Re: Anthropology and Religion
William F. Blocher (wfblocher@blocher.com)
7 Oct 1995 03:09:10 GMT
Every once in a while you come across something that is worth sharing. The
following poem was written by a friend of mine with the help of the Holy Spirit.
He has given me permission to publish it on the Internet. You are welcome to copy
it, but please give credit to the author. As a scientist who was caught up in
these issues, his message speaks to me. I hope it will raise questions in your
mind.
What Will You Do? by Harold Kasper
are you trying to define the meaning of life
with the direction your thoughts have taken?
is your starting point a valid premise;
or have you begun by being mistaken?
have you researched the credentials of your teachers;
have you truly considered the source
of all the ideas which have influenced you
to choose your particular course?
do you believe in the nothingness
at the core of the evolutionary tale;
or have you never peeled away the data
to confront the true horror such beliefs entail?
have you just tucked away a piece here and there
in order to unleash self-control;
are you using evolution to expand the happiness pursuit
without acknowledging the death of your soul?
and have you taken those bits and pieces
to concoct a mixture that serves you best;
while rejecting and ignoring those ingredients
which would scare you half to death?
and do you close your eyes or rationalize
those portions which your beliefs ignore;
by simply creating your own reality
about what the meaning of life is for?
are you a believer in a creatorless creation
do you temper that view with this:
everyone has a right to create god in his or her own image! --
do you really think like this?
is god something you choose to create?
can that god be recreated any time?
or can your god simply be discarded
by simply changing your mind?
but when the forum is empty,
and you are quite alone;
and death is knocking at your door,
and there's no more growing to be grown;
what is it you will draw upon?
what will alleviate your anxiety and fear?
what will your thoughts entertain then;
when it is your time to depart from here?
will you cling to a collection of crystals;
or place your hope in an astrological sign?
will you reach for Darwin's "Origin of Species"
or Freud's analysis of your mind?
will Marx or sociobiology
console you while you're passing on?
from where will you draw your comfort
when it is time for you to be gone?
perhaps you'll tear through life's clutter,
and let go of all those lies
born of ego, pride and vanity
from which all woes and troubles rise;
and perhaps you'll finally humble yourself
before all is truly lost;
and reach out to the One who can save you --
The Christ who was nailed to the Cross.
or perhaps you'll just go along
putting it off for another day,
betting on the proposition
that you'll have time to consider that way;
but are you really that sure and certain
that you'll always have time to choose?
can you really afford to be patient
before considering God's Good News?
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