Songs Of Doubt: 'Dear God' by XTC Keren Sivan (Reply) (7-00)

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Songs Of Doubt:
'Dear God' by XTC
Keren Sivan

From: "Keren Sivan"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Subject: Positive_Atheism_Letters_Section
Date: Friday, July 07, 2000 7:44 AM

Hi,

Your site is great, thank you. I had a very good time reading through. Now, there is a song by a group called XTC, called "Dear God" with great lyrics, see below, also if you want to download the song which is also musically very strong you can do it from here:
www.actcom.co.il/~keren/songs.html

The lyrics (read thought, punch line at end)...

all the best, Keren

Dear God
by XTC
from the LP "Skylarking"

Dear God, hope you got the letter and
I pray you can make it better down here
I don't mean a big reduction in the price of beer
But all the people that you made in your image
See them starving on their feet
'Cause they don't get enough to eat from
God
I can't believe in you

Dear God, sorry to disturb you but
I feel that I should be heard loud and clear
We all need a big reduction in amount of tears
And all the people that you made in your image
See them fighting in the street
'Cause they can't make opinions meet about
God
I can't believe in you

Did you make disease
and the diamond blue?
Did you make mankind after we made you?
And the devil too!

Dear God don't know if you've noticed but
Your name is on a lot of quotes in this book
And us crazy humans wrote it, you should take a look
And all the people that you made in your image
Still believing this junk is true
Well I know it ain't, and so do you, dear God
I can't believe in
I don't believe in

I won't believe in heaven and hell
No saints, no sinners, no devil as well
No pearly gates, no thorny crown
You're always letting us humans down
The wars you bring, the babes you drown
Those lost at sea and never found
And it's the same the whole world 'round
The hurt I see helps to compound
That Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Is just somebody's unholy hoax
And if you're up there you'd perceive
That my heart's here upon my sleeve

If there's one thing I don't believe in
It's you
Dear God

From: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: "Keren Sivan"
Subject: Re: Positive_Atheism_Letters_Section
Date: Friday, July 07, 2000 1:48 PM

Thanks for this!

We published "Dear God" in an earlier print edition [September, 1999] of Positive Atheism, as part of our ongoing theme of Songs Of Doubt, previously called Atheism In Music.

Since this song is almost impossible to format into lines and verses, and since I spent a lot of time formatting the print edition, I will format your letter according to the way I formatted the song in the print edition.

Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine

Material by Cliff Walker (including unsigned editorial commentary) is copyright ©1995-2006 by Cliff Walker. Each submission is copyrighted by its writer, who retains control of the work except that by submitting it to Positive Atheism, permission has been granted to use the material or an edited version: (1) on the Positive Atheism web site; (2) in Positive Atheism Magazine; (3) in subsequent works controlled by Cliff Walker or Positive Atheism Magazine (including published or posted compilations). Excerpts not exceeding 500 words are allowed provided the proper copyright notice is affixed. Other use requires permission; Positive Atheism will work to protect the rights of all who submit their writings to us.