This is part of “The Descent of Man”, FtB’s Darwintine Festival fiction anthology. If you enjoy being part of our community and appreciate the work we do here at FreethoughtBlogs, please consider making a donation to our legal defense fund.

ASCEND.

Failure is our nature
And never fall into the craven trap of thinking
Life is what beings like us deserve
Let yourself instead understand the truth:
In sin we are born, in sin we die
Never listen to the money-grubbers and power-mongers who say
Good works are the only real thing
After all, for everyone around us
Nothing matters but the sins we commit
Get past the foolish notion that
Everyone should receive the support they need
Lead by example with your belief that
Eternity awaits the faithful regardless of actions
Put aside childish ideas like
All people being equally deserving of kindness
Grasp rather the reality of
Nothing in this world being important
It is futility at best to believe in
Salvation being what we must give each other
In our last days, we must be known for this:
Rising above answers which are simple, obvious, and wrong