As an Orthodox Christian I understand where you’re coming from, but you have to understand that Christianity’s role in world politics and international relations has, for the past 700 years, been often one of justifying imperialism. It has often functioned as a hegemonic tool to oppress and colonize other cultures, so this blend of pagan practices and mysticism with Christian ones in the story is likely a representation of some responses from countries Christianity has been imposed upon (likely Evangelism or Mormonism, or adjacent like Jehovah's witnesses, in east Asia) and their adoption of it, which often has evolved into cults that draw from local cultural specificities and their memory of Christianity.
It’s super interesting how the cult in the story reflects South Korea’s rapid globalization and modernization, which of course came with a renewed awareness of Western conceptions of gender and their adoption, as is seen in this chapter, albeit in an extreme manner. But that’s what cults do. They draw from other cultures, exploit vulnerabilities… etc. (namely by drawing from the memory of Christianity as a hegemonic tool of oppression in the name of “civilization”, and fusing it with other recognized indigenous traditions like shamanism).
I don’t mean to sound like I’m lecturing anyone or refuting whether you should feel upset or not. However, consider how Christianity has evolved in each country it’s been forced upon and how its enforcement has perverted its core values and practices. This is the case with many other religions, too.
As an Orthodox Christian I understand where you’re coming from, but you have to understand that Christianity’s role in world politics and international relations has, for the past 700 years, been often one of justifying imperialism. It has often functioned as a hegemonic tool to oppress and colonize other cultures, so this blend of pagan practices and mysticism with Christian ones in the story is likely a representation of some responses from countries Christianity has been imposed upon (likely Evangelism or Mormonism, or adjacent like Jehovah's witnesses, in east Asia) and their adoption of it, which often has evolved into cults that draw from local cultural specificities and their memory of Christianity.
It’s super interesting how the cult in the story reflects South Korea’s rapid globalization and modernization, which of course came with a renewed awareness of Western conceptions of gender and their adoption, as is seen in this chapter, albeit in an extreme manner. But that’s what cults do. They draw from other cultures, exploit vulnerabilities… etc. (namely by drawing from the memory of Christianity as a hegemonic tool of oppression in the name of “civilization”, and fusing it with other recognized indigenous traditions like shamanism).
I don’t mean to sound like I’m lecturing anyone or refuting whether you should feel upset or not. However, consider how Christianity has evolved in each country it’s been forced upon and how its enforcement has perverted its core values and practices. This is the case with many other religions, too.