Hartebrugkerk, Leiden

The Hartebrugkerk is the oldest Roman Catholic parish church in the Dutch city of Leiden, at which I called in the summer. It was the first openly Roman church after freedom of religion was granted in 1798. It is an opulent as one might imagine such an establishment to be, with classical façade, elegant furnishings and white and gold décor; this is a place of worship with panache.

I noted that the internal side of the doors appeared to be padded, doubtless to further express the worshippers’ exquisite taste and deep pockets. Yet padded doors and cells bespeak mental asylums and insanity in English parlance, not luxury and style.

Many billions of folk around the world are trapped and incarcerated in man-made religions, mind-numbing cults and death-inducing systems. Only Christ Jesus Himself can set us free, and He does not trap us in institutions thereafter.