As I Lay Dying’s Tim Lambesis Releases, Retracts Statement
Update, 11:30 a.m.: Turns out Lambesis has also been engaging in some nutty fan interactions on his Facebook page. Metal Injection has helpfully collected some of the whackier exchanges. Read ’em here.
As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis has released, and subsequently removed, a statement via his Tumblr page. I’m going to re-print both posts in full below before I comment on either.
Here’s the first one, which went up yesterday afternoon:
“I’ve come across many comments, both private and public, asking me to explain more about my case or to explicitly state what my current worldview is.
“First, I simply am not allowed to do either of those things.
“Some day I will be able to tell the story of all that has happened in detail to get the facts straight and representing the many sides to this fairly complex story. In the mean time, many of you will make your assumptions and take the sensationalism of the press focusing on selling points at face value.
“I can’t stop that from happening, and I’ve learned something by not having that kind of control. The people who want understanding will wait until the formalities and trials are done. Strangely enough, those type of minds are the people least likely to be judgmental even if I am found guilty.
“Those reporting from the courtroom will only pass along select facts and the case itself will only require select facts that do not encompass the entirety events. On the other hand, the seemingly larger percentage of people delight in voicing their opinion even though I personally have never said a word about even a single detail related to my case.
“Unspecific to me, that is a terribly sad reality greatly in contrast to the type of discussion I intend to start by choosing to post again.
“Second, all I have the ability to do right now is keep learning.
“By posting again I hope to attract people like me who are willing to look at all sides of a philosophical issue to learn before they speak. In fact, I’d be happy if this whole thing was just a way to recommend further readings to each other.
“However, I do accept that there will be some true geniuses who will try to turn each comment section into what topic they would like to discuss instead as if they created the original post and we all stumbled on their page.
“I’m out on bail, but on house arrest. My family has jobs and the ability to run errands or take an afternoon/evening out. I have the unique opportunity of being able to focus and study like I may never have again in life after this. While I can’t say that I always enjoy it, it is more valuable than I originally acknowledged.
“Lastly, while I can’t say exactly what it is I believe epistemologically or metaphysically, I can explain what I’m interested in learning.
“I grew up in a Christian home and held that belief myself for many years. In the process of sincerely trying to defend that belief in a scholarly way and shortly after finishing my degree, I felt that it was unreasonable to call myself a Christian in light of the evidence.
“Many AILD fans picked up on the not-so-subtle hints at my worldview change in a couple songs on Awakened. It was never really hidden. Anyway, after my incarceration I found myself re-evaluating topics that I had previously sworn I would never waste my time looking at again.
“Many can chalk that up as one point for pure boredom in an isolation cell, or you can look at it providentially as the needed circumstance and only possible way to get me to humble my mind.
“Either way, I don’t want to just read aimlessly. These daily lists are a way for me understand what I’ve already covered and which topics I should get more material on to read more in depth. Since these lists are public, it is also a way for me to discover the ignorance of many people who post. To be most helpful, please stay on topic.
“Today’s reading/research:
“Is the Foundation of Morality Natural or Supernatural?
a debate by William Lane Craig vs Sam Harris at Notre Dame University”
And here’s the second, which was published late last night:
“There were a couple posts in a row about a book discussion and parts of the latter were reposted out of context (it was not a press release by any means). Given the possibility of words being twisted on other sites, all posts have been taken down.”
Okay, read all that? Great! Now let’s discuss!
Given that I am not directly involved in this ongoing case, I obviously don’t know anything that hasn’t already been reported. This might indeed be, as Lambesis says, a “fairly complex story.” It certainly doesn’t seem all that complex from the outside, but for the sake of argument, let’s take Lambesis at his word.
Even if there is more going on here than that of which we are aware, his initial post is, well… odd. For one thing, as MetalSucks senior editor Anso DF observed when we were discussing this last night, it seems like this would have been an opportune time for Lambesis to condemn the harassment that his ex, Meggan, has received at the hands of some his overzealous admirers. Perhaps doing so would have been “explicitly stating his worldview,” but I can’t imagine there would have been many legal implications to him saying “Hey guys, I know you mean well but your behavior is NOT cool.” Awful things have been done in Lambesis’ name, and one would think that if he were going to take the time to try and communicate with his fans, he would take the time to tell them to please leave Meggan alone.
Instead, he goes to great lengths to say that even though he can’t go into detail right now, the situation is not black-and-white, and “The people who want understanding… are the people least likely to be judgmental even if I am found guilty.” Which sounds kinda like he’s praising anyone who doesn’t think what he did is really fucked-up for being enlightened. Maybe that’s not how he intended it — but that’s how it comes across.
Furthermore, his whole attitude about this situation comes across as oddly blasé. Take, for example, the single strangest sentence in the whole statement:
“I’d be happy if this whole thing was just a way to recommend further readings to each other.”
I mean… “this whole thing”? What whole thing? The fact that he’s under house arrest for attempting to hire a hit man to kill his wife? The phrase “this whole thing” doesn’t quite seem to convey the weight of the situation, does it? Nor does it seem like it’s in very good taste to say “This whole attempted murder thing is a good excuse to start a book club.”
But in all fairness, it’s not like he’s having this public discussion of select readings for no purpose:
“Since these lists are public, it is also a way for me to discover the ignorance of many people who post.”
Yes. It is of the utmost importance that we take this time to identify stupid people on the internet. You could literally achieve that same goal by typing the phrase “Spaghetti is the best kind of food in the world” and posting it someplace public, because any expression of opinion what so ever is bound to get the world wide peanut gallery all riled up. But it’s better to make this discovery via a discussion of atheism versus Christianity brought on by the imprisonment of man accused of trying to have someone else’s life extinguished. And this is not at all a bizarre time to be concerned with such a petty issue, by the way.
So that seems pretty silly and a little disturbing… but not as disturbing as this whole bit:
“I grew up in a Christian home and held that belief myself for many years… [eventually] I felt that it was unreasonable to call myself a Christian in light of the evidence… after my incarceration I found myself re-evaluating topics that I had previously sworn I would never waste my time looking at again… you can look at it providentially as the needed circumstance and only possible way to get me to humble my mind.”
That sounds a little bit like a long-winded way of saying “I REPENT!” Again, maybe I’m misinterpreting his meaning… but that’s how it comes off.
So I guess he can share his current worldview after all.
Or maybe I’m just twisting his words and using his reposting out of context.
Either way, this blog will help us discover the ignorance of many people who post. SILVER LINING!
