Here’s via what the song is about.
Hozier said the song was essentially about humanity and how it was undermined by religious organisations and those who claimed to act in its best interest.
Now you’ll have to listen to it.
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
Lovely and terrible.
In my holy book ‘original sin’ is teaching children how to hate.
How powerful! …the melding of music and message.
Hard to watch. I will never understand why we can’t appreciate the beauty of our very human nature and diversity.
Doesn’t it seem that many of us need some sort of tribe or gang to feel special? Isn’t it enough of an identity to be an individual in this magnificent world in the here and now? Or could it be that is this concept is too frightening and we are too alienated from one other to face our incredible experience with a reasonable degree of compassion and camaraderie?
“I can tell you my sins, you can sharpen your knife.”
Yes, that sounds like church. The video is harrowing.
It’s heart-breaking watching this. And it is made even worse to see that Russia is doing what W. did – demagogue against gays to distract from their record in office and consolidate support. It is made even worse knowing that all the tax breaks and subsidies we give religion here have been used to fund extreme anti-gay movements in other parts of the world. Many of the anti-marriage folks from here have been working with Russians on the laws that are being drafted.
And it’s not like it’s over here. They are still fighting marriage equality in 37 states. Worse, they try to pass these religious “protections” laws designed to be used against gays. Public accommodation laws, which have been in place since desegregation, are being dismantled by these protections. And who here thinks they will stop with gays once groups that serve the public get to pick and choose who counts as “the public?”
It took straight America about a decade to realize that “protecting marriage” was actually hurting gays. I suspect it will take straight America another decade to realize that these protections are also just weapons. They will be passed as Americans think, if you can call it that, “Protecting religious freedom? Who could be against that?” And the harm caused will need to pile up, the human misery they cause will have to reach an appalling level to break into their consciousness.
It’s that unthinking, unquestioning aspect that is so pernicious.
There was once a time when I thought it no big deal if people believed or not. I might even have thought that religion could be good. No longer. Not after a couple decades of being on the receiving end. Whenever you find yourself willing to believe something simply because you want to believe it, trouble will follow.
This video was powerful. And depressing.
And I might be rambling because I’m really sad. I lost my partner in January (I think I’ve mentioned here before) before MN passed marriage. I know the amount of suffering I’ve gone through in my life, in my relationship, and in my “widowhood” and to think of that multiplied out over all the gay people, all the others that religion has designated unworthy is just overwhelming.
I don’t think I really knew how to hate before Christianity made me hate. So that’s what it’s good for. Putting more hate out into the world.
Yeah. That video hit hard. Thanks for sharing this, PZ.
You can buy the EP here.