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Poet: Stephen Crane
Poem: 12.
"And the sins of the fathers shall be"
Volume: The Black Riders & Other Lines
Year: Published/Written in 1905
Poem of the Day:
Aug 9 2003
Comment 7 of 7, added on February 19th, 2008 at 6:34 PM.
crane is telling the clergy of christendom, who teach that Jehovah is a God of retribution only, that they can go jump in a lake. I don't blame him. But the scripture mustn't be misunderstood. It is quoted from Deuteronomy 5:9. The context is a restating of the 10 commandments and the fact that we should not serve any gods except for Jehovah himself. The Mosaic Law itself is clear that only the guilty should be punished, and no one else, including the children of the accused. However, in this is talking about worship, and the Bible is clear, that after reaching an age of responsibility, each individual Israelite was judged on the basis of his own conduct and attitude. But when the nation of Israel turned to idolatry, it suffered the consequences of this for generations thereafter. Even the faithful Israelites felt its effects in that the nation’s religious delinquency made staying on a course of integrity difficult for them.
But as I said before, Cristendom's clergy teach lies about God, and thinking people like Crane here are moved to speak out against their hypocracy. But be sure to note that it is these so called Teachers and Leaders who are to blame for attitudes like Cranes, and not Jehovah or his Word.
karen from United States
Comment 6 of 7, added on August 26th, 2005 at 6:10 AM.
Is God stating a psychic law like a physical one such as: "if you leave your hand in a hot fire it will burn your skin and flesh through to the very bone "
Or, is God announcing His intension in an egotistical way; this is what Stephen Crane is referring to.
See also the other poem "Think as I think," said a man " ...better be a toad than a toady for such an unrighteous God!
Nimal from Australia
Comment 5 of 7, added on May 30th, 2005 at 8:37 PM.
This poem is excellent because it reveals the hypocracy inherent within the Bible and thus within religion; it reveals the extent to which God is unjust--his "love" based superficially upon how much one worships and pays tribute. A god who condemns man for using the free will He supposedly granted him (the ability to think for oneself and thus have the ability to chooses not to blindly follow) is an unjust god, a greedy god, and a lustful god who cares not for His creation, loves not all His children, but cares only for His own ego. I loved Crane's poem!
Casey from United States
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Comments
crane is telling the clergy of christendom, who teach that Jehovah is a God of retribution only, that they can go jump in a lake. I don't blame him. But the scripture mustn't be misunderstood. It is quoted from Deuteronomy 5:9. The context is a restating of the 10 commandments and the fact that we should not serve any gods except for Jehovah himself. The Mosaic Law itself is clear that only the guilty should be punished, and no one else, including the children of the accused. However, in this is talking about worship, and the Bible is clear, that after reaching an age of responsibility, each individual Israelite was judged on the basis of his own conduct and attitude. But when the nation of Israel turned to idolatry, it suffered the consequences of this for generations thereafter. Even the faithful Israelites felt its effects in that the nation’s religious delinquency made staying on a course of integrity difficult for them.
But as I said before, Cristendom's clergy teach lies about God, and thinking people like Crane here are moved to speak out against their hypocracy. But be sure to note that it is these so called Teachers and Leaders who are to blame for attitudes like Cranes, and not Jehovah or his Word.
karen from United States