Roger Waters – What God Wants, Part I

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  My Interpretation:For me, this song is mainly three things: 1.) A very critical view on religion, 2.) A very critical view on the way several different holy scripts are interpreted, and 3.) a (sort of a) psychological study of what can happen when mankind misinterpretate information they are given, or when we make up our own.
  
  The "monkey" in the lyrics is a metaphor for the human race.
  
  I think that it's a somewhat satirical song; a generalisation about what we humans seem to think what God wants (i.e. war, crusades, jihad, etc.) and yet we still think that God is good and the greatest being, but if he is, he couldn't possibly want all the bad things we give him "in God's name" or because we think that that is "what God wants".
  
  The lyrics seem to suggest that it wasn't God that wrote the Bible, but rather just an ordinary human, with (seemingly) no spiritual connection at all.
  
  I also can't help but feel that it is an anti-terrorism song.
  
  Please note that this is not necessarliy my view on religion, but rather my interpretation of what I think Roger Waters' message in this song (and, possibly, what his view on religion) is.

  Flag A3oerton December 31, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:I took this a different way from most people. I thought it was Roger Waters' way of saying that, because God is an omnipotent, all-powerful being, everything that occurs in the world must be God's will, and so God must want all this stuff (jihad, war, famine, crack, etc.) to happen. Waters was an atheist, so I think he might have just been pointing out how ridiculous the idea of God is.

  Flag guitarherohero10on April 19, 2009   Link

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    at last some commom sense. How can a god that created all mankind take sides (sounds like a human trait) Why do people thank god for saving them from a storm when (if you believe in god) he created it in the first place.

    Flag tempyon August 30, 2011  
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  General Comment:wada you think?

  Flag RAPSUX!!on June 11, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:To answer your question Roger Water is an atheist. In an interview with an Australian newspaper he speaks about his views on religion in which he states that the rise of Atheism is "fundamentally important to the possibilities of our children having proper lives"
  
  Full interview can be read here: smh.com.au/news/music/for-heavens-sake-roger/2007/01/22/…

  Flag Already Thereon June 11, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:If God is omnipotent, then what "IS" is God's will. I think its as simple as that.
  
  Is your concept of God big enough to believe he makes autistic children, psychopaths and war mongers?
  
  If you believe in an omnipotent God, then you must believe he created these things.

  Flag LogicalDreameron April 07, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:LouDawg the only one who could possibly give you a simple answer is Roger himself.
  
  Roger things God is fine as a source of inspiration for good. One of his favorite historical figures is Martin Luther King. When someone asked him recently what his ideal world was, he just deferred to MLK.
  
  MLK was of course, inspired by God.

  Flag rattlecageon February 04, 2007   Link

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  General Comment:hey guys, Im wondering. Does Roger Waters hate or dislike god in anyway? Does he even bealieve in God? I just need a simple answer. Thanks

  Flag LouDawg808on October 22, 2006   Link

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  General Comment:How about everything we have is there because crazed as we are [from one perspective] and so delightfully insightful and inventive [from another perspective] we want it there. Part of the fun is not reminding ourselves that we know this.

  Flag sillybunnyon October 07, 2006   Link

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  General Comment:A quite enjoyable song, though part 2 is better.

  Flag inpraiseoffollyon June 03, 2006   Link

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  General Comment:Amused to death is a concept inspired by the book "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman. Each of the songs on the album relate to, and express his distaste of how ALL television - even the news - is, or is becoming entertainment. In this sone, he seems to railing against the evil things that are done "in God's name"

  Flag Banjaxedon September 30, 2005   Link

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