Poems About God

This is both an easy topic and a difficult one. It’s easy in that we can find thousands of poems about “god”; however, there is great difficulty in agreeing on who or what “god” is, if “god” is. Let’s eliminate the last option first — there are poems about “god” whether we believe in a “god” or not. The poems exist, so let’s talk about the poems themselves. If someone chooses to not believe in the existence of a “god”, then that is not debated here.

The first hurdle is to acknowledge just who “god” is. Many people have different views, and of course, it varies by region of the world. As we look at ancient history, the gods of the Greeks and Romans were certainly different than the God of the Judeo-Christian perspective. Various animistic religions would certainly put god in a different light, some seeing god as good and others seeing god as evil. Some would identify their god as almighty and directly involved with their daily lives, while others might perceive god as some aloof and distant entity that has no interest in what happens here on Earth or anywhere else in the universe. Some may even say that god is incapable of moving between the spiritual realm and the physical realm. Because of these different perspectives, any selection of poetry regarding “god” will certainly please some while disappointing others. There is no simple answer to what poems might best represent “god”. If you find yourself thinking that some good examples have been missed, then this would be a wonderful opportunity to express your views in the comments section below. Many others might also be happy to join into and embrace the discussion.

Some are quick to challenge anyone’s thoughts. Some, like in the poem that follows, expresses the idea that there are only two options. Much of the world’s views on God share this dichotomy — the concept of a ‘grey area’ is unacceptable.

Decision
by Udiah

Many would find it difficult to put their definition of God into one singular statement or phrase. For that reason, it is quite common to find writings, and especially poems, about God with extensive lists of attributes which are applied to God. Again, it depends largely on whether one believes that God is directly involved in the events of this world or not. If not, then perhaps it doesn’t matter. This leaves us with a God who IS involved in our daily lives. Because of that perspective, people like MoonBee Canady in the following poem express their belief of God’s intimate involvement the lives of everyone.

God Is . . .
by MoonBee Canady

Perhaps even the more studied and well-known of poets had some difficulties responding to the question of identifying who God was. Many of them gladly wrote about the “creation”, but avoided writing about the “creator”. Some took the challenge, yet avoided the real conflict.

God Gave a Loaf to Every Bird
by Emily Dickinson