Contestants on NBC’s The Voice sang a…slightly altered version of the gospel hymn ‘Will the Circle Unbroken.’ They left out one little word: “Lord.”
The Twitterverse absolutely lost it last night over this. Even Blake Shelton, a judge on the show, deflected blame on Twitter, saying
“Don’t look at me! I sang it the way I grew up on it.” Here’s the version they sang. If you know the hymn, they just say “Oh” everytime that politically incorrect “Lord” shows up.
Some are saying this is political correctness run amok. But at some point, let’s face it, political correctness is just anti-Christian, right? Could NBC do anymore to proof they’re anti-Christian? You might recall (I think it was two years ago) when NBC removed the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance during a produced video that aired during the U.S. Open.
November 27, 2013 at 3:15 pm
In you comments you keep using the word: Hymn. Without the word "Lord", then it is NO longer a hymn. Just a song.
November 27, 2013 at 3:47 pm
"We're all going to be together again after we die because we're so awesome."
not because God is merciful and the Lord of All…
November 27, 2013 at 6:06 pm
Boycott. Why do they never insult Muslims? We all know why. They react like animals. Violent. Aggressive. Abusive. Why do they insult or delete Christianity? Because the reaction ranges from a modest peaceful protest. A letter to the editor. Or nothing at all. We've accepted our lot. If we continue to patronize amazon.com or Starbucks which uses money gained from us to promote social agendas that slander Catholics. We deserve what we get. I think it's time to stand for something rather than just whine about it.
November 27, 2013 at 7:14 pm
Their diction is so poor that it barely matters what they are singing. But at least the set looks as though the Titanic is going to plough through them at any minute. Even with the word 'Lord' reinstated, I would hesitate to dignify this with the epithet 'hymn'.
November 27, 2013 at 8:42 pm
I, too, was upset at the changing of the song! How far is too far to go in trying to please people. If they didn't like what the songs words were they should have used another song!!!
November 28, 2013 at 1:14 am
They left out two whole choruses, not just a word. Check out my blog for a link to the video and lyrics comparison.
http://mike-biddle.blogspot.com/2013/11/nbc-voice-omits-lord-from-may-circle-be.html
November 28, 2013 at 3:24 pm
Who has copyright?
November 28, 2013 at 3:50 pm
It's PD.
November 29, 2013 at 1:03 am
I did some research on this after a Protestant minister I know posted a rant about it. The network says the version with "Lord" in it is not in the public domain, and that the original does not have the word "Lord" in it. Look it up — it's true. No "Lord" — just "in the sky, in the sky." Why they chose to use the free version vs. paying the royalty is another question, but the original (and public domain) version really doesn't have the word "Lord." It seems to me most likely that they picked the free one to save money and are clueless enough to think that no one would notice or care.
November 29, 2013 at 2:39 am
You need to do more research!
1) They used 1908 lyrics and omitted two entire choruses.
2) They sang the song like the modern version instead of the 1908 which is why they kept saying OH. There is no OH in the 1908 version.
All smoke and mirrors, bottom line the minister is correct they appear to have modified the song to damper down the religious tone.
My blog has the video/lyric comparison.
http://mike-biddle.blogspot.com
December 1, 2013 at 2:57 pm
"We're all going to be together again after we die because we're so awesome."
Not me.
December 3, 2013 at 4:04 am
You are all ridiculous. The original hymn does not have the word "lord" in it. "oh" is not considered a word and is acceptable to add to the public domain version. The public domain version had to be used for copyright reasons. I have performed this song 100's of times for churches and I can tell you the melody they used was not the one that contained the word "lord". Also, I know many Christians are against any form of wisdom, education or knowledge, but, that give all Christians a bad name. I am convinced they do more harm than good. So, just for the record there are 5 historically accepted versions of the Gettysburg Address (no one was there to tape it, remember) and less than half contain the word "God". Also, "In God we Trust " was not added to our money until the 1950's. Finally, "under God": was not added to the pledge of allegiance until the 1950,s. Both were added out of a fear of communism. Our fore father were decidedly against merging church and state. Here are the quotes. So, nothing was taken from anything. Your hysteria is the same as those that burn witches and your mentality is of lowest common denominator.
3. “We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this Land the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition… In this enlightened Age and in this Land of equal liberty it is our boast, that a man’s religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the Laws, nor deprive him of the right of attaining and holding the highest Offices that are known in the United States.”
~George Washington, letter to the members of the New Church in Baltimore, January 27, 1793
4. “The United States of America have exhibited, perhaps, the first example of governments erected on the simple principles of nature; and if men are now sufficiently enlightened to disabuse themselves of artifice, imposture, hypocrisy, and superstition, they will consider this event as an era in their history. Although the detail of the formation of the American governments is at present little known or regarded either in Europe or in America, it may hereafter become an object of curiosity. It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of Heaven, more than those at work upon ships or houses, or laboring in merchandise or agriculture; it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses.”
~John Adams, “A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America” 1787-1788
5. “The Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”
~1797 Treaty of Tripoli signed by John Adams
6. “Thirteen governments [of the original states] thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery, and which are destined to spread over the northern part of that whole quarter of the globe, are a great point gained in favor of the rights of mankind.”
~John Adams, “A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America” (1787-88)
7. “We should begin by setting conscience free. When all men of all religions shall enjoy equal liberty, property, and an equal chance for
honors and power we may expect that improvements will be made in the human character and the state of society.”
~John Adams, letter to Dr. Price, April 8, 1785