Soldiers of Christ

A church marquee near my home recently boasted this message:

“Knowledge starts with the fear of God.”

How stupid is that? That is the exact opposite of what I know to be true. Ignorance starts with the fear of God. Knowledge starts with unbridled curiosity, free from the fear of God. The fear of God stops the advancement of knowledge dead it its tracks. The fear of God is responsible for countless deaths from wars, witch-hunts, crusades and pogroms.

My friend Simon turned me on to this song by Jill Sobule, from "Happy Town." Her voice and the music are both beautiful, and the words nail it.

Soldiers of Christ
by Robin Eaton & Jill Sobule

Our lord loves the family, our lord loves the saved
Our lord love the unborn babies and the NRA
Our lord hates the liberals, the faggots and their friends
We're soldiers of Christ and we're here to defend

The way it used to be
The way it ought to be
The way it's gonna be again

In the days of Cain and Abel
In the days of crusades
In the days of inquisitions
They made the damned behave
Before emancipation
Before Roe and Wade
Before they taught the little children
That they evolved from apes

The way it used to be
The way it ought to be
The way it's gonna be again
When we're in heaven you'll be sorry then

Our lord loves the sinner as long as he don't sin
He knows the thoughts you're thinking
He knows with whom you've been
And our lord loves this country, he's with you at the polls
He knows the lever that you pull
He's keeping track of souls

The way it used to be
The way it ought to be
The way it's gonna to be again
When we're in heaven you'll be sorry
When we're in heaven you'll be sorry
When we're in heaven you'll be sorry then
Gonna be sorry then!