Dover Beach

"The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled." - Matthew Arnold

I found this poem to be very interesting especially because I feel like it could be applied to our world today.  I think the main point of the poem, though, is that there have been many challenges to the validity of religious beliefs, morals, and precepts which in turn have shaken the faith of people and their religion.  Around the time Arnold wrote this, people like Darwin and Lamarck were putting forth ieas that were very contradictory to our faith.  People began to doubt God and their religion, which was horrible sounding to Arnold, a deeply religious man.  Just as light on the Dover Beach can be gleaming one moment then disapeer the next, the light of our faith can die off in a matter of moments. The good thing, though, is that it can always come back.  We musn't forget our faith when things seem to be contradictory to God's word and His light seems to be fading away.