Do Not Preach To Me (poem) by Mark M Lichterman on AuthorsDen

Do Not Preach To Me
by Mark M Lichterman → (All Poetry by Mark M Lichterman)
Thursday, April 9, 2020 Rated "G" by the Author.

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Do not Preach to me

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!

Reviewed by John Domino

Reviewed on April 18, 2020

Growing up my best friends were Jewish and Catholic. I wound up married to a Jewish girl and even converted to the Jewish religion after being married a few years. After 20 or so years, my wife became agnostic and I became a Masonic Jew after taking a cruise and meeting a Masonic preacher. Years later before she died my wife also became Masonic. One rule sticks. God is the judge and jury. We don't get to vote after we die. As mortal human beings we are NOT to judge others. That includes the way the walk, act, curse or have sex. We have all fallen short of God's glory. Nobody is perfect and Jesus once said about a prostitute to a crowd stoning her. "Stop, if you never did anything wrong then you can be the one to cast the first stone." If not, then he suggested that they all should go home.They all went home. Then he suggested to her to also go home and consider taking up another profession. Prostitutes in those days were stoned to death so he was doing her a favor. If she decided not to listen to him, after saving her life, she would probably suffer the consequences. My grandfather was the greatest Christian I ever known. He never told me to go to church and he never criticized me for not going. But in the middle of a bad snow storm, he walked out the door and walked to church. That is leading by example. He also helped sick people by changing their sheets or diapers etc. when he was in a nursing home. He was 90 years old. That man to me was an angel. I try to follow him but I always seem to fall short, but I keep on trying. Amen

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Reviewed on April 14, 2020

So well written! You have determined the problem quite well by what happened to your daughter.

Unfortunately, Christians, especially those who claim they were, "born again," feel an obligation to "spread the word." Personally, I consider them people with a very strong inferiority complex where they have to rely on some kind of crunch, in this case, religion just to get through life and sleep at night. I can only feel sorry for them.

On the other hand, you are so right. By proselytizing and rationalizing that one religion is superior over another, the constant bickering and wars continue endlessly as religions try to control people rather than the other way around.

Ron

Reviewed by La Belle Rouge Poetess Of The Heart

Reviewed on April 10, 2020

Mark, I've missed reading you. I believe in Jesus but I have the same questions you have about the state of mankind. Disrespect is the worst thing we can hand to each other, all the other evils proceed from disrespect. Brought my tears to think how you and your daughter were treated by someone who professes to have God's love within them. A thoughtful and heart touching write.

Reviewed by E Phillips

The lesson for others is to never turn the responsibility of teaching your children anything to those who believe they have the truth on their side, and they intend to spread it like horse shit. Your neighbor lady showed a very feeble mind at work.

Reviewed by Sandie May Joyce (Sandie Angel)

I have never forced any religion on anyone and that is good, for religion is a personal choice, and each culture has its own God. Also, we should never force our own beliefs on our children, we should let them make their own choice.

Good job on this well-meaning poem!

Sandie