Question :
In Japan there is / are a plethora of New Religions, and some are
classified as
New-New Religions ( founded more recently, especially in the past 20 years
or so )
Anything similar in Korea ?
Billy
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10/18/2011 8:36:43 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected]
writes:
To me this is sort of a "don't forget" article than something new. Korea
has always had a problem (since 1945) with political corruption and
religious ties. I live in a building that is about 60% Korean and 40% Japanese
so
the ROK both modern and historical are of great interest to me both from
a practical viewpoint and a cultural one.
Attempting to ascertain how many Buddhist there are in Korea or Japan is
a monumental task given, as you know, the tenents of East Asian religion
are traditionally eclectic and the people themselves are not exclusive in
their religious commitments. Over the centuries the Koreans have developed
something like the Japanese who follow three schools of thought with no
qualms at all. But shamanism be it Shinto or the Korean version (Shingyo) is
present in everyone's life, even those who are Christian follow it. It
explains the birth of the Japanese or Korean people. Another thing is a
person (like mu father-in-law) will tell you that they do not follow any
religion yet they observe many Shinto rites and a death they have a Buddhist
funeral that necessitates a name change.
Christianity as a movement. in large numbers, is new to Korea. The 19th
century did bring some find a few Catholic converts but the French managed
to pillage a great deal of art using the religion as a tool. The real
Christianizing of the country began with a great influx of Protestant
missionaries following the Korean War and after its end in 1953. Most Korean
Christians are only one or two generations (a few Catholics have been
followers
longer). During the Japanese occupation Christianity was frowned on a the
few that there were faced a great deal of oppression.
The whole approach to Christian thought in Korea is interesting because
converts unknowingly often bring baggage from their former religion or the
dominant religion of their nation. and Korea is a fine example of that
since the new religion is relatively new to the country.
Tom
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
--- On Mon, 10/17/11, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [RC] Christianity in South Korea
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Date: Monday, October 17, 2011, 2:38 PM
For God and country
("The Economist," October 13, 2011)
Seoul, South Korea - Korea has long been a hotbed of religiosity. Before
a certain Kim Il Sung began having other ideas, Pyongyang (now the capital
of North Korea) used to be known as “The Jerusalem of the East”. And in
today’s Seoul, practitioners of traditional shamanism, Buddhism,
Christianity and even cults such as the Unification Church (better known in
the West
as the Moonies), all have plenty of followers.
Many of them also have lots of money (not least because religious
institutions are tax-exempt). The Protestant church, in particular, seems to
have
produced a tribe of flashy, mansion-dwelling pastors. This is partly a
result of the character of Korean Protestantism: a common theme, for
instance, at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul is that a poor Christian is
not
a good Christian. However, it is also a result of the incentives created
by the sheer size of some churches. Yoido itself ranks as the largest
Christian congregation in the world, with over 1m members. Another, Somang
Church, has hundreds of thousands of faithful, including South Korea’s
president, Lee Myung-bak.
With all these people throwing their spare won into the collection plate,
mega-churches have become big businesses. Yoido Full Gospel Church’s
founder Cho Yong-gi, who has run the congregation since 1958, has family
interests ranging from private universities to newspapers. Members of his
church
were once asked to pray for higher sales for one of his titles.
A pastor at a Seoul-based church of a mere 60,000 members notes that the
likes of Yoido have become “so big, and with assets so huge, that human
greed comes into play”. And in late September, following complaints by 29
church elders, prosecutors began investigating Mr Cho over the alleged
embezzlement of 23 billion won ($20m) from Yoido’s funds. A documentary aired
by
MBC, a television station, claims that this money was used to buy property
in America. The show also charged that Mr Cho’s wife sold a building
constructed with collection money for her own gain. Its buyer was Hansei
University—an institution where she also happens to be president. Mr and Mrs
Cho
deny the allegations.
Yoido Church’s founder is rarely out of the news in South Korea. In March
he sparked a storm of criticism by claiming the earthquake and tsunami in
Japan was “God’s warning” to a country that follows “idol worship,
atheism, and materialism”.
He is also too political for some. When President Lee’s government drew
up plans to legislate for Islamic sukuk bonds in South Korea, Mr Cho argued
that this would aid “terrorists”, and that the president was forgetting
the vital role the Protestant lobby had in electing him. Following
concerted efforts by Mr Cho and other South Korean church leaders, the
government
blinked first, and the plan was dropped.
There are plenty of rank-and-file Christians in South Korea who do not
indulge in the cathedralism of the mega-pastors. Many of the underground
networks helping North Koreans on the run in China are organised by South
Korean Christians. Refugees who reach South Korea are often cared for by
church groups, and South Korean church aid-agencies are usually among the
first
to respond to natural disasters around the world, including the Japanese
tsunami in March.
But in a country that thrives on group activities and collective bonding,
as well as religion, Seoul is a natural home for mega-churches. The likes
of Mr Cho, for all their flaws, provide something that millions of Koreans
find irresistible.
____________________________________
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Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
