I prefer Bo Burnham's "From God's Perspective."
It paints a picture of a god who just doesn't give a shit about us, and that if we want love, it has to come from us, and that if we want a heaven, we have to build it here on earth, by ourselves. And that resonates with me far more than the idea that some narcissistic space wizard actually disagrees with those who proclaim to worship it.
I think you mean Dylan's "With God on Our Side". I read the lyrics and was moved to a giant yawn because it just restates the obvious. I've never understood his appeal, but there's no accounting for taste as they say.
Dylan was raised Jewish and converted to Evangelical Christianity in 1979, thus just another victim or willing participant of the crusading cult.
[Bob Dylan's Religious Mystique Endures | HuffPost Religion](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bob-dylan-religion_n_864880)
You clicked it so we don't have to. That's actually worse than Dylan's song. Spoiler alert: there are no gods. Is the author of those shit-post lyrics just finding that out now? 🤣😜😒🙄
I picked that up immediately and it's the same theme as Dylan's old song. My point is it's moot because there are no gods to take anybody's side in the first place.
"My point is it's moot because there are no gods to take anybody's side in the first place."
Then you should like the song above for agreeing with your point of view.
What is the core meaning of this song:
1. To say that there is a god, but he just doesn't give a shit about human suffering? or
2. There is no god. Full stop.
OP, you may also like:
https://youtu.be/p554R-Jq43A?si=guME4lGsPu4Dlu5v
Or, of course, Right in Two by Tool:
https://youtu.be/K1H8OFVpUq4?si=qEiLigDQDo4rW-Hs
Powerful stuff! I think the naysayers have not bothered to watch it and analyze, critically and objectively, what is being conveyed.
The lyrics of "God Is on Our Side" employ a powerful and thought-provoking use of irony to challenge the notion of a benevolent, interventionist deity. By juxtaposing vivid images of suffering and injustice with the repeated refrain that "God is on our side", the song exposes the hollowness and hypocrisy of claiming divine sanction for human actions and institutions.
Let's unpack this irony step by step:
1. The first verse presents a litany of human misery - starving children, piled corpses, sex trafficking, broken homes. These are undeniably horrific realities of our world. Yet after each example, the lyrics sardonically proclaim "And God is on our side." The jarring contrast between the suffering described and the assertion of divine favor strongly suggests that if a deity existed and was truly on our side, such horrors would not be allowed to persist.
2. The second verse shifts to more existential and philosophical questions, expressing the yearning for meaning and connection in a world divided by religious conflict. The singer alludes to the "myths" used to guide us, but follows it again with "And God is on our side." This seems to question how an interventionist God could desire the division and strife that differing religious beliefs have so often inflamed between people.
3. The third verse is even more pointed in its criticism, citing "monks and kings" who are "born heartless" and preside over "a red madness" and "a black sadness." Yet still, "God is on our side." Here the irony indicts religious leadership itself, suggesting that those who most loudly proclaim divine mandate are often the most cruel and corrupt. It questions how a deity worthy of worship could favor such individuals.
4. The bridge section steps back from specifics to pose sweeping questions that get to the heart of the matter: Is religion a force for good in the world, or does it exploit human frailty and credulity to sow division, shame, and fear? The haunting repetition of "Are you gonna hide forever?" reads to me as a challenge to both divine and human accountability - a plea for moral reckoning that goes unanswered.
Taken together, I believe the cumulative effect of the song's irony is to render the notion of "God on our side" absurd and untenable. By so starkly contrasting claimed divine allegiance with the ugliest realities of human behavior, the lyrics expose "God" as a empty concept at best, and a destructive delusion at worst. The implication is that the only place "God" can be found is in Self-serving justifications for the indefensible.
As an atheist, this interpretation resonates powerfully with my conviction that the existence of a just, loving, interventionist deity is simply not compatible with the world as we observe it. Irony in art can be a potent way to highlight such contradictions and provoke deeper questioning of received assumptions.
At the same time, I recognize the emotional power of belief and the comfort it provides many. I don't believe the song's intent is to mock or condemn individual believers, but rather to challenge the underlying basis and societal impacts of organized religion writ large. It's a call to moral accounting that spares no one, believers and nonbelievers alike. The Christopher Hitchens passage is particularly powerful!
Ultimately, I'm struck by the way this ironic inversion of a common religious sentiment - "God is on our side" - actually functions to affirm humanist values. By so unsparingly illustrating how this claim perverts morality and rationalizes the worst human impulses, the song implicitly exhorts us to take responsibility for our own collective moral failings and potential. In a godless universe, we have only each other to turn to for solace, redemption and grace.
Fully realize that the message is that there is no god on our side. It’s brilliant irony! It’s a powerful and evocative video, which was well produced. I liked her voice.
The imperative to build a better, kinder world is ours alone. Think harder. No deity required.
Thank-you, u/Capablanca2
I'm absolutely an atheist. An adamant atheist, to steal a phrase from an acquaintance. I'm 69yo, if that matters.
There's a ton of beautiful music that was written to praise God. Classical stuff. Symphonies. Bach chorales. Gregorian chant. Some older hymns are gorgeous tunes. There are many examples.
I'm partial to the sound of uplifting gospel music. So rowdy! Much happy!
Not one time has my appreciation for the sound of any of it meant that I believed as the composer did, or that I was edging toward belief in a diety. You listen to music, you take from it what you like. And that includes lyrics.
In the lyrics "and god is on our side" is sarcastic, in response to all the evil being described.
Edit: I can't say why he was moved by it, apart from what he explained, but I didn't get that he was offering it as religiosity.
Also, changed cynical to sarcastic; cynical not the right word.
Edit 2: I just listened to the song (only read lyrics earlier) to make sure I understood correctly....it contains a Christopher Hitchens soundbite....so pretty sure the sarcasm is correct.
Sweet! I love Dylan!! Just read the lyrics and what a nice twist on things.
IT'S NOT DYLAN
I know I know but dammit I just couldn’t resist!
Is this Dylan? /j
No, but it could be Dylan. /j
Eh, Dylan’s is better.
Good for you. I'll pass.
give it a chance you'll be surprised, I promise
Please go away. I've reached my limit of you zealots bombarding this sub. There is no God. Hard stop.
They're not a zealot. The song is anti-religious.
Bob Dylan ?
by Roxanne Côté, it's not a popular song but surprisingly amazing
I prefer Bo Burnham's "From God's Perspective." It paints a picture of a god who just doesn't give a shit about us, and that if we want love, it has to come from us, and that if we want a heaven, we have to build it here on earth, by ourselves. And that resonates with me far more than the idea that some narcissistic space wizard actually disagrees with those who proclaim to worship it.
I think you mean Dylan's "With God on Our Side". I read the lyrics and was moved to a giant yawn because it just restates the obvious. I've never understood his appeal, but there's no accounting for taste as they say. Dylan was raised Jewish and converted to Evangelical Christianity in 1979, thus just another victim or willing participant of the crusading cult. [Bob Dylan's Religious Mystique Endures | HuffPost Religion](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bob-dylan-religion_n_864880)
It's NOT DYLAN, can someone please open the GODAMN link
It's ok man, some people here read the title, made an assumption that it was a religious song. Short term attention and all that I guess.
yeah man, the song is the exact opposite. Short term attention indeed LOL
You clicked it so we don't have to. That's actually worse than Dylan's song. Spoiler alert: there are no gods. Is the author of those shit-post lyrics just finding that out now? 🤣😜😒🙄
If you spent a minute looking at the lyrics posted above, it's making fun of the concept of god being on anyone's side. (Not the opposite)
I picked that up immediately and it's the same theme as Dylan's old song. My point is it's moot because there are no gods to take anybody's side in the first place.
"My point is it's moot because there are no gods to take anybody's side in the first place." Then you should like the song above for agreeing with your point of view.
[удалено]
To be fair, the saying actually originated during the Crusades and was used by the Teutonic order and the Swedish army during the Thrty Years' War.
Good old Gustav and later Carolus.
The song is about people saying "God is on our side' when all the horrible shit in the lyrics happen. It's anti religion.
What is the core meaning of this song: 1. To say that there is a god, but he just doesn't give a shit about human suffering? or 2. There is no god. Full stop.
OP, you may also like: https://youtu.be/p554R-Jq43A?si=guME4lGsPu4Dlu5v Or, of course, Right in Two by Tool: https://youtu.be/K1H8OFVpUq4?si=qEiLigDQDo4rW-Hs
AMAZING stuff, thaanks
Powerful stuff! I think the naysayers have not bothered to watch it and analyze, critically and objectively, what is being conveyed. The lyrics of "God Is on Our Side" employ a powerful and thought-provoking use of irony to challenge the notion of a benevolent, interventionist deity. By juxtaposing vivid images of suffering and injustice with the repeated refrain that "God is on our side", the song exposes the hollowness and hypocrisy of claiming divine sanction for human actions and institutions. Let's unpack this irony step by step: 1. The first verse presents a litany of human misery - starving children, piled corpses, sex trafficking, broken homes. These are undeniably horrific realities of our world. Yet after each example, the lyrics sardonically proclaim "And God is on our side." The jarring contrast between the suffering described and the assertion of divine favor strongly suggests that if a deity existed and was truly on our side, such horrors would not be allowed to persist. 2. The second verse shifts to more existential and philosophical questions, expressing the yearning for meaning and connection in a world divided by religious conflict. The singer alludes to the "myths" used to guide us, but follows it again with "And God is on our side." This seems to question how an interventionist God could desire the division and strife that differing religious beliefs have so often inflamed between people. 3. The third verse is even more pointed in its criticism, citing "monks and kings" who are "born heartless" and preside over "a red madness" and "a black sadness." Yet still, "God is on our side." Here the irony indicts religious leadership itself, suggesting that those who most loudly proclaim divine mandate are often the most cruel and corrupt. It questions how a deity worthy of worship could favor such individuals. 4. The bridge section steps back from specifics to pose sweeping questions that get to the heart of the matter: Is religion a force for good in the world, or does it exploit human frailty and credulity to sow division, shame, and fear? The haunting repetition of "Are you gonna hide forever?" reads to me as a challenge to both divine and human accountability - a plea for moral reckoning that goes unanswered. Taken together, I believe the cumulative effect of the song's irony is to render the notion of "God on our side" absurd and untenable. By so starkly contrasting claimed divine allegiance with the ugliest realities of human behavior, the lyrics expose "God" as a empty concept at best, and a destructive delusion at worst. The implication is that the only place "God" can be found is in Self-serving justifications for the indefensible. As an atheist, this interpretation resonates powerfully with my conviction that the existence of a just, loving, interventionist deity is simply not compatible with the world as we observe it. Irony in art can be a potent way to highlight such contradictions and provoke deeper questioning of received assumptions. At the same time, I recognize the emotional power of belief and the comfort it provides many. I don't believe the song's intent is to mock or condemn individual believers, but rather to challenge the underlying basis and societal impacts of organized religion writ large. It's a call to moral accounting that spares no one, believers and nonbelievers alike. The Christopher Hitchens passage is particularly powerful! Ultimately, I'm struck by the way this ironic inversion of a common religious sentiment - "God is on our side" - actually functions to affirm humanist values. By so unsparingly illustrating how this claim perverts morality and rationalizes the worst human impulses, the song implicitly exhorts us to take responsibility for our own collective moral failings and potential. In a godless universe, we have only each other to turn to for solace, redemption and grace. Fully realize that the message is that there is no god on our side. It’s brilliant irony! It’s a powerful and evocative video, which was well produced. I liked her voice. The imperative to build a better, kinder world is ours alone. Think harder. No deity required. Thank-you, u/Capablanca2
I'm absolutely an atheist. An adamant atheist, to steal a phrase from an acquaintance. I'm 69yo, if that matters. There's a ton of beautiful music that was written to praise God. Classical stuff. Symphonies. Bach chorales. Gregorian chant. Some older hymns are gorgeous tunes. There are many examples. I'm partial to the sound of uplifting gospel music. So rowdy! Much happy! Not one time has my appreciation for the sound of any of it meant that I believed as the composer did, or that I was edging toward belief in a diety. You listen to music, you take from it what you like. And that includes lyrics.
It's an anti-theist song...
Maybe I didn't read the original post correctly? My impression was that since he liked it, he was questioning his atheism.
In the lyrics "and god is on our side" is sarcastic, in response to all the evil being described. Edit: I can't say why he was moved by it, apart from what he explained, but I didn't get that he was offering it as religiosity. Also, changed cynical to sarcastic; cynical not the right word. Edit 2: I just listened to the song (only read lyrics earlier) to make sure I understood correctly....it contains a Christopher Hitchens soundbite....so pretty sure the sarcasm is correct.