Peaceful Coexistence

                    Suppose I was worshipping my God

And you saw me

                            praising a God

 that you don’t believe is real,

(and I believe just as strongly is real.)

        Would you scorn me secretly,

                               or even worse, openly?

         

       Would you be full of ridicule,

       believing me to be a weak fool;

                     for believing in a fable,

       for blindly eating tainted food

                     from a tempting table?

 

      Would you condescendingly

     assure me

that I am wasting my time,

                                      for no one is there

to hear my prayer?

       Would you,

                      would you?

Reviews

[Jai Garg]

Faith has no limits; and with God in ones heart only a fool will not hear the prayers of another.

[TL Boehm]

Such a simply stated poem yet it carries such a clout. Are we really tolerant of the faith of others? This poem forces the reader to consider his/her position.
Well penned, thoughtful poetry.

[Lawrence Parlier]

Ah, now we're talking. A direct challenge to convention. Is religious tolerance real or artifice? I think it depends on where you are and who you're with which (at least for me) puts it firmly in the realm of artifice.
It's like the old saying "Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die."
Everyone wants their religion to be right and true and for that to be true your religion has to be wrong.
I like the fact that you're not afraid to ask the question....Well done.

[Eagle Cruagh]

A strange question. Of course I believe in One God,
If you are praying , you are talking to your God.
I suppose there are people who would deny any
of us our right to peace, but we must reject thier
'philosophy.
---- John

[Patient Poet (Yos)]

No I wouldnt , your God in in your heart ... if you believe he / she with you than they are... no matter what I say , or others

[Alvin L. Kathembe]

Interesting...I don't know...Everyone is convinced in their own mind. Some people are 100% sure that no 'higher power' exists in this world...and others still are just as convinced in their gods. Then there are those who believe in one god and scoff at the others...
There are, also, those who worship the same god, but different versions of him -
Jesus1.0, Jesus2.0...
But what I can't stand is people who believe - or not believe - something and anything without fully understanding it themselves. The ones who depend on other people - priests, popes, pastors, parents - to decide for them, to shape them, to tell them what they believe.
To think for them.
These are the Sheep in the Wild that you'll find in much of my poetry.
Such people get exploited, deceived, and enslaved - HYPNOTIZED - into believing lies...just cause they wouldn't look under the surface and test what it is they're hearing.
They haven't a clue what they believe in. They belong to a church, a creed, a flock. _ 'Im a Muslim' 'I'm a Christian' they say. Why, you ask? 'Well, my parents -' 'My family's been a member since 197-'
Sheep.
Thanks for this piece, it's a real thought provoker.

[JRB]

PRAYERS are just prayers, each to their own,,, I see your wonder, but what about the other side of that question, would you?

[Thunderlyrics]

Well put together. I could see the questions in your thought process...how you engage the reader instead of just spinning a poem for them to mindlessly follow.
Kudos to you...keep them coming

[YouoweYoupay]

This write is strong with a tinge of spiritual courage and awakening. Loved the flow, repetition and rhymes. 90. Amazing message blazing here. Keep writing.