Monday, January 20, 2014

To My Dear Atheist Friends & My Dear Christian Friends

To my dear Atheist friends,
I don't believe in that god either.

 To my dear Christian friends,
Do you?
~~~
I hear of a god
who is in control
who laid out rules for a righteous life
who warns us to
obey
and pray
lest we should stray away
and end in
HELL
one day
where we'll repent of all
our wicked ways
but it will be
too late
to escape
a fiery fate
of torment
and JUSTICE
without end!
I hear of a god 
who is in control
of blessings that 
he will bestow
IF
you pay your tithe
and say your prayers
and dress the way
the leaders say
and teach your children
with whom to play
and claim your promises
of...
A car?
Of course!
A house?
You must!
A boat? 
God wants your happiness,
so yes!
And those that live in poverty?
They obviously live in sin
harboring some evil 
deep within.
If only they would change their wicked ways 
they'd live in 
mansions 
the rest of their days! 
I hear of a god
who is in control 
and chooses sides
a god who sends out 
troops to war.
The soldiers
hold their weapons,
say a prayer
then meet 
on land
or sea
or air
while leaders claim
god's enterprise
then slaughter those 
on the 
other side
making
history 
where ever 
they may be: 
 I cannot trust
a god who
is in control
of all the horrors
this world holds!
Yet...
I believe!

I believe that
somehow
someone
divided energy
by a constant
 squared
 and



atoms flew
and gasses grew
and strings
so infinitesimally small
began to
sing
of molecules
and gravity
and
the gathering
of galaxies
and mountains
bursting
from the seas
and tidal pools
and a gentle breeze...

But I believe 
a challenger
declared,
"I know a better,
stronger way!
and strength survive and thrive
while weakness filters out and dies:
let power beget power...
The circle of life!"
I believe
that in this world,
so full of strife,
a spark of love
was kept alive
and wove its way
through centuries
and one day
 faced the enemy
who offered
to release control
of his whole earthly realm
if only love
would bend
it's knee
declaring 
the usuper's
victory.
But,
Love was not
so easily bought
and though I cannot truly
comprehend
how death 
could bring life
in the end
yet, oh, how bold
to tell us that
the last
shall one day
be the first
and 
meekness triumph
in the end.
 I believe that
Love is patient
Love is kind
and
God IS Love!
Which means that:
God is patient
God is kind
God does not envy
 God is not proud
 God is not
easily angered
and keeps
no record
of wrongs.
God never ends,
but prophesies
and knowledge
they
will pass away!*



I believe
this challenges
theology that tells
us that most
mystery is gone
and we've
deciphered prophecy
and formulated
the way to be.
Instead
we dimly see
through darkened glass
but hear repeatedly:
"Fear not!
Be not afraid.
Love your neighbor
AND
your enemy,
in the end,
to Me!" 
 ~Heather Alarcon
1/20/2014
------------------------------------------------


Although I haven't blogged in a VERY long time, this is the first part of a series of blogs I hope to write that are partially in response to Ryan Bell's foray into Atheism and were partly brought on by a news item similarly to my first post.  I will explain more details on point later, but when I started writing down ideas my prose turned into poetry and it became what it is. ^_^

*I  first heard of substituting God for Love in 1 Corinthians 13 from someone who heard it at the Spangle, WA Camp-meeting 2013.  I believe it is a beautiful and meaningful exercise.