9.2 Against My Religion

by Eric Chaet

It’s against my religion
to pray with the crowd on the sabbath
most are reprobates or deluded
Friday, Saturday, or Sunday
calling one day more holy than another
is against my religion
but it’s against my religion
to give up on humanity
everybody’s doing the best they can
even the complacent & glib
even the most cynical cheaters
even the most violent & wicked
if they understood their own advantage, they’d do otherwise
& there are heroes among us even now
it’s against my religion to call anyone Father
or Master, Rabbi, Swami, Reverend, or Ayatollah
to pretend that the universe & life
are accounted for either by God or chance
it’s against my religion to be simple-minded
in order to get along with other people more easily
to say I know what I don’t know
or to kill someone who doesn’t speak my language
because someone who speaks my language commands me
who does the son of a bitch think he is
it’s against my religion to command or be commanded
it’s against my religion to pretend that one people is chosen
or that one place is more or less holy than another
holy is where something holy happens, or everywhere
because that’s where something holy can happen
I’m far too grateful for the courage & wisdom of young Jesus
however imperfect his awesome example
however imperfectly his life, time, deeds are accounted for
however much his story has been hijacked
by control-freaks & those who accept their control
to agree that he was more the son of God than you or I
it’s against my religion.

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Picture: Bosch