I’m trying to make sense of the last few lines of Carew’s “The Rapture.” Carew concludes the erotic/religious poem with: “Then tell me why/ This goblin Honor which the world adores/ Should make men atheists and not women whores” (164-166). Is he being earnest in claiming that Honor makes men atheists while not making women whores, or is this entirely facetious? Why might Honor be a goblin? Should women be whores? This is the first time I can recall the mention of atheism in the works we have read; typically we have looked at differing interpretations of Christianity. What might atheism’s role be in these conflicting factions of Christianity?