Virus of the Mind - Baba Brinkman

Religions, replicating is their expertise

They’re infectious, people are the vectors

Spreading contagious information

Integrating it into their mental matrix

A child gets indoctrinated

Skepticism hasn’t developed yet to inoculate it

And the parents believe in a deity

Or several deities, yeah, demons and angel seem

As real the postman, they believe in them faithfully

Even if other people see them as make believe

The details tend to be ridiculous

Extra credit for those who really stick with it

Virus of the mind, if that’s what religion is

The effects of it are predicted to be negative

A burden, a waste, a regrettable detriment

No evolutionary benefit

It’s just a delusion

The feelin' I get is incredible no one tell me it isn’t amazing

You’re suffering confusion

Are you really thinkin' that you’re gonna take it away from me by explaining?

It’s just a delusion

The feelin' I get is incredible no one tell me it isn’t amazing

You’re suffering from

Are you really thinkin' that you’re gonna take it away from me by explaining?

Religions, some people think they’re viruses

Why else would someone commit suicide for it?

Are you tryin' to get a ticket to the paradise party

With a kamikaze jihadi bomb on your body?

Well a ticket to oblivion is all it’s really givin' you

Are you infected with a liver fluke?

It’s lookin' like toxoplasmosis

A parasite that infects cats and rodents

And the rodent’s brain gets some rewiring

So they’re suddenly attracted to the felines, shwing!

Good for the parasite, bad for the host

Spread it like the holy ghost

A virus of the mind, if that’s what religion is

The effects of it are predicted to be negative

A burden, a waste, a regrettable detriment

No evolutionary benefit

It’s just a delusion

The feelin' I get is incredible no one tell me it isn’t amazing

You’re suffering confusion

Are you really thinkin' that you’re gonna take it away from me by explaining?

It’s just a delusion

The feelin' I get is incredible no one tell me it isn’t amazing

You’re suffering from

Are you really thinkin' that you’re gonna take it away from me by explaining?

Religion, is it good for us or bad for us?

Costs and benefits, get the ledger and add them up

If it’s like a virus, the carriers are vexed

With nothin' but negative deleterious effects

Or maybe it hitchhikes instead of hijacks us

Benign like the mites that live in your eyelashes

Or it could be beneficial like commensal

Bacteria, makin' digestion less difficult

If it’s mostly bad for people most of the time

Well then it’s gotta be a virus of the mind

But if you find evolutionary benefits

Sufficient to offset the negatives

Well then it fails in a test of evidence

And virus of the mind theory isn’t the best fit

You wanna measure evolutionary benefits?

Just count the surviving grandkids

It’s just a delusion

Virus of the mind

You’re suffering confusion

It can’t be right

It’s just a delusion

Have you seen religious people?

You’re suffering from

Look at their family size!

It’s just a delusion

Virus of the mind

You’re suffering confusion

Virus of the mind

It’s just a delusion

Virus of the mind

You’re suffering from