Since I’ve been in Korea I cannot count the number of times that I have been stopped on the streets. First, I thought wow, people sure are super friendly in Korea! They just want to chat and get to know me and be my best friend! Of course once the conversation, or limited conversation since my Korean sucks and usually their English is comparable, gets past the introductions then the whammy is delivered.
“Do you know the Heavenly Mother?”
Now when I first heard this question I thought the guy was speaking about a constellation or maybe a new Korean Pop singer. Nope. It turns out she’s the counter point to God, the Heavenly Father, and she’s more direct and not so mysterious because she’s living right here on earth in Seoul!
Immediately, I thought the Heavenly Mother must be like Miss Cleo, but only bigger. No 900 numbers for the HM, nope, she’s got proselytizers with cellphones and probably a blackberry to keep track of all her minions, um, followers.
How could I not know there was a supreme being living in the flesh right here on earth? I did what everyone does when confronted with a new person in their life, I googled her. It turns out her name is Zahng Gil Jah and she leads the World Mission Society Church of God.
Her people must be devout and live on caffeine and no doze, because I swear they lay in wait behind lamp posts and the corners of buildings ready to leap out and proclaim her all giving love and eternal life for you if only you can come to a meeting. I used to stop and chat to be polite, but now I just run away or proclaim that I am a follower of the Heavenly Divorced Mother of Three who doesn’t have time for meetings because I have bills to pay and have to go to work.
I think they have trouble recruiting because their Heavenly Mother needs a makeover or maybe she can just be replaced by a fresher and more contemporary image for the new millennium. Like say…
Rupaul! Now the Heavenly Mother has an edge and glamor that appeals to the youth and targets the growing gay demographic which has plenty of disposable dollars to spend. The meetings can serve mojitos and double as a circuit party with maybe a parade thrown every other month.
