"Dear God" is a song by the English rock band XTC that was first released as a non-album single with the A-side "Grass". Written by Andy Partridge, the song lyrics grapple with the existence of God and the problem of evil. Partridge was inspired by a series of books with the same title, which Partridge viewed as exploitative of children. The song was originally intended for the album Skylarking, but left off due to concerns from Partridge and Virgin Records. After college radioDJs across America picked up the song, US distributor Geffen Records recalled and re-pressed Skylarking with the track included.[2]

The song's anti-religious message inspired some violent incidents. In Florida, a Panama City radio station received a bomb threat for playing the song,[10] and in New York, a Binghamton High School student forced his school to play the song over its public-address system while holding a faculty member at knifepoint.[11][12] Some British shops refused to carry the single.[6] Partridge also received a plethora of hate mail, all from the US. He commented: "I really felt sorry for the people who got so upset at someone expressing an opinion that might be contrary to their beliefs, or at who might have another take on their beliefs. How could that make them so violent, potentially?"[6]