Opiate

This song isn't about religion. It's about how people abuse religious power. Like priests and stuff, telling people that "god speeks through" them and tryes to get people to do what they want so they can "get into heaven".

This quote is reproduced a great deal and is probably the only Marx quote that most people are familiar with. Unfortunately, if someone is familiar with it they are likely only familiar with a small portion that, taken by itself, tends to give a distorted impression of what Marx had to say about religion.

Karl Marx on Religion Is Religion the Opiate of the Masses?

Religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and the protest against real distress. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions.

Karl Marx, Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right

Hense what the song is based upon.....

I think it's about how jesus is really mexican, and that is why he likes taco bell a lot. I went to the zoo one time, and it was fun.

We both want To rape you.

With that line alone, Maynard isn't only focusing on religion in this song, just using it as a foundation for the song in general. It's basically making fun of those that become followers throughout life and don't think for themselves for the most part.

*"think for yourself, question authority, strive to be different, strive to be unique, Never repeat things other people say"

to me it is clearly about the catholic church. not about jesus. that's the point.

"choices always were a problem for you" - starting his "helping" by making the person feel like they are weak, stupid, in need of someone to control them or they are doomed. instead of how jesus come to us, only in love, not pointing out flaws but all forgiving.

"what you need is someone strong to guide you. like ME." - not jesus

"if you want to get your soul to heaven, trust in ME, don't you judge or question. you are broken now, but faith can heal you. just do everything I tell you too." - I is the key word here. this person is promising to have what is needed to get them into heaven. not Christ. not repentance. only by doing what this person wants them to do.

"deaf and blind and dumb and born to follow" - more belittling and making them person feel lesser.

"what you need is someone strong to guide you. let ME lay MY holy hand upon you." - obviously this religious figure is using their position as a priest to violate, instead of heal or bring people to the Lord. and let me lay my holy hand upon you screams molestation that has happened again and again inside the church, by supposed men of God.

"MY god's will, becomes ME. when he speaks, he speaks through ME." - completely taking over god's will, using that lie to deceive further. taking all the glory from God, giving credit to himself. prideful because of his position of power in the church. not because he is a holy man.

"he has needs. like I do. we both want to rape you." - and now rape is taking place and the rapist is using god to make it look like it's what is supposed to happen. it's what god wants. so it must be right. even though this is all coming from this priest, not God.

"Jesus Christ why don't you come save my life now? open my eyes, blind me with your light now. Jesus Christ why don't you come save my life now? open my eyes, blind me with YOUR lies now." - I think this is coming from the point of the victim. in the act of being raped, they are crying out to Jesus to come save them and show them the REAL truth, because what this person is telling them feels WRONG. when they say open my eyes and blind me with your lies now, I think this line is directed at the rapist/molester. almost as if after crying out to Jesus He did open their eyes and they see the person using God or Christ in the sick and twisted way they really are. they see they've been lied to.

This song is a satirical representation of organized religion, and it's control of the people. As the deaf, dumb and blind followers are led, they are being violated. This song is a bit dramatic, with rants of God wanting to rape the listener and blind them with his lies, but it does provide a thoughtful message into Tool's feelings towards hypocrisy and corruption in the church. The title, Opiate, is allusion to Karl Marx's quote "Religion is the opiate of the masses" As for the etymology of the word opiate, it can be traced back through latin, then greek to opos; which mean vegetable juice.

I am Christian and a Tool listener. Although I see what Maynard is trying to say about organised religion, I think it is ludicrous to insult God. To acknowledge his existence and then demean him is not only pointless but blasphemous. If he does not believe in the existence of God then why insult God directly rather than his followers.

I really don't think that Maynard is against all religion. Here me out now. I heard on a live bootleg of a concert from Houston, him saying that the spiritual leaders had good ideas, but they were just agents of thier religion. "Never trust an agent.", he said. Now I'm NOT Maynard, therefor I can not speak for him.

My personal beliefs are basically anti-church because for people raised the way I was, church is just a place that you have to wake up early and miss your fucking cartoons for! I recall ONE time ever feeling really moved at church, and I was nine years old! We need to find our religion inside of ourselves because if we are not comfortable with how we worship, we WILL rebel.

(I'm off my soapbox now) POPTARTS RULES!

An Opiate is a narcotic substance to clarify things for all of you. It is derived from the Latin, through Greek opos, which mean "vegetable juice"...but just think how the Greeks were conotating the word...a liquid extract that is vegetal in nature was most likely refering to a mind altering, narcotic (sedating) substance coming from some plant or herb. The tie to Brave New World was great because the overlying theme of a sedating vacation pill called "Soma" (an opiate) neatly parallels organized religions' promise of a happy place called Heaven, a place away from home (reality)...it almost retails at the same price, as well: your soul. Karl Marx was outlining this ideology for you in the previously mentioned quote.

To the mad scientist, Inviltrist:

Micro evolution is not a fact. It's a well supported theory. Scientific tests have proven this, as well as disproved it. So while most scientists do indeed believe there's hard evidence that supports it, I'd hold off on calling it factual. Macro evolution, on the other hand, is not well supported. It requires one to believe that an entire isolated species can die off, and years later come back to life in the form of a new species. The gaps in fossil records is precisely why it's not very clear. As for the other things you mentioned regarding the world, nature, life, and why it needs a creator, let me ask you, since your knowledge is so abundant: Where did life originate? Are you under the belief we and this perfectly working universe are all the result of some strange cosmic accident? I ask you to ponder this: http://www.reasons.org/resources/apologetics/design_evidences/solar_system_design_20040608.shtml and then tell me it's all just coincidental.

To Hail Maynard:

The bible has and cannot be disproven. The contradictions you speak of are a result of people's interpretations, much like many of Maynard's lyrics. There's obviously a good bit of reading material out there on this subject. You'd do yourself a favor by starting with a book called "Faith on Trial".