Mike Peterson

and his

Virtual Progressive Rock Band

The Dark Ages

Words and Music

Mike Peterson

Notes

I believe that religion is a mind virus. When combined with the human lust for power, all sorts of evil can ensue, in the name of god…amen.

The idea for this song came from an atheist bumper sticker.

Lyrics

You put the ten commandments
On city hall
You quote the bible
And then you call
For the hand of god to guide us
Toward the light

Away from war
And greed and sin
To chastity
And discipline

As you look around
At society's pain
The answer seems simple and clear

You think it would solve the problems
If religion ruled the world
You dream about a promised land
Where religion ruled the world

It was a time of ignorance
A time of fear
The popes and priests
Had made it clear
That the fist of god delivered
Only pain

And power was
Their only goal
But finally
They lost control

And in the end
When the judgment was made
The historians gave it a name

And they called it the dark ages
When religion ruled the world
It was really not the promised land
When religion ruled the world

To demonstrate
God's eternal love
They'd grip the steel
With a leather glove
Heat it red
And stick it
In your eye

Then mercifully
Your soul became
Purified
By holy flame

And at the stake
As the fire was set
You hoped that we'd never forget

Why they called it the dark ages
When religion ruled the world
It was really not the good old days
When religion ruled the world

When you think about
What history shows
The answer seems simple and clear

That only a fool would choose to live
Where religion ruled the world
And I hope we never see the day
When religion rules the world