Sep 23, 2009

My Church Poem


image source

I stepped into church today,

and didn't burst into flames.

I held my breath as i crossed inside,

waited to be struck down by this God's fury,

but it was remarkably uneventful.

High ceilings,

rows of pews and piety,

people of faith,

believing blindly in an answer.

I turned backwards in my seat,

facing the other direction from the rest,

and wondered what it felt like to accept.

I tried singing their hymns,

amens in unison.

Broke bread and drank blood,

wearing my tie-dye t-shirt

under my church clothes,

silently rebelling,

my quiet pagan allegiance.

Last night i held my own worship,

among pine trees and starlight,

moon rising over our lake.

Took sacrament in shared laughter,

and campfire smoke.

Spirits whispering soft enchantments,

manifesting our desires.

Today we prayed together and i realized,

it's the same thing.

We use different names,

to make God feel like ours,

to bring salvation closer,

putting our faith into something,

anything to help us feel significant,

to justify our existence.

We can't accept that there's nothing,

such an empty actuality,

so we'll believe what they tell us,

or even in magic.

Nod our heads through the sermon,

and stand up and sing

hallelujah!


Related posts:

Liturgy

Organized Religion

Let Go

Questions

Uncle Charley

Creative Commons License
This work by mysticdave is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

8 comments:

  1. I identify myself as a Christian. It is my way of relating to God, the way I was brought up to. I do not pretend it is THE way to relate to God. What business is it of mine to tell others how they should receive God's message? And given that we are all human (imperfect and trapped withing 4 dimensions) how can we even conceive of an infinite entity, let alone claim to have the correct misunderstanding (oops, I mean understanding)?

    But I am still comfortable as a Christian. Life is not meant to be easily understood.

    I like the poem.

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  2. I identify myself as a Christian too but I totally understand where you are coming from. Aren't we all searching for some sort of meaning ....Thoughtful poem, nicely done.

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  3. I too would be wearing a tie dye shirt under my 'church' best. Interesting poem, I enjoyed it, thanks for sharing.

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  4. i am not sure where i stand on where i will go after i die but i do believe in a higher spirit great poem makes one think!!

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  5. Hi, Mystic Dave, seems like you are describing 2 themes here common to any spiritual seeker: one, lack of identification with the current culture and two, noticing that for some "spirituality" is still defined on the safe mental level and has yet to reach the deepest heart level. A lot of people in all religions are afraid of true spiritual power and reject it.

    Actually, to really develop spiritually God/Spirit/Jesus/All That Is - is known for drawing people away from the mainstream to commune on a wordless level where the Spirit dwells. If you desire to develop at a faster rate without cultural interference it's a necessity. Been There, Done That: both the hollow but nice church experience and solitary away from the crowd communing with God.

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  6. I loved this one. When I go to mass on Sundays, I often wonder why some folks are there, if the regulars like myself have the same sort of dubious misgivings that I have.

    I've settled on this: I go to church for the same reasons that some people learn martial arts: for the discipline, the practice, and the outlet for my spirituality. Everyone is there for their own reasons, but I'm sure a great majority of us (we spiritual renegades) are there because we simply need some place to practice and reinforce a belief in the divine... something greater and more mysterious than our own flawed psyche.

    Mind you, my relationship with the divine is, at times, very contentious.

    Ah, we're complicated creatures, eh?

    Ananji

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  7. I was raised a Catholic so I relate completely to this poem. I however no longer participate in organized religion. I will say that the photo you have used is my church. Being out in nature whether it be the ocean, the woods or gardens takes me to a higher place.

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  8. heyy... i luv these poem they are what i am lookin for thank you so much,....

    congrats,.. an i send my sincere condolences to you all!!!!and my prayer and thought are with you too!!!..

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