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C. L. Sihag

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Christine L. Sihag writes traditional, stanza-structured rhyming poetry, but chooses topics that have long been entangled in controversy. Then, she poses a perspective that represents a discerning departure from what abounds in popular opinion. From decades of being a Biblical scholar, she offers insights into both Old and New Testament wisdom, with clues to universal questions such as, "Why do we die?" Her lucid poems set out to tackle tough subjects such as the purpose of life, the meaning of truth, the genesis of law and justice, the origins of evil, suffering and death - alongside the plethora of human freewill, the generous entitlement of choice, and the great privilege of prayer. Her writing also pointedly engages the disparate mindsets of both the atheist and the staunch religionist, while intermixing both contemporary and ancient viewpoints.

She collaboratively draws from two additional realms of expertise for writing her poetry. From a decades-long career as an expert in the field of Federal contract law, she employs a keen ability to select each word to fulfill a specific purpose - a skill required for writing government regulation and policy. She also infuses her poetry with a delightful musical quality, elicited from having been a life-long classical pianist. Her poetry is thus carefully composed of verses that convey profound points to consider, along with a lilt of melodious syntax - the art of writing music with words. All such qualities make for a uniquely fascinating and challenging reading experience.

THE ATHEIST'S MISTAKE Cover
RELIGION & INSPIRATION

THE ATHEIST'S MISTAKE

BY C. L. Sihag • POSTED ON Dec. 18, 2013

Debut author Sihag’s collection of poems addressing truth and freedom in relation to faith.

Sihag uses verse to explore humanity’s desire for truth and mistaken roads toward that desire. The author focuses especially on two disparate concepts; both are aimed at truth and yet, in the author’s eyes, miss it—atheism and religion. The cold logic of atheism, as well as the restrictions of religion, take individuals away from eternal truths. She notes, for instance: “The atheist—leaps to the most logical conclusion….A religionist loses all perspective in his confusion.” Sihag seems to argue instead for a personal and experiential approach to the divine. “Do not confuse God with religion,” she notes, “you see / The whole world is lost in such details.” Likewise, she warns the atheist, “[I]t is such a serious thing to repudiate God without care.” Not all of Sihag’s poems are so overtly faith-oriented in content. Some are more pastoral or therapeutic. For instance, “Why Me?” explores someone’s death from illness. “Beyond” is a brief poem that looks at the beauty of snowflakes and sees a glimpse into the eternal and infinite. All entries conclude with one or more verses from the Bible to underscore their lessons. Though simple rhyming schemes make the poetry seem elementary at first, it soon becomes clear that each poem’s meaning is opaque and mysterious, requiring deeper reading and pondering by the reader. Sihag’s work actually harkens back to the qualities of ancient Hebrew wisdom writings, such as Ecclesiastes. In eschewing simple, black-and-white versions of truth accepted by society at large and, instead, considering the ambiguities of life and accepting them for what they are, Sihag shares a worldview and style dating back to the time of Solomon.

Enigmatic yet practical poetry aimed at those too certain of life’s truths.

Pub Date: Dec. 18, 2013

ISBN: 978-1492185635

Page count: 202pp

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2014

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