Sue, this is about a horrible murder and an even more horrible court case  -
the sort that doesnt get reported internationally but nationally. We all
feel bad abut it in UK. Those, like Helen and myself, who do not find
comfort in the approach David has used, and Sarah and myself, who have
stated in our responses that  we do not share these religious beliefs, have
as much right to say so as David has to post the poem.

 I am hurt by your implication that I am "narrow minded about Christian
values". This poem is by someone I like whom I know to be a Christian, and I
gave a probable reason for my difficulties with it. The points I made were
fair ones in poetry comment. Sarah was also very courteous indeed.

So why do you feel so besieged?
bw
Sally


on 16/11/03 6:16 pm, Sue Scalf at [log in to unmask] wrote:

> I am surprised by some of the reactions to this poem, especially that anyone
> would be uncomfortable with a Christian poem just because this person is an
> atheist or has no religious faith.  I have read and appreciated many poems
> that
> were atheistic, but I was never made uncomfortable by them even though I am a
> Christian.  Good poetry is more than dogma in my opinion.  We are moved by the
> compelling qualities of the poem, the power with which the ideas are set
> forth, and open-minded enough to realize there are many views in life with
> which
> we may not agree in poetry, but we judge the poem's value on the power of its
> presentation and the beauty of the writing.  I should hope that most atheists
> are not really narrow-minded about Christian values.  Faith is a tenuous and
> fragile thing for even the most devout Christian, and I believe it was
> Tennyson
> who said, "There is more faith in honest doubt than in half the world's
> creeds."  David, I liked the poem, but I think it needs to be divorced from
> the
> hymn.  It has to stand alone.  Sue