| Creed or
                           Christ? 
                            
                                No man loves God who hates his
                                kind,
                             
                                Who tramples on his Brother's heart and
                                soul.
                             
                                Who seeks to shackle, cloud or fog the
                                mind
                             
                                By fears of Hell has not perceived our
                                goal.
                             
                            
                                God-sent are all religions
                                blest;
                             
                                And Christ, the Way, the Truth and
                                Life,
                             
                                To give the heavy-laden
                                rest,
                             
                                And peace from Sorrow, Sin and
                                Strife.
                             
                            
                                At his request the Universal Spirit
                                came
                             
                                To
                                    all the churches, not to one
                                    alone.
                             
                                On Pentecostal morn a tongue of
                                flame
                             
                                Round each apostle as a halo shone.
                             
                            [pg 119]
                                Since then, as vultures ravenous with
                                greed,
                             
                                We oft have battled for an empty
                                name,
                             
                                And sought by Dogma, Edict,
                                Creed,
                             
                                To send each other to the
                                flame.
                             
                            
                                Is Christ then divided? Was Cephas or
                                Paul
                             
                                Nailed to the deathly
                                tree?
                             
                                If not—then why these divisions at
                                all?
                             
                                Christ's love doth embrace you and
                                me.
                             
                            
                                His pure sweet love is not
                                confined
                             
                                By creeds which segregate and raise a
                                wall;
                             
                                His love enfolds, embraces
                                Humankind
                             
                                No matter what ourselves or Him we
                                call.
                             
                            
                                Then why not take Him at His
                                word?
                             
                                Why hold to creeds which tear
                                apart?
                             
                                But one thing matters, be it
                                heard,
                             
                                That brother-love fill every
                                heart.
                             
                            [pg 120]
                                There is but one thing that the world
                                has need to know;
                             
                                There is but one balm for all our human
                                woe
                             
                                There is but one way that leads to
                                heaven above;
                             
                                That way is human sympathy and
                                love.
                             
 
                     
                    Chapter IV. The Constitution of
                        Man |