William Blake

I by no means consider myself a religious person. I feel that organized religion too often teaches people to not think for themselves. That being said, I know many religious people who, quite brilliantly, can maintain their faith while being open to new ideas and other possibilities.

That being said, I ascribe to the belief that William Blake was a prophet. His works show a depth of understanding and thinking that are far beyond my own meager abilities. Occasionally my thought processes will brush on ideas that are of a similar vein of Blake's powers, but rarely does this happen.

Specifically, his Marriage of Heaven and Hell is amazing. His portrayal of Hell, and the words of The Devil show how deeply he understood and balanced the teachings of Christianity with his own perceptions of the True nature of the world. The idea of the conflict between Energy and Reason is the perhaps the core struggle that human beings deal with. The conflict between the desires and inspirations that surge forth from our instincts and natural urges, and the immense reasoning power that we as a species solely possess.

I hope every person in their lifetime, religious or not, reads many of his works. They can be difficult to wrestle with at time, and require patience and study to glean the most valuable points from. I myself have spent several years reading them at various points and still discover something new with each additional session. I imagine that this is the type of experience that many people have when reading the Bible or Koran or the Tanakh. Blake's visions ring out to me, and he approaches the world with a view that I myself often hold.

Over the years my lack of religious inspiration and faith has shifted. I feel as though it is wrong to deprive your mind of any idea, no matter how contrary it may be to your overall philosophy, you never know when a small point may be taken and incorporated into your pre-existing viewpoints.

That being said, I do not see myself reading the Bible anytime soon, but the fact that I entertain the possibility of that act shows me my willingness to grow and change. Just as every life experience changes and tests your character, so does every written word read change and challenge your psyche.

Every thing possible to be believ'd is an image of truth. -William Blake,"The Proverbs of Hell," The Marriage of Heaven and Hell