Here I read What a Friend You Have

You say that “Jesus is my friend.”
You say, “I know him well.”
You say, “If he had not saved me
I’d burn – a brand in Hell.”

You say that Satan tempted you
with lust and greed and hate,
but Jesus came to show you how
to find the narrow gate.

You say he is the only one
who can such healing bring,
that he’s the only guide
to God, to Truth and everything

You say that all the other paths
that speak of truth are wrong.
You’re “certain” they are lies and false
and sing a serpent song

to tempt the young and ignorant
and those who won’t obey
the “Words of Sacred Scripture”
which set out the “One True Way.”

The Jews you say are wrong because
they don’t accept he’s God,
or all those “wondrous miracles”
that show such claims aren’t odd.

The Muslims – well, they’re even worse
for they “pretend to see”
that Jesus was “a prophet” –
like Muhammad claimed to be.

The Hindus – what, with all their gods
they must be plain mistaken
with castes and cows and many lives
their “karma” keeps remaking.

And as for Guru Nanak
who attempted truth to see
in both the Hindu and Islam – .
How crackers can Sikhs be

And then there is the Buddha
sitting legs crossed with a smirk
recommending, “Meditation
And Compassion.” What a jerk.

And what about the Atheists
who say, “God’s an illusion,
and life is just an accident,
blind molecules in fusion.

Not only is there not a God
no Satan is there either,
no afterlife or soul or force –
so let’s go drink some cider.”

Faced with such options you could say,
“My Jesus looks quite good.
My One and Only Saviour can
Do what he really should.

Give me a vital part to play
In this celestial story
Assure me I have meaning –
Even if my end be gory.”

Well, perhaps my friend, your Jesus
may be some use to you.
I concede we all need heroes
to inspire what we might do.

Without them and some sense that we
are guided to do right
a deep despair can creep right in
and leave us hollowed out.

For we are all so fragile
and surrounded by the dark
we easily loose all joy and hope –
so dies our inner spark.

As history shows the danger though
is how we can misuse them.
To blame them for the choices
that we make – is just confusion!

For in the end we live or die
by choices that we own
and be they wise or foolish
they are ours, and ours – alone.

This is not an anti-Jesus or anti-Christian poem although it does gently lampoon those who think the best way to commend their religion is to denigrate the religions and views of those who see things differently.