I know that's Grandmaster Flash and the furious five but I don't get the reference
if you mean you don’t get my reference to Mel’s line and baptism - I get that. my brain makes often cryptic (even to myself lol) connections.
That stated, I can only clarify in saying -
I see Mel in his verse and these opening lines, “born with no state of mind/blind to the ways of mankind” as expressing a “born innocent” concept that goes well beyond religion and some atheists would say even beyond spirituality.
**Kind of a tangent: To me - aside from “God smiling/frowning too” and the later line with “hell“, there’s nothing nec spiritual or at all religious about anything in the picture of a cradle to grave ghetto life Mel himself is painting. Always been one of the coldest and truest verses in all of song lyrics across all genres to me tho**
Yes - baptism is one on many ritualized expressions of the concept of/and belief many have in anyones right to and capacity for being “Born Again.” — restored to the innocent/“sinless” uncorrupted/unifluenced state of mind factory settings. (Of course many including many Christians don’t believe anyone even IS born “innocent” or with neutral factory settings; so for them this is all moot regardless)
i had already said that baptism - and at least as I understand the Christian concept and practice of being “born again” via a baptism ritual - isnt about wiping away anything “bad” a person has done. It’s about freeing them from the weight of guilt shame and condemnation that may be keeping them from feeling like they have any right to begin reconciling with those choices (not to mention their consequences and repercussions / because a real muhfucka atones and don’t shy away from makin those amends. another little tangent — from every word I have read about Jesus - he may have healed and forgiven sins etc but just the same made sure nobody walked away thinking they had a free pass to do more of the same - “go forth and sin no more” his go to blessing has always been dope to me in terms of onus) and starting fresh.
…btw. damn nigga. got me doin a whole lot on a pussy board lol