Blessed now be Arius,
although condemned as odd:
his Jesus was created and
was thus distinct from God.

Blessed be Pelagius
who held there was no Fall.
Blessed be the Mormons
polygamy and all.

Blessed be the Adamites,
who (being free from sin)
went naked into churches,
dressed only in their skin.

Blessed too be Origen,
of mind so well behaved
he liked to think that in the end
the Devil would be saved.

Blessed be all doctrines held
in Christendom’s dominions,
and blessed be the Lord God
who varies men’s opinions.

*****

Gail White writes: “I wrote this the other day while attempting to put my own irreverent thoughts on theology in the form of a Jewish prayer.”

Gail White is a widely published Formalist poet and a contributing editor to Light.  She won the Rhina P. Espaillat Poetry Award from Plough magazine for 2025, and her latest chapbook, Paper Cuts, is out on Amazon or from Kelsay Books. She lives in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, with her husband and cats.

“Halloween 2006, adamitic costume” by Franco Folini is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.