• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.29
• /
• pp.241-278
• /
• 2017

This study aims to classify broadscale anti-religious movements in Korea based on critical public sentiment and analyze the meanings of these movements. To carry out the research, global religious changes that have occurred in modern times were closely looked into first. The world religions have had an influence on the world's religious awareness. As a result, they intend to acquire universality on their own individual grounds while keeping consistency with the past. This phenomenon used to appear to retain the identity, recreate tradition, transform itself to fit in the present times, pursue innovation, or even become overshadowed by other forms of thought such as when religions have collided with nationalism. How does Korean society perceive the changes that emerged in world religions? In general, the circumstances that Korea faces in this era tend to manifest themselves via the Internet, multimedia, and Youtube wherein they sound off on religion and this includes criticism of Christianity, demand for reformation, attack on minor religions, pro-reform academic circles and media, and the propagation of anti-theism. Criticism of religion is interpreted as an anti-religious movement. The secularism and anti-theism brought up by some Western scholars and critical theories of religion from scientific or historical perspectives are being spread through bookstores. Christianity is prone to reflecting on itself and trying to emphasizing a meta-religious spirituality. This in short, characterizes anti-religious movements in Korea. Indeed, criticism against particular religions has also emerged in the past. However, anti-religious movements that have recently come into existence in Korea are in some regards unprecedented when compared to that of the past in terms of their patterns and context. Especially, the active anti-Christianity movement in general is definitely a new phenomenon. This research mainly focused on Christianity, but on-going anti-religious movements will be a major topic for further research that aims to understand the religious changes unfolding in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
• /
• v.148
• /
• pp.291-326
• /
• 2018

The present lecture aims to discuss Nietzsche's critique of metaphysics, religion and morality through the affect. Nietzsche's philosophical attempt for the existential health of man made possible by the affirmation of the earth as a world of realistic life. The affirmation about the nascent Earth means that one feels the world as a world of pleasure. But metaphysics and religion have imagined the earthly world of this world as a place against lust. That is, metaphysics and religion suppress the actual affect of man. From the aspect of metaphysics, religion and morality, the human affect is dangerous. But according to Nietzsche, affect is the basic condition revealed by man's nature. The present lecture aims to discuss Nietzsche's critique of metaphysics, religion, and morality in the guide to his concept of affect.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.16
• /
• pp.183-202
• /
• 2003

일본의 종교계는 2001년에 일어난 미국에서의 동시다발적 테러사건 이후, 적극적으로 평화를 위한 활동에 뛰어 들었다. 가령 뉴욕에 본부를 두고 있는 세계종교자 평화회의(WCRP)는 일본 종교교단들이 상당히 깊숙이 관여하고 있는 세계적 규모의 종교협력단체로서, 미국에 의한 보복공격의 억제를 꾸준히 그리고 강력하게 호소해 왔다. 1970년에 설립된 이 세계종교자 평화회의의 설립자 가운데 한 사람이자, 30여년에 걸쳐 지도적인 역할을 수행해 온 인물로서 입정교성회(立正佼成會)의 개조인 니와노 닛쿄(庭野日敬)를 들 수 있다. 니와노는 1930년에 법화경에 의한 선조 공양의 가르침을 깨달은 후, 불교의 핵심이 이타행 실천에 있다고 가르치면서 열심히 포교활동을 계속해 왔다. 1950년대 이후에는 종교협력과 사회참여에 적극적으로 전념했으며, 그 결과 입정교성회의 종교활동 전체 속에 평화운동이 큰 부분을 차지하게 되었다. 니와노는 불교의 가르침이야말로 평화를 실현하기 위한 핵심적인 사상을 담고 있다고 설한다. 즉 자연과 타자 사이에 조화로운 관계가 유지되도록 평화의 마음을 실현해야 한다는 가르침이 그것이다. 특히 분노와 질투와 공격적인 마음을 가지지 말며, 자비의 마음으로 타자를 대면하는 것이 중요하다는 것이다. 그는 이것이 우주 본래의 실재와 합치함으로써 가능하다고 주장한다. 이처럼 모든 것이 일치할 수 있다고 굳게 믿는 니와노는 종교협력이 평화실현에 있어 중요한 방법이라고 간주한다. 그런데 니와노가 '평화주의국가 일본'이라는 이념에 많은 부분을 의거하고 있기는 하지만, 이런 이념이 과거의 전쟁에 대한 일본의 충분한 반성에 입각한 것인지는 의문의 여지가 있다. 나아가 그는 상이한 종교간의 일치 가능성에 대해 다소 낙관적이며, 또한 불교와 동양사상이 평화를 지향한다는 이해에 대한 비판적인 성찰이 미약하다는 한계를 안고 있다. 그럼에도 불구하고 일본의 민속적 종교토양에서 생겨난 종교적 평화주의의 이상 및 실천으로서, 니와노 닛쿄와 입정교성회에 대해서는 충분히 검토해 볼 만한 가치가 있다고 여겨진다.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.322-330
• /
• 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of critical thinking, clinical decision making and job satisfaction of 132 dental hygienists. The data was collected from 1st May to 31th October, 2012 in Ulsan, Pusan and Gyeongsangnam-do areas. The majority participants were female, 30.6 years old, graduate diploma course of dental hygienist, and working in dental clinics. In critical thinking, truth-seeking was highest score, 3.36 but maturity was lowest score, 3.00. In clinical decision making, canvassing of objectives & values was highest score 3.39, but search for alternatives or options was lowest score, 3.10. In job satisfaction, professional status was highest score 3.20, but incomes & promotion was lowest score 2.84. In correlation between general characteristics and critical thinking, there was significantly different in religion, education status, total working period and working areas. There was significantly different with religion and education status in clinical decision making, And There was significantly different with religion and education status, total working period, and working areas in job satisfaction. Critical thinking, clinical decision making and job satisfaction was positive relationship. To improve professional competence and job satisfaction of dental hygienist it need to use actively the critical thinking and clinical decision making. And it need to prepare the education and strategy to increase the job satisfaction of dental hygienist.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.11 no.12
• /
• pp.658-673
• /
• 2011

This paper examined some problems of media coverage of religion by analyzing a television documentary. The SBS-TV documentary "God's way Man's way" aired in 2008, critically presented the basic Christian doctrine. The producers of the program estimate that protestant churches in Korea have become an established power, which has influence on a societal and political level. Therefore the producers believe that they have the right to criticize that power, especially because its doctrine about salvation leads to serious conflict with other religions, for example, Islam. This program portrayed the doctrine of Jesus as a story borrowed from ancient myths. Consequently, there were harsh protests from the Korean Christian milieu, especially protestants. The author agrees that it is important for the media to critically cover the activities of religious institutions and the behaviors of religious people in the civil society. However, if producers of a documentary want to introduce controversial doctrines of one religion to an audience, they should present the orthodox ones with alternatives or opposing ones, according to the principle of objectivity and fairness of journalism. Since every religion has its mysterious doctrine that cannot be proven by science and reason, journalists should not criticize the sacred part of religion. This paper suggested some ethical points to the media, children of Enlightenment Age, when they cover the religion including its doctrine and mysterious parts.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
• /
• v.45 no.5
• /
• pp.669-687
• /
• 2010

Critical scholarship has shown itself much more adept at identifying and analyzing the content of religious geopolitics than its impacts or effects. This article suggests ways in which the concept of social performance can be used to more carefully consider the effects of religious geopolitics. Judith Butler's identity-oriented notion of performativity is usually geographers' point of entry into issues of performance. But its strong poststructuralist distrust of agency limits its power among those who question poststructuralism's grounding beliefs. This article illustrates the added utility of other theories of performance-particularly the recent pragmatic, dramaturgical, and non-poststructuralist theorization of social performance by the cultural sociologist Jeffrey Alexander-in evaluating the impact of religious geopolitical action. It does so through the case of a recent, particularly geopolitically laden Mormon General Conference. It concludes, through Butler and Alexander, that this General Conference likely accomplished significant geopolitical work. But it also, mainly through Alexander, argues that this work likely had limited capacity to motivate new or additional geopolitical action. Its power was more to reinforce than transform.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.27
• /
• pp.245-282
• /
• 2016

Currently, the whole world is being swept away by spiritual movements seeking divinity in oneself. Yet there are terror attacks, religious disputes and other conflicts continuously taking place on larger and larger scales as well as expanding further and further throughout the world. Interreligious harmony seems like a distant ideal. What is the ultimate cause of religious conflicts? Is interreligious communication truly that difficult? Even among different cultures, said cultures' varieties of ritual expressions, and various religious doctrines, there are points of general common to be appreciated if a deep perspective is adopted. When we find the common ground and understand each other's difference, it will be easier to communicate since everyone will be learning from each other. What could serve as common ground for different religions? Many scholars speak about the state of 'oneness' that is claimed by mysticism throughout a large array of religions. This state of oneness is typically not achieved overnight, but it serves as a prospective state which is pluralistically inclusive. This "religion of enlightenment" emphasizes the process of reaching comprehensive interreligious agreement would be characterized by a deep religious perspective. If superficial religious perspectives focuses only on faith to attain blessings and engage in blind belief, then, by contrast, deep religious perspectives emphasize inner divinity, the true self, orthe higher self. The words, 'superficial religious perspective' and 'deep religious perspective' were defined for personal convenience by O Gang-nam, a scholar of comparative religion. Consequently, this classification is a relative binary concept lacking hard and fast rules with regards to distinctions. But the concept of superficial religious perspectives and deep religious perspectives has its advantage in allowing clearer and easier discussion about religions because it could embrace all aspects of religious life and the development of various religious sentiment. In this way, the terms surface religious perspectives and deep religious perspectives will be used in limited framework. I both borrow this concept and reconsider it by referring to other scholars' methods of classification. From that point, I explore and these views in relation to religious experience. How does religiosity develop, maturity of religious faith take place, deep awareness of truth reveal itself, or an attitude of open-mindedness arise? After these states are realized, is interreligious agreement possible? Most religious studies scholars point out 'religious experience.' They say people could develop their faith from superficial religious beliefs into a more mature and deeper faith through religious experience while continuously aspiring towards enlightenment and practicing their religion in daily life. This study will try to examine aspects of superficial religious perspectives and deep religious perspectives represented in each religion and also explore criticism of each religion. With this view of superficial religious perspectives and deep religious perspectives, some cases documenting the religious experience of Daesoonjinrihoe disciples will be analyzed to see how their religiosity develops from superficial religious perspectives into deep religious perspectives through certain religious experiences. The characteristics of those experiences will also be investigated.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.46
• /
• pp.1-32
• /
• 2023

The purpose of this article is to critically reflect on the 2022 national curriculum on religions. The perspective of this reflection is that since the religious curriculum is meant to be a national curriculum, it should be applicable to all high school students, be shareable, and function as a place for meta-reflection regarding the proper use of the category of religion. For this purpose, I reviewed the form and content of the 2022 curriculum on religions in Section 2. The form of the 2022 curriculum on religions looks similar to the previously utilized curriculum. However, the main change is that the subject of religions was arbitrarily placed into the category of 'subjects for choosing a career.' And the 2022 curriculum on religions has two characteristics in terms of content: the orientation of 'making religious people (spiritual formation)' and the reemergence of the concept of 'pseudo-religion.' In Section 3, I delved into the orientation of 'making religious people through religious reflection' among the characteristics of the 2022 curriculum on religions. In this process, I discovered that the concept of 'reflection as a metacognitive technology,' which was the core of the prior curriculum and school education, was transformed into the concept of 'religious reflection,' and the concepts of spirituality and religiosity were also added. In Section 4, I delved into the dichotomy of 'religion and pseudo-religion.' 'Pseudo-religion' is a new focus in the 2022 curriculum on religions. In this process, I revealed that the concept of 'pseudo-religion' is a combination of an outdated administrative term of the Japanese Government-General of Korea during Japan's occupation of Korea, and as such, the term is inherently value-laden and harmful. I also revealed that determining 'pseudo-religion' in school education regenerates the colonial Japanese Government-General's biased attitudes toward Korean religions and forces teachers to 'invent' (detect or personally appraise) modern day pseudo-religions through arbitrary judgements. The 'curriculum to emphasize religious reflection and detect pseudo-religions in order to create religious people' can distort the subject of religion in the national curriculum as into a 'subject for religion (promotion or degradation).' If this distortion continues, the appropriateness of curriculum on religions existing within the national curriculum will eventually become a subject of debate.

• The Critical Review of Religion and Culture
• /
• no.29
• /
• pp.134-167
• /
• 2016

This paper aims at exploring the characteristics and meanings of religious freedom controversy surrounding religious education, with special reference to proselytism, in protestant mission school in recent Korea. Most of protestant mission schools have been providing students compulsory religion class and chapel service in the name of religious education. According to the school authorities, religious education should be provided for the realization of founding philosophy, and they say that mission school has the right to religious education. On the contrary, many non-christian students argue that their religious liberty is seriously violated by required religious education especially compulsory chapel worship. So serious conflicts broke between mission school authorities and students. Supreme Court decided that Soongsil University has the right to maintain compulsory chapel service, ruling that Daegwang High School should not maintain required chapel worship. It seems that Supreme Court gave different decisions to high school and university respectively, considering the differences between high school and university in application for admission to a school, students' critical consciousness, school's autonomous rights, etc. However, these precedents are being challenged by many peoples and groups. There are three agents which are involved in religious freedom controversy in mission school. The first are mission school authorities supported by religious groups, the second government supported by political parties, and the third mission school students guided by NGO. Among them protestant groups are playing the major role in making religious freedom problems in mission school. Protestant groups try to convert mission school students to protestantism by compulsory chapel service and religion class. Such a protestant proselytism becomes a cause of oppressing students' human rights and religious liberty. In this situation government has a responsibility to protect the students' rights to religious freedom. But government seldom impose sanctions on the protestant mission schools' compulsory programs. The reason why government does not restrict mission school's unlawful religious education is because protestant groups have strong influence in voting. Eventually civil movements organizations involved in religious freedom controversy for the sake of students's human rights. In conclusion, the assailment is protestant proselytism, the accessory is government, the victim is students in the religious education in mission school in recent Korea.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
• /
• v.142
• /
• pp.99-119
• /
• 2017

Buddhism tends to be accepted as an institutional religion. This is probably due to the historical background in which Buddhism has been accepted as a representative institutional religion along with Christianity since the mid-20th century. In particular, Buddhism is accepted as an institutional religion based on tradition. Buddhism is also accepted as philosophy. Even if the western philosophical background is embraced that defines philosophy as the pursuit of intellectual clarity and wisdom in life, Buddhism is deemed to be classified as a philosophy that allows for the possibility of philosophical criticism without unconditionally believing the truth that Gautama Buddha discovered. The possibility of Buddhism as philosophy like this is directly linked to the possibility of Buddhism for doing philosophy. Doing philosophy in Buddhism can be presented in three processes: keeping a distance from daily life, the observation and concentration based on the distance, and the formation of a new world-view. Doing philosophy is rooted in the same way as meditation in the lives of people tired from post-capitalist everyday life. Nonetheless, Buddhism clearly has the characteristics of religion, thus posing a challenge of establishing a new relationship between religion and philosophy. The tradition of a strict separation between the religion and philosophy in Christian civilization is still working as a factor that keeps Buddhism from being classified as philosophy. In cases where the pursuit of intellectual clarity and practical wisdom in life is incorporated into the purpose of philosophy, Buddhism can be categorized into having the distinctive function of religion "spiritual peace", and sharing the common function of philosophy and religion "enlightenment." In that sense, it can also be an important task to seek a new perspective on the relationship between religion and philosophy.