One thing: a picture of the Balkan Church hangs in Henry's bedroom in SH4, and as a haunting, it turns into a portrait of Walter's (crucified!) corpse.
Add to that the image of a cross in Japanese society is taboo- not associated so much with Christanity but that the T joint is terrible feng shui. A cemetery I worked at put up a cross in the 'Asian' burial section and it did not go over well!
I really love this because it put into words the exact feeling I got when I was first introduced to Dahlia. I didn't have any spoilers, but I still could not trust her because of that crucifix. I'm from the South, but my church never used crucifixes because they were focused on the message of love and kindness, rather than suffering and being unworthy. So as soon as I saw her standing in front of that crucifix like she was praying to it, I immediately got the idea that Dahlia is not to be trusted. (Not saying that people who go to churches that use crucifixes are untrustworthy; its just that its a horror game so I'm already wary of trusting a lot of characters--the crucifix just sealed the deal for me on Dahlia.)
The crucifix is very popular in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, historically. I was used to the image, having grown up going to a Catholic school where we'd sometimes have to go to masses. I didn't trust Dahlia immediately because she has an evil witch voice.
Two things Silent Hill doesn’t lack are definitely hospitals and churches. This one, and then the Antique Shop altar, as well as the Church of the Holy Way (Homecoming), some Lutheran church, Saint Stella Church, and the final Chapel in Silent Hill 3.
I just realized I would probably watch any Silent Hill video from you. Lore, character, location, music, etc, it doesn't seem to matter, I'm always interested. You could make a video on whether Harry Mason liked peanut butter sandwiches and I'd probably be intriged 😂💀😂
I LOVE your explanation on these... But I gotta say, Orthodoxy exists from Australia to Vladivostok, from Indonesia to Ireland, from Japan to Tennessee. I live within one block to one in Utah, it was built in 1925. Yes, Orthodoxy is strongest in Eastern Europe, and Southeastern Europe. But it is a worldwide faith. Look up Orthodox Alaskan Native.
I have a video suggestion ,could you make a video about the symbolism of the songs of silent hill ? Like the "hometown" ,"room of angels ","you are not here" . I would really appreciate it ,by the way I love your videos !
"There is little Orthodox Christianity outside the Balkan area." Totally false. Aside from it being the version of Christianity *all of Russia* (which is huge) adheres to, it's also found as the main religion in the Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Cyprus and Romania (which here is outside the blue line). *None* of those aforementioned countries are located in the Balkans and yet Orthodox Christianity is the dominant religion in those countries. Some of the countries in the Middle East which were part of the old East Rome (with Constantinople as its capital and where the split between the Catholic church in West Rome began) still have Christians minorities and they are chiefly Orthodox. There are 145 million Russians, 40 million Ukrainians and some 20 million Romanians. Overall there are roughly 300 million adherents of Orthodox Christianity and I'm afraid the combined total population of the countries in the Balkans is merely around 30 million. The Balkans are tiny both in regards to area and population compared to Russia and the fact is the Ukraine *alone* is larger than all the Balkan countries combined. "are both major players in the area" As is *Islam* . The Ottoman conquest of the Balkans for some 500 years left a lot of people converting (mostly out of poverty or hunger) to Islam. The Ottomans actually made it all the way to Vienna in Austria where they laid a long seige twice, in 1529 and 1683. The Orthodox Church is certainly *not* unique to the Balkans. As to why they chose the name "Balkan" church. There is a far more simple and plausible explanation. Back in 1999 there still was a civil war going on in the Balkan countries, some of which had been part of the splintered Yugoslavia (sort of a mini-version of the Soviet Union which went its own way and never was part of the Comintern, the Warsaw Pact or even was a Soviet satellite state). Back then the word "Balkan" simply translated to "huge, convoluted mess" in the minds of common people. Why? Well, the Balkans has always been a hotbed for internal conflicts between different ethnic groups, nationalities and different faiths. Some of these conflicts have roots stretching back centuries. To most outsiders the whole thing appears like an incomprehensible mess, especially when there are different political fractions involved too. To cap it all off the Balkan countries have at different times in history been invaded and occupied by various powers such as the Romans, Byzantines (East-Rome), Italians, Ottomans ("Turks"), Austrians and Hungarians. All of these inflicted their own culture upon the locals and left a permanent imprint. This is why the architecture there is so mixed and can look "classically Austrian", "Typically Oriental Turkish" or "classically Roman". All side by side like a giant jigsaw puzzle or chequers board if you prefer. Depending on who you ask the Balkans can either be see as a "successful melting pot" of different cultures, faiths and traditions or "a textbook example about how different cultures inevitably clash and go to war". Among right-wing extremists (white supremacists) the word "Balkanization" is used as a scare-tactic and buzzword to make more people support their idea that different cultures and faith cannot coexist and that the countries of the Balkans is a textbook example because they have constantly been at war with each other over the centuries. The Balkans might as well have been on the Moon to the people of Japan back in 1999 and it's highly doubtful your average Japanese person gave any thought about this part of Europe back in the 1990's , especially not since their own main concern and worry has been North Korea and to a lesser degree China. For all we know the makers of Silent Hill either liked the word "Balkan" and arbitrarily used it for the name of the church or decided to use it as sort of a satiric name or their own dark humor. I highly doubt they were well aware of the situation of the Civil Wars of the Balkans in the 1990's other than it was a conflict and that religion was the chief driving force behind what people fought other people. If there is *one* thing that defines the Balkans is that the people there are very religious and that they appear fanatical in their faith compared to the rest of Europe. Basically ones faith is a source of great pride and also seen as an integrated part of ones very body and spirit. Yes, they really are Medieval in this sense and it's clear that the Balkans is the least secular part in the Christian world (ironically their Muslims are really secular compared to those in the Middle East). Perhaps some hardcore religious fanaticism centered around ancient beliefs (much like the Balkans) was the angle they went for. It might be even simpler. The Balkans were a living hell in the 1990's with brutal civil war, violation of human rights and neighbors turning on each other after having lived side to side for a long time. It also seemed as if the hell of the Balkans would never end and that the area can just see ruthless killing and blood. Let's make one thing clear too, there really were no "good guys/victims" and "bad guys/violators" in that conflict - and civil wars in particular are often an example of this. If the makers of Silent Hill wanted to convey the idea back in 1999 that the church in Silent Hill symbolized a "living hell" much like the situation was in the Balkans in the 1990's then they sure picked an appropriate name for the church. The connotations for the word "Balkan" are generally negative today but back in the 1990's people in general just associated "Balkan" with war, suffering, religious fanaticism. You heard "Balkan" and you felt uneasy. Anyways, you mention a Celtic Cross outside the church. Again, this only proves the makers of Silent Hill simply shoehorned in references and homages they liked since you won't find any Celtic Crosses in the Balkans. They mentioned the band members of Sonic Youth and there's no "symbolism" behind that, they probably just liked their music and paid the band some tribute only fans of the band would get. One place in Silent Hill has the writing "Redrum" , which obviously is a reference and nod to Stephen King's "The Shining". There's a "Norman's Hotel" seen in a picture in the game. I guess "Bates' Motel" would be too obvious. Long story short. The Balkans meant "Hell" for most people in the 1990's. A church named "Balkan Church" sure would have scared people.
It's interesting that there are figures hung up in the same position as jesus on the cross at the beggining of the game in the alleyway and on the boat where we meet Dahlia again. Perhaps Dahlia placed those there to gain control of certain areas in the same way that Allessa places the seal of metatron.
makes alot of sense when you consider the ending, in that alessa was being crucified to feed the hunger of a dark god. i love the parallels between light and dark in SH
I still remember when i first play SH 1 on my PS1, for some random reason the game freezes on the cutscene of Balkan Church.... Balkan is a creepy place.
I am a member of a Balkan Church, Serb Orthodox Church to be precise and this buzzed me out when i played Silent Hill 1, and yes there are some creepy women in our church in real life, God bless you all Silent Hillers, hope you are living your dream and not a nightmare
An interesting Analysis. The "is not to be trusted"-Conclusion might be a Bit simplistic at the End (kind of implying that generally Christians who use a Crucifix are "not to be trusted"), but other than that, some neutral and well-read Talk about such Matters and their Implication for the Game I very much appreciate. Though I wonder how well the Japanese Developers might have been aware of such Subtleties, and I also have always wondered whether the Church we find Dahlia in is supposed to be seen as something she is indeed connected to, or rather an Antithesis to her: On the one Hand, the Believers in the Town might very well conflate and mix together their religious Views, and at Least some People working in Balkan Church might be Believers in the Order as well, at Least to some Degree, but the Building itself, being so prominently a default Standard Church and having no explicit Imagery of the Order, might indeed be of those Believers in the Town who oppose the Order -- keep in Mind that Lisa speaks of the Order as "some queer religion", implying that the Order might still have been seen as something super odd apart from the orthodox Belief of the average Citizen. But even then, the Crucifix's implied Focus on Pain and Suffering might still have been symbolic of the greater Theme, so good Analysis there, thank you very much!
That was certainly not my intent - its more that the game is associating the darker aspects of Christianity - which the cruxifix can represent, not that that makes it evil but it can certainly be used that way - and associating them with Dahlia, it is definitely a warning that she may be causing us similar pain and suffering in the future. To me, the long focus on the dying Jesus is a bad sign, not because it is an evil image, but because it represents so much pain, and death.
I totally understand that. When I was a Child, the Sight of a Crucifix always instilled Fear and Aversion within me, because of its Exposure of Pain and Suffering -- although nowadays I understand the Value that Depiction can have. It is interesting how much the Perception and Reception of a Cross or Crucifix can differ from Person to Person: When my Friend inserted what I perceived as a celtic Cross and thereby a Sign of Hope and Salvation at the End of a Maze in our silenthill-inspired Game "Simulacrum", he explained that he actually meant to signify Death and Despair instead by showing a Gravestone. In a similar Sense, I suppose the Japanese Developers might indeed have seen more of the Crucifix's "Pain and Suffering"-Aspect than a hypethetical (and weird-sounding) Orthodox-Catholic Game-Developer-Team would have seen in it.
Correction, Metatron and Samuel are considered Jewish, not christian, as the Enochian literature is not considered canon by most sects of Christianity (save the Coptics) Actually as I understand it, the enochian books generally aren’t considered canon in Judaism, However in other Jewish sources, there is much more information regarding Enoch turned angel and the qlippothic entity of Samael
Very true - I refer to them as Christian only in the sense that I think Team Silent is trying to discuss Christianity, and likely included this names because they appear in Christianity too. So in that sense, they have their roots in Christianity. I probably should have worded it differently to make a differentiation between actual origin, and the reason it was put in the game. Thanks for watching!
Muse, you forgot that in SH3 credits screen have a cross too, with Heather most likely burying Harry i.ytimg.com/vi/TKdzVx6cHMc/hqdefault.jpg SH3 hometown music, that plays in the credits, alludes to cristianism somehow too, if you pay attention.
I get confused about Team Silent's allusions to Catholicism. It seems like they just hate it...Having never played the game but seeing this, Dahlia's committing a blasphemy just by being at the altar. And don't even get me started about Claudia!
I don't think Team Silent is making any statements towards Catholicism or any form of Christianity. They just know that churches have crosses in them sometimes. All the villainous religious people are obviously worshipping some sort of occultist god.
One thing: a picture of the Balkan Church hangs in Henry's bedroom in SH4, and as a haunting, it turns into a portrait of Walter's (crucified!) corpse.
Man i always find myself wishing your videos were just that little bit longer, because they’re so interesting. Great video like always
Add to that the image of a cross in Japanese society is taboo- not associated so much with Christanity but that the T joint is terrible feng shui. A cemetery I worked at put up a cross in the 'Asian' burial section and it did not go over well!
Are you saying they basically were intentionally blasphemous by including the cross in the game?
I seriously appreciate you uploading daily.
When I hear the song broken notes and watch your intro its just gives me the chills because your just do that to me.
This video has been predicted by GYROMANCY
Also the discord link expired.
Sorry bout that! This should be the permanent link: discord.gg/SbVTNjK
There's a type of butter in my country labeled Dahlia.
I didn't know that.
Where are you from?
I didn't know that.
Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?
Please tell me.
It's a humble request.
I really love this because it put into words the exact feeling I got when I was first introduced to Dahlia. I didn't have any spoilers, but I still could not trust her because of that crucifix. I'm from the South, but my church never used crucifixes because they were focused on the message of love and kindness, rather than suffering and being unworthy. So as soon as I saw her standing in front of that crucifix like she was praying to it, I immediately got the idea that Dahlia is not to be trusted.
(Not saying that people who go to churches that use crucifixes are untrustworthy; its just that its a horror game so I'm already wary of trusting a lot of characters--the crucifix just sealed the deal for me on Dahlia.)
The crucifix is very popular in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, historically. I was used to the image, having grown up going to a Catholic school where we'd sometimes have to go to masses. I didn't trust Dahlia immediately because she has an evil witch voice.
Oh, Dahlia was obviously bad news the very first instant I saw her
Two things Silent Hill doesn’t lack are definitely hospitals and churches. This one, and then the Antique Shop altar, as well as the Church of the Holy Way (Homecoming), some Lutheran church, Saint Stella Church, and the final Chapel in Silent Hill 3.
I love the way you explain these things. It's like listening to a very good lecturer of literary studies.
The church is heavily based on an eastern orthodox church in Centralia PA.
I just realized I would probably watch any Silent Hill video from you. Lore, character, location, music, etc, it doesn't seem to matter, I'm always interested.
You could make a video on whether Harry Mason liked peanut butter sandwiches and I'd probably be intriged 😂💀😂
I LOVE your explanation on these... But I gotta say, Orthodoxy exists from Australia to Vladivostok, from Indonesia to Ireland, from Japan to Tennessee. I live within one block to one in Utah, it was built in 1925. Yes, Orthodoxy is strongest in Eastern Europe, and Southeastern Europe. But it is a worldwide faith. Look up Orthodox Alaskan Native.
I've been expecting you.
It was foretold by Gyromancy.
You made me love silent hill
And for that i thank you a 100 times
This was fantastic
Another 10/10 video
I have a video suggestion ,could you make a video about the symbolism of the songs of silent hill ? Like the "hometown" ,"room of angels ","you are not here" . I would really appreciate it ,by the way I love your videos !
"There is little Orthodox Christianity outside the Balkan area." Totally false. Aside from it being the version of Christianity *all of Russia* (which is huge) adheres to, it's also found as the main religion in the Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Cyprus and Romania (which here is outside the blue line). *None* of those aforementioned countries are located in the Balkans and yet Orthodox Christianity is the dominant religion in those countries. Some of the countries in the Middle East which were part of the old East Rome (with Constantinople as its capital and where the split between the Catholic church in West Rome began) still have Christians minorities and they are chiefly Orthodox.
There are 145 million Russians, 40 million Ukrainians and some 20 million Romanians. Overall there are roughly 300 million adherents of Orthodox Christianity and I'm afraid the combined total population of the countries in the Balkans is merely around 30 million. The Balkans are tiny both in regards to area and population compared to Russia and the fact is the Ukraine *alone* is larger than all the Balkan countries combined.
"are both major players in the area" As is *Islam* . The Ottoman conquest of the Balkans for some 500 years left a lot of people converting (mostly out of poverty or hunger) to Islam. The Ottomans actually made it all the way to Vienna in Austria where they laid a long seige twice, in 1529 and 1683.
The Orthodox Church is certainly *not* unique to the Balkans.
As to why they chose the name "Balkan" church. There is a far more simple and plausible explanation. Back in 1999 there still was a civil war going on in the Balkan countries, some of which had been part of the splintered Yugoslavia (sort of a mini-version of the Soviet Union which went its own way and never was part of the Comintern, the Warsaw Pact or even was a Soviet satellite state). Back then the word "Balkan" simply translated to "huge, convoluted mess" in the minds of common people. Why? Well, the Balkans has always been a hotbed for internal conflicts between different ethnic groups, nationalities and different faiths. Some of these conflicts have roots stretching back centuries. To most outsiders the whole thing appears like an incomprehensible mess, especially when there are different political fractions involved too. To cap it all off the Balkan countries have at different times in history been invaded and occupied by various powers such as the Romans, Byzantines (East-Rome), Italians, Ottomans ("Turks"), Austrians and Hungarians. All of these inflicted their own culture upon the locals and left a permanent imprint. This is why the architecture there is so mixed and can look "classically Austrian", "Typically Oriental Turkish" or "classically Roman". All side by side like a giant jigsaw puzzle or chequers board if you prefer.
Depending on who you ask the Balkans can either be see as a "successful melting pot" of different cultures, faiths and traditions or "a textbook example about how different cultures inevitably clash and go to war". Among right-wing extremists (white supremacists) the word "Balkanization" is used as a scare-tactic and buzzword to make more people support their idea that different cultures and faith cannot coexist and that the countries of the Balkans is a textbook example because they have constantly been at war with each other over the centuries.
The Balkans might as well have been on the Moon to the people of Japan back in 1999 and it's highly doubtful your average Japanese person gave any thought about this part of Europe back in the 1990's , especially not since their own main concern and worry has been North Korea and to a lesser degree China.
For all we know the makers of Silent Hill either liked the word "Balkan" and arbitrarily used it for the name of the church or decided to use it as sort of a satiric name or their own dark humor. I highly doubt they were well aware of the situation of the Civil Wars of the Balkans in the 1990's other than it was a conflict and that religion was the chief driving force behind what people fought other people. If there is *one* thing that defines the Balkans is that the people there are very religious and that they appear fanatical in their faith compared to the rest of Europe. Basically ones faith is a source of great pride and also seen as an integrated part of ones very body and spirit. Yes, they really are Medieval in this sense and it's clear that the Balkans is the least secular part in the Christian world (ironically their Muslims are really secular compared to those in the Middle East). Perhaps some hardcore religious fanaticism centered around ancient beliefs (much like the Balkans) was the angle they went for.
It might be even simpler. The Balkans were a living hell in the 1990's with brutal civil war, violation of human rights and neighbors turning on each other after having lived side to side for a long time. It also seemed as if the hell of the Balkans would never end and that the area can just see ruthless killing and blood. Let's make one thing clear too, there really were no "good guys/victims" and "bad guys/violators" in that conflict - and civil wars in particular are often an example of this. If the makers of Silent Hill wanted to convey the idea back in 1999 that the church in Silent Hill symbolized a "living hell" much like the situation was in the Balkans in the 1990's then they sure picked an appropriate name for the church.
The connotations for the word "Balkan" are generally negative today but back in the 1990's people in general just associated "Balkan" with war, suffering, religious fanaticism. You heard "Balkan" and you felt uneasy.
Anyways, you mention a Celtic Cross outside the church. Again, this only proves the makers of Silent Hill simply shoehorned in references and homages they liked since you won't find any Celtic Crosses in the Balkans. They mentioned the band members of Sonic Youth and there's no "symbolism" behind that, they probably just liked their music and paid the band some tribute only fans of the band would get. One place in Silent Hill has the writing "Redrum" , which obviously is a reference and nod to Stephen King's "The Shining". There's a "Norman's Hotel" seen in a picture in the game. I guess "Bates' Motel" would be too obvious.
Long story short. The Balkans meant "Hell" for most people in the 1990's. A church named "Balkan Church" sure would have scared people.
I live next to two eastern orthodox churches, and I live in tennessee
It's interesting that there are figures hung up in the same position as jesus on the cross at the beggining of the game in the alleyway and on the boat where we meet Dahlia again. Perhaps Dahlia placed those there to gain control of certain areas in the same way that Allessa places the seal of metatron.
Loved your analysys. Your vision of the game is awesome.
makes alot of sense when you consider the ending, in that alessa was being crucified to feed the hunger of a dark god. i love the parallels between light and dark in SH
Also part of what she symbol is to wacth out for people who have twisted reglion for thier own means.
Don’t necessarily agreed with everything but you make some excellent points. Very good video - thank you!
Amazing analysis, you're genius...
God I wish they'd bring back the series no pun intended 😂
IKR
wow just wow good job loved it and plus learnt something
I still remember when i first play SH 1 on my PS1, for some random reason the game freezes on the cutscene of Balkan Church.... Balkan is a creepy place.
Jesus say " beware of false prophets". Or something very similar.
In Mark, he called every prophet false, that they do not receive the word of God
@@justiceforjoggers2897 yep. And look at Jesus head in SH cutscene. He looks disgusted. Normally he looks at people on down with sadness.
Somehow i'm proud because i'm from Balkan :) Love the games so much.
I am a member of a Balkan Church, Serb Orthodox Church to be precise and this buzzed me out when i played Silent Hill 1, and yes there are some creepy women in our church in real life, God bless you all Silent Hillers, hope you are living your dream and not a nightmare
interesting stuff
hey gaming muse could you do a video on the spider from PT?
What is the outro song?
An interesting Analysis. The "is not to be trusted"-Conclusion might be a Bit simplistic at the End (kind of implying that generally Christians who use a Crucifix are "not to be trusted"), but other than that, some neutral and well-read Talk about such Matters and their Implication for the Game I very much appreciate. Though I wonder how well the Japanese Developers might have been aware of such Subtleties, and I also have always wondered whether the Church we find Dahlia in is supposed to be seen as something she is indeed connected to, or rather an Antithesis to her: On the one Hand, the Believers in the Town might very well conflate and mix together their religious Views, and at Least some People working in Balkan Church might be Believers in the Order as well, at Least to some Degree, but the Building itself, being so prominently a default Standard Church and having no explicit Imagery of the Order, might indeed be of those Believers in the Town who oppose the Order -- keep in Mind that Lisa speaks of the Order as "some queer religion", implying that the Order might still have been seen as something super odd apart from the orthodox Belief of the average Citizen. But even then, the Crucifix's implied Focus on Pain and Suffering might still have been symbolic of the greater Theme, so good Analysis there, thank you very much!
That was certainly not my intent - its more that the game is associating the darker aspects of Christianity - which the cruxifix can represent, not that that makes it evil but it can certainly be used that way - and associating them with Dahlia, it is definitely a warning that she may be causing us similar pain and suffering in the future. To me, the long focus on the dying Jesus is a bad sign, not because it is an evil image, but because it represents so much pain, and death.
I totally understand that. When I was a Child, the Sight of a Crucifix always instilled Fear and Aversion within me, because of its Exposure of Pain and Suffering -- although nowadays I understand the Value that Depiction can have. It is interesting how much the Perception and Reception of a Cross or Crucifix can differ from Person to Person: When my Friend inserted what I perceived as a celtic Cross and thereby a Sign of Hope and Salvation at the End of a Maze in our silenthill-inspired Game "Simulacrum", he explained that he actually meant to signify Death and Despair instead by showing a Gravestone. In a similar Sense, I suppose the Japanese Developers might indeed have seen more of the Crucifix's "Pain and Suffering"-Aspect than a hypethetical (and weird-sounding) Orthodox-Catholic Game-Developer-Team would have seen in it.
Yikes too good
Wasn't there also a Lutheran church in SH2?
yeah but you couldnt enter it for some reason.
@@willhuey4891 It wasn't important to the plot and was there as filler, basically
Same for Silent Hill: Origins.
TheGamingMuse, you mentioned being from the South (unless I misunderstood), if so, what state? I'm in Georgia myself.
Woah two videos in one day? Who's birthday is it? *sarcasm*
Correction, Metatron and Samuel are considered Jewish, not christian, as the Enochian literature is not considered canon by most sects of Christianity (save the Coptics) Actually as I understand it, the enochian books generally aren’t considered canon in Judaism,
However in other Jewish sources, there is much more information regarding Enoch turned angel and the qlippothic entity of Samael
Such as Sephar Zohar
Very true - I refer to them as Christian only in the sense that I think Team Silent is trying to discuss Christianity, and likely included this names because they appear in Christianity too. So in that sense, they have their roots in Christianity. I probably should have worded it differently to make a differentiation between actual origin, and the reason it was put in the game. Thanks for watching!
This game is borderline demonic and satanic, but it gets confusing seeing as that's supposed to be the point yet no one believes it is so.
Muse, you forgot that in SH3 credits screen have a cross too, with Heather most likely burying Harry i.ytimg.com/vi/TKdzVx6cHMc/hqdefault.jpg
SH3 hometown music, that plays in the credits, alludes to cristianism somehow too, if you pay attention.
Being a Catholic, this is a game series that I hate because I love it
Bible.
she has a necktie that seems out of place, and neckties are croatian which is in the balkans... hmm
I get confused about Team Silent's allusions to Catholicism. It seems like they just hate it...Having never played the game but seeing this, Dahlia's committing a blasphemy just by being at the altar. And don't even get me started about Claudia!
I don't think Team Silent is making any statements towards Catholicism or any form of Christianity. They just know that churches have crosses in them sometimes. All the villainous religious people are obviously worshipping some sort of occultist god.