The first one, over at With Unveiled Face, is called "The Butterfly Church." In it, 'Free Spirit' writes about how she has recently discovered "an entire subculture I knew nothing of" in which people are breaking out of the bondage of religion and finding the freedom for which they were created.
She writes:
This new culture I've found, seems to reveal a groaning of sorts. Yeah, like a groaning of the soul, too deep for words. It's both birthed in, and driven by, this groaning. Like baby chicks needing freedom from the encasement of their shells... pecking, pecking, pecking, and then pecking some more. Compelled to discover what's on the other side of their confinement. It's the caterpillar, turned butterfly, breaking out of its chrysalis and making its way to freedom. It's stunningly beautiful! They, too, have an inward knowing in their knower that there's more for them than what they previously knew. It's as natural as a bird flying.
And she continues with a profound statement that knocked me off of my feet:
The main difference between their species and ours is that they don't have their own to contend with.
Oh my! How true. Check out the entire post (link above).
Free spirit's post was very good. I think there's another difference between baby chicks and caterpillars and us. It's natural and necessary for chicks to be encased in a shell and caterpillars in a chrysalis. Without the protection of the shell or the chrysalis, they would die.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it's not natural for believers to be encased by religion. While chicks and caterpillars will continue to develop while in their shell, believers will not. Believers trapped in the shell of religion will begin to wither and eventually die.
Aida
Good distinction Aida.....!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the referral Joel, Free Spirit's got some interesting writing.....
Aida, indeed great points!
ReplyDeleteAnd as I was thinking about your words, "it's not natural for believers to be encased by religion," Paul's words came to mind: "But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor." (Gal 3:23-25)
Indeed it's not natural for believers to be encased by religion. Those who are not of faith are the ones who are encased. And once they've come out of what they were held by, they're supposed to be free! But yet so many remain in bondage to the very religion and bondage that they supposedly were freed from.
I pray for them to see that they now have wings, and they are no longer caterpillars and are no longer encased in cocoons!
Lydia,
I agree. I've been reading lots of great stuff over on Free Spirit's blog!
Joel, Wow. I just found this here on your blog. I'm honored. Thanks for the positive review, and encouraging comments!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear, BTW, that you and the family are safe from the flooding!
Free Spirit,
ReplyDeleteI really got a lot out of your 'butterfly' post, and I'm enjoying the rest of your blog too.
Thanks for sharing your concern about our flooding situation. Our town seems to be through the worst of it, but other towns and cities are really dealing with it in a much more major way.