And the second poem is about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.


The True Cross

I now am older than the Christ
When He, betrayed, was sacrificed-

Not by God and not by us!-

I'm old enough that I mistrust
ANY who dare make a claim
To grace unique in Jesus' name!

I mean the ones whose fear and hate
Decree that all appropriate
The grace of God's unfailing well
The way THEY say-

ELSE GO TO HELL!

They CHEAPEN Christ, who deify
Him so as then to justify
Satanic concepts they hold dear
About a God Whom we should fear!

The Christian God Whom I confess
Needed not a death to bless
The mob who murdered Jesus Christ!

For from the start
GOD's grace had sufficed!-

Forgiving all for all they do-
His grace abounding full and new!
His love unbroken by our sin
And ready always to begin!

I now am older than the Christ
When He, betrayed, was sacrificed-

Not by God- and not by us!-

But by HIMSELF did He entrust
His only life as a gift to all-

But NOT as payment for The Fall!

But rather He showed by sheer example
How GOD'S own grace
Had always been ample!

I have always maintained that if one can get someone honestly to tell you what they genuinely think about the Garden Of Eden story and then what they think about the Crucifixion of Christ, then one can easily evaluate just about anything that that person might have to say about Christian theology. It is the test that I put to every proselytizing Christian or Christianesque person who corners me with an attempt to converse with me about these matters.

I have written two poems with which I attempt to pass my own test. And I firmly maintain that if anyone were to read and to absorb these two poems, then that person would be able safely to divine over eighty per cent of what I would be likely to believe on any topic in Christian theology.

And if anyone finds anything that is inconsistent within the two poems taken together, I would thank them to point the perceived internal inconsistency to me, and I will be thrilled to see if you are right.

And one more thing- if I ever say or do anything that is not in external coherence to the ideas and sentiments expressed in these two poems (taken together!) I will be grateful to you if you would point it out to me.

These two poems, taken together, are really the center of my heart.


Garden Story

Satan the serpent in the Garden Of Eden-
Snaking in, stating God was mistaken-
Became thereby the first theologian
By keenly appealing to our deep suspicion
That errors were made which cause us pain-
And that God has got to start again!

The legend is true in the finest sense-
It shows in symbols our first defense
Of both ourselves and of Our Lord-
By making an Enemy
And drawing a sword!

Satan the serpent in the Garden Of Eden
Was and is our disposition
To think that God has fouled it up-
Must Flood it out and build it up

Again!-

With us in mind!
More gracefully!-

Or, failing that! must have a Rapture
Of all His Chosen - and also capture
All the rest in a lake of fire!

Satan still is this human desire!

DubInDallas