

As that inspiration and light shines through them, and is woven together, in this example, by the individuals that comprise Tool, it's powerfully amplified....and felt by some (*raises his hand*) as something very akin to a 'religious experience'.

The inspiration in it all is to turn around and channel it forward into the subtle unconsciouness, lighting a few more souls until the path to 'the eternal' is paved with those lighted souls beckoning us back towards what we remember.

Then, I imagine, the "part-tay" will really start. ; )

[Butterfly_Soul]

Originally posted by reedc33
Butterfly_Soul, how old are you? Just curious...


I am 24 - an awkward age, I think. Somewhere between lingering adolescence and full-blown adulthood.

[reedc33]

Originally posted by Butterfly_Soul
I am 24 - an awkward age, I think. Somewhere between lingering adolescence and full-blown adulthood.

24 is a bit weird. I had my last party phase about that time. Now, I'm done. All I really want to do now is contemplate existence and sit on a cushion, cross-legged (Maybe smoke the occasional bowl of kind and drink wine with dinner).

Seeing divinity in some and not in others is a wrong view.

[scottishshaman]

Originally posted by jpmanson
what is fnord? and should i care?

To learn more about Fnord....
http://www.angstrom.net/~fnord/Illuminatus.htm

It is related to the Illuminati...

Peace

P.ractice
L.ove
U.nderstand
R.eality

[Aureolei]

This is my first post here. As to who I am, I'm a Christian. Yeah surprise. Even though Maynard offends certain aspects of my faith (i.e. Eulogy and Judith from APC) Parabola was instantly my fav song. Even though it may mean a specific thing to him, it can be taken in all different directions. When I heard it, like the person above, it bolstered my faith more from just the lyrics. I know the meaning was probably something on the other end of the spectrum, but I can relate to just about every verse. Plus it's just a damn good song.

[supersonic2006]

Originally posted by Aureolei
This is my first post here. As to who I am, I'm a Christian. Yeah surprise. Even though Maynard offends certain aspects of my faith (i.e. Eulogy and Judith from APC) Parabola was instantly my fav song. Even though it may mean a specific thing to him, it can be taken in all different directions. When I heard it, like the person above, it bolstered my faith more from just the lyrics. I know the meaning was probably something on the other end of the spectrum, but I can relate to just about every verse. Plus it's just a damn good song.

I am also a Christian and yes, Eulogy and Judith do offend me, though they both are very good musically. But, I don't really think that Maynard is against religion more against enforced religion. and I think Judith is more like telling people not to beat themselves up over the crucificition "it's not like YOU killed someone, it's not like YOU drove a spiteful spear into his side."

but yes, Parabola is a very enlightening song.

[Aureolei]

yeah, but "f**k your Christ, your God" I think it's pretty obvious what he's saying. Maynard babbles on about how he despises organized religion. Ok, so he'd rather offend nearly 3 Billion Christians worldwide by singling it down to one? God?

It's too bad too, Judith has a awesome melody to it, but it's ruined by the hateful lyrics.

[Aberfoyle]

Originally posted by All_One_Mind
Judith takes on a whole new meaning when taken in the context of it being a song geared against his mother's religion. Prehaps she forced it upon him. I agree that the song is extremely negative, but sometimes I feel negative and I dig listening to the shit.

Yeah. The title could very well be the telling part of this song.

[apex_theory]

The spirituality of Parabola does not seem to be very much inspired by christianity.

-All this pain is an illusion- is a very Buddhist/Eastern concept.

The idea of -This Body holding me- seems to fit into a buddhist outlook.

I cant see that much to support a christian interpretation. escpecially given the low hostility of other songs towards it.

The video when I saw it convinced me that the Buddhist/Eastern view parabol/a is more concrete given the explicit chakra-awakening sequence at the end of it.....

I do colour what I see with my own concept of reality though...

[paraflux]

yeah, but "f**k your Christ, your God" I think it's pretty obvious what he's saying. Maynard babbles on about how he despises organized religion. Ok, so he'd rather offend nearly 3 Billion Christians worldwide by singling it down to one? God?

It's too bad too, Judith has a awesome melody to it, but it's ruined by the hateful lyrics.

No wonder you get under my skin. Do Christians today not realize that Christ is looking down and shaking his head, saying, "I cannot believe my words did this?"

Nothing about Tool is inspired by Christianity and/or what it did/does for the members. Maynard uses Christ as a metaphor (gasp, what is that? see Eulogy...) a lot, and uses those symbols to portray his points.

I'd like to point out some inconsistencies. If you are a christian, then you have to be held accountable, right? So answer me this: How can you listen to a band when some of the songs offend your faith (like we need it anymore) and justify the songs you like because its "a damn good song?" Did you just say damn? Are christians allowed to say that? I wasnt for 18 years. How do you intertwine the spiritual nonreligious existential meat of Tool with the dogmatic completely nonspiritual teachings that the Church would like you to believe?

[paraflux]

I see someone is refusing to answer.

[reedc33]

I see someone is refusing to answer.


I don't think he comes 'round too often. He did the same thing a while ago, and I thought we had scared him away with all of our Heathen Blasphemies, but then, WOMP, there he was again, telling us(well, me at least) how stupid I was. Oh well, no great loss, really.

[thelostjs]

i couldnt havce said it better myself paraflux

(first post) ^^^ how weak

[paraflux]

I was under the impression, for some reason, that Aureolei was female.



I don't think he comes 'round too often. He did the same thing a while ago, and I thought we had scared him away with all of our Heathen Blasphemies, but then, WOMP, there he was again, telling us(well, me at least) how stupid I was. Oh well, no great loss, really.