For my friends who believe,

no disrespect meant, but…

“Don’t!”

I would tell my longtime friend.

“I love you like a brother,”

would come his reply.

“I know what’s coming and I love you like a brother!”

“Don’t!” I would say, “Please, stop!”

“Just accept!

Just accept Jesus as your savior because I know what’s coming!”

This conversation,

year after year this conversation until

no more…

My longtime friend and myself are friends no more.

For my friends who believe,

no disrespect meant, but…

Don’t!

Please do not preach to me.

Please do not attempt to proselytize me.  

You believe what you may,

I will respect that.

You believe as you wish,

I will respect that, but…

In nineteen-seventy-two

recently moved to San Diego,

living in our new home for two weeks

when noticing my eight year old daughter

sitting on the curb,

sitting on the curb speaking to her new best friend,

speaking to the little girl that lived across the street

and crying,

both little girls crying.

Going outside, “What’s wrong, honey,”

My wife asked.

“Marcie’s mommy won’t let her play with me,”

my daughter replied.

Taking our daughter in hand,

walking across the street,

“Why can’t the children play?”

My wife asked when the door opened.

“I don’t want my daughter to feel bad,”

came the lady’s reply.

“I don’t want Marcie to cry when your daughter goes to hell.”

Shocked by these words,

taken back by these words,

taking moments to reply,

“My daughter will never go to hell!” my wife said angrily.

“You’re not Christian! She’s,” pointing to my daughter,

“she’s not Christian.

You haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your savior

and you’re all going to hell!”

“No,” my wife replied once again,

“my daughter will not go to hell because I won’t let her!”

For my friends who believe,

no disrespect meant, but…

Don’t!

Please do not preach to me.

Please do not attempt to proselytize me.  

You believe what you may,

I will respect that.

You believe as you wish,

I will respect that.

How nice to have belief

in an all seeing,

in a loving

in a merciful God.

For my friends who believe,

No disrespect meant…

But as for me

I see very little of God’s love of mankind.

I see very little of God’s mercy to mankind.

Too often I see a world of innocents living lives of untold terror.

Too often I see a world of innocents living lives of untold horror

Too often I see a world of innocents dying in terror.

For my friends who believe,

no disrespect meant, so…

Don’t!

Please do not preach to me.

Please do not attempt to proselytize me.  

You believe what you may,

I will respect that.

You believe as you wish,

I will respect that.

A question I might ask:

If God is there,

there in heaven

wherever “heaven” may be

to which God do we pray?

To the God of my Jewish ancestors?

To your Christian God?

To the Hindu God?

To the God of Muslims?

This is a question we humans have thought of,

and fought over for centuries.

But not me!

For you see

truly,

honest and truly!

I do not care!

So…

For my friends who believe,

No disrespect meant, but…

Don’t!

Please do not preach to me!