October 15, 2023 – A

During the heresy hunts and murders,
people were compelled to convert
to something
that can only be taken on faith.
And faith cannot be forced.

The core/foundation of my faith is
the essential/utmost importance
of doing the right thing
at the right time
in the right place
and in the right way.

I believe that is essentially important
for itself alone
whether it "does any good" or not.

Trying to force anyone to take that
as the ground of their faith
would be the wrong thing to do.

The grounding foundation of our faith
is our business alone,
and no one can decide/declare
that we are right or wrong about it.

It is entirely ours to conceive,
embrace,
articulate
and serve.

Jimmy Buffet believed
it's five o'clock somewhere,
and, as far as I know,
was faithful to his convictions
as long as he was alive.

Which is more than can be said
for a lot of people
whose professed beliefs and life
have no apparent connection at all.

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