Apostasy

Yesterday a friend published a poem to his blog about apostasy that was really interesting to me and made me think quite a bit. After a lot of thought, I wrote and responded with the following poem. Just so that the first stanza makes more sense, in his poem he talks about how behind every "rebellion" there is a "barb of poisonous pride."

The Apostate

On Calvary, on Calvary
That carpenter from Gallilee,
Condemned to die for apostasy,
Whipped and bruised for blasphemy--
His rebellion was a heresy
That arose from "pride," so poisonously
On Calvary, on Calvary

And this was his apostasy--
He taught men to have charity,
That all descended from deity,
That all would have immortality
That every soul had divinity
That love would conquer misery
If only everyone could see
That all were alike, eternally

And in the Garden of Gethsemene
He became at one with you and me
And took on himself our slavery
So we could evermore be free
To cease from judging carelessly
With that vicious word, "apostasy"

And as he hung there on the tree
He forgave them of their blasphemy
As he was murdered guiltlessly
He plead to God that they would be
Forgiven of this travesty
Pure and guiltless, just as he

On Calvary, on Calvary
The holy man from Galilee
Condemned to die for apostasy
Whipped and bruised for blasphemy
And for the highest form of heresy--
To say all were alike to deity
And that all would partake of eternity
That all, forevermore, would be
Forever whole, forever free
To cease from finding apostasy
Instead, to live with charity
And so he hung there, guiltlessly
Condemned to die for apostasy
On Calvary, On Calvary