The Artiest Religion

         The Artiest Religion

Modern poetry modern verse contemporary poetry contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem 

“Christianity . . . became the most art-laden, art-dominated religion in the world.

Imagination always remedies the defects of religion.”

Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae, pages 30-31

Religions need the bolstering of art

To fill their immateriality.

Stupidity of humans means the heart

Wants medicine for death’s reality.

The bigger that the claims of prophets are,

The more distended that these claims stretch out,

The more the arts must fill those claims, bizarre,

Or dumbest people start to weep and pout,

So Christianity leads out with more

In arts supporting it.  They burgeon as

Ten thousand flying buttresses to shore

Christ up, this holy massive Alcatraz.

  The sculptures, paintings, poetry and jewelled

    Grails fortify the ones who would be fooled.

Phillip Whidden