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Faithless Lyrics

I've got my own moral compass to steer by.
A guiding star beats a spirit in the sky
and all the preaching voices--
empty vessels ring so loud
as they move among the crowd.
Fools and thieves are well disquised
in the temple and marketplace.

Like a stone in the river
against the floods of spring
I will quietly resist.

Like the willows in the wind
or the cliffs along the ocean
I will quietly resist.

I don't have faith in faith.
I don't beleive in belief.
You can call me faithless
but I still cling to hope.
And I believe in love
and that's faith enough for me.

I've got my own spirit level for balance
to tell if my choice is leading up or down.
And all the shouting voices
try to throw me off course.
Some by sermons, some by force.
Fools and thieves are dangerous
in the temple and marketplace.

Like a forest bows to winter
beneath the deep white silence
I will quietly resist.

Like a flower in the desert
that only blooms at night
I will quietly resist.
Song Info
Submitted by
stephanierush07 On Apr 28, 2007
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Cover art for Faithless lyrics by Rush

No need to feel sorry for us atheists raggamuffin. I'm perfectly happy as an atheist. In fact, I feel sorry for people deluded by superstition. And no, you don't need superstition to have morals.

This song is wonderful. Its about how atheists have to struggle to persevere in a North American culture that distinctly and increasingly biased against the non-religious. He will "quietly resist" those that try to sway him to superstition whether by "sermon" or "force" and simply try and go about living his own life as a secure and happy rational person, as best he can. Quite inspiring.

perfectly said.

Not Valid
Cover art for Faithless lyrics by Rush

ragamuffin and degulleo, thanks for the sermons. I won't try and debate you. Rather, I will simply "quietly resist" and enjoy my life on a rational basis, leaving superstition behind. I simply hope that your can live your lives in happiness and tolerance for others who don't buy into your myths.

Cover art for Faithless lyrics by Rush

Lurtz i agree with you. Does any one remember the two part series of South Park? Go God Go and Go God Go XII. In short Cartman froze himself and found the future of all atheists. They said things like ''In the name of science'' and ''Science help us''. The 3 atheist groups were at war, and you don't find out what the war is based on until the end. Their war, in which they were prepared to die for their beliefs, was what should atheists call themselves. United Atheist Legue, Allied Atheist Alliance etc. Its not the religion that makes people kill people its the people. There are sane and insane people in most religions ( ones that probably don't have sane people are Satanists )

Cover art for Faithless lyrics by Rush

It's not intelligent to claim that there is no God when you don't have absolute knowledge. What if, in all the knowledge that you don't possess in the universe, there is ample evidence to support that there is a God? It is more truthful of professing atheists to say, "I don't want to believe that there is a God". If we're all honest with ourselves, the most truthful thing we can say about the matter is, "in my limited knowledge of the universe, I don't know if there is a God". Anyone who is interested in discovering truth must come to grips with this. If anyone is unwilling to face this question, he has an ulterior motive.

Once I personally came to terms with the fact that I didn't know whether or not there was a God, I noticed my attitude was different. I had accepted the possibility that there could very well be a God at work in the universe. At that point, I said something like, "I'm not looking for a crutch to stand on, but if there truly is a God, I want to know for sure". I'm not interested in religion, I'm interested in the truth. When I humbled myself before the possibility that there could be a God, everything changed. God showed me in a very real, personal way that He is not only the Creator of this universe, but He is my Savior through Jesus Christ's death on the cross (to defeat sin) and resurrection from the dead (to defeat death).God showed me these things through His Word, the Bible. I quit doing what I knew was wrong (repented of my sin) and received God's forgiveness through Christ. Life is different now. I can honestly say I am more "me" than I've ever been. I haven't committed intellectual suicide, I think more clearly and rationally than ever. I encourage you all be real before yourselves and before the possibility that God does exist.

NewWorldMan.

You seem to not understand what an Atheist is. Nor do you seem to understand the basics of logic and burdens of proof and critical thinking. I do not mean to insult you by saying that but you really to take a moment to think.

NO atheist says "I know there is no God". An atheist says "I don't believe in God". Why? Because there is no reason to. No evidence, no proof, no logical reason why a god must exist.

An atheist doesn't say "God doesn't exist" for the same reason he doesn't say...

Not Valid

I appreciate what you're saying. Please know that thought the same way for the longest time. If it's evidence you need, then I encourage you to approach the following with an open mind:

First of all, any genuine proof that God exists must come from the Bible. Yes, it is an ancient book, but there is a reason that the Bible has stood the test of time (3000+ years). The Bible is unique in its continuity. If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and made about...

Not Valid

I'm thankful that not everyone sees the Bible as their moral compass...

Leviticus Chapter 25, verses 44-46 "Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a...

Not Valid
Cover art for Faithless lyrics by Rush

Yeah, uh, I'd dare to say hundreds of millions of religious people around the globe would disagree with the idea that religion isn't necessary in order for someone to be moral. That said, it is a significant statement being made. It's a message that's increasingly being forgotten as war, genocide, and socio-economic inequity stoke the fires of religious and cultural fanaticism around the world. Religion certainly isn't the cause of all the world's problems, but it certainly is one of the time-honored excuse to cause problems.

Anyway, the lyrics remind me of the countless nonbelievers I've met over the years who have wanted nothing more than to live their lives quietly and peacefully despite the fact that they're still thought of as Bolsheviks in the popular consciousness, distrusted for their supposed immorality, and misrepresented by clowns like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, et al. The point of the song is not to claim victimhood, though, but to remain confident and steadfast in the face of ignorance and misunderstanding.

Cover art for Faithless lyrics by Rush

deguello1836, what do you mean no one ever disputes that we are sinners? Most atheists and agnostics don't believe "sin" exists. And if one doesn't believe in God, then how can one believe they have fallen short of God? That's like saying we have fallen short of Superman.

How can you be so certain that the Bible is true and that there is a God? Two-thirds of the people on the planet believe the Bible is not true. No matter what religion you believe, there are more that disagree with you than think you are correct. I'm an atheist-leaning agnostic. I don't believe that there is God, but I am not 100% certain. I'm not 100% certain that bigfoot doesn't exist either. However, without reliable evidence, I won't believe in either.

Let's say that when you were growing up, your parents told you that God gave a man named Jack some magic beans and a giant beanstalk grew and Jack climbed the beanstalk to Heaven and stole a golden egg. Let's also say your parents told you a "fairy tale" about Noah and the ark. Wouldn't you believe the story of Jack and the gaint beanstalk was true and the story of Noah's ark was fiction?

Cover art for Faithless lyrics by Rush

So by that logic how can you be sure Satan didnt spread the third law of thermodynamics in order to confuse people from gods 'true' message of evolution? Anyone can call the others view 'confused by satan'

Personal experience and upbringing will always effect your stance, some people put their faith in a higher power and some just put their faith in their own sense of right and wrong without the notion of something higher. Neil knows where he stands and says he will resist any suggestion that it in itself is misguided or sad

In my personal opinion:

Religious people do nice things to please god

Atheists do nice things because theyre nice people

I like and share your opinion, mostly because it's right.

Not Valid
Cover art for Faithless lyrics by Rush

Holocaust wasnt religiously motivated. Nazi germany meant that there was a jewish conspiracy to take over the world and they actually tried to use science to prove jewish among other kinds of people were inferior to the arian race. So holocaust was a massive genocide based on political ideology and backed up in science, yes it was bad science, but then again the crusades werent exactly good christendom.

Its naive to blame the worlds problems on religion, it is merely being used as a tool for evil, the religion in itself is not evil, however it is good idea to exploit poorly educated people to follow you by dictating to them what their religion says they should do. It is not hard to lie to someone who cant read or obtain the facts is it? Remove religion and then what? Evil will still prevail and it will express itself in other ways, in the name of science, ideology and politics all which can be tools of good if used in a right way, just like religion.


About the song, yes it is about not needing a religion to have a moral compass. That is kind of a given though, religion is just one of many ways to achieve a certain moral compass. Good music, decent lyrics, but the message isn`t exactly one of genius, it is kind of obvious.

There was no ONE factor that caused the holocaust. But there was a religious factor. The crushing economy lead most Germans into impoverished conditions while many wealthy families (most of which were Jews) remained well off, causing tension between the upper and lower class. This is one of the most influential reasons for which the Jews were targeted out of any other group. But it is always easier to point the finger at someone who does not think the way you do, hence religion was a factor.

Hitler is quoted saying, “I am now as before a Catholic and will...

Not Valid
Cover art for Faithless lyrics by Rush

"A guiding star beats a spirit in the sky" says it all. Basing morality on logical reasoning, instead of the threat of eternal punishment from the invisible sky-daddy, is superior in every way. Research the answers to the following two questions honestly and tell me how anyone can actually choose to be a part of all this religious nonsense:

What good has ever been done by/for religion that couldn't have been done without it?

How much evil has been perpetrated solely because of religion?

Cover art for Faithless lyrics by Rush

As a Christian, our faith should not be in religion itself, but in Jesus and the promise he gave all who believe. Jesus had a problem with man's religion too. Just read the Gospels and how he handled the religious leaders of the day. And then look at how they handled him in return.

The bottom line is that it's not about religion, but relationship. Relationship with others, but more importantly a relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

This song actually saddens me to think of anyone being faithless. I'm a big Rush fan and think a lot of Neil as a writer, but as a Christian I can't understand how anyone can truly live without faith or hope in God.

I guess my question is what is Neil "quietly resisting"? Is it man's religion or God? If it's man's imperfect religion, then I agree and will also resist. But in our perfect God, I am very faithfull.