God

Uuuuu... How dark... I can understand where you're coming from, though, my darling...

Here are some {{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}} just for you. :o)

I have a brother who sees God as malignant, judgemental, abusive, taking glee in suffering that He causes to humans. These are my words, not his, because to use his would likely invite censorship of my comment.

As a man of faith I respect everyone's right to believe as they will. Beliefs that differ from mine could be true and mine false, as I have no imperical knowledge to prove my beliefs with. If someone decides that they don't believe in a God and are atheists, then I respect their choice even though I disagree with it. But I find it hard to reconcile an attitude that acknowledges the existence of God but ascribes to Him a personality that is primarily evil. It makes me think that the person holding that belief must see life and the world in a very twisted, tortured, painful way, as I believe my brother does.

I know that this is a poem and may not actually reflect you belief system. Of the "god" referred to in the poem I would have to say that this line is most descriptive of him: "Yet like fleas upon my back". He seems a mangy, flea bitten beast.

Not the God I percieve. More an abusive parent.

This is well written, though.

I see him not as abusive, judgemental, malignant, or any of the things you have described, Rory. I respectfully see him as incomprehensible, and religion, merely as a tool of man to dominate other men. It is profound arrogance, IMnsHO, for any man to try to tell others what to believe. The blind, trying to lead the blind, and to benefit materially from the exercise.

Rory, I think you mistake my scorn of man's religions for a scorn of God. I am a deist.

Fair enough. God truly is beyond our ability to understand, by definition. I tend to think that religions only are deserving of that scorn when they become fundamentalist and literalist. But that's just me. As I said, I try not to judge other's beliefs.

Nor do I Jim, nor do I, but I find it somewhat vexing and ironic that so many are so sure, based on so little, and try to act as if they KNOW....anything.

If the last five lines were eliminated, this would be a thought-provoking, worthy poem. I think that those lines are not need for the message. Actually I do not understand the last five lines. Nevertheless, if thy were deleted, I could rate the poem highly. The problem is that "it" (3rd from last line) has no antecedent that can identify; thus, I do not know what"it" is.

Sorry if it isn't clear to you Leo. "it" is God's greatest creation, and man thinks it is him. I would have thought it clear, but hey...

Excellent Ron! I understand completely. Out of pain, comes the greatest work.

Ron I got it! Thanks for your help. It is a fine poem.

I almost always agree with Rory. He puts thought into whatever he says, and he is a good thinker. Also, he takes the time to explain his opinions.

Thank you, Leo, how very kind of you to say so. I try.

And you generally do well, Rory, I agree with Leo in that. Not religion, but most other things, I think.

loved it!!!! human arrogance is outrageous sometimes...thanks for pointing that out!

This is narrated by a terrifying God.

Thank you for posting this to The Surreal Circus.

I read it like a hall of mirrors, echoing back to us our dismal disconnect to the Earth.

Like a lover that one claims to value, when in fact it's their own inner recesses they're searching for. "But you, In your arrogance, Think that it is you."

Here we're hearing man's own darkest disdain for Self.

"How cute...

No wonder I keep you around."

What the caged bird (or neglected adult/child) sings!

Very powerful writing Ron. Excellently done.

Not terrifying, Ann, just not into us the way we have a tendency to think he/it/they are. Man's arrogance at thinking he's the purpose of this existence, God's greatest creation, never ceases to amaze me. This is merely a rebuke of that arrogance. Nature plainly is his greatest creation, to me.

Thank you, Adrian.

I have a mixed response.

On the one hand, the words of God painted here seem cold, angry and contemptuous of us humans; while on the other hand, I agree that God must have a sense of humor in order to keep us around.

Good Poem, Ron. Very thought provoking.

Taking your poem at face value (while I understand that your actual position is that none of us knows God's mind):

So whose fault is all of that, dude? (Hint: omnipotence?) That's kind of like when I kvetch about how messy my place is...

Ron said: "Man's arrogance at thinking he's the purpose of this existence, God's greatest creation, never ceases to amaze me."

Same here.

Ron the way I am getting it is this.

When god doesnt answer prayers or do anything to get rid of rapist and murderers and things like that it isnt because he is so busy but still wants everyone to know that he loves them but instead he feels that people arent worthy of his time or attention and basically we were one gigantic mistake.

Don't know Lori, this is less a stab at understanding a supreme being, and much more an unfortunate understanding of man, and his arrogance in interpreting God as the creator of all, while maintaining the reason he did it was for man's benefit.

So...Aniko, you think I can get a housecleaning out of this, too?

As you said, no one really knows any of this, so I can't promise you anything.

Very impressive Ron!

Catching up slowly...
Ron, I find this an interesting exercise in trying to Know the Unknowable and in MY mind anyway a fairly accurate assessment of most of the world's religions and the arrogance of mankind. If you look at the Universe as a whole system then man is a miniscule part of the whole. It is the whole system that is "God's" greatest work...

My point, exactly, Kathleen. Thank you.

Okay--to be brief. As a written piece--- very powerful. Excellent writing. Yes, a condemnation of man's arrogance . Don't agree with the portrayal of God, but understood completely your portrayal of man./// wish I had found this before 2;30 in the morning. Would love to say more about God ( to the good). But I'll just critique the work itself ( since I'm so tired)// and again--powerful writing sir.

Well, Lonnie, I think you got the jist of it, and for the record, I don't actually picture God this way (I don't actually picture God any way at all, I'm a deist), but it did lend me a powerful way to make the point that I was trying to make about the arrogance of man.

Good sense of humor. I wrote something about God too. I think you will enjoy it:

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977895993