"Quick! I am sane now. If only I could get out of this enchanted chair, it would last. But every night they bind me, and so every night my chance is gone. But you are not enemies. I am not your prisoner. Quick! Cut these cords."
"Quick! I am sane now. If only I could get out of this enchanted chair, it would last. But every night they bind me, and so every night my chance is gone. But you are not enemies. I am not your prisoner. Quick! Cut these cords."The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis, I find is an accurate analogy of a fundamental cult. Aslan, Lord of Narnia, sends two children, Jill and Eustace, to find the lost prince, Rillian.
After many wonderful adventurers with a fellow searcher (a delightful creature named Puddleglum) they discover the prince. Much to their horror, however, the prince is seemingly enchanted with his captor, singing her praises and vowing life-long loyalty.
At midnight, the prince's tone changes. The spell fades and he struggles against the silver chair the witch ordered him bound to. He begs the three adventurers to cut him free during his scant minutes of sanity.
Anyone who has experienced mind and emotional control can identify with the prince. There is a window of opportunity where the force of fear and oppression lose their strangle hold and the terror of continued bondage outweighs the terror of repercussions.
In my own particular window moment, there was a "adventurer" who assisted with the destruction of my 'silver chair' of a controlling cult.
It is my prayer that all those bound in terror by spiritual abuse have that 'window of opportunity' and God sends them an 'adventurer' to cut their bonds to their silver chair.
