Rotten & Religion


This blog entry was inspired by several religion related discussions that I have had as of late, masked in a sleepy-nee-grumpy state of mind. I profess myself to be a Punk Rock Buddhist with the mantra of “question everything”, and, in my world, I would explain my views on religion (unless attempting to sound tactful) using the words of Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols in his second great band, Public Image Limited:


RELIGION

Stained glass windows keep the cold outside
While the hypocrites hide inside
With the lies of statues in their minds
Where the Christian religion made them blind
Where they hide
And prey to the God
of a bitch spelled backwards is dog
Not for one race, one creed, one world
But for money
Effective
Absurd
Do you pray to the Holy Ghost
when you suck your host?
Do you read who’s dead in the Irish Post?
Do you give away the cash you can’t afford
On bended knees and pray to lord?
Fat pig priest
Sanctimonious smiles
He takes the money
You take the lies
This is religion and Jesus Christ
This is religion cheaply priced
This is bibles full of libel
This is sin in eternal hymn
This is what they’ve done
This is your religion
The apostles were eleven
Now there’s a sod in Heaven
This is religion
There’s a liar on the altar
The sermon never falter
This is religion
Your religion

Need I say more? Regardless of its crass language, I think that Johnny really captures the essence of the synaptic narrowing created by those who submerse their opinions solely in dogmatic reasoning wile remaining oblivious to the reality stimulation flooding their shut down senses. I don’t mean to slag off religious people here, but of "religion cheaply priced", and the fundamentalists who take one version and refuse to look beyond that narrow focus. I won’t deny my iconoclastic tendencies, but do respect those seeking a spiritual path through religious avenues…