by Jon Krutulis
Grace
The blessing that’s said by the faithful at dinner
Articulates thanks from each pitiful sinner.
They pray that their god in the sky up above
(He’s that host who is filled with perpetual love)
Will find in his heart to distil what they eat
And to purge what might poison their hamburger meat.
Bacteria spawned by our sin and our shame
(More likely evolved like biologists claim)
Too small to be seen by the eyes God designed
(More likely an organ that nature refined)
Inhabit our innards in mutual bliss
(The guests of our guts for the term we exist.)
Evolution’s distinguished these friends that we house
From their cousins who live on the insides of cows.
It sucks when these relatives come for a stay
Making walls of our colons their private buffet.
But your faith doesn’t work here, so cook well your meat
Because germs are destroyed not by prayer but by heat.
Perhaps, friend, you’ll hold that the claim I have made
Will always relent to the plans God has laid -
So here’s an experiment I will suggest
Using meat with E coli along as a guest;
You eat your meat rare with a prayer to the Son
I’ll side with the science and eat mine well done.
Dogma
Why must we deny that nature equips her brood with ends?
Instead we seem to rely on a lie that an infinite essence transcends.
A credulous matter set madly pretends that we’re not ordained to die;
We’re skeptic by nature, believing suspends vital questions that surface of why.
Tightly close your eyes and cover your ears so your soul may ascend;
The wise and their lies spell your moral demise for on ignorance virtues depend.
Take a look in this book for its scriptures foretell that you must believe or you’ll die;
Submit and be saved for what good from the grave are your questions inquiring why?
Science in compliance with the infallible word of the Lord
Is free to expand if it cedes where He planned as His mystic promoters record.
If this truce is conflicted, the truth is restricted to literal biblical Word,
Debating the pure is negating His cure which insists you accept the absurd.
Truths and absolutes are nothing like biblical scriptures preserve—
Evolution unveiled this solution had failed which was testament to Darwin’s nerve.
But defenders devout will surrender their doubt and believe what the Bible decrees;
In prayerful rapport they’ll despair nevermore as they’ve earned on their groveling knees.
Galileo paid the price for defending a rational thought.
No worse a dissenter, wrote “Earth’s not the center,” defying the dogma then taught.
The church called it libel toward God and the Bible and censored his dangerous facts.
“Our framework’s protected, your claims are rejected; it’s faith that your argument lacks.”
Bruno’s reason, tried as treason, martyred for science’s sake.
Defending free thought despite fury it brought left him burning to death at the stake.
With logic denied and this heretic fried, it seemed wickedness finally reigned--
As virtue it posed in the emperor’s clothes and objections were never sustained.
Newton’s muse, an apple bruise, has fated our meaning to fade;
The vastness of space has surpassed and displaced what we once thought was specially made,
Adorned with a glow that was born long ago many billions of light-years away.
You’re naïve, I contend, if you need to pretend it was built in a week less a day.
Purpose thrives and nurtures lives independent of heaven or hell
While the holy avow only God can endow us with motive for living life well.
But piety’s pimps, this society’s chimps, who chant barren idolatrous prayer
Are enamored so much by their fantasy crutch of the truth they are left unaware.
Every dogma has its day until power it serves is deposed.
Keep filling the gaps, it will quickly collapse and this book we’ve abused will be closed.
As art it is fine, but as doctrine divine it has ruined much more than it saves;
It’s better to live in a setting which gives us a neighbor who simply behaves.
