Bishop Robert Barron called out the use of an "atheistic" John Lennon song at President Jimmy Carter's funeral, held in the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025.

Country singers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sang the Lennon song, "Imagine," as a tribute to Carter. NPR reported that Brooks and Yearwood are friends of the Carters and the Lennon song was Jimmy Carter's favorite.

However, Bishop Barron blasted the use of "Imagine" in a Christian church, calling it "a hymn to atheistic humanism."

Here's Bishop Robert Barron's post below:

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Here's the full text of Bishop Robert Barron's post:

"I was watching highlights from President Carter’s funeral service at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. I found some of the speeches very moving. But I was appalled when two country singers launched into a rendition of John Lennon’s 'Imagine.'  Under the soaring vault of what I think is still a Christian church, they reverently intoned, 'Imagine there’s no heaven; it’s easy if you try' and 'Imagine there’s no country; it isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too.' Vested ministers sat patiently while a hymn to atheistic humanism was sung. This was not only an insult to the memory of a devoutly believing Christian but also an indicator of the spinelessness of too much of established religion in our country."

Bishop Barron's post generated a viral response with 2,000 comments, 25,000 likes, and nearly 900,000 views.

Here's how some social media users responded:

"Overall- our society has lost a connection with the true supernatural! It is appalling," Fr. Bruce-John Hamilton wrote. "You would think this was cleared by the family. It wasn't present at Judge Scalia’s funeral!"

"Thank you for speaking out against this atheistic ode, [especially] in a Church of God and in front of clergy," another user added, along with a photo of the Eucharist. "I wonder if non-Catholics who approved this program can differentiate between being in a house of God, and why the Catholic Mass, and what the presence of God means."

"This is an example (among many) of why I had to leave my local church and denomination," this user also said. "As a Protestant, I find it abhorrent as to how cultural influences are creeping into what should be a holy domain. It is one reason I feel attracted to Catholicism. One God, One Church."

"Eternal rest grant unto Jimmy Carter, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen"
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