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Truth Before Comfort

by Buck Bowen

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1.
Let’s suppose I seriously claim That a fire-breathing dragon lives in my garage what would you say? I mean, with all the stories about dragons throughout history But, no real evidence now here’s an opportunity! “Show me,” you say And so we look in my garage but all we see is empty cans of paint “Where’s it at?” you question Oh she’s right here, but she’s an invisible dragon, I failed to mention And so you suggest We spread flour on the floor to capture the dragon’s steps That’s a good idea, and I suppose it’s fair But see this dragon’s always floating in the air You’ll use an infrared, sensor to detect, The invisible fire, but hold on a sec’ See the thing is That’s a good idea, but the invisible fire is also heatless You’ll spray paint the dragon to make her visible But the paint won’t stick she’s incorporeal And so on, I counter every physical test With a special explanation of why it can’t be met Now, what’s the difference? Between the dragon I described and one that never existed? If, you can’t disprove my contention and nothing counts against it What’s it even mean to say my dragon’s in existence? Your inability to invalidate My hypothesis is not at all the same As proving it true A claim is veridically worthless if it’s immune to disproof Despite whatever value it may have in Exciting our sense of wonder and inspiring action What I’m asking you to do Is to believe me in the absence of evidence because I say it’s true
2.
What is the soul? Is it physical? Does it ever die? Is it immaterial? If it’s immortal in ethereal form I’m curious, where did it exist before we were born? Where does it reside? Is it inside our head? In our entire body? Is it limited within our chest? Does the soul change? If a child dies young, does the soul persist to grow to its adult state? And if you’re challenged mentally or physically Upon your death do you acquire insight or ability? And what about the twins arising from a single egg When the cell divides does the soul comply and split two ways? Into half or whole? Do conjoined twins get to have their own? What’s an actual soul? I’ve yet to be given a definition that’s consistent Plus not in contradiction with the laws of physics 1 It’s soul food for thought, that I got ‘Bout the afterlife party, the afterlife party It’s soul food for thought, if you want ‘Bout the afterlife party, the afterlife party If the soul happens at the moment of conception Then, it is a process and can be detected But if it can’t as would some say I wonder how they knew the soul existed in the first place Could they be more wrong? The soul as a non-substantial substance is an oxymoron 2 By what mechanism does a soul detect an image? If it doesn’t have a retina I suspect it’s lacking vision How can it retain our personality after we die? When we know our neurons cease to survive 3 Perhaps you know someone who’s had a stroke with tragic loss You’re saying they regain the faculties lost after they’re gone? 4 I think you better check again Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence 5 And about the truth, Assertions without grounds can be dismissed without proof 6 It’s soul food for thought, that I got ‘Bout the afterlife party, the afterlife party It’s soul food for thought, if you want ‘Bout the afterlife party, the afterlife party
3.
If I was Jesus, and I came to start a new religion I would have written it myself without the contradictions 1 Or procured a person to put it onto paper 2 To write it while I was alive and not decades later 3 I would have made sure, all was clear with nothing vague There’d be no need for interpretation of what I had said And consequently, no denominations Nor a single copy error to another language You wouldn’t see me heal a bunch of lepers I would do better and remove the disease altogether There’d be no sermons, only topics worth hearing Such as the scientific method, physics, and the germ theory I’d turn the golden rule into platinum By simply quoting the brilliant Dr. Linus Pauling maxim: 4 Do unto others twenty percent better Than you’d expect they’d do to you to correct for subjective error
4.
Atheism is the arrogant belief That this entire billion galaxy universe wasn’t made for me 1 Let me define it once more An atheist is one who lacks invisible means of support 2 Now if you want, you can love religion But God made me an atheist, who are you to judge his wisdom? 3 I was born without belief as every baby is And after finding reason became a born-again atheist The proof for other gods always gets ignored The reason you dismiss theirs is why I dismiss yours We’re all atheists, one way or another The difference is I take it one god further While your church and messiah engage in legal tax evasion Atheism is a non-prophet organization 4 I have faith there is no god, I’ll admit it I’m not an atheist, I’m God’s loyal opposition 5
5.
God Is Wh?t 02:55
Two men want to marry, why is it wrong to do that? According to the Bible even Jesus had two dads… They say God is love, I say it’s a lie Millions of children die before the age of five And just think, most parents pray to be spared But he does nothing to help them, or doesn’t even care Therefore, he’s either impotent or evil And it’s a pity to think that many of these people are going to hell For praying to the wrong God, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, all gone 1 To be tortured for eternity but certainly, there’s no evidence for this absurdity That hell awaits them, it just says so in Mark 9, Matthew, and Revelation Yeah, and while the Hindus get doomed, Your run of the mill psychopathic killer is exonerated by Jesús Cause on his death-cot, he accepts God, and further he’s in heaven now with the kids he murdered Well, assuming they were Christians, huh, and you believe in this religion? But don’t take it from me it’s plain to see in the Bible on any page you read You say God is good, you had a positive experience yet when a child drowns to death God’s mysterious “We’re merely humans” you say, “his ways are past us” Then, by what standard was that established? It’s amazing to me, given all this God does not accomplish this faith is obscene The epitome of narcissism, “God loves me, makes me feel good, you can’t argue with him” Yeah plus he’s just and honest even when he admonishes us to kill our neighboring tribe 2 He has a book and if you look it says slavery’s right 3 Yet, you think this God walks a righteous path when He acts just like a psychopath? Let’s bring the facts to light, Christianity’s a cult of human sacrifice 4 Christianity’s a cult of human sacrifice
6.
If I was Jesus, and I knew all of the crimes committed By my father, I would have him locked in prison Furthermore I would abhor such a disgusting dad Who would have me tortured to death for his unsuccessful plan My father authored a book And if it’s true then it’s awful and portrays him as a monstrous crook A bigot, a genocidal maniac savage who captures women 1 And kills children 2 They say it’s filled with, prophecies of me But my name is never mentioned so it isn’t obvious to read Plus with all of the atrocities I’d be embarrassed and ashamed to claim this god fathered me I could only hope to know Why he chose to debauch my mother with the holy ghost My father failed to note, in fact he lied That she would be raising a scapegoat to be sacrificed
7.
When you talk about the Ten Commandments, the question is Do you refer to Deuteronomy or Exodus? 1 The Ten Commandments term is only in connection with The latter 2 plus the book is offering almost two separate lists And which interpretation do you have to pick? Is it the Jewish, Protestant, or Catholic? 3 Of course there’s many more than this All of which are an abridged version of the Torah’s list It’s ridiculous some think we have to read A list of rules, that hardly touch upon morality 4 ‘Cause if we did what would happen? The Catholics would drop their saints and quit working on the sabbath? 5 Number I, I am thy God which Have brought you out of Egypt, the house of bondage 6 That’s rather odd but what else does it tell us? No worshipping other gods, for thy God is jealous? 7 Really? That’s kind of a silly notion That God all-mighty suffers a petty human emotion And that Egypt part, I see why it gets ignored But maybe God was making an evolution metaphor Let’s move on to Number II Make no graven images of things above or under you 8 Now this isn’t in the Catholic ten And the reason’s obvious, their God needs all the help he can Now you won’t believe but here’s Number III The feast of unleavened bread thou shalt keep 9 Unless you read a different page It’s don’t take the Lord’s name in vain 10 which isn’t really the same Number IV keep the sabbath hollow 11 That’s a Saturday so which commandment do the Christians follow? God rested on the seventh day 12 But he’s omnipotent and infinite why does he need a break? Number V, depends upon the list you read Honor thy father and mother 13 or observe the feast of weeks 14 Respect is earned not just something you should give Should children have to honor a parent who is abusing them? There’s two for Number VI, thou shalt not kill 15 Or thrice a year boys must appear before the God of Israel 16 If it’s wrong to kill then God must love to disobey it Since he drowns the earth 17 and murders babies 18 just to make a statement Number VII, no sacrificial blood with leaven 19 Sound unfamiliar? Prob’ly ’cause you’ve never read it You’re thinking of the other VII Thou shalt not commit adultery 20 with another man’s possession Number VIII, something ’bout a sacrificial meal 21 Or as the other list commands, do not steal 22 Unless of course God okays it Then you can take the women, land, and life of other nations 23 Number IX has two to quote from Bring the firstfruits of your land to the house of Jehovah 24 Or against your neighbor do not lie 25 But it’s a bit suspicious that neighbor isn’t defined Number X, I didn’t make this up for real It’s do not boil a kid in his mother’s milk 26 Or perhaps you know the other one Don’t covet your neighbor’s wife, slave, or his other stuff 27 And there it is, the apparent Ten The greatest list of rules God could ever give Yet there’s so much it fails to mention Plus it could be improved in just one, single, sentence Do not make another human being your slave Don’t condemn another person based on gender or race Or sexual orientation Don’t mistreat or harm a child, and do not indoctrinate them I’ve yet to mention rape and genocide And you truly think that God’s list of Ten is divine? Even a child could improve its rules I’ve done it and so have others, and I encourage you to do it too
8.
They didn’t know what should be done to him So they brought him unto Moses, and awaited orders for his punishment The Lord spoke to Moses alone Saying the man must die, he must be stoned 1 So they took him outside each with a rock in their hand Where they planned to throw stones till he dropped in the sand The man was visibly shaken terror poured over his face Apprehensive in his steps knowing the course of his fate The assembly stopped, got in position The first stone was thrown, but did not hit him The second one followed fast, it was quick and swift And didn’t miss in fact the blast dropped him as it kissed his lips He shrieked collapsing in pain As the entourage of rocks battered his face Bathing in blood, dead as more landed The morally righteous, did as the Lord commanded If God is love What’s the purpose of this punishment? Where’s the love in this? His life was spent, on the price of sticks And I wonder did this man have a wife and kids? Was he trying to keep his family warm? Was he even Jewish? Did he know he broke commandment IV? Thou shalt not work upon this day of rest I guess stoning a man to death isn’t really considered work And did he die in vein? When Jesus finally came It seemed that God’s mind had kind of changed Some things seem to contradict Like God’s edict for death by stoning as the consequence With what Jesus said, to a crowd of men He said to throw the first stone if you’re without sin 2 Which is awfully strange When you consider that he said the law’s not to change 3 You’ll be considered least if you break the least of these commandments 4 But Jesus also worked upon the Sabbath 5 If God is love What’s the purpose of this punishment? Where’s the love in this?
9.
Omni-Absurd 08:17
Do you believe your God is all-knowing? That he has a plan? That he’s aware of everything that happens in advance? If this is true God knows which miracles he’ll make us see And so it follows no amount of prayer is going to change a thing If by divine intervention a miracle’s permitted He doesn’t have a plan and makes arbitrary decisions But he’s omniscient, which means from start to finish Every outcome’s known to him like whose favorite sports team is winning But can it be? How can a disembodied god know how to hop on a trampoline? Or compensate for an injured wrist If God is all-knowing how does he know how to find out about what he’s ignorant? 1 I can create a mass of concrete so heavy I can’t lift it Yet God cannot and he’s omnipotent… And he’s also omnipresent Yet he never seems to show up till it’s time to get the credit Omni-benevolent, infinitely good But it’s a little hard to see when you read his book God himself said he created evil 2 And repented of his thoughts of doing evil to his people 3 If God is just, and justice is defined As the punishment fits the crime We have a contradiction Because God visits the sins of the fathers upon the children 4 If God is merciful, and we’re defining mercy As the punishment given being less than deserving Then I’m asking why Did God say “spare them not” 5 when massacring the Amalekites He made his son into a culprit How could I accept the gruesome death of another for my atonement? This system seems wicked and filthy Moral justice, cannot take the innocent for the guilty 6 I don’t need your God, your God needs me Somebody’s got to pay for his employees I find it rather odd your God needs so much help When he’s omniscient, omnipotent, omni everything else

about

A sort of Sunday-School-in-reverse concept album that challenges one’s most cherished notions, emphasizes critical thinking, and addresses such questions as, could the teachings of Jesus be improved? Are the Ten Commandments all they’ve been cracked up to be? And what exactly is the soul?

credits

released September 13, 2013

Written, produced, recorded, and mixed by Buck Bowen @ The Sweatbox in Long Beach, CA

Mastered by Doug Van Sloun @ Focus Mastering Omaha, NE

Artwork by Matt Urlaub

Vocals by Ananya Kepper (8)
Additional Instrumentation by Erik Eklund (2, 8) and Diana Bernard (8)

Dedicated to Dave Sink

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Buck Bowen Long Beach, California

"Trying to bridge the growing gap between 'would-be' and 'has-been.'"

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