God in check
I was asked for a poem for the newsletter the churches here send out to all the houses in the town at Christmastime. This is what I gave them and they printed. I think it's reasonably good, though it could probably still be improved here and there.
I think I see defences start to crack;
this world shall hear, and see that I am right.
The pawns pass round to right the rook's attack
advancing under cover of the knight
to trap the piece of God, where he shall lose,
and all his plans shall prove themselves in vain.
You, God, who never walked in human shoes!
How can you think to judge a world of pain?
Then all is changed. He takes my form. His flesh
lies screaming on a filthy farmyard floor,
grows up, is murdered, builds the world afresh--
a king triumphant, out of check once more--
counters my every effort to disprove
and asks: what will you do with Christ? Your move.
Harry O'Neill
Thu 22nd Nov 2012 00:46
Good to see folk still taking an interest in this.
Although the poet`s question is asked directly to his God it is a fair question that could be posed to anyone`s idea of God.
If one is a stout and hearty atheist then, of course, the question never arises, but bearing in mind that the majority of the world`s population do believe in God, then outside of our own scientific provincialities (and inside many of them) the question has surely a great deal of relevance.
This question - and the other one...how possibly can an omnipotent being like God actually suffer? -caused the early church fathers (not to mention a few Roman Emperors) quite a few headaches in Athanasius` time.
If the poem ended at line eight, then it would not be a question...but an accusation.