Science and Faith

They are not natural enemies, 
nor were they ever meant to be ....
True, for a time when Faith was strong, 
Science was bound, cowed, driven down--
until Science began its growth spurt: 
by leaps it enlarged, pulsing, tumescent, 
fed by Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, Pasteur, 
Madame Curie and sweet old Einstein... 
then came Oppenheimer with his Big Bomb.

Now Faith is scorned by most scientists, 
an unreasoning as they see it--
closing their minds as tightly shut 
as did the padres of the Inquisition: 
they worship Reason, whilst claiming 
believers drown in imagination, fantasies--
a Big Guy God, a soaring soul? 
Show me! Prove it! they shout out 
like excitable children. 'Reason be all!', 
they exclaim fervently--yet...  
yet sweet Science grew on the strong back 
of Imagination, and real Faith loves Reason 
like a sister, for we are the seeing ones,
and we are also the blind ones-- 
every single one of us....

We may hear God's whispers but then 
are often deaf to the pleas of angels.
And what we think we know is never, 
never enough-- we are always left
wanting....So we can repair a torn 
and damaged heart but cannot open
it to love's incessant pulling....
Copyright © | Year Posted 2015

Poem

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Wolf Avatar
August 5, 2018 at 11:42 PM
This is truly a wonderful and an important poem … This issue you've raised and your brilliant denouement are increasingly important every day... I say: Re-release it, untweaked or tweaked, as you see fit. Bravo, L.J! Best wishes, Gershon
Carber Avatar
August 6, 2018 at 9:26 AM
Gershon, I deeply appreciate your review and suggestion--I would like to help make people, especially the young, aware that science and faith are not exclusive but most secular lit mags want nothing to do with anything 'not of this world'--would greatly value any ideas from anyone out there in Poetry Soup Land!
A  Avatar
October 20, 2015 at 11:11 AM
Len, Wonderful win. **SKAT**
A  Avatar
September 8, 2015 at 10:28 AM
awesome... SKAT
Carber Avatar
September 11, 2015 at 9:30 AM
thank you, Skat... len
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