Comment from Gloria ....

Exceptional

I don't believe anyone would be offended as you are not forcing your beliefs on anyone and there is the sunrise and the full moon too.

Moreover your poem is so well constructed with perfect iambic heptameter and stanza mono-rhymes. Not easy to do.

A delight to read and I wish you much luck with the Contest Committee.

Gloria

 Comment Written 28-Sep-2023

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reply by the author on 28-Sep-2023

Thanks so much for the kind comments, the good wishes, and the generous rating, Gloria. All are most appreciated. Craig.

Comment from kiwisteveh

Exceptional

Six stars - not just for the lovely allusion in the final verse, although I'm sure it helped. No, really, this is very good - I know because I read a few lines to my dear wife and she said 'That sounds just like one of your poems!' Compliments don't come much higher than that.

Seriously, it is very clever and makes some excellent points, all of which I totally agree with and which I know are your own seriously held beliefs, something that obviously I don't ascribe too in my own poems. They should come with a warning: "Content is highly likely to be fraudulent."

Your meter is strong throughout and you maintained the monorhyme verses all the way without it ever becoming forced which is quite an accomplishment.

Good luck. You're probably worried that the sacred cows might drag this down, but I wonder if the reverse might be true,

Steve

 Comment Written 28-Sep-2023

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reply by the author on 28-Sep-2023

Your dear wife must be mistaken -- I didn't write it in a Kiwi accent!

Thanks for the extremely kind comments, Steve, and of course the shiny stars. Both are greatly appreciated.

If the people who are judging the entries are the same committee members who decided that FS must have a Faith, a My Faith and a Dear God contest, I wouldn't count on their approval!

Cheers,
Craig

reply by kiwisteveh on 28-Sep-2023

The ways of the judges are just as mysterious as the ways of God! I am perpetually amused that I have won this particular contest FOUR times, including with Faith is a Wraith! Have faith!

Comment from Douglas Goff

Excellent

COEXIST seems to be the most reasonable path for humanity.

Anyone forced to follow a dogma, doctrine, or religion does not really believe do they?

I have found that people who believe in absolutely nothing are extremely rare.

Thanks for sharing your viewpoint. I saw no grammatical issues.
D

 Comment Written 26-Sep-2023

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reply by the author on 26-Sep-2023

Thanks or reviewing, Douglas. Coexisting seems like the approach reasonable people would take. Cheers, Craig

Comment from Alexandra Trovato

Excellent

You let your mind run loose here, so no one should be offended. Some people are just waiting with 'im offended' catcher's mitts, waiting to decree something is offensive. I feel bad for them. I'm not offended, not upset, over another person's words opinions and definitely not ph no poems! This was creative and thought provoking


Best wishes!

Alexandra

 Comment Written 26-Sep-2023

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reply by the author on 26-Sep-2023

Thanks very much, Alexandra. Totally agree, on all counts. Seem to have avoided that this time :) Cheers, Craig.

Comment from jlsavell

Excellent

CD,

Good evening to you! I saw this wonderful philosophical work on the front page yesterday and meant to get to it while there, but circumstances abscond with my time and my energy.

A beautiful written paradigm by one who not only succeeds in writing timeless poetry but balances his words carefully ( tact and deliver) in an earnest effort to let readers know you , also, respect their belief system. Very well done.

I am not an expert in poetry by a long shot, but one line's rhythm threw me off
"some bloke in a dress". I think it would sound more in temp if it read

"some bloke all in dress". Again I may be totally in left field! Lol

As for me, truthfully, I don't know what I am or what to believe. Science is fascinating to me and I just read Steven Hawkins ABrief History in Time, The Universe in a Nutshell. I cannot reconcile hateful, vengeful actions and the phrase God is love in one tidy dressed up box. It makes no sense and as you do articulately relate all myths or legend or stories through time have the same running theme.

I often wonder how the precise order of things began from a cell to a star. The science instructs us of the mechanisms complex workings and replication but not how it all existed. The scriptures say God is the beginning and the end, but it only evokes the thinker to ask who or what created God's beginning. If believers can believe he just is, than why not believe things in their existence are just is?

This is a long review, but I think you know how I love to natter and relay stories.

My dear, late Grandmother was a Southern Baptist, but she had more wisdom and compassion and love in her little finger than the many Christians I know and know of today. It stands to reason most of my acquaintances are Christians of one faith or the other. I have a few who are of others, such as Islam, Hinduism, and Orthodox Judaism. The latter are fascinating people and I do observe how their faith shapes them. I see much less of their failure to live by their code of ethics/morals than every Christian I know- and yes, I say every- even those I do not know. Sad, is it not? So much could be said.

I do have to tell you the sweetest story ever and yet the most tragic.

I have a precocious, adorable 8 year old grandson who stays with me more often than not.

One night upon turning out the lights, he became anxious and begged me to leave a light on. I asked him why. He said he was scared because he watched scary movies and his siblings listen to scary music. He can't get it out of his head.

At that moment, I told him, what he put into his head -meaning the food of visions and thoughts and teachings-were just as important as what he put into his body to make him healthy. Scary movies, scary music are some of the bad nutrition for the brain.

I grabbed my iPad and said I want you to listen to my favorite band of all time and tell me what you think. I then put on The Beatles- Octopuses Garden. He was so taken aback, he wanted me to pull up the lyrics so he could sing along. From that point it was Rocky Raccoon, Yellow Submarine, Yesterday. Suddenly he wanted to know all about the Fab Four. Today, he knows their names, all the albums, a lot of songs and when they split. You play a song and he will question you to who is singing.

Then we went to songs and bands each one created after the split. His all time favorite- Imagine- by John Lennon. Immediately when he arrives at my home he goes to my iMac and turns on the Beatles.

I asked him why he loved Imagine. He said, because if their was no hell, he would not be so afraid. I was again taken aback and asked him what he was talking about?

His Mother and her family are so called devout Catholics( also die hard Trump supporters, gun lovers, gay haters, racist and conspiracy hoarders) -Lordy!-

Jace, my grandson is learning about their doctrines in Catechism.

He said he tries to he a good boy but sometimes it is hard and he is afraid God will punish him. My heart broke.

He then went on to say he loved Lennonism! Lol- out of the mouth of babes!

It was not very long until his Mom called me, asking me what I was filling her son's head with. I had no idea what she was talking about and asked.

She then went on before stating the real issue, that she had never heard of an 8 year old so taken by the Beatles! He knows everything about them and that part is funny. The not so funny part is his obsession with John Lennon's Imagine.

He's being taught and encouraged there is no heaven or no hell, totally wrecking his catechism class and what she's trying to teach him. To say I was dumbfounded is not enough.

I told her I was in no way trying to usurp her religions teachings. It was not my place. I do not talk religion to any of my grandchildren. However, she should give Jace credit for being a free thinker at 8 years old. Imagine is a beautiful song of what if, in a scary world for children. The teachings and the experiences they absorb affect their feelings of security and happiness.

I went on to ask her if she was aware about the scary movies and songs Jace was subjected to. She said she had no control over what his older siblings watched and wasn't aware it scared him. I asked her if she had talked to Jace about his feelings and fear of hellfire and damnation. I told her it affects him greatly. As a child, I was affected greatly by these teachings from my Uncle. I lived in constant fear. I was also scared of nuclear war, Dracula and mostly the Devil with steering red eyes. It did affect me. I was a child. Why is any child different? . Imagine is a soothing song which gives a child another perspective of a possible reality. It calms him.

I told her I was flabbergasted that she took offense over love, peace, tranquility and harmony, but didn't mind her child being taught that her God is a true paradox- A God of Love and of Revenge and of Vengeance. Made no sense to me. Jace was afraid he might go to a fiery burning hell. Of course it fell on deaf ears, but she says no more and he loves that song!

The other day on the way to school listening to the Beatles, he asks his Dad( my son) who was singing Blackbird. His Dad replied, son, I just don't know! You and Gemma are the only ones who know the Beatles, I am country. Jace replied- You don't know because you are not old enough!( lol)

I told you this was a long review!

Which brings me to our celebration of holidays without real dastardly truth built into it.

Michael Dorris- Considering that virtually none of the standard fare surrounding Thanksgiving contains an ounce of authenticity, historical accuracy, or cross-cultural perception, why is it so apparently ingrained? Is it necessary to the American psyche to perpetually exploit and debase victims in order to justify its history.

Before the Pilgrims settled, a pandemic had swept through southern New England. The natives were by all accounts healthy and thriving. They had not been subjected to the diseases of the English, the Dutch, and the French. It ravaged them for years to come. The immigrants who bought disease usually survived but not the natives. In the book Lies Your Teacher told you, the impact of the epidemics on the two cultures was profound. The English Separatist , always saw their life as part of a divinely inspired morality okay, found it easy to infer their God was on their side.

JohnWinthrop- Governor Massachusetts Bay Colony called the plague "miraculous". For all the natives God had perused them and swept them away. He felt and stated that God had cleared the title for the settlers to takeover, for scarcely a native was left. He cited God, the Original Real Estate Agent"

All of this after the natives, of the America's who had been settled here for hundreds of not thousands of years before Columbus or the Pilgrims, had taught the immigrants skills of survival.

More could be said and explained but I have already bored you!

Well, I will close for now. Your poem speaks volumes.


Jim

Excuse the typos. Written from my cell phone, as usual! Have a great eve.,

 Comment Written 26-Sep-2023

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reply by the author on 26-Sep-2023

Hi Jimi, thanks for a fantastic review.

I've decided after all this time, I do believe in miracles. If you can type all that one a cellphone, that's one right there! It takes me half a day to get through a sentence, not that I try very often.

I'll reply properly a bit later today. I've not long ago got up, and need to have my breakfast and head off for my morning swim.

Thanks again,
Craig

reply by the author on 26-Sep-2023

Hi Jimi,

I thought, since you went to the trouble of typing all those thoughts into your phone (my mind boggles you can do that), it deserved it least a brief response to your main points. The more time that passes, the more and more things I discover which make the Bible, and the religion it represents impossible to take seriously.

You are spot on with your observations about the hateful and vengeful actions attributed to one who is supposed to be the God of love. The Old Testament is a litany of the most awful, horrible actions on the part of this supposedly benign creator. Why? Christians invariably respond that they live by the New Testament, in which God is much nicer. But don't both the old and new testaments tell us God is unchanging? (Psalm 33:11, Hebrews 13:8). When I try to resolve this, the only answer I can come up with is that at the time, barbarity and vindictiveness were common traits of humans everywhere. The authors of the Bible are simply reflecting things that were considered perfectly normal in their time. But surely an omnipotent, loving God would have demanded differently and set an example?

As for the origins of everything, again, your observation is spot on. If God can have existed forever, without beginning, why not other things, like the energy and protomatter that scientists speculate is the stuff the cosmos is made from. It's not good to say that everything must have had a creator, but then, it all had to start somewhere, so we'll just draw a line at some point and call that God. Christians love to claim that science has no answer, and they've got it all worked out. Except that it's all too convenient. Then there are the thousands of creation myths. Why not believe the rainbow serpent is responsible, or any one of countless others? Making up a story doesn't mean you've solved the puzzle. Most scientists I've read are perfectly willing to acknowledge that, while they have some very solid theories about how the universe evolved from nanoseconds after its origin, the exact mechanism how it happened is (as yet) unknown. The point is, it's OK to say "We don't know." There is no shame in not having an answer for something that took place 14 billion years ago, long before our kind were around. Maybe one day we will work out the answer, maybe not; but acknowledging the limits of our knowledge is being intellectually honest. Making up stories with no verifiable evidence to back them is not. Creation myths are a relic from a time when humans understood nothing about the cosmos, and was the best explanation they could come up with at the time.

As for scaring children, a very good case could be made that the religion preached from conservative evangelical pulpits is child abuse. Try to convince a child that there really are ghosts and goblins that will come and steal their soul, or murder them, or subject them to an eternity of torment, and child services might well want to take a long, hard look at you. Tell them the same things will be done by a loving God, or angels and demons, and you're just trying to save the child's soul.

Then there is the point about the actions of Christians -- and the question of what should be expected if their claims had a grain of truth, and what the reality is. But that's way too big a subject, and I've raved on long enough. Suffice it to say that I think the distinctions they try to draw between themselves and other humans are not only a figment of the imagination, but are incredibly boastful and arrogant, when you think about them... it makes the "pride" of which they accuse those not of their faith a joke.

In spite of the strength of my feelings, I don't think most believers these days are "evil". I don't despise them, or have any animosity towards them. I count quite a few as good friends. But I do believe they are mistaken, and even though they may not see it, their beliefs are inconsistent and undesirable. I don't think they help advance humanity. That's why I say so when the opportunity arises.

Thanks for putting up with the long, ranty, response (assuming you made it this far). Have a great evening!

Craig

reply by jlsavell on 26-Sep-2023

FYI, I don?t consider your words long rants.

There was a time in my life where I would have defended the Bible and a God and creation. I thought I used logic very much and O know I didn?t think the sand a long the lines of indoctrinated Christianity.

I, like you, studied the Bible at length for many years. It fascinated me and still goes to some extent. I am a history lover and therefore liked the historical parts of its legends.

I think you might like a book which is out of circulation now but it was written by an excommunicated priest. It is The Fall of the Two Babylons and the Papal Worship.

Like you, I have many friends who are professed Christian?s. I believe in my heart they are good people but to me, really good Christians are few and far between. I will not apologize for the way I see it. I think there are far far more hypocrites in the world of Christianity than those who hold steadfast to the teachings of one man who has greatly influenced the world. There is no arguing this in my perspective.

As for me, I observe a professed Christian?s behavior to a fault. My fault.

The past forum participants and those who backstage supported their skewed beliefs and turned a blind eye to their hateful, deliberately hurtful insults, intolerance of others views, false and dangerous information, and outright lies while grandstanding their do good Christian ways cemented my belief there are very few in the vast majority of billions who are not hypocrites.

To be, a good person is one who displays humility, love, integrity, honesty and understanding beyond all misunderstandings. A good person values goodness and honesty at all costs and doesn?t deliberately put blinders on to justify another?s dastardly actions. A good person is humble and takes responsibility for their actions and words. A good person has an open mind and does not entertain intimately another whose values reek of hate and hypocrisy.

I understand we are all behavior challenges( lol). But when a good person makes a mistake in action or in judgement, they humble themselves to rectify the situation. I have not seen this among many Christians.

It appears to me or at least I have observed that if you profess you are a Christian, season a few of your sentences with scriptural flavor, most Christians will call you their brother or son or sister, while ignoring the red flags of not on the up and up or justifying their actions.

I don?t despise most or have animosity toward them but I do a few because of their outright ignorance and hypocrisy.

To others I note they gave a zeal for God but not with logical reasoning.

I appreciate your words and your input.

Have a great day. It is very late for this old lady!

Settling down to a good book- a bestselling thriller. Time for a good scare. Lol

Take care CD.

reply by jlsavell on 26-Sep-2023

FYI, I do not consider your words long rants.

There was a time in my life where I would have defended the Bible and a God and creation. I thought I used logic very much and I know I didn?t think the same a long the lines of indoctrinated Christianity.

I, like you, studied the Bible at length for many years. It fascinated me and still does to some extent. I am a history lover and, therefore, liked the historical parts of its legends.

I think you might like a book which is out of circulation now but it was written by an excommunicated priest. It is The Fall of the Two Babylons and the Papal Worship.

Like you, I have many friends who are professed Christians. I believe in my heart they are good people but to me, really good Christians are few and far between. I will not apologize for the way I see it. I think there are far far more hypocrites in the world of Christianity than those who hold steadfast to the teachings of one man who has greatly influenced the world. There is no arguing this in my perspective.

As for me, I observe a professed Christian?s behavior to a fault. My fault.

The past forum participants and those who backstage supported their skewed beliefs and turned a blind eye to their hateful, deliberately hurtful insults, intolerance of others views, false and dangerous information, and outright lies while grandstanding their do good Christian ways cemented my belief there are very few in the vast majority of billions who are not hypocrites.

To be, a good person is one who displays humility, love, integrity, honesty and understanding beyond all misunderstandings. A good person values goodness and honesty at all costs and doesn?t deliberately put blinders on to justify another?s dastardly actions. A good person is humble and takes responsibility for their actions and words. A good person has an open mind and does not entertain intimately another whose values reek of hate and hypocrisy.

I understand we are all behavior challenges( lol). But when a good person makes a mistake in action or in judgement, they humble themselves to rectify the situation. I have not seen this among many Christians.

It appears to me or at least I have observed that if you profess you are a Christian, season a few of your sentences with scriptural flavor, most Christians will call you their brother or son or sister, while ignoring the red flags of not on the up and up or justifying their actions.

I do not despise most or have animosity toward them but I do a few because of their outright ignorance and hypocrisy.

To others I note they have a zeal for their God but not with logical reasoning.

I appreciate your words and your input.

Have a great day. It is very late for this old lady!

Settling down to a good book- a bestselling thriller. Time for a good scare. Lol

Take care CD.

Comment from Paul McFarland

Excellent

Very nicely done. I have always contended that after realizing that there are probably dozens, if not hundreds, of different religions on this globe, there is a good chance that not one of them have the right answers. Whatever supreme being allowed me to have a brain was asking for trouble.

 Comment Written 26-Sep-2023

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reply by the author on 26-Sep-2023

Ah, but of all the thousands of supreme beings, mine is the only one that's real ;-) Thanks for the fun review.

Comment from JSD

Excellent

Aha! Someone reviewed my 'Faith' acrostic and said I should read your poems. And I see why. Such wise words here and I agree entirely, and you have structured them into some excellently handled rhyme. This is surely a winner.

 Comment Written 26-Sep-2023

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reply by the author on 26-Sep-2023

I very much doubt it, but thanks for the vote of approval!

I think there are unspoken expectations for this contest, and this piece doesn't meet them. There is one person here who has taken a similar approach and won the "Faith" contest (twice, I believe!), but I'm not the poet he is :)

reply by JSD on 26-Sep-2023

Ah well. Fingers crossed for us both!

Comment from Bill Schott

Excellent

This poem, One Man's World, brings faith down to where it works best -- the person. The world is real, man is real, so that relationship, at any level or depth, is real.

 Comment Written 25-Sep-2023

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reply by the author on 25-Sep-2023

Thanks for your thoughts, Bill. Appreciated.

Comment from MissMerri

Excellent

One of my favorite verses in this well-thought-out poem is number five:
"No point exists in arguments if nuance they should lack;
this world we're in does not consist of purely white and black.
An independent thinker's good, it's best to cut them slack;
to find the truth we sometimes need to leave the beaten track."
I can say I'm in total agreement with what you so ably express in these lines.
But verse seven, too, is easily among my favorites for the sheer beauty of it and the undeniable truth expressed:
"There's grandeur in the sunrise and a full moon shining bright.
The music of the forest birds makes all the world feel right.
Friends gathered round a campfire on a starlit summer's night
cause any troubles I might face to vanish out of sight."
Amen to that!
The final two verses are not my favorites, but as always, you have expressed yourself with clarity and honesty and skill that NO one could deny. You certainly do have a right to believe as you wish and I hope no one tries to tell you that you can't or shouldn't or that your beliefs are foolish. I, for one, have great admiration for those who think for themselves and hope I will always be found among that genre. My faith in the Great Creator is not a myth, a scam or the result of drifting mindlessly with the brainwashed, any more than yours is. It is based primarily on love of TRUTH and a confidence that the One who created life will lead me into all truth, and not allow me to be blinded by superstition or tradition or the words of "some bloke in a dress." All truth is based on the word of God, found in the Bible, and it should not be too difficult to understand how someone who believes there is only one God who created the universe and all it contains, a Mastermind far exceeding any watchmaker's, a God who gave us His word so that we might learn of Him and His plan, and Who also loves us as a father, no matter what we believe or choose to think, would be the God I choose to trust and believe in. As for thinking for myself instead of blindly following the crowd, I'm totally in favor of that and again, trust God to show me what is truth and what is falsehood. I honor your need to believe what you choose, and hope you will do the same for me. MM

 Comment Written 25-Sep-2023

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reply by the author on 25-Sep-2023

Hi MM,
Thank you for taking the time to point out the bits you liked about the poem. I really appreciate those comments. As I do your comments about the bits you didn't like so much. I think as poets, our job is sometimes to make people ponder things, not just fish for compliments. If they consider something and don't agree with my conclusion, that's fine by me.
I'd like to point out that in describing faith (or religion) as a scam, I did include the word "sometimes". If you think of any number of globetrotting televangelists with their own private jets who can't control their private parts, or the leaders of the hideous and massive Hillsong Church in my own country, I think that's hard to dispute.
As for your comments about your truth, I'll let them be. You already know where I stand. I've been there, and it's not for me. Life would be hideously boring if we all thought the same :)
Have a great evening!
Craig

Comment from Terry Broxson

Excellent

CD, this is a wonderfully written poem. I like to read poems out loud. I want the feel of the flow and rhythm. I miss RG Star's poems. Your poem hits all the reading perfectly.

And then, of course, there is the content to consider. The big question is, "Who's to say you are not right?" Not me. I ain't gonna cast no stones. Exceptional as usual. Terry.

 Comment Written 25-Sep-2023

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reply by the author on 25-Sep-2023

Thanks very much for the lovely comments, Terry. Anyone can say I'm not right, as long as they do it nicely ;-) Have a great day. Craig

reply by Terry Broxson on 25-Sep-2023

Craig, in Texas, we have a saying, "You may be right, but you're not far from it." It's at this point, we have another drink.

reply by the author on 25-Sep-2023

Haha! I'm stealing that.

reply by Terry Broxson on 25-Sep-2023

Feel free, with my compliments, Cheers! Terry.