Spreads Love with Spikes and Hatari Lyrics

A highly innovative and bold minister in South Iceland has found a way to connect with her young confirmands by using lyrics on hate to spread love, spicing up the service with spikes. After all, it’s Eurovision week.

“I was affected by Hatari’s message right away, and I’m very impressed by what this group is doing,” Guðbjörg Arnardóttir, minister of Selfoss Church, South Iceland, tells mbl.is.

Hatari, the punk rock band that represents Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, has caught massive attention for the lyrics of its song, “Hate Prevails,” and for the spiked costumes that accompany the show.

In the middle of service, while confirming 27 children on Saturday and 23 on Sunday, Guðbjörg made the unusual move of putting a spiked strap around her neck. In her sermon, she spoke of Iceland’s contribution to Eurovision, the punk rock band Hatari, and the message to be learned from their lyrics. She reminded the confirmands and the rest of the congregation to embrace love and not to let hate prevail, dfs.is reports.

“In the confirmation sermon, I cite a small part of the lyrics and point out that this is precisely what we do not want. Sometimes, I’m filled with helplessness when I see hatred prevail in this world, but I have a dream, which is for these young , beautiful people, who are being confirmed, to choose the road of love, not hate, and change the world,” Guðbjörg explains.

“I try to use current events to stir the confirmands up and call for their reaction, which I truly enjoyed during the weekend’s sermons.”

Guðbjörg states that Jesus himself called for a better world in a radical way, just like Hatari is doing.
“The children who get their confirmation may not remember nearly everything we try to teach them, but at least I hope they will always remember Jesus, and then, love will follow.”

Guðbjörg, along with the rest of the nation, plans to be glued to the TV tonight when Hatari performs. We, Icelanders, hope that all good people will get the message of their lyrics and vote for love, dressed up as hate.

A live broadcast of the semi-finals begins on RÚV at 7 pm tonight, RÚV 1 broadcasting in Icelandic and RÚV 2 with commentary in English. The same hours and broadcasting apply for Thursday, during the second semi-finals, and Saturday, the grand finale.

You can watch RÚV TV live online here.  

We invite you to watch a video of Hatari performing “Hate Prevails.” The lyrics are in Icelandic, but here, they are in sign language as well: