Introduction

A fellow poet was wondering if the journal was affiliated with a particular religion, though I am
not sure where he got that impression, as I have made no such affirmation. 

There is no official "religion" to this website. As a matter of fact, I would argue that a website 
cannot "have" a religion, only people "have" religions. Because a website has no soul, it can have
no faith, so the only trappings of religion it can hold might be, say, a moral code. And roughly 
speaking, I am using  (American) standard rules of decency. Everything else is fair, as long as the
poetry fits.

Moreover, the vision embodied in this journal is that personal truths are sometimes worth sharing
to people of all faiths. Sometimes we become convinced that our personal truths point toward
larger Truths. Any person might stumble across truth through nature, contemplation, experience,
dreams, or relationships. If this happens, then that glimpse of truth can make sense to a large 
audience of people. Indeed, I have read poems by people of other faiths that strike a chord with
me or cause me to reflect on my own faith. Sometimes I take what I can get out of another 
person's perspective.

Glimpses of truth lie everywhere, within and without. Knowledge is self-manifesting, and a person
of perspicacity will see this. The same goes for wisdom. Wisdom is not the sole reserve or estate
of any one tradition, faith, or culture. It stands on its own. It comes through soulful living.

Subjective Substance touches the boundaries of faith and religion, but it is about more and less than the
topic of religion. Subjective Subtance is about ideas that  may or may not be addresed by religion, 
but are provocative and worth an intellectual encounter in this lifetime. Doctrines will diverge and 
so will worldviews. And there are and should be great websites for discussing differences with 
respect and understanding. But being a battleground for these differences is not part of the vision
for this journal. All poets who express themselves authentically, primarily for themselves, and not to
proselytize, are encouraged to submit here.

In the Western world, especially at this polemical time in history, it may be a real shock to learn 
that people of all backgrounds, even non-Christian ones, are writing important poetry in Western
languages.

Someone once said, "If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each 
man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm any hostility." It is hard to ignore the current 
climate of war and the fear of the clash of civilizations. Imagine for a moment if being "civilized" were
not something a culture obtained by virtue of its material legacies, but were instead manifested
through its living examples of the positive capabilities of the individual. 

Enjoy this month's journal. As you may have read, we are in need of relevant poetry. So, dear 
readers, if you encounter poems or poets online or offline, please send me word here. Thank
you.

Omar Azam