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Tornadoes, Butterfly People, and Finding the Sacred in Collective Stories

By Rachel Lloyd
Screenshot of woman who found her dog amid tornado rubble in Moore, Okla.
Screenshot of woman who found her dog amid tornado rubble in Moore, Okla.
May 28, 2013
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In the chaotic scenes depicted of Moore, Okla., last week, it was difficult to find God — but a video of the precious woman who claimed she prayed for her dog after he emerged from the rubble went viral on social media throughout the day. People will cling to these random moments when the divine is revealed in often peculiar ways. These moments will turn into stories that will comfort and contribute to the survival of a community that is finding strength it didn’t know it possessed.

Communities have probably always overcome unimaginable circumstances in this way. It may even be the phenomenon that propelled widespread circulation of many of the biblical accounts that were first narrated orally. They often illustrate an oppressed community that finds God in unexpected occurrences. 

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Screenshot of woman who found her dog amid tornado rubble in Moore, Okla.
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