History Main / LoveIsLikeReligion

* While its literal message [[{{Applicability}} has been variously interpreted]], Music/LeonardCohen's [[https://genius.com/Leonard-cohen-hallelujah-lyrics "Hallelujah"]] combines lost-love tropes with a ''lot'' of Jewish symbolism.
* Music/{{HIM}}:
** They have a LoveMartyr song titled "The Face of God".
** In "The Sacrament", the narrator's religion is the relationship he has with his true love.
* Music/{{Hozier}}:
** "Take Me to Church" is an intense ballad that uses religious imagery throughout as the singer expresses wanting to worship his beloved instead of the church that rejected their love, with a prechorus of repeated ''amen''s.
** In "Foreigner's God", the singer expresses his love for a woman who does not conform to his society's edicts as "Screaming the name of a foreigner's god".

* While its literal message [[{{Applicability}} has been variously interpreted]], Music/LeonardCohen's [[https://genius.com/Leonard-cohen-hallelujah-lyrics "Hallelujah"]] combines lost-love tropes with a ''lot'' of Christian symbolism.

* "700 Club" by Music/NicoleDollanganger:
-->Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ\\
Think I just found the light in your eyes\\
Think I just became as religious as they come\\
I think I just found God\\
Dumb founded by the glow of your gold halo\\
Oh, God, I can't believe I'm staring at a living angel.
* "Like a Prayer" by Music/{{Madonna}}
-->When you call my name\\
It's like a little prayer\\
I'm down on my knees\\
I wanna take you there

->''"I don't need to stare at stained glass and a steeple\\
I don't need to dress to impress all the people\\
Don't need no priest, don't need no pew\\
You are my religion, my religion is you."''
-->-- Music/{{Skillet}}, "My Religion"

* Religious imagery is all over Music/PanicAtTheDisco's music, tempering the wild sin motif. Their lead songwriter, Brendon Urie, [[RaisedCatholic grew up]] UsefulNotes/{{Mormon|ism}} . . . in [[VivaLasVegas Las Vegas]].:

* "My Religion" by Music/{{Skillet}}, as seen in the page quote.

* ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'': "Heaven's Light / Hellfire" contrasts Quasimodo's crush on Esmeralda with [[VillainLoveSong Frollo's]] lust for her, where they compare each to the light of {{Heaven}} and the fires of {{Hell}}, respectively.

* Cinema Bizarre's "[[ObsessionSong My Obsession]]" says, "You're my obsession, my fetich, my religion."

[[SymbolicBaptism In your love I wanna be baptized]

In your love I wanna be baptized

* Music/Sting's "Sacred Love":

* SynthPop singer Allie X has "Sanctuary", where she characters her lover as her sacred place of protection, also incorporating allusions to [[BurnTheWitch witch burning]]. There's also the line, "the Saints all dance to the trumpet sounds", alluding to [[CaughtUpInTheRapture the Rapture]].

--->"How many a holy and obsequious tear\\
Hath dear religious love stol'n from mine eye"

---> "... like prayers divine,\\

Even as when first I hallowed thy fair name."

--->''"I need redemption\\

I need a little church."''

--->''"Every waking moment\\

When you fall down and commune with me."''

-->''"You made me wanna pray\\
But I think God's fake."''

* Music/{{Beyonce}}'s "Halo":
-->''"Baby, I can see your halo\\
You know you're my savin' grace."''

-->''"Holy is my ancient queen\\

Salvation in her dark eyes."''

--->''"I've been a martyr for love\\
Nailed up on the cross."''

--->''"The blood, the blood, the blood of the lamb\\
Is worth two lions but here I am."''

--->''"If you were church, I'd get on my knees\\

If you were church, I'd get on my knees."''

--->''"And the heart is hard to translate\\

And prayers and proclamations."''

--->''"Instead of trying to deal with them herself, Florence decided that she personally needed a being both higher and larger than herself--a God--to which to hand these overwhelming feelings, as she was unable to deal with them alone. She hoped it would allow her to reconcile with her loss and fill the hole her partner had left in her life."''
** "Moderation".
--->''"Then bow your head in the house of God."''
* Music/KatyPerry:

--->''"Lay me down at your altar, baby\\

I have prayed for a power like you."''

--->''"And when you're gone\\
I'll tell them my religion's you."''

--->''"My body is sanctuary\\
My blood is pure."''

--->"Got no salvation ''(no salvation)''\\
Got no religion ''(my religion is you.)''"

--->''"This is gospel for the vagabonds\\

Led away by imperfect impostors."''

-->''"If I sign this piece of paper\\
Do I sell my soul along with my duty?"''

-->''"You appear without a face\\

I feel your unseen frown."''

--->''"And darling, it was good\\

Was holy ground."''

---> We might just get away with it\\

-->''"Ain't no saint without the sinner\\

So c'mon and cut me deeper, deeper."''

-->''"Worship your body as you walk my way\\

And underneath my skin's an intrinsic shrine."''

-->''"I'll [[UnusualEuphemism take you to the temple]] tonight."''

-->''"Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ\\

Oh, God, I can't believe I'm staring at a living angel."''

--->''"O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art\\

Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him."''

--->''"Do not swear at all.\\

And I’ll believe thee."''

* Several songs on Music/TaylorSwift's ''Red'' play with this.
** In the opening track, "State of Grace", she compares the short time she spent with her lover to a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin state of grace]], though she admits in the bridge that "you were never a saint / And I loved in shades of wrong".

->''I don't need to stare at stained glass and a steeple\\

You are my religion, my religion is you''

Compare DivineDate, where the object of affection is literally divine. Contrast HotAsHell, where they're [[{{Satan}} the opposite]]. Contrast ReligionRantSong.

--->How many a holy and obsequious tear\\
Hath dear religious love stol'n from mine eye

---> ... like prayers divine,\\

Even as when first I hallowed thy fair name.

--->I need redemption\\

I need a little church

--->Every waking moment\\

When you fall down and commune with me

-->You made me wanna pray\\
But I think God's fake

-->Baby, I can see your halo\\
You know you're my savin' grace

-->Holy is my ancient queen\\

Salvation in her dark eyes

--->It's a song about being a Jesus for somebody else, someone to give you hope and care. It's about how Elvis Presley was [Priscilla Presley's] man and her mentor and how often that happens in love relationships; how everybody's heart is like a god in some way, and that's not a very balanced view of someone, is it?

--->I've been a martyr for love\\
Nailed up on the cross

--->The blood, the blood, the blood of the lamb\\
Is worth two lions but here I am

--->If you were church, I'd get on my knees\\

If you were church, I'd get on my knees

--->And the heart is hard to translate\\

And prayers and proclamations

--->Instead of trying to deal with them herself, Florence decided that she personally needed a being both higher and larger than herself--a God--to which to hand these overwhelming feelings, as she was unable to deal with them alone. She hoped it would allow her to reconcile with her loss and fill the hole her partner had left in her life.

--->Then bow your head in the house of God

--->Lay me down at your altar, baby\\

I have prayed for a power like you

--->And when you're gone\\
I'll tell them my religion's you

--->My body is sanctuary\\
My blood is pure

--->Got no salvation ''(no salvation)''\\
Got no religion ''(my religion is you)''

--->This is gospel for the vagabonds\\

Led away by imperfect impostors

-->If I sign this piece of paper\\
Do I sell my soul along with my duty?

-->You appear without a face\\

I feel your unseen frown

--->And darling, it was good\\

Was holy ground

-->Ain't no saint without the sinner\\

So c'mon and cut me deeper, deeper

-->Worship your body as you walk my way\\

And underneath my skin's an intrinsic shrine

-->I'll [[UnusualEuphemism take you to the temple]] tonight

-->'''J.D.:''' I worship you.

--->O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art\\

Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him

--->Do not swear at all.\\

And I’ll believe thee.

--->''"Do not swear at all.\\

And I’ll believe thee."''

--->''I've been a martyr for love\\
Nailed up on the cross''

* ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'': "Heaven's Light / Hellfire" contrasts Quasimodo's crush on Esmeralda with [[VillainousLoveSong Frollo's]] lust for her, where they compare each to the light of {{Heaven}} and the fires of {{Hell}}, respectively.

* ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'': [[VillainLoveSong "Hellfire"]] is Frollo's PrayerOfMalice that compares love (or, more accurately, lust) to, well, hellfire.

* Music/{{HIM}}:
** They have a LoveMartyr song titled "The Face of God".
** In "The Sacrament", the narrator's religion is the relationship he has with his true love.