The "Evangelists."

They're everyday people, just like the rest,

But with one all prevailing interest,

Spreading the message of "ultimate truth",

Eternal life and spiritual youth,

Way to paradise, endless happiness,

The end to feeling dread and emptiness.

They preach from pulpit, minaret, or church,

Synagogue, dome, temple, any odd perch,

At your doorstep, even at your table,

Filling heads with "miraculous fable"…

…If you can't see it, you got to be blind,

These people are just toying with your mind.

The matter of faith is for you alone

You may embrace it, or you may disown,

The path you walk is a choice for your heart,

But use your mind too; you got to be smart.

"Absolute truth" is for absolute fools;

Carrying burdens best left to the mules.

The path to "enlightenment" is hard enough,

Without leg irons, chains and tight handcuffs.

Follow your own path with an open heart

And you will soar high, like a golden dart.

Don't let false prophets turn you deaf and blind,

These people are just toying with your mind.

© P. J. Oszmann (2006)

© Illustration From ClipArt created in Photoshop. (2006)

I used the word Evangelist in a much broader sense than the original definition would suggest.

I mean to imply here a "person who preaches forcefully with the aim to make you believe what he or she preaches."

In case you wonder: I have no quarrel with any religion; I have a deep respect for all.

However, I abhor religious fanatics and bigots of any denomination. I hold that a person's faith, belief, and spiritual life is his or hers alone and should be respected by all others, including all clergy.  Spiritual guidance should only be given to seekers without even a hint of coercion, should be broadly based and as free as humanly possible from any personal bias.

An individual should be free to chose without hindrance or interference from any "religious authority" in what or what not he or she believes. This freedom to "believe or not to believe" should be enshrined and enforced the world over as a fundamental human right. Then, we might have peace on this earth…