God Save Us From Religion – The Commandments of Combat

A Curse in Verse

"The tendency to turn human judgments into divine commands makes religion one of the most dangerous forces in the world.” -  Georgia Harkness

“Those of little faith are of little hatred.” – Eric Hoffer

 “Lord, a plague is on the world
Lord, no man is free…
Lord, if you won't take care of us
Won't you please, please let us be?" – Randy Newman

The bloody, vicious, and inevitable, sectarian civil war currently ravaging the Bush/Cheney-created idyllic paradise of Iraq (because in the venality that is Conservatism the flow of oil will always justify the flow of blood) reminds us, once again, of the love, joy, peace, harmony and brotherhood that the cursed and regrettable concoction of gods and religion has wrought upon the world lo these thousands of years since primitive man was first naïve enough to turn to fictions instead of facts for wisdom and answers.  

While we no longer remain that primitive species, for reasons unknown, most mortals still choose to cling to ancient dogmata; leaving us in a situation where surely the final destruction of all human kind will be determined in a run for the roses between climate change and warring religions.  Presently, the pious lead by a nose as they, unfortunately and incredulously, actually look blissfully forward to a day when life on earth will reach its conclusion and the deserving can take their place of eternal bliss alongside their desired deity – be it Jesus, Jehovah, Buddha, Mohammad, Vishnu, The Mighty Thor, “Hercules hero of song and story, Hercules, winner of ancient glory,” Eric Clapton or Uncle Floyd.

God Save Us From Religion

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.” – Jonathan Swift

The Sunnis hate the Shiites

The Shiites hate the Kurds 

The Kurds are mad that Sunnis pray

With slightly different words

The Christians mock the Muslims

As Muslims revile Jews

Though all began with common ties

That each of them eschews

Says the Pakistani Muslim

To the Indian Hindu

Got your bindi as a target

For the nukes we point at you

So the Irish Roman Catholic

Found the Protestant taboo

And the wearing of the green drained red

Give or take a saint or two

Hallelujah for religion

All you keepers of the flame

Without your steadfast piety

We’d not know where to aim

Mankind’s bigotry and bile

Its intolerance and guile

For a people who are otherwise

Remarkably the same

God save us from the faithful

Enlisted in His corps

A righteous, violent “peaceful” soldier

Creed’s conquistador

Hallelujah and Hosanna

Every pious Pollyanna

Please don’t let your reverent rivalry

Take us once again to war

If it’s written in the Bible

History tell us that it’s liable

To result in many petty killings

From traditions old and tribal

Cultures clash, face to face

When all slaughter in God’s grace

A haunting hoax of harmony

For those whose hope’s head heavenly

From Randy Newman, a scathing original composition that I would wager my Krugerrands and Tom Seaver 1970 Topps baseball card will not be heard anytime soon in a Pixar animated theatrical confection  – “God’s Song.”

Any comments, questions, criticisms, candid confessions, cash contributions? Contact me at butchersaprons@mail.com.