Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature.
The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system, but religion differs from private belief in that it has a public aspect[citation needed]. Many religions have organized behaviors, clergy, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, congregations of laity, regular meetings or services for the purposes of veneration of a deity or for prayer, holy places (either natural or architectural), and/or scriptures. The practice of a religion may also include sermons, commemoration of the activities of a god or gods, sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trance, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture. However, there are examples of religions for which some or many of these aspects of structure, belief, or practices are absent.
Neil deGrasse Tyson ( /ˈniːəl dəˈɡræs ˈtaɪsən/ born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist and science communicator. He is currently the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a research associate in the department of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. Since 2006 he has hosted the educational science television show NOVA scienceNOW on PBS, and has been a frequent guest on The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Jeopardy!. It was announced on August 5, 2011, that Tyson will be hosting a new sequel to Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage television series.
Tyson was born as the second of three children in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, but was raised in the Bronx. His mother, Sunchita Feliciano Tyson, was a gerontologist and his father, Cyril deGrasse Tyson, was a sociologist, human resource commissioner for the New York City mayor, John Lindsay, and was the first Director of HARYOU. Tyson attended the Bronx High School of Science (1972–1976, astrophysics emphasis) where he was captain of the wrestling team and was editor-in-chief of the school's Physical Science Journal. Tyson had an abiding interest in astronomy from the age of eleven, following his visit to the Hayden Planetarium at age nine. Tyson recalls that "so strong was that imprint [of the night sky] that I'm certain that I had no choice in the matter, that in fact, the universe called me." He obsessively studied astronomy in his teens, and eventually even gained some fame in the astronomy community by giving lectures on the subject at the age of fifteen.
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941), known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was the University of Oxford's Professor for Public Understanding of Science from 1995 until 2008.
Dawkins came to prominence with his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, which popularised the gene-centered view of evolution and introduced the term meme. In 1982 he introduced an influential concept into evolutionary biology, presented in his book The Extended Phenotype, that the phenotypic effects of a gene are not necessarily limited to an organism's body, but can stretch far into the environment, including the bodies of other organisms.
Dawkins is an atheist, a vice president of the British Humanist Association, and a supporter of the Brights movement. He is well known for his criticism of creationism and intelligent design. In his 1986 book The Blind Watchmaker, he argued against the watchmaker analogy, an argument for the existence of a supernatural creator based upon the complexity of living organisms. Instead, he described evolutionary processes as analogous to a blind watchmaker. He has since written several popular science books, and makes regular television and radio appearances, predominantly discussing these topics. In his 2006 book The God Delusion, Dawkins contends that a supernatural creator almost certainly does not exist and that religious faith is a delusion—"a fixed false belief." As of January 2010 the English-language version has sold more than two million copies and had been translated into 31 languages.
William "Bill" Maher, Jr. ( /ˈmɑːr/; born January 20, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian, television host, political commentator, author, and actor. Before his current role as the host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar late-night talk show called Politically Incorrect originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC.
Maher is known for his political satire and sociopolitical commentary, which targets a wide swath of topics including religion, politics, bureaucracies of many kinds, political correctness, the mass media, greed among people and persons in positions of high political and social power, and the lack of intellectual curiosity in the electorate. He supports the legalization of marijuana and same-sex marriage, and serves on the board of PETA. He is also a critic of religion and is an advisory board member of Project Reason, a foundation to promote scientific knowledge and secular values within society. In 2005, Maher ranked at number 38 on Comedy Central's 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time. Bill Maher received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star on September 14, 2010.
Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was an English American author and journalist whose career spanned more than four decades. Hitchens, often referred to colloquially as "Hitch", was a columnist and literary critic for New Statesman, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Daily Mirror, The Times Literary Supplement and Vanity Fair. He was an author of twelve books and five collections of essays. As a staple of talk shows and lecture circuits, he was a prominent public intellectual, and his confrontational style of debate made him both a lauded and controversial figure.
Hitchens was known for his admiration of George Orwell, Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson, as well as for his excoriating critiques of various public figures including Mother Teresa, Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger and Diana, Princess of Wales. Although he supported the Falklands War, his key split from the established political left began in 1989 after what he called the "tepid reaction" of the Western left to the Rushdie Affair. The September 11 attacks strengthened his internationalist embrace of an interventionist foreign policy, and his vociferous criticism of what he called "fascism with an Islamic face." His numerous editorials in support of the Iraq War caused some to label him a neoconservative, although Hitchens insisted he was not "a conservative of any kind", and his friend Ian McEwan describes him as representing the anti-totalitarian left.
Well he could almost taste the money
But he was sitting in a den of thieves
Looking for the great awakening
Trying to find a way to leave
But that's when he got religion
And the light went on inside
He said somebody up there likes me
Now he's working for the holy guide
He got drunk but he don't remember
That he'd been drinking in a bar downtown
When he thought he heard a choir of angels
Singing in the Tiki Lounge
And that's when he got religion
From no salesman on TV
Just a tap on the shoulder in the parking lot
He still drinks but he does believe
Religion, you do the best you can
We all make the same mistakes
We're gonna wind up with the man
Religion, oh you do the best you can
We all make the same mistakes
We're gonna wind up with the man
She was silent as he paid her
But the thanks she got was next to none
And as her car pulled out of the motel
She felt the presence of someone
And that's when she got religion
In the front of a compact Ford
Just a gentle voice on the stereo
Religion, Religion, Religon...
Da kommt sie schon, die Prozession,
das ist Deine Religion
Du brauchst nichts mehr zu tun
Du brauchst nicht nett zu sein
Denn:
Gott wird Dir verzeihn, Gott wird Dir verzeihn
Religion !
Und geht es Dir auf Erden schlecht,
dann brauchst Du nur zu sterben
Jesus Christus ist gerecht, und wir sind seine Erben
It was early Sunday morning
Everyone in the house was still asleep
She made some toast and coffee
Took a shower and made herself smell sweet
She said, "I don't want a bus ride,
I believe that the walk might help me think
Got a heart kind of heavy
I need some big hat and gloves, shoes and bag religion!"
Religion
That's my decision
Some of that "make me feel better when I shout!!!" religion
That's my decision
Papa Henry was full of spice
He was a man usually nice
But something got into him last night
Made him want to fuss and hollar
The entire house was in a sweat
His bottle got broken and the floor got wet
"Clean it up!" you could hear him scream
Then he said, "I'm going out"
I need religion
Religion
That's my decision
Some of that "raise up the roof, 90 proof" religion
That's my decision
Religion
It's my decision, oh yes it is
That's my decision
It's the story about a good family
Who doesn't live anymore in good harmony
They are people who love their daughter and son
They try to give them religion
Little Billy likes his best friend Jack
How in the world could he be like that
Mama and Henry wanna have that chat
Boy, you need religion
Little Betty, whatcha gonna do?
There's a child growing inside of you
You should've stopped and thought things through
Little girl you need a vision of religion
Religion
And that's my decision
Some of that "how'd I get on Rikki Lake" religion
That's my decision
Religion
Get a little,
Religion
Get a little
(original by front 242; remixed by liam)
'right' branded on my brow
'wrong' graven on my mind
You see, the sin is in me
When will it stop unfolding
When will I ever be face to face
With the devil in me
(chorus)
Let me burn you... let me burn you...
Let me burn you down...
Let me burn you... let me burn you...
Let me burn you down...
Burn you down...
(let me... let me...)
Brain wants to rule the heart
Heart wants to tie the hands
Unseat the assassin in me
So you cry, not to give it away
So you lie...
(chorus)
Born with a wicked charm
Torn by this driving harm
You see, it moves into me
So you lie, not to give it away
So you cry
(chorus)
Erzählt mir nichts von euren Göttern
Denn die haben niemals existiert
Auch Jesus Christus oder Mohammed
Verhinderten nie einen Krieg
Behauptet nicht, daà ihr die Antwort habt
Auf die Frage, die ihr niemals gewuÃt
Behauptet nicht, daà ihr die Wahrheit sagt
Weil eure Wahrheit gelogen ist
Religion - Bedeutet Unterdrückung
Religion - Ist Opium für das Volk
Religion - Hat Millionen von Menschen getötet
Religion - Doch die Kirchen
Sind immer noch voll
Ihr habt die Bombe gesegnet
Die auf Hiroshima fiel
Auch mit Hitler und Mussolini
Habt ihr euch solidarisiert
Es ist egal, wer an der Macht ist
Denn ihr seid immer dabei
Ihr nehmt den Menschen das Denken ab
Mit eurer Heuchelei
Religion - Bedeutet Unterdrückung
Religion - Ist Opium für das Volk
Religion - Hat Millionen von Menschen getötet
Religion - Doch die Kirchen
I never really understood religion
Except it seems a good excuse to kill.
I never really could make a decision,
I don't suppose I ever really will.
I can't relate to any power structure
Where ego is the driving energy;
I let mine go a long, long time ago, now,
When I decided that I would be free.
The only thing I understand is living;
The biggest sacrifice to make is death.
And once you're dead there's nothing left for giving,
I never really understood religion
Except it seems a good excuse to kill
I never really could make a decision
I don't surpose I ever really will
I can't relate to any power structure
Where ego is the driving energy
I let mine go long, long time ago, now
When I decided that I would be free
Only thing I understand is living
The biggest sacrifice to make is death
Once you're dead, there's noting left for giving
Suck my mouth.
Suck my pain away.
Helplessness,
I am hard to stain.
Potentially inappropriate...
I am naked,
before you.
Look at me.
You came for me.
I pray to you.
You are in me...
You are my religion.
You are my religion.
I'm loving you.
You're loving me.
You are my religion.
You are my religion.
I'm touching you.
You're touching me...
Intoxicated with your breath.
My eyes close,
I am a mess.
Starving and cold and I need your love...
You keep me real.
You lift me up.
Prayer soft,
I am in love.
Devotee of your immortal love.
Brutal truth.
It is profound.
Can you hear the sound,
of my breath?
You are my religion.
You are my religion.
I'm loving you.
You're loving me.
You are my religion.
You are my religion.
I'm touching you.
Door to door, Selling me your religion
Confronting me like a fucking zombie
black shirt, white tie, brain washed till you die
fake dream, false hopes, religion is just one big lie
(HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY)
[Chorus]
Jehovah's Witness knocking on my door
Jehovah's witness gonna save us all
Jehovah's witness knocking on my door
Jehovah's witness aint gonna save shit!
Stay away, run and hide
Religion is conformity
Catholic Christian, knocking on my door
Cahtolic Christian, gonna save us all
Catholic Christian, knocking on my door
Catholic Christian, aint gonna save SHIT!
I have already seen it all
a thousand times before
gazing into outer space
where the timelines cross
far out and away from here
it pushes its way into the air
still a bit to surreal
but we bring the lies to life
it only exists within our minds
and so man created god
we tried to put it into focus
untill it became all too real
and still there is some kind of need
this idea came to life
still not completely understood
it unites and tears apart
CHORUS:
a man made force in our world
combines the evil and the good
religion is what we call it but isnt understood
it was created to give hope
but its caused so many wars
and it will bring so many more
They are fighting on islands.
They are fighting at sea.
They are fighting for justice.
They are fighting for me.
I'm not a believer.
Thank God for that.
They try to use me as a receiver
for their useless chat.
The root of all evil
is what we have in mind.
I don't know what
they are trying to find.
Maybe the creator of Adam and Eve.
But why in hell must they hate
each others beliefs.
Roots of all evil.
The roots of our minds.
Religion, religion.
One man is for heaven,
the other represents hell.
And they start to fight
when they ring the bell.
Don't think I'm watching
this senseless game.
For me and my soul
they do just the same.
Roots of all evil.
The roots of our minds.
Religion, religion.
Black:
is the collar of the priest and his voice.
Light:
is the force he wants to praise.
Knight:
is the title of the man who does the killing work.
People are ruined
by the collecting man.
And the money finances a plan.
The meaning of his message is to get
you signed on their list of hired minds.
Roots of all evil.
The roots of our minds.
Religion, religion.
Black:
is the collar of the priest and his voice.
Light:
is the force he wants to praise.
Knight:
is the title of the man who does the killing work.
Why can't they be satisfied
with their work with souls?
Why must the money take control?
The priests are all waiting
for the final cut of the universe.
Roots of all evil.
The roots of our minds.
When it comes to bullshit, big-time, major league
bullshit, you have to stand in awe of the all-time
champion of false promises and exaggerated claims,
religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion
easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told. Think
about it. Religion has actually convinced people that
there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches
everything you do, every minute of every day. And the
invisible man has a special list of ten things he does
not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten
things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke
and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send
you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and
cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!
But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He
always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-
knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money!
Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes,
and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a
Chorus
I and I respect all Religion
I and I me pray to the Almighty One
Me give thanks and praise fe the righteous way
But me can't follow...no me can't follow one
Verse
Me say me look to the Hindu ca me a Indian
Me look to the Muslim and Sikhism
Ina India too much to choose from
Sit down with Sadoo.. Indian holy man
Listen man a talk and me start understand
Go down Africa and me reach a Jam One
Sit down with Rasta and start fe reason
Read out of the bible talk to Christian
When you check it out could a confusion
Religion bring war and contradiction
One god we have one destination
Respect each other and nothing can wrong
Chorus
Verse
Me say me learn bout Rama and Hari Krishna
Guru Gobind Singh and the height of Allah
Me look to the East and pray to Mecca
Jesus Christ Christian Messiah
Ina Jerusalem was born the saviour
King Salassi I down a Ethiopia
The conquering lion of the tribe of Judah
Natty Rastafari and me pray to Jah Jah
Me look and me search and me study Buddha
Say nuff mon a talk bout Sai Baba
God bless all mon who fight evil doer
That's why the angels a fan me with the eagles feather
Chorus
Verse 3
Ca me say nuff mon a pray to animal and images
Some kill animal in sacrifices
Say nuff of them a follow demon and witches
Them worship the devil and satanic verses
But I and I no mek fe mek no compromises
Give thanks to the Lord and the highest praises
You spread the good word and bring good wishes
You mix ina evil the highest watches
You clean up your heart and break no promises
Live good with all colour and all races
Overcome tribulation man faces
A me say dust-to-dust and ashes to ashes
Well I got a problem now,
You made it mine,
Showing me your weakness,
I assumed that you were stronger.
And it's not the greed that holds us back,
Just the lie, we're inferior
I assumed that we were family,
So I just though I'd mention,
Try to ease a little tension.
The bed I lie in was made by you,
This band of brothers will make it through,
And if loving you means hating you, then I refuse.
And if loving you means hating you, then I refuse.
I won't imagine pain cause it walks beside me.
And we're turning the screw right now,
We're not there yet but at least we're trying.
I'm not phased by their opinion,
So, just tear the fall back plan,
And scatter it to winds cause we're preparing,
For the Rubicon in the path of Gower.
And if loving you means hating you, then I refuse.
And if loving you means hating you, then I refuse.
I can feel what's coming.
To know you makes me proud to do this loud, it's over-
rained it,
We'll be whole when the fear has left us,
So just take a path or shout,
Every word we can just completely,
And remember,
This is my religion.
[Solo.]
We open up, open up,
Face the glare from the future,
We open up, open up,
Face the glare from the future,
We open up, open up,
Face the glare from the future,
We open up, open up,
Face the glare from the future.
To know you makes me proud to do this loud, it's over-
rained it,
We'll be whole when the fear has left us,
So just take a path or shout,
Every word we can just completely,
And remember,
This is my religion.
This is my religion!
This is my religion!
(We open up, open up,
We open up, open up,
We open up, open up,
We open up, open up,
We open up, open up,
We open up, open up,
Yeah
take back the blood that you shed
ive lost these things in your head
like constant pounding
i drill the enemy like you (strength)
its all i need (faith)
keeps' calling me
forsake the ways of the world
pray to me in your dreams
pray to me your god i'll be
cannot fight for anything
anything at all
its my own religion
but like a dagger in my chest i fall to my knees
its my own religion
its my own religion
can't take the hate that you bring
i resolve to end it all
and its so hard to believe
i was once like you (strength)
its all i need (faith)
keeps' calling me
forsake the ways of the world
pray to me in your dreams
pray to me your god i'll be
cannot fight for anything
anything at all
its my own religion
but like a dagger in my chest i fall to my knees
its my own religion
its my own religion
its my own religion
i tried to stop this life from ever having
i wish this pain would subside in my life
ive..ive..
its my own religion
take back the blood that you shed
I saw a man die the day he got out of jail,
I bought a new car and got caught in the hail,
Sometimes it feels like you got no one on your side,
But I will be there holding you tight, yeah yeah,
Holding you tight, yeah.
When you don't know what to believe in,
Let me be your religion,
It's a fucked up world that we live in,
So let me be your religion,
Yeah.
You lost a big bet on the day you lost your job,
You got evicted you said "Please help me, God,"
Now I don't know why when it rains, it pours,
But I know one thing that you've got for sure,
Yeah yeah, you've got for sure, yeah.
When you don't know what to believe in,
Let me be your religion,
It's a fucked up world that we live in,
So let me be your religion,
Yeah.
Let me be the one you go to,
When you start to cry,
Let me be the one that holds you,
When you're asking why,
I can only imagine what you're going through, babe,
But please...
When you don't know what to believe in,
Let me be your religion,
It's a fucked up world that we live in,
So let me be your religion,
Yeah.
When you don't know what to believe in,
Let me be your religion,
It's a fucked up world that we live in,
So let me be your religion,
There’s something inside me
That’s killing me slowly
It’s burning like fire in my head
There’s something in my veins
A beast locked in white chains
The stain of this switchblade is red
Chorus
Lord knows how hard I’ve tried
Lord knows I’ve failed
But I keep on searching my way
Take my soul, Lord, and ease my pain
This is my religion
There’s something above me
It’s something I can’t see
I don’t know why I am so blind
There’s something around me
A light that surrounds me
I’m lost in my own tangled mind
'Right' branded on my brow
'Wrong' graven on my mind
You see, the sin is in me
When will it stop unfolding
When will I ever be face to face
With the devil in me
Chorus
Let me burn you... let me burn you...
Let me burn you down...
Let me burn you... let me burn you...
Let me burn you down...
Burn you down...
(Let me... let me...)
Brains wants to rule the heart
Heart wants to tie the hands
Unseat the assassin in me
So you cry, not to give it away
So you lie...
Chorus (2x)
Born with a wicked charm
Torn by this driving harm
You see, it moves into me
So you lie, not to give it away
So you cry
Right' branded on my brow
'Wrong' graven on my mind
You see, the sin is in me
When will it stop unfolding
When will I ever be face to face
With the devil in me
Let me burn you... let me burn you...
Let me burn you down...
Let me burn you... let me burn you...
Let me burn you down...
Burn you down...
Brain wants to rule the heart
Heart wants to tie the hands
Unseat the assassin in me
So you cry, not to give it away
So you lie...
Let me burn you... let me burn you...
Let me burn you down...
Let me burn you... let me burn you...
Let me burn you down...
Burn you down...
Born with a wicked charm
Torn by this driving harm
You see, it moves into me
So you lie, not to give it away
So you cry
Let me burn you... let me burn you...
Let me burn you down...
Let me burn you... let me burn you...
Let me burn you down...