Brand new popular ideals you to came with American Protestant missionaries spent some time working on their own in certain fascinating implies
Instance, in 1895, the fresh missionary Samuel F. Moore situated what is today this new Seung-dong Presbyterian Chapel in central Seoul towards the side of the new city’s suburban for noblemen, who have been called yangban. It absolutely was a-year regarding transform, when reformers have been needing the newest abolition from public categories, and therefore cure Moore’s American beliefs. Moore themselves try an outsider, fairly aware of societal details for the Korea however, convinced that it would-be altered used. Thus that Weekend, the guy launched to his make yangban congregants which he is actually going so you’re able to receive commoners to go to church in addition to them because the a great trial of Religious concept off equality till the throne of God. The fresh church perform allowed riff-raff regarding regional business, plus peddlers out-of a course named paekchong and also outcasts regarding that the lowest was basically people whom taken care of chicken and you will leather-lifeless things-thereby had been nicknamed “butchers.” However encourage the the latest participants to place hair right up in the topknots and wear limits, such as for instance very good some body, and everybody is always to name one another “sis.” This new yangban players immediately ran on exits, and for the second several years ahead of their dying, Moore mourned brand new failure regarding his try. Plainly, Korea wasn’t able for it amount of personal mingling within committed. Moore’s chapel today has exploded towards the ever-larger property, now, new congregation of your own Seung-dong Church proudly remembers the story of your own “Butchers Church” since the an early on chapter in the reputation for Korean democracy.5
