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    The Prayer of The Ignorant

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    medvedcedo
    The poem expresses the speaker's doubts and questions about God's existence and nature. They do not understand why God would create humans with imperfections or remain silent when called upon. If God wants worship, the speaker argues, he should reveal himself clearly so there is no doubt. As long as one person's experience of God differs from another's, believing in God without reason seems like "slander." The poem ends by pleading for God to answer and not let his child "despair" or remain mute, like at the crucifixion of Jesus.

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    The Prayer of The Ignorant

    Uploaded by

    medvedcedo
    162 views3 pages
    The poem expresses the speaker's doubts and questions about God's existence and nature. They do not understand why God would create humans with imperfections or remain silent when called upon. If God wants worship, the speaker argues, he should reveal himself clearly so there is no doubt. As long as one person's experience of God differs from another's, believing in God without reason seems like "slander." The poem ends by pleading for God to answer and not let his child "despair" or remain mute, like at the crucifixion of Jesus.

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    The Prayer of the Ignorant

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    The poem expresses the speaker's doubts and questions about God's existence and nature. They do not understand why God would create humans with imperfections or remain silent when called upon. If God wants worship, the speaker argues, he should reveal himself clearly so there is no doubt. As long as one person's experience of God differs from another's, believing in God without reason seems like "slander." The poem ends by pleading for God to answer and not let his child "despair" or remain mute, like at the crucifixion of Jesus.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    162 views3 pages

    The Prayer of The Ignorant

    Uploaded by

    medvedcedo
    The poem expresses the speaker's doubts and questions about God's existence and nature. They do not understand why God would create humans with imperfections or remain silent when called upon. If God wants worship, the speaker argues, he should reveal himself clearly so there is no doubt. As long as one person's experience of God differs from another's, believing in God without reason seems like "slander." The poem ends by pleading for God to answer and not let his child "despair" or remain mute, like at the crucifixion of Jesus.

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    The following poem by Multatuli (alias Eduard Douwes Dekker 1820-1887) was published in De Dageraad in 1860.

    The pseudonym Multatuli intended to mean >I have suffered a lot=

    The Prayer of the Ignorant


    translation: Inge van de Stadt I don=t know whether we have been created for a purpose... Or are hre just by chance. Nor whether a God Or... gods, enjoy themselves with our sorrow, and gibe At the imperfection of our existence. If it were like tht, It would be dreadful! Whom to blame For the weakness of the weak, the illness of the ill, and stupidity of the stupid? If we have been made on purpose, to an end, And because of our imperfection do not reach it... Then no blame for all wrongs attaches to us Not to the make... but to the Maker! Call him Zeus, Or Jupiter, Jehovah, Bal, Ja...whatever: He isn=t there, or he must be good, and forgive That we don=t understand him. It rested with him To reveal himself, and he did not! If he had, He=d have done it in sch a way that nobody would doubt; That every one would say: >I know him, feel him, and understand him=. (*) Now, what others claim to know about that God... Doesn=t help me... I do not understand him! I ask why He revealed himself to others, and not to me? Is the ne child closer to the father than the other?... As long as one son of man doesn=t know that God S long it is slander to believe in that God! The child that calls the father in vain, does no evil.. The father, who lets his child call, acts cruel! And finer is the believe: there is no father, Than that he would be deaf to his child! Maybe once we will be wiser! Once, may be We see, that He is there, that He watched us, And that his silence had cause, and reason... Well, As soon as we know, it is time for praise... But no sooner.. not now! It would grieve God, To perceive that we=d worship him without reason... And it is foolishness, wanting to brighten the dark ignorance of to-day With a light... that doesn=t shine yet. Serve him?... Foolishness! If He=d want service, He=d reveal to us: in what way... And it is absurd, that He expects of man Worship, service or praise... while He Himself About the way how to - left us in doubt. If we don=t serve God to his liking... Then it is His fault... his fault... and it is not our fault! In the mean time -until we will be wiser - is good and evil the same?

    I don=t see in what way a God serves us, in distinguishing Evil from good... On the contrary! He who does good In order that a God would repay him, turns, for tht very reason The good into something bad, into commerce... And he who flees wickedness Out of fear for the disgrace of that God, is... a coward! I don=t know You, oh God! I invoked You, I searched, I beseeched an answer, an You were silent! I was so eager To do Your will... not out of fear for punishment, out of hope for pay, But like a child that does the will of his father... out of love! You were silent.. and all the time You were silent! And I wander about, and gasp For the hour, that I will know that You exist... Then I will ask:@Father, why now, for the first time Shown your child that it had a father?... And that it was not alone in the struggle, The fierce struggle for humanity and justice?... Or were You certain, that I would do Your will Also without knowing it? That I, unconscious Of Your existence, would serve You, the way You want to be served?... Would that be true?... Answer, Father, if You are thre, answer... Don=t let Your child despair... Father, don=t remain mute To the bloody-extorted lama sabacthani!...(1) That=s the way the ignorant groans at his self-chosen cross And writhe of pain, and laments that he is thirsty... The wise man - he who des know... who des know God - mocks the fool, And reaches gall to him, and jubilates: Ahear, he calls his father!@ And mutters: Athank, oh Lord, that I=m not like him!...@(2) And sings a psalm: Ablessed is he who doesn=t seek Evil counsel and does not walk upon the dirty path of the sinners...@ (3) The wise man... sneaks to the Exchange, and barters integrals. (4) The father is silent... Oh God, there is no God!

    The Hague, 26 February 1861 (*) Read: >I feel him, know him, and understand him=. Feeling should come first an that does happens to those who believe. But they do not get any further. They mistake their recruit for a soldier. The belief in God has not firmer base than the belief in ghosts. - Would all those capable, scholarly, able people be mistaken? My answer is simply: yes! And that is not so strange, considering Keppler. The great, mathematical thinking Keppler believed in witches. When his own mother was accused of witchcraft, he defended her, without basing himself on the absurdity of the charge. That major step seemed too risky for the man who dared to write his name upon our solar system. When believe is involved, logic an science are silent. That is why one should impose silence upon belief, at least if we want to find truth.

    Notes (1) >My God, my God, why did you desert me?= The words that Christ spoke quoting Ps 22 (21) when in dying pain hanging at the cross. Bystanders mocked it and said: He call for Elias=; they offered him acid wine for a drink (Mt. 27: 46-48) (2) The farisee said that referring to the publican (Lk. 18:11) (3) Ps 1:1 freely quoted (4) securities of a certain kind of state debenture

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