This was a sad song to listen to. First time I have ever heard it. Seems Lennon is writing a piece in response to Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" 1979

I could feel John's disdain for Christ in this song he wrote and sings, and all religion really. He had a strong mindset against God, and was very irreverent to the name of the Lord, and to the truth of the Holy Scriptures. He had his way, and Jesus was not the Way to him.

"Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today..."

Here's my short rant: So what do we do with Christ? Eliminate Him I guess. The Father won't mind if we imagine there's no reason for His Son's death and resurrection. That's all. Just needed to get that out. I will also say at this time, as I always keep in my heart, "But for the grace of God, there go I."

It's quite sad that John had such an attitude against the Lord. The Church surely helped this attitude along though, when they set fire to his records albums in the name of Jesus. How foolish was that. Perhaps many of these were not Christians themselves, to have so much hatred for a human in the name of Christ. But that's not uncommon for the Church to have self-righteous crazy people doing what they do. I thank the Lord He keeps me in check, for there are times I look down on others in the wrong way. It's a fine line, speaking the truth with compassion, isn't it?

I liked many of John's songs. I have the Beatles DVD's of "Help", and "Hard Days Night", and I love to watch them.
You think I would despise him by the way I talk about him, but I don't. He was a great artist. John Lennon was simply spiritually blind, and had a hard heart, which I had at one time. God had mercy on me, and changed my heart. I'm 100% undeserving of His mercy, as John would have been, and still is.

There's another version to this song by John on YouTube, which is very foul and crude, in which he plays his guitar as he sings. If you don't mind foul language, then you might check it out. It reveals much of John's anger, and pride, I think. I believe God used Dylan to shine the light into a dark world, and a dark heart of John Lennon in 1979-80. And John's response was bitterness and resentment. And shortly after John was shot in the back four times by Mark Chapman, and died. Makes my heart grieve.