"Sacrilegious" was written and produced by
Marilyn Manson and
Tyler Bates. The song's lyric examines a perceived hypocrisy of
religion, where the death of the savior is glorified. The lyric instead argues: "You should have treated your saviors better."
Revolver noted the lyric references numerous aspects of Christian theology, including
martyrdom and
resurrection, which their writer said can be analogous to
cancel culture. It is one of the more uptempo tracks on
One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1, and was described in reviews as a
pop metal,
industrial pop,
glam rock and
gothic rock song, with elements of
industrial and
alternative rock. Manson's vocals were described as featuring a "mix of aggression and melody."
Sputnikmusic said the songs builds upon the material Manson and Bates created together on
The Pale Emperor (2015) and
Heaven Upside Down (2017), but that the song's "sinister vocal croons and creepy industrial electronics hearken back to [Manson's 1990s] heyday". Numerous reviews compared "Sacrilegious" to the
Antichrist Superstar single "
The Beautiful People".
Sonic Abuse said the song contained a similar "rhythm and death-groove swing". They said it "feels like the track was written as a single", but said a single was unnecessary considering the abuse allegations, arguing Manson's time was better spent making harder and more introspective material. However, they went on to say that "no one quite does sleazy industro-pop like Manson, and it's easy to imagine his fans lapping [the song] up." In their album review,
Blabbermouth.net singled out "Sacrilegious" as one of the weaker songs on the record, saying the track is "no 'Beautiful People' or '
Disposable Teens' but plainly wants to be". ==Release and promotion==