Poem - Dogma

This woman wrote me a Christmas letter
Lamenting the frenzy of modern life
Our lack of time to sit and read the Bible
Connect with our divinity

She claimed that her Lord & Savior gave her peace
And that the Bible gave her wisdom

OK, nothing wrong with that

Nothing wrong about the Bible either;
As a story it has all the elements – intrigue, murder, sex,
betrayal, heroism, hope, infidelity, cruelty –
Of a thriller one might read at the seashore on a summer’s
Afternoon

I come by my religious skepticism honestly
After many years of reading and reflection;
You believe what you want to believe –
Water into wine, the Virgin Birth, resurrection,
Loaves into fishes or the burning bush –
I won’t interfere with your right to go your way
While I go mine

But well-meaning lady, I resent anyone who tries to jam
Their religious dogma up my skeptical ass
Don’t proselytize on my doorstep or threaten me with
Damnation

Because when death calls, and we’re stripped down
Your God won’t be of any more help to you
Than my doubt will be to me