"On face value it is referring to ideas such as Great Chain of Being, a hierarchy of life with God at the top and kings above all other humans. Asking “what’s a God to a non-believer” is a way of subverting the chain. Not only is the non-believer not ruled by God, to him he doesn’t even exist."  (Griots, 2013)

 

 

The phrase "No church in the wild" examines whether or not a non-believer will survive without a God to save him. Jay and Kanye remark that since religion is a human construct, there is no need to rely on a God.

 

This verse refers to how religion puts certain deaths above others. This is done through martyrs, who are mourned in a mausoleum, while others, such as those who fight in coliseums, are less valuable.

It also discusses how priests in organised religion may lie and misinterpret holy texts in order to push their own agenda.

 

 

 

This statement directly contradicts Kanye's message in Jesus Walks, questioning whether God even answers the prayers of the delinquent.

 

 

This is a reference to Plato's Euthyphro, when Socrates asks "Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?“ Jay and Kanye explain that this could possibly be a conflict of interest, leading into a much deeper philosophical argument on goodness that these lines only scratch the surface of.

 

Hova here refers not to God, but to Jay, and he speaks of himself and Kanye (Yeezy) as the Father and Son, their rhymes being the Holy Ghost.  "Jay speaks of Kanye as though he is a manual laborer, laying beatsas one could lay bricks. Jesus practiced carpentry, a form of manual labor. Just as Jesus needed the Holy Spirit to descend in order to begin his ministry, Kanye needed Jay for him to begin his rap career. Basically, Jay is to Kanye what the Holy Spirit was to Jesus right after his baptism." (Griots, 2013)