And the pious burn and die;

When earthquakes bury decent folk

And orphaned children cry;

When sick and old are abandoned too

And people lose their mind:

Try not for these and disasters such

Answers clear to find.

There are times to ask if God indeed

Is fancy or a fact.

There are times at which we need to go

And soon begin to act.

With loss and pain and intense grief

We don't have much to gain,

From arguments on heaven and hell.

They'll all be just in vain.

Let's search and see what we can do

For those who are in need,

How best we can console and heal,

How we can clothe and feed.

It does not matter if we do not know

Why there's pain around.

What we need are helping hands,

Not learned views and sound.