Religicide

I 'must believe' in something to be

Saved, so I've been told,

And practice all those rituals

Passed down from days of old,

Conform to thoughts conceived by men

Two thousand years ago,

The followers of Jesus, Buddha,

Krishna... So and so!

 

Then once I've made my choice I must

Resist all other faiths,

And war with each heretic, spill

Their blood, malign their race,

Aver that only my belief

Will take us to the stars,

While all those other foolish folk

Head to some place like Mars.

 

And all this on the words of those

Who trod the desert plains,

Who never saw an aeroplane,

Electric light or trains,

Knew nothing of the Internet

Or travel into space,

Who muttered superstitions round

The campfires of their race.

 

Our lives are fraught with peril as

Fanatics roam the earth,

Who seek to kill and maim us

By the values of their dearth,

No matter what I think, believe,

Or what man has begun,

The universe will plough its way

In circles, round the sun!

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Mark]

One of my favorite aspects of your writing, David, is how you can incorporate deeply-held personal views into a poem, letting people know absolutely where you stand, without giving offense or treading toes! This poem, though funny, is also very poignant. We who do choose to espouse the existance of one o'erweening God have certainly acted more than savage in the past, proving that humankind have still not gotten His core message. Well spoken!

[David Scott]

It is a shame that religions have ruined faith in a higher power that logical and philosophical thought support. Religions have killed faith.
I also see your point, well made. :-)

[Mockingbird]

excellent poem. i absolutely agree. words that some of us wish we could express but can't verbalize. i saw a bumper sticker that said 'dear god please protect me from your followers.' this reminded me of that.

[Kenneth The Poet]

Probably your best work!

[Victoria Chang]

A very interesting read. Gives the readers an insight about you.
Brilliant rhyme scheme, flawless, like your previous poem.
It really is good to write about these things, It's something very personal yet the poem's melody is soft and so I think the message has an edge, not to offend but rather to show.

More power dear friend!!

[Cliff Rhodes]

"The universe will plough its way
In circles, round the sun!"

(That is a great line after all the certainty of religion.)

Isn't it just the darndest thing, that we all think we must know the way? That is why is am still convinced that medicine is ar art and not a science. On the other hand, religion must be a science and not an art. Otherwise, we would all be painting God with the same brush.

[Melobldnfr]

I agree with Mark. Also, this is the 2nd poem regarding this subject matter I've been pointed towards already this year. Interesting I say. Thanks.

[Mauricio Montoya]

Awesome!

[Richard Williams]

This is so well-said and so well-written. Religion can be a comfort, but so much more often it is a poison, for it is assertion and wishful thinking, fraught with manipulation and fear. The universe exists, we begin with that observation and then go from there. Religion begins with the assumption (God) and of the many different religions, the "my God is more powerful than your God" approach, leading of course to division, hate, and war. Religion is a conduit to intolerance. The universe is what it is; religion is dark matter.

[RM Americano]

I think that this piece misunderstands Religion as a whole. Those who believe are not necessarily so narrow-minded as to discount other faiths outright, we are more inclined to favor one perspective over another. Remember that the Big-Bang is only a theory, and that morality is subjective.

Though the irony at the end is witty and suits the purpose of this poem, the message of the middle is a heavy-handed swing at religion with a baseless premise. Superstition is a sometimes-realized effect of theology, not a principle or requirement.

[Coyote Poetry]

Your words are true in the poem. The earth never stop. Man keep acting crazy. Religion had done more damage then good lately. Too bad the people who are acting crazy don't read their own books. There is no direction to kill and take over a world. Thank you for the amazing poem that made me think.
Coyote