Christian Fanatic Found Dead on Crucifix in South Korea
Renee Shah
A man described by neighbors as being a religious fanatic was found dead on a crucifix in a South Korean quarry on Wednesday.
He was wearing nothing except a pair of underwear and his head was adorned with a crown of thorns. His hands and feet were pierced by nails, he had a stab wound in his side and his back showed signs of having been whipped.
Also found at the scene was a
drill, a set of instructions for how to build a crucifix, and a mirror. South Korean police investigators determined the mirror was set up so that the man, identified only with the surname Kim, could see himself hanging on the cross.
Kim has been described by those who knew him as having extreme religious views and is said to have been fanatically interested in Christianity. Police believe the crucifix scene was an attempt by Kim to recreate the death of Jesus, and estimate the date of Kim's death to be near or on Easter.
South Korean police have not officially ruled out foul play in the incident. Murder seems unlikely--no reports of the incident say anything about Kim showing any signs of a struggle, and the only wounds were those of the crucifixtion itself. So it would appear that though other people must have been there (Kim wouldn't have been able to nail his hands to the cross without assistance) the 'victim' went on the cross voluntarily.
It will be interesting to learn if the incident was intended to lead to death--was Kim sacrificing himself for his religion on Christianity's holiest day? Or was this a reenactment gone terribly wrong?
Christianity is a dominant and growing religion in South Korea, and there can be no doubt that an incident such as this is a result of the literalism with which popular branches of South Korean Christianity, namely evangelism, are taken in the country. The crucifix scene is also a grim reminder of the dangers of mixing possible mental illness (surely a man who would do such a thing couldn't have been operating at full capacity) with religious belief.
Read more at news.gather.com
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