“Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” by spoken-word artist Jefferson Bethke has received more than 10.2 million YouTube views as of Saturday night since it was posted just four days ago, eliciting more than 100,000 YouTube comments and plenty of debate elsewhere on the Internet.

Its message which Bethke wrote “to highlight the difference between Jesus and false religion,” according to its YouTube entry is striking a chord with viewers. Love it or hate it or something in between, it seems impossible to not have an opinion about the controversial, hip-hop styled clip.

Here’s more from the author on the YouTube page:

"In the scriptures Jesus received the most opposition from the most religious people of his day. At it‘s core Jesus’ gospel and the good news of the Cross is in pure opposition to self-righteousness/self-justification. Religion is man centered, Jesus is God-centered. This poem highlights my journey to discover this truth. Religion either ends in pride or despair. Pride because you make a list and can do it and act better than everyone, or despair because you can’t do your own list of rules and feel “not good enough” for God. With Jesus though you have humble confident joy because He represents you, you don’t represent yourself and His sacrifice is perfect putting us in perfect standing with God!"

The following is a transcript of Bethke’s poem:

    What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion?

    What if I told you voting Republican really wasn’t his mission?

    What if I told you “Republican” doesn’t automatically mean “Christian”?

    And just because you call some people “blind” doesn’t automatically give you vision?

    I mean, if religion is so great, why has it started so many wars?

    Why does it build huge churches but fails to feed the poor?

    Tells single moms God doesn’t love them if they’ve ever had a divorce?

    But in the Old Testament God actually calls religious people “whores”

    Religion might preach grace, but another thing they practice

    Tend to ridicule God’s people, they did it to John the Baptist

    They can’t fix their problems, and so they just mask it

    Not realizing religion’s like spraying perfume on a casket

    See, the problem with religion is it never gets to the core

    It’s just behavior modification, like a long list of chores

    Like, “Let’s dress up the outside, make it look nice and neat”

    But it’s funny, that’s what they used to do to mummies while the corpse rots underneath

    Now I ain’t judging, I’m just sayin’, “Quit puttin’ on a fake look”

    ’Cause there’s a problem if people only know that you’re a Christian by your Facebook

    I mean, in every other aspect of life, you know that logic’s unworthy

    It’s like saying you play for the Lakers just because you bought a jersey

    See this was me, too, but no one seemed to be on to me

    Actin’ like church kid while addicted to pornography

    See, on Sunday I’d go to church, but Saturday gettin’ faded

    Actin’ as if I was simply created to just have sex and get wasted

    See, I spent my whole life buildin’ this façade of neatness

    But now that I know Jesus, I boast in my weakness

    Because if grace is water, then the church should be an ocean

    It’s not a museum for good people; it’s a hospital for the broken

    Which means I don’t have to hide my failure, I don’t have to hide my sin

    ’Cause it doesn’t depend on me; it depends on him

    See, because when I was God’s enemy and certainly not a fan

    He looked down and said, “I want that man!”

    Which is why Jesus hated religion, and for it he called them fools

    Don’t you see it’s so much better than just following some rules?

    Now lemme clarify: I love the church, I love the Bible, and yes, I believe in sin

    But if Jesus came to your church, would they actually let him in?

    See, remember he was called a “glutton” and a “drunkard” by “religious men”

    But the Son of God never supports self-righteousness; not now, not then

    Now back to the point: One thing is vital to mention

    How Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums

    See, one’s the work of God, but one’s a man-made invention

    See, one is the cure, but the other’s the infection

    See, because religion says “do,” Jesus says “done”

    Religion says “slave,” Jesus says “son”

    Religion puts you in bondage while Jesus sets you free

    Religion makes you blind, but Jesus makes you see

    And that’s why religion and Jesus are two different clans

    Religion is man searching for God; Christianity is God searching for man

    Which is why salvation is freely mine, and forgiveness is my own

    Not based on my merits but Jesus’ obedience alone

    Because he took the crown of thorns, and the blood dripped down his face

    He took what we all deserved; I guess that’s why you call it “grace”

    And while being murdered he yelled, “Father forgive them; they know not what they do”

    Because when he was dangling on that cross, he was thinking of you

    And he absorbed all your sin, and he buried it in the tomb

    Which is why I’m kneeling at the cross, saying, “Come on! There’s room!”

    So for religion, no, I hate it; in fact, I literally resent it

    Because when Jesus said, “It is finished,” I believe he meant it