Faith is meant to arise from the freedom
of the human spirit, offering solace and a place of refuge. Yet in reality,
money and control often entangle themselves around belief, and people’s
anxieties and vulnerabilities can be exploited in its name. This poem does not
deny faith itself; rather, it examines the distortions that emerge when faith
becomes institutionalized and organized. It quietly asks what awaits those who
run toward salvation.
“People Turn to Faith”
Faith celebrates the freedom of the spirit.
Yet money inevitably clings to faith.
Believers seek salvation and so they
believe.
Yet believers donate as proof of their
devotion.
Are those who believe truly saved?
Those who do not believe look on in doubt.
Religious organizations bind believers in
the name of doctrine.
They squeeze believers while preaching
their teachings.
They discipline believers under the guise
of guidance.
New religions arise and vanish like
bubbles.
With skillful rhetoric and near-fraudulent
sermons, they gather money.
They set believers against one another,
strip them of all they have, then discard them.
Religious corporations are exempt from
taxes.
With persuasive words they recruit
followers, enriching themselves without pause.
The money they collect could be mistaken
for tribute paid to gangsters.
Unsettling religious groups keep believers
as if they were owned.
And in doing so, they entangle families
and invite misfortune.