S206

Society Protocol Season 2 06

Unbelievable Stories

After eating, Mi-hee brought out some scorched rice.

Min-hyeok had never eaten it before, so he accepted it with curiosity.

It was savory and delicious.

The clock hanging in the dining room now pointed to 4 o'clock.

“4 o'clock is the time for worship. Here, there are two services, at 10 and 4.

We attend worship every day and then have a meal.

In the morning, everyone either prays or does their own work, and after dinner, they spend their time individually.

So, those who work in the morning go to the afternoon service,

and those who work in the evening go to the morning service.

Since I do the menial tasks as instructed, I attend all the services and help with necessary tasks in between.

Things like looking after the babies, making clothes, cleaning, or preparing food ingredients. I do things like that.”

After seeing Min-hyuk, Mi-hee seemed to find her voice and continued to tell her story.

Min-hyuk responded and listened to her every time she spoke.

It felt like listening to the testimony of a young lady from the Neolithic Age, but he couldn't speak to her directly.

It was because Mi-hee looked quite happy.

There was also a door at the back of the restaurant building, which led to the chapel.

The path to the chapel was smoothly paved.

The chapel entrance had the atmosphere of an indoor gymnasium from my school days.

From the outside, it looked like sheet metal glued together, but upon entering,

a large pipe organ was on the left, and a very large screen stood at the top center.

On both sides, speakers resembling those found in concert halls were suspended from steel bars.

There were no chairs; instead, thick cushions were laid out.

It appeared to be about the size of a 25-meter swimming pool with 10 lanes. Below the large screen was a wooden cross, and behind it seemed to be made of glass, as natural light streamed in, casting a halo.After seeing Min-hyuk, Mi-hee seemed to find her voice and continued to tell her story.

Min-hyuk responded and listened to her every time she spoke.

It felt like listening to the testimony of a young lady from the Neolithic Age, but he couldn't speak to her directly.

It was because Mi-hee looked quite happy.

There was also a door at the back of the restaurant building, which led to the chapel.

The path to the chapel was smoothly paved.

The chapel entrance had the atmosphere of an indoor gymnasium from my school days.

From the outside, it looked like sheet metal glued together, but upon entering,

a large pipe organ was on the left, and a very large screen stood at the top center.

On both sides, speakers resembling those found in concert halls were suspended from steel bars.

There were no chairs; instead, thick cushions were laid out.

It appeared to be about the size of a 25-meter swimming pool with 10 lanes. Below the large screen was a wooden cross, and behind it seemed to be made of glass, as natural light streamed in, casting a halo.

About a hundred believers were seated, either reading the Bible or chatting quietly.

Some were seen praying.

Shortly after, the pipe organ began to play, and the choir started singing.

The people took their positions and began to pray.

The pastor entered the sanctuary.

The service began with him raising his hands in prayer.

In the past, he used to speak about the suffering given by God,

and preach on the theme that such suffering would make them stronger.

However, recently, the content has mainly shifted to criticizing the organizations they consider their enemies.

People wondered why the pastor was acting this way, but as the sermon continued,

They began to grow increasingly angry and hateful toward the snakes, who were the subject of the story.

“I was exposed to traditional Christianity and completed my basic education.

Our journey began with the Reformation led by Martin Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli.

They eliminated the hierarchical distinction that held the clergy to be no different from the laity.

This implies that traditional Christianity was being corrupted by the clergy.

They attempted to reform it themselves from that state.

That is the starting point of the Christianity we believe in today. ”

Min-hyuk held Mi-hee's hand and listened to Pastor Hwang, whom he was seeing for the first time, preach.

He had no desire to go to the church he used to attend, as the pastor always talked about clichés like, "Why do we have to pay offerings?"

He also felt repulsed by the pastor's tone, which sounded like that of a quack or snake oil salesman.

However, Pastor Hwang was even more intimidating.

He felt as though the pastor would pounce and slap him across the face if he made even the slightest rustling sound.

“ Christianity was introduced to Korea because missionary Underwood and Methodist pastor Appenzeller arrived, along with a mother and son named Scranton.

Pastor Appenzeller founded BaeJae School, and Scranton founded Ewha Women's University.

There is also a story passed down that when Empress Myeongseong was assassinated, missionary Underwood took up arms to protect Emperor Gojong.

Furthermore, after Korea became a Japanese colony, Christianity suffered tremendous persecution from Japan.

Independence figures within the Christian community were sentenced to prison terms.

The church was also present at the beginning of the March 1st Movement.

The Japanese Governor-General's office produced opium and increased the number of licensed prostitution by establishing brothels in every city.

The Joseon Colonization Company intelligently engaged in deceitful acts, such as buying land near reservoirs, cutting off water supply to surrounding farmland, and ruining crops to seize the land.

Enraged by this, people launched the March 1st Movement, and Christianity They took the lead in action.

Christianity, Buddhism, Cheondogyo, and Confucianism all united to stage the March 1st Movement.

It is known that Christians accounted for the largest number of those imprisoned.

As the people began to weaken due to oppression following the March 1st Movement, they fell into the temptation of communism and socialism.

However, as you know, the purpose of communism was to destroy Christianity.

They began burning down churches and massacring pastors and congregants.

After Japan established colonies, the number of independent farmers who cultivated their own land plummeted, while the number of tenant farmers increased.

Consequently, it became a world where landlords enjoyed great wealth with even less work.

The more tenant farmers worked, the more they were bound to fall into debt.

The church, whose congregation was primarily composed of farmers, began to decline.

The errors of capitalism had begun to manifest.

While condemning this colonial rule, ethnic discrimination, and all systems that impoverished the people... It brought the church together. ”

As Min-hyuk watched Pastor Hwang continue to tell stories he had never heard before, he thought that to hold worship services twice a day, one must need a wide repertoire.

The pastor standing right in front of him was beginning to look like a prolific writer.

“I, too, used to attend a conventional church and, as a child, always celebrated Jesus’ birthday with joy, believing that Santa Claus would give presents at Christmas.

However, after I matured and grew older, I realized that it wasn’t such a joyful thing after all.

And I was also dissatisfied with the fact that our Jesus is always depicted as being nailed to the cross.”

The cross was the symbol of Christianity, and the fact that Jesus died for our sins was a kind of fixed narrative found in Christianity.

However, Pastor Hwang was telling a strange story.

“Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount and performed miracles of healing the sick.

Then why did they not make the symbol of Jesus into the image of healing the sick,

and not show Him teaching His disciples and people on the mountain,

but instead make Him our symbol as someone nailed to the cross and persecuted by His enemies?

I truly disliked that.

However, I began to think that there might be some kind of scheme at play.

Could it not be meant to convey the message, [If you live like Jesus, you will be nailed to the cross and die?]”

Mi-hee tightened her grip on Min-hyuk's hand. Min-hyuk looked at her.

He had intended to leave her alone if she was happy among the fanatics.

Or, if she was suffering at the hands of the fanatics, he planned to risk his life to rescue her.

He had even packed the hatchet his father used for camping into his backpack.

However, wasn't this actually anti-Christian and too rational? Min-hyuk thought so.

“I wondered, ‘Why would doing what Jesus did lead to being nailed to the cross and dying?’

However, there is a saying among the words Jesus spoke:

[It is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.] He said this.

He was making an anti-capitalist statement.

Jesus waged a struggle for independence against Rome, which was trying to conquer him,

and he opposed capitalism.

So, I had a thought of my own: perhaps, while accepting Christianity in Italy, where capitalism was rampant, they ended up nailing Jesus to the cross.”

For a moment, Min-hyuk wondered if this pastor might be a communist.

But hadn't he said earlier that communism persecutes Christianity?

Then, is he a European-style socialist? He had this thought.

“Who gives gifts on Jesus’ birthday? It is none other than Santa Claus.

To whom does Santa Claus give gifts? He gives gifts to good children.

What does this mean?

It instills materialism, suggesting that [those who possess a lot of material wealth are good people].

And what do people do on the day called Jesus’ birthday?

They spend money, give gifts, and have sex. They are committing adultery.

Jesus’ birthday is merely an excuse; they are simply trying to satisfy their own desires.

There is a passage stating that Jesus turned over the stalls of those exchanging money and doing business in the church.

However, if Jesus were to witness such things happening on His own birthday, would He remain silent?

He would surely issue a furious rebuke.

For starters, Jesus might define Santa Claus as Satan and vehemently criticize him for bewitching people.

It is possible that He might even vehemently criticize him.”

Minh-yuk struggled to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out.

It was because he was reminded of the scene where Santa Claus tries to give presents to children, only to be dragged away by Jesus and subjected to physical punishment.

‘I mean, what’s the big deal about giving presents? Then again, Jesus fasted for 40 days; if an ordinary person tried to follow suit, it would be the perfect situation to starve to death.’

He recalled a lecture about the Four Great Sages given by his acting academy teacher.

“Among the Four Great Sages, Buddha and Jesus were emaciated because they didn’t eat, but wouldn’t Socrates have eaten well?

Confucius was big and carried a sword, so he must have eaten well.

And since he was Chinese, he probably ate a variety of dishes.”

Min-hyuk kept getting distracted, as if Pastor Hwang's words weren't registering in his mind.

Mi-hee seemed completely drawn into Pastor Hwang's words.

Pastor Hwang noticed that some of the congregation members were nodding along, either because their souls had shifted to another dimension or because they were drowsy.

Seeing this, he slammed his fist hard on the lectern, intending to wake them up.

The sound startled the dozing people.

Pastor Hwang actually liked this moment.

It was because he only needed to hear the most important single word.

“All of this is likely the work of the serpent.

All sin begins with greed, and it is the serpent that tempts us into falling into that sin.

By stirring up greed in humans, we steal from others, commit adultery, and harm others; all of this originates from human greed.

The greed to possess more, the greed to live more lavishly than others.

When we speak of Jesus, we always use these words.

The Lord who could have lived in abundance and richness, yet abandoned all of it to sacrifice Himself for us. That is how we speak.

If the Lord had sought glory, He would have possessed all that abundance and honor.

However, He did not do so; instead, He fasted, saved, and gave.

According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus spoke these words.

This is from Matthew chapter 6.

[Be careful not to give alms in the sight of men, lest you receive no reward from your Father in heaven.]

This appears to be a criticism regarding a form of hypocrisy and ostentation.

This is from Matthew 6:5.

[When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people.]

This is also Jesus directly criticizing those who hypocritically appear to be believers.

This is from Matthew 6:16.

[When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, who disfigure their faces to show people that they are fasting.]

He is telling us not to show off.

Looking at all of this, He is telling us not to act hypocritically just to be seen by others.

The message I most want to share with you today is this:

This is from Matthew 6:25.

[Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. "Is life not more important than food, and the body more important than clothing?"

He said this.

He also added these words:

[He fed the birds of the air and spoke of the beauty of the lilies, which are more precious than Solomon's robes.]

But what about the church now?

If the world were to change now and an invader were to say that he would cut off the heads of those who believe in Christianity,

Among those who attend church and speak as if they are believers or pastors, how many would truly say that they believe in God and Jesus?

They would be the first to flee, kneel at the enemy's feet, and oppress the true children of faith.

Let us pray.”