In light of the recent revelations concerning the Catholic Church child-sex abuse scandals, Tom Petty has some choice words for the organized flocks of Christian hypocrites in his new song “Playing Dumb.”
“Religion seems to me to be at the base of all wars,” said Petty. “I’ve nothing against defending yourself, but I don’t think, spiritually speaking, that there’s any conception of God that should be telling you to be violent. It seems to me that no one’s got Christ more wrong than the Christians.”
Petty is absolutely right. It seems that nearly all of the atrocities committed in the world’s history have some foundation in various concepts of God: the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Thirty Years’ War, the list goes on. And if it’s not war, most atrocities that occur on a mass scale involve religious groups, which is the theme of “Playing Dumb.”
Petty focuses on the Catholic Church child-sex scandals and the coverups that the church’s leaders have orchestrated. The lyrics of “Playing Dumb” are cutting, direct, and unsparing in their sentiment:
For every confession that wasn’t on the level,
For every man of God that lives with hidden devils.
There is no doubt that the wrongs of the Catholic Church, and other religious sects, have resonated with society at large. The contradictions and hypocrisies are too blatant to ignore anymore, and outrage against the wrongdoing is becoming louder. The people who believe they are tasked with loving and enriching the world and society are actually the ones doing the most harm.
Here’s a hilarious video of comedian Louis C.K. indicating how people who claim themselves as Christians are the ones usually guilty of destroying the environment:
Josh is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. Follow him on Twitter @dnJdeli.