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!

[maurice_forgets]

Hi David,

Really solid write here! (And I tend to agree with your sentiments, as well… even those sentiments that rhyme more than I personally care for!).


mf

Awesome.... thats all I can say ..!! 100/100

[Chilson, Joshua]

I rather enjoy the spiritual insight and history. This was greatly written, well thought, held together by emotion and knowledge. You wrote this so delicate as though you had a silken tongue. Honestly there is nothing to change about this piece, very glad I was forwarded a read request. Looking forward to reading more of your work :).

[J Todd Underhill]

Wow a friend suggested I read this and he turned me on to something I thought amazing. I must thank him for that, and thank you for this wondrous piece!

[Klyn]

This is incredible. I've never shelved a write..but this one will be. Religion is trapped in it's own past...what people have created to be in it's own little box with firm beliefs instilled without a second thought and closing off any other ideals. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!! Greatest piece on this damn site!

[Frantzuu]

"I see it as a win- win situation! You serve God and die if he exist you win if he does not then you lived a good clean life and in my opinion you win! I can only appreciate your honesty-"

Maybe people invented God because they were terrified of the unknown.

[Frantzuu]

I'm just sitting here in awe. About freaking time someone wrote a poem like that. To have the ability to put your beliefs into a poem like is pretty freaking amazing in my opinion. Great write.

[Art Freeman]

MAGNIFICENT...really glad i answered my read request...i love the language in this piece...the images of ancestral campfires and modern day rush hour...just some of the simultaneous things that were brought for me...the matter of fact way this is written is so important to the message...all in all an excellent soliloquy...

[KATHY SUE SILLS]

Each person to their own belief, but I myself believe in Jesus Christ! Look around you, he is everwhere even though you can't see him, but if you're saved you can feel him, and one day get to see him face to face in Heaven!

[Priscilla Sayers]

Brilliant!
I wish everyone would read this.... Very wise. Some may be offended but I am in complete agreement to almost the last degree. My only two cents would be that as time passes evolution continues to trod along. Beliefs change once enlightened by knowledge, and in that knowledge we gain better perspective. So although our ancestors spoke of superstitions, it was only through the lack of knowledge that led them there, yet faith to believe was at their core. Always something bigger, something greater, a force they could not see, now understand. Even now, we have evolved and found that we still depend on faith because even with our progression in knowledge with science and technology because there is still something bigger, something greater, and a force that we can comprehend but never truely understand.
Such a thought provoking write. You almost got a chapter out of me in a review. See! Brilliant poem, brilliant message!