Humanist Prayer

Some believe that without a god to supervene in the affairs of humankind, we would be immoral and despairing. This thinking does not consider that perhaps we are now indeed living in a world where no god intervenes. So, what is the proof? Is there a god who intervenes and would we be doomed if that god removed himself from human affairs? Or, is there no intervening god and so do we already know the morality (and immorality) of which we humans are capable?

Perhaps the test is this. If there is a god intervening in our world, does he bring peace and joy to the lives of those who deny his existence? If it is assumed that he does not, to what do we attribute the joy experienced by those who reject god? Is the atheist deluded or lying if he or she claims to be joyful and at peace? Is it merely a false peace, a shadow of the true peace of god?

I have been in both places. A true believer open to the grace of God’s joy and a true unbeliever experiencing joy. There is no difference.

Here is my “prayer” of joy that I converted from a more theistic version I recently found circulating in a chain email.

I am thrilled with the expectation of this day. I am filled with wonder and awe at the complexity of our bodies and their ability to perceive the things around us. Imagine! Molecules and proteins combining in ever more complex arrangements from which our senses and our consciousness arise!

What's more, I stand in amazement because we would not be here if it were not for the unique circumstances under which we have learned that cooperation and good will ensure the survival of us all. Forgiveness and understanding are our saving grace if we but reach out and embrace it. I determine, today, that I will embrace a forgiving heart - - forgiving myself and forgiving others - - and assume the best in others and myself. What joy there is in seizing the day, knowing that my actions define me to others and knowing that the difference I can make is here and now in this life that I have.

I exalt in the power of knowing that I can affect my destiny but tremble in the knowledge that there are many mysteries and unknowns that can also determine my fate. I therefore resolve not to judge others by the circumstances in which they find themselves. I resolve, also, to calm my hectic day in order that I might listen to my conscience and check the integrity of my thoughts and, through this, broaden my understanding of the world around me and know that I am but one small part.

I know that there is good and bad in my nature but I also know that reason can often rule nature. I will not foolishly rely on superstition or mysticism to somehow alter the course of my actions. Rather, I will find the good in me and others and consciously nurture it and sanely choose, to the best of my ability, to reject the negative. I know there are wellsprings of strength and goodness in human nature beyond what we imagine is available. I am confident that the unleashing of this goodness has an impact, also beyond what we can imagine. I choose to daily draw upon this potential to encourage and assist others, to stand up for the misjudged and misunderstood, to work for justice and fight down suffering. And, finally, I write this that you can share this with others so that they may also believe.

Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.

Clean

Cool, dark isolation
Curled in a bed
scooped out of the soft earth
Darkened by curved fingers
Lifted up by flat shafts of light

The breath is clean
It is purged
It traces the spine
Exhausting the corrosive restraints

The work, the effort
fires the wind that’s inhaled,
lifts the spines of light.