A Religious Hypocrite Is What I Am

NOTE- I take no pride whatsoever in my religion or its holy books. I am quite ignorant of the nuances of the holy texts of my religion (which, for me, is nothing more than just the one into which I was born). Nor am I well versed in the holy books of any other religion. I am one who maintains distance from any religious debates or discussions. So, if you hate me after reading this, perhaps you need to do a little introspection.

I envision a world where we all live peacefully
Where I can love you for what you are
But the world where we live is bizarre
For here I live following what my religion teaches me.

And what is it that my religion teaches?
‘Love everyone’ is the cardinal principle
Yet when put into practice, it all seems to topple
For the easier way is that of religious atrocities and breaches.

‘Love everyone’ is my shibboleth, yet
 My brother, I can’t love you or your kin
Not because you’re unworthy, not because it’s a sin
But because I’m a religious hypocrite.

‘Love everyone’. Oh yes, I do.
But you believe in a God different from mine
And so arrogantly do you think it’s fine
And that leaves me no choice but to hate you.

‘Love everyone’ is my solemn rule to live by
Yet I fail to love you for you are an atheist
Condemned by my religion, and I’m a pantheist.
I’m bound to loathe you and hence the loathing I’ll fortify.

‘Love everyone’ is what I’d like to do
Yet how can I love you when you flout my religious tenets
And when I so blindly adhere to each word of the holy texts?
And so pure contempt is what I shall shower upon you.

‘Love everyone’ is what I preach and practise
But you and I are different
On levels uncountable. And that puts an end
To my love for you. And you, I despise.

I wish I could open my parochial mind
Walk away from thoughts of mediocrity
Put aside the religious untruths and the irrational hostility
Go in pursuit of true sagacity and leave old baggage behind.

But a religious hypocrite is what I am
And so I sit here, take pride in my blissful ignorance
Enhance my acrid thoughts and embrace this pretence.
And come any atheist or heretic, with my righteous wisdom, I shall slam.