BELIEF

 I wonder why Love is called a religion

In many songs, whether Frank Ocean or Hozier

Love is a religion that we all want to be a part of

And it makes sense

Maybe it's because of the devotion, the faith, and attachment

'For better or worse,' they say in weddings

It has the word, the set credo of sorts

A testament if you will

Accounts of all those who fell in Love from Hades and Persephone to Dante and Beatrice

Accounts of how Love conquers all and how if it's meant to be, it's meant to be

The assortment of poetry written by Shakespeare and Rumi that some live by

Rules that every lover should follow, a set of norms in every relationship

Levels you hope to get to

Rites of passage like going from.a girlfriend to a fiancee

It has loyal followers

A congregation, if you will

Hopeless romantics that believe true Love always prevails over distance, infidelity, and even loss

We have the gospel

An anthology of songs written from time immemorial that squeeze endorphins into our bloodstreams and depict a sense of nostalgia or serendipity

Love songs about every stage and every emotion in association

Even songs for when the Love burns out

But lLove also has false prophets and promises

People who claim to be in Love with you but aren't

People who gaslight you and abuse you

People who say they love you, yet they constantly break your heart

The promise that Love prevails beyond anything, yet people still cheat and lie and hurt

'I love you, but not in the same way

'i didn't mean to hurt you when I cheated on you'

'You don't do it for me anymore.'

In some ways, Love is like a cult

You fall for someone willingly, and you give your all to them

And the more you give, the more you disparage as they give nothing back

And you shrink and shrivel like a raisin

And yet, even though they took little pieces of you and you had to take some time to put the broken bits in place

You'll still go back to them

Because you're addicted to the feeling that they exude

The sense you feel you can't find with anyone else

And even though you know, it's a fad

A short-lived high

You'd rather live in the high than go low and admit that you are a worshiper of a broken religion

I have met false prophets, and I have joined cults.

I have drunk from the cup that is to give eternal happiness that is Love, and it tasted bitter

And now I ask myself if Love is a religion

Do I want to partake?

Or am I a heathen?

Am I a staunch believer, or am I just a cynic

And if I am a believer yet I do not indulge, does that make me a pagan?

Is it sacrilege if I refuse to abide by the rules of the religion?

If I believed and loved then lost hope with newfound despondency and skepticism, is that a crisis of faith?

And are those who abide saved?

And those who choose to give in after relentless resentment born again in the religion of Love?

Is Love a religion?