The Moon that Embraces the Sun?

[sisiberlyn]

Hi guys, new here to the forum I'm a huge fan of Korean entertainment, the music, the dramas, etc. I already watched The Moon that Embraces the Sun a while ago, and totally loved it, but I have some questions for my fellow Christians here. I searched the forums and noticed no one had posted about this show yet, to my surprise Anyway, my question to all of you guys who have seen it, if anyone, is: Is this drama ok to watch from a Christian perspective?
I would like to re-watch the show, as I did love it before, but I'm confused. There are shamans, Buddhism, black magic, envy and hate; but the latter three never lead to any positive conclusions in the show, and instead always land the perpetrators of those sinful things in disaster, and the Buddhism and shamans, while a few of the main characters are shamans, are (if I remember correctly) either passing mentions or generally neutral with regard to the story. Also, I'm not at all worried that by watching this show, I'll be tempted to convert to Buddhism or start practicing black magic and predicting peoples' futures; I know Jesus is my Savior and nothing will change that. In light of these things, what are your opinions, guys? I hope this isn't an inappropriate place to ask things like this, but I haven't been able to find a Christian perspective on this show ANYWHERE and it drives me nuts! lol

Thanks, everyone, and nice to meet you!

[Atria35]

It's different for every Christian - what makes one stumble might present no issue for another.

If *you* can handle the content and have no fear for your beliefs, then go for it.

I myself haven't see the show (getting ready for a move) but I've been dying to!

[sisiberlyn]

It's different for every Christian - what makes one stumble might present no issue for another.

If *you* can handle the content and have no fear for your beliefs, then go for it.

I myself haven't see the show (getting ready for a move) but I've been dying to!

Hey there Atria35! Thanks for your reply ^^ Yeah, I have no fear whatsoever of turning from Jesus- I have no intention of ever doing that for anything, much less for some TV show lol My concern is whether or not it's inherently sinful to watch something that isn't explicitly Christian or that hints at or shows things that are sinful >_< As in, would I be sinning just by even watching it. I get very confused about that. That's why I wanted to get opinions from fellow Christians who may be more knowledgable than I about this sort of thing. I'm still learning and have a long way to go! lol

[Davidizer13]

l My concern is whether or not it's inherently sinful to watch something that isn't explicitly Christian or that hints at or shows things that are sinful >_< As in, would I be sinning just by even watching it. I get very confused about that.

That's kinda vague - if you're trying to avoid media that shows anything sinful, then the Bible itself would be included in that. Same goes with stuff like Les Miserables or Crime and Punishment, which have Christian values woven into them, but the characters and their sins are out in the open. (Heck, I even saw those themes in Fullmetal Alchemist, which is...pretty dark.) The whole "explicitly Christian" bit has its own issues, I mean, there's certain things that are just religiously neutral; for example, sports is pretty areligious on its face, and I don't think my watching a football game today was a sin.

Personally, I don't have a whole lot of problems with watching things that depict sin, depending on the context around it (and as long as I've got the stomach for it - I'm not too big a fan of graphic sex or gore), because I can recognize it for what it is, and I have the self-control to realize, hey, I probably shouldn't do that in real life. But you might think differently; you might feel that it does tempt you to do those things, and in that case, you'd do well to avoid those shows. It's all about what you're comfortable with (or not), and it'll vary from person to person.

[sisiberlyn]

[quote="Davidizer13 (post: 1589523)"]That's kinda vague - if you're trying to avoid media that shows anything sinful, then the Bible itself would be included in that. Same goes with stuff like Les Miserables or Crime and Punishment, which have Christian values woven into them, but the characters and their sins are out in the open. (Heck, I even saw those themes in Fullmetal Alchemist, which is...pretty dark.) The whole "explicitly Christian" bit has its own issues, I mean, there's certain things that are just religiously neutral]

Hi there! I do agree with your comment, actually; the way you put it really makes sense. I am also not a fan of graphic sex or violence, I hate seeing that stuff on TV and movies. The main reason is that it's sinful, but also because nowadays it's just EVERYWHERE. It's sickening, really. But no, I'm not worried that my faith or anything will come into question by watching a TV show like that lol Like I said, I'm not gonna go watch it and be tempted to convert to Buddhism or do witchcraft; I despise those things, so there would be no reason for me to be tempted in the first place lol

By the way, if it helps you guys to get the story context for those who haven't seen it, here's the Hulu synopsis:
Set in a fictional time of the Joseon era, a chance meeting between the crown prince and a nobleman's daughter gives rise to political strife, conspiracies and a fateful love that surpasses even death. Though chosen as Crown Princess, Heo Yeonwoo is torn from her rightful place and is forced to undertake a new life. Years later, the star-crossed lovers reunite as Wol, the secretive shaman, and King Yi Hwon, the man who lost his innocence with the death of his beloved. Based on the novel written by popular author Jeong Eungwol ("The Lives of Sungkyunkwan Scholars") and directed by Kim Dohun ("Royal Family"), "The Moon Embracing the Sun" is a fantasy series that fuses together romance and history.

[rocklobster]

Welcome to CAA.
Now then, here's my two bits. I read A Song of Ice and Fire, which is filled with graphic sex, gore, violence, and did I mention sex? But it's also a very well-written story and the author was on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me recently. He brought up a very good point. He said he includes all that because he is writing about humanity.

[goldenspines]

The show you mention has probably not been talked about because it's Korean and most of us here like Japanese stuff (e.g. anime).

In regards to "should I watch this?", Atria answered it rather well, thus I agree whole-heartedly with her post.


Secondly, put your scholarly thinking cap on and get ready to do some research.

What do you know about Asian cultures? If you currently have the mindset that they are like Americans for the most part, get to researching, because this is skewed view of Asian cultures.

In regards to religion (since it's the main topic of discussion in this thread), Korea has several, including but not limited to Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shamanism. The former three are not really "religions" as much as they are lifestyles; and Shamanism seems to be a bit like the Japanese Shintoism. This is quite important to remember (actually Shintoism in Japan is the same, not a religion). They are ways of thinking/living rather than ways of worshiping. Thus, they should not be treated the same way as Christianity is the America (or rather, the "organized religion" version of it). Even if you ask a Japanese or Korean person if they are "religious", they will most likely say no (unless they are Christian), even if they follow the teachings of Buddhism.
That's just scratching the surface, so get to researching! Take a class or something, talk to exchange students if you can find them and expand your knowledge of people around the world. Your communication points will go up and the dramas you watch will make much more sense as well!

But back to your original thoughts, you seem to not be worried for your own spiritual safety. If you are confident to face anything, knowing that your faith in God will be maintained, why worry? Though, if you do notice that your relationship with God is hindered by something you watch/read/etc., or rather, it separates you from God completely, it may be good to give it up.