False Gods of Burning Man

‘Some fools in the desert with nothing else to do, so scared of the dark they didn’t know if they were coming or going — so they invented me, and they invented you, and other fools, to keep it all going,” so says the Devil while addressing God in Randy Newman’s musical album Faust.

Naturally, God’s telling of the story is rather different. In the Book of Exodus, Moses returns from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments to find the Israelites worshiping man-made gods, idols. Later, as punishment for their disobedience and lack of faith, God confines them to the desert for 40 years, until the unbelieving generation is dead.

About the Author

Madeleine Kearns

Madeleine Kearns is a former staff writer at National Review.

‘Some fools in the desert with nothing else to do, so scared of the dark they didn’t know if they were coming or going — so they invented me, and they invented you, and other fools, to keep it all going,” so says the Devil while addressing God in Randy Newman’s musical album Faust.

Naturally, God’s telling of the story is rather different. In the Book of Exodus, Moses returns from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments to find the Israelites worshiping man-made gods, idols. Later, as punishment for their disobedience and lack of faith, God confines them to the desert for 40 years, until the unbelieving generation is dead.