247. Freedom of Religion

I love the freedoms afforded to us as Americans in the Constitution. I especially love the freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. This separation and freedom prevent me from having any obligation to any faith but my own. I think this allows people of faith to easily dedicate themselves to their own faith while living freely and, presumably safely, among people of other faiths.

Right here in Potlatch I can point out the existence of the Wild Rose Mennonite community. This group of faithful Anabaptist Christians live here and have their own school and businesses. They are members of the community and they work and live amongst us, but they stay separate in their faith right down to their schools.

Another example I can think of easily here in Idaho is the Reformed Jewish Congregation in Boise, Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel. This synagogue building is one of the oldest continuously inhabited synagogues in the United States west of the Mississippi. The first Jewish Governor of a state, Moses Alexander, was a member of this congregation. This, to me, is proof of how well our freedoms serve us as Americans.

Of course, we always have to be vigilant to maintain our freedoms. Currently, a large group of conservative evangelical Christians is trying to promote Christian Nationalism, the idea that the founding fathers intended this nation to be Christian. Naturally, their version of Christianity tends to be very dogmatic and fundamentalist in its interpretation of scripture. I cannot believe the founders of this country had anything close to Christian Nationalism in mind when they crafted the Constitution or the freedom of religion would not have been so clearly laid out. And, as a Christian, I find this idea abhorrent because it twists Christianity into some ancient eye for an eye sort of faith, not quite as merciful as I understand the teachings of Christ. Their mercy seems to be meted out by a narrow prescription that may not allow you to be as truly free as you may wish. I believe we have to be vigilant to prevent this in a nation that has freedom of religion established in its very constitution.

 

246. Poetry

I love poetry. I write poetry almost every day and I read it every day. I have favorite poets that I find intriguing, probably as much for what they write about as much as how they write. My examples of that are Robert Frost and Sylvia Plath and Richard Blanco. But I also like poets who change up the form and make me think differently about how you can write poetry. My examples of this are E. E. Cummmings, William Shakespeare and William Wordsworth.

I like how poetry is singing for people who can’t necessarily carry a tune. And yes, it’s also for those who sing extremely well because music is also poetry if it has lyrics.  I like the rhythms and rhymes of poetry. I like how a poem makes you see things more clearly or how it makes you think something you understood very well seem complicated and beyond your comprehension. I like how so many people think poetry is frivolous and a waste of time while, in truth, it is a way of being very present and in tune with yourself and the world. love how the images in poetry thrust you almost instantaneously to another time or another place. I like how the images can seem benign and yet the rhythms slowly pound it into you so that you can’t forget it. All those ear worms can totally make or ruin your day. That is the power of poetry and anyone who discounts poetry ignores the fact that they probably eat Lays potato chips because they couldn’t eat just one (poetry is in advertising). Saying poetry is frivolous is saying language is frivolous and that is as much a lie as saying sticks and stones can break your bones but words can never hurt you. Of course words can hurt you. The laws of the land are words and they have more force than a thousand freight trains. Poetry is all that. Poetry is power.

I’m not on some power trip, I’m just in love with how words control so much of our lives and the poetry I love is the poetry that propels me to live. I love poetry.