| Sleeping At Last – Naive Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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"Religion is a breeding ground Where the Devil's work is deeply found, With teeth as sharp as cathedral spires, Slowly sinking in." Looking at this from how I have been hurt deeply by the church, I think this is referring to how the church has changed into a place full of Pharisees who are doing the Devil's work and pushing people away from God. There are so many wolves in the clergy that don't get fired because there are only 13 states with laws against clergy abuse (scary, I know!) The church has turned into more of a business where they sell to you what you want to hear. I don't think many people are going to be saved in churches anymore unless the church as a whole sees the plank in their eye. Unfortunately, religious people refuse to see it. "God knows that I've been naive But I think it makes him proud of me. Now it's so hard to separate My disappointments from his name." God knows that we have blindly followed the religious institution, being hurt in the process. But he is proud of us because we weren't a part of the nastiness due to being in it because we wanted to truly be good people and love others. The second part is referring to how it is hard to separate the awful stuff the church has done from his name because the church says they are doing it in God's name. "Because shadows stretch behind the truth, Where stained glass offers broken clues And fear ties knots and pulls them tight. It leaves us paralyzed." The truth is changed but subtly by church people. Many use the Bible for their own selfish gain (spiritual abuse). But the stained glass shows us pictures of Jesus usally, and those are the "broken clues" as to what Christianity should be. Fear is a tactic used in churches that abuse power. The fire and brimstone speech is given to anyone who points out the lies of the wolves. "But in the end such tired words will rest. The truth will reroute the narrow things they've said. The marionette strings will lower and untie And out of the ashes, love will be realized." In the end the deceptions and lies people in the church have perpetuated will finally be destroyed by the truth, and the love of Jesus will finally be realized. "God knows that we've been naive And a bit nearsighted to say the least. It's broken glass at children's feet That gets swept aside unexpectedly." God knows we were naive as to the harm the church has done, and couldn't see the danger we were in, but he swept the glass away from our feet so we wouldn't step on it and be cut. This is my interpretation based on my own journey. I grew up in the church, and I am not saying all church people are bad, but churches the way they are set up has allowed for wolves in sheeps clothing to come in and exploit people. There are genuine church people, but many have become Pharisees, judging the hurting sinners who come to church, driving them away. They are doing the Devil's work by turning people away from Jesus through their hatred while claiming to represent him. I was so very hurt by the church because of the way they treated me due to my mental illness (depression and anxiety). I thought God had abandoned me, as people constantly quoted verses about don't be anxious etc. My father used scripture as a means of control and has emotionally, verbally, and psychologically abused my family. It really does lead to a skewed view of church and ultimately of God. It wasn't until I set out on my own journey to find answers that I started to discover that God is nothing like the way church makes him seem. His love is unconditional, he loves us no matter what and he is a gentle, kind, and loving father. It's a journey I am still on and it is my own, but this song resonated deeply. |
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