God & Country

Barack Obama, Nashville, Tennessee. November, 2006

8/24/09

i have watched the devastation of guilt and shame for 30 years. played out on the stage of God & Country, sung in the words of Jesus or Yahweh or Allah.

the great fear of missing heaven or of an eternal hell drives men to such great evil. the love that Jesus felt, that Muhammad knew as a father and husband - has been swept away by the torrents of self-righteous hatred.

the sad irony of peace used to kill, of love being bent into a sword of hate would be laughable if it were not so tragic. men, women, children who are meant for joy never know it. soft and tender babies grow up into hard and raging inquisitors who cannot forgive, but only condemn.

the open embrace of mercy is suffocated and squeezed into the fist of judgment. when, where will it end? how long will people deny their own hearts and their lofty calling to be as gods - to heed the better angels of our natures?

how long will we, instead, live as almost animals, who can only devour and rip to shreds those we fear?