Jesus was crazy, Muhammad a fraud
and Buddha way too pessimistic;
the Hindus are children with novel for Book
and Jews are just so narcissistic.

Shinto and Taoism never left home;
Confucius made life bureaucratic;
the native Americans lacked holy tome
but still made their worship ecstatic.

So why do we now still believe in these creeds
when science explains nature's working ?
Religion may ease our emotional needs
but only with dangers left lurking.

As kids we believe just whatever we're told
(Loyola grasped indoctrination);
if adults don't question beliefs that they hold,
self-righteousness brings confrontation.

When Catholic, Protestant, Sunni and Shia
dispute the beliefs of their founders,
their doctrines to laymen are ever less clear
and sensible confidence flounders.

New prophets appear and new sects multiply
like Methodists, Sufis and Sikhs,
plus Baptists and Jains, Adventists, Bahai . . .
some folk like belonging to cliques !

If finding companions and comfort in cults
from Moonies to Salvation Army
means losing your logic, it only results
in tenets increasingly barmy.

When cranks like John Smith can invent a new creed,
religion is surely illusion.
Just how many versions of Truth do you need
before you know it's all delusion.