A Discourse with Oliver

Oh, how you beat me in every argument--
One who perfectly speaks the words 
Of an atheist, high and mighty.
I cannot account what God has done throughout history
Or what people have done in His name...
I can only tell you the good I've seen
And the good I haven't seen.
And I know you speak of long forgotten abuses
By a kingdom ruled by Byzantium
But, there is one thing that keeps me tethered to God...
It is that you are not a good person;
And your entire philosophy vanity and complete despair.
You speak of atheists who don't rape---
Maybe they don't, but maybe they do---
Rather, atheism is just this conglomerate of things
And opinions of there being no god
And religion has done all ill throughout the world.
I just know differently, that in the human animal
There lurks an absurd cruelty...
And the only thing I've ever seen take it out
Was not religion, but the Power of Almighty God.
I've seen shifting storms, and winds, and great cruelty abound;
I've seen great wars and great famines and great diseases
All done in no religion's name...
I see it all, and find it pointless.
Because at the end, you are not a good person
And neither am I.
In the end you cannot set all things right.
You find Atheists are moral, I do not.
I'm stunned by their disgusting habits.
You say religion has done disgusting things--
When in my lifetime has it; at least Christianity?
I saw it reign over hearts and minds
And turn people to ways that were more benevolent
And without it, I've seen culture shift more selfish and more self centered
And willing to abandon all  love, for the pursuit of pleasure.
And I see no good in this world
And if you tell me this is all there is,
I will hate you. With the very core fiber of my being.
Not with a violent hatred, wanting to wish you harm
But with a seething love and compassion
Knowing that if you do not wish to live for eternity---
For you only understand this world, and I agree eternity here would be hell---
You do not know the depths of love, you do not know the depths of love
As I do. For I could live on for eternity with God's peace, and that is why I believe.
And in that transcendental flame, I've seen good.
I've seen good, I've seen good, I've seen good;
Not only in myself, but in others.
I've seen a world with God, and a world without Him
And I say, the world hasn't gotten much better without Him.
No, it's only gotten worse. More selfish, more deceitful
And all the things done in the Middleages are done by washington beurucrats
Who don't believe in God one Iota
And I realize, it's just humanity in his simple nature
That causes such pain, as atheists do the same;
It is not religion that removes that from our heart.
No... it is God. And God alone...
The same God who's spoken to me through my Bible
The same God who's healed the blind and deaf
The same God who's raised from the dead
The same God who's turned rivers to blood
And the same God who cast away the child who did great evil, and caused great suffering; 
And turned his eyes black as the pit of coal. 
The same God who gave me the milk of His word, and the wine of His joy
The same God who has defended me through and through.
You make convincing arguments, for a dead philosopher's God,
But the God I worship is alive.
He breathes, and fills, He keeps.
And I do not wish to be the evil man I once was;
And only God can stop that.
And maybe that shows a weakness in me...
But I don't doubt you'd find that same weakness in many others.
Men who hate God, and say they don't rape because they don't want to...
Men who say they don't murder because they don't want to...
We'll see what men do without God...
And I already see its shocking effect on the world, and the depths of sorrow and despair.
For, why do I believe? 
It's because of God's forgiveness.
And then the power to be a better man.
And, this world's sorrows, which are infinite, which as a man who's made errors in my life
I do not wish this world to be my only home.
And that may be weakness, but I think it is actually the greatest strength a man can have.