Religion has existed since the invention of the written text. The first written texts found date back to over two thousand years ago. They happen to be religious in nature and these texts are believed by some to have caused many wars and cultural clashes throughout history. It is a popular belief that religion was and is a tool used by many dictators, kings and politicians. A tool designed to manipulate the masses and keep the kingdoms in check. Yehuda Amichai is a poet who has experienced firsthand what war really is. After carefully reading many of Yehuda Amichai's poems, a number of motifs develop that paint vivid pictures of the human suffering caused by war; motifs that develop into themes of religion and God's mercy towards the malevolent nature of man. Religion is an important part of Amichai's poetry and is almost always present in his poems in one form or another. In “God Takes Pity on Kindergarten Children” he writes “Perhaps he will have mercy and cast his shadow / on those who truly love” (9-10) this is a clear and obvious example of religion. It focuses on the rewards of living a holy life. However, he also describes humans as small and insignificant because a man can lead a holy life and be as good as he can, but he will never be a God. Ultimately only God decides who receives mercy and in what way. Amichai also describes religion as a point of view “Like a tree on someone sleeping on a bench/on an avenue” (11-12). It suggests that the rewards offered by religion are opinions, whether they are real or not, the rewards are infinite and are limited only by one's imagination. The shade of the tree could be the reward of a loyal and deserving follower or perhaps the chance to sleep on a bench over a h...... middle of paper ...... humanity's free will. God deals out consequences only like a card shark in a casino where the house always wins. Humanity is predetermined to be evil and Amichai's tone suggests resentment towards God because of this, e.g. "He leaves them alone./ Sometimes they must crawl on all fours/ in the burning sand." These lines suggest that humanity is left alone in the evil world created by God; a world where religion rules by clouding critical thinking, causing wars and genocide. Amichai's poetry is not just about war and religion, he also writes a lot of love poems, but I felt that most of his work was about war and the evil nature of man. His poems talk about religion in a way that shows resentment, perhaps he felt abandoned by God. He has been in five wars and that kind of trauma changes a man. Perhaps he feels that God does not exist or at least there is no good God.