It's definitely written for the English accent:

"Golf, wolf, countenance, lieutenants
Hoist in lieu of flags left pennants."

Lieutenants is pronounced "lef-tenants" over here.

JMM, I disagree that those two positions are radically different. There may be a nuance of difference, granted, but they all convey the same message.

In fact, Islam and Taoism (and Jainism, "One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated") express the same positive version of the message that Christianity espouses.