• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.13-34
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• 2024

This article is a compilation of civilizational crises and their overcoming from the worldview of Daesoon Jinrihoe, based on the premise that religion can offer advice on the crises faced by modern civilization. It is a reinterpretation of human history from a religious perspective, focusing on mutual contentions, grievances, grudges, and their overcoming. Daesoon Jinrihoe explains that modern civilizational crises were first recognized by divine beings in the 18th and 19th centuries, and then later recognized by humans in the 20th and 21st centuries. Unable to resolve the civilization crises, the divine beings asked the Supreme God to intervene in human history, and the Supreme God was born in a human body to reveal the root causes and development of various civilizational crise sand to propose solutions to overcome them. These solutions encompass setting the world aright and ushering in a new era through the Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth (天地公事), attaining enduring peace by practicing grievance resolution for mutual beneficence (解冤相生), and reconstructing the relationship between divine beings and humans in harmonious coexistence. Devotees hold that Daesoon Jinrihoe is a religion that originated as a solution to a problem faced by God rather than humankind. As such, it considers the crises of civilization and their overcoming as the reason for existence. According to the religion's worldview, the Supreme God has already provided the solution to these civilizational crises. With a tip of the hat to the film Interstellar (2014), it could be said, "God Found a Way. He Always Has." Now, Daesoon Jinrihoe posits that it is up to humans to implement the way that God found.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.25_2
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• pp.137-176
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• 2015

This study intends to focus on feasible measures to take advantage of pilgrimage to inspire adherents of The Fellowship of Daesoonjinri with the ideology of Daesoon and to overhaul existing missionary work. This study addresses preceding researches with regard to pilgrimage as theoretical grounds to review what pilgrimage has been meant to be. Also, this study conducts the survey on the motif and preference of pilgrimage that are expected to affect pilgrim behaviors, and it includes the satisfaction with the pilgrimage as a parametric effect. The survey and analysis results say that the motif and preference of the pilgrimage are the leading variables that significantly correlate to the pilgrimage satisfaction. In addition, the pilgrimage satisfaction is not only a key factor that affects pilgrim behaviors but a parametric effect that strongly relates to the motif and preference of the pilgrimage. Conducted based on empirical analysis, this study offers a diversity of approaches to tourism program development with respect to pilgrimage: customized pilgrimage programs, unique storytelling about the holy places, content development with a range of topics and difficult levels, and evaluation and feedback systems for pilgrimage programs

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.34
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• pp.239-262
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• 2020

Reacting to Lu Jiu-yuan's teachings on "Wuji-Taiji," Zhu-Xi explicitly outlined his own viewpoints on the concept of "Taiji." Furthermore, he established a system of cosmological ontology based on them. Zhu-xi's main viewpoints and arguments on "Taiji" were fully understood and accepted by Lee Eon-jeok, who inherited and developed them even further. Lee Eon-jeok argued with Cho Han-bo, a thinker who contended against Lu Jiu-yuan (Son Sook-don) on the interpretation of "Wuji er Taiji" by deftly quoting Zhu-xi's point of view from Zhu-xi's standpoint. In modern times, Daesoon Thought has borrowed the concept of "Wuji" and "Taiji," and interpreted the original body of the "Dao" as "Wuji" to reveal a stationarity of the "Dao." This is interpreted as the specific creation of all things and the process of change, wherein Taiji represents the revealed activity of the "Dao." This development can be seen as an attempt by Daesoon Thought to clear away all suffering and enmity and open up a Later World of love and justice through an omnipotent Supreme God (Sangje) in times of desperate crisis of internal and external troubles.

• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.133-157
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• 2022

Applying the long and distinguished heritage of rhetorical theory to any sacred text, such The Canonical Scripture of Daesoon Jinrihoe, could fill many volumes of many books. This study, then, will provide some suggestive prolegomena for directions rhetorical criticism of the Scripture can take, now and in future research. This study will, further, make necessarily broad strokes in order to familiarize audiences and scholars of new Korean religions, and Eastern thought generally, with Western, both ancient and more modern, modes of rhetorical thought. As rhetorical criticism is increasingly embraced by Western religious scholarship, and as comparative religious studies remain an important dimension of textual scholarship, this article will contribute to both areas by presenting perhaps the first rhetorical-critical approach to the sacred scriptures of Daesoon Jinrihoe. When the new English translation of the Scriptures becomes available in the West, general and scholarly readers will be interested to find parallels and departures with religious and critical traditions with which they are already familiar (in this case, early American Protestant Calvinism). This study will make contributions, then, to the areas of rhetorical-religious criticism, comparative East-West presentations of nature within scriptural contexts, and establishment of grounds for further comparative investigations of Western traditions and Daesoon Jinrihoe.

• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.57-83
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• 2022

Numbers structure reality and define the way people live. Both in Daoism and in Daesoon Jinrihoe they signify key concepts, notably the cardinal numbers from one through nine that classify different dimensions of the cosmos. Beyond these, the number twenty-four plays an important role. In a temporal mode, it marks the divisions or seasonal periods of the year. Consisting of fifteen days each, these periods signal (and are named after) changes in dominant weather patterns and the position of the sun. Generally activated in the body through particular seasonal activities and dietary prescriptions, in Daoism they are also the root of a series of healing exercises and certain refinement practices of internal alchemy. In Daesoon Jinrihoe, moreover, they are activated by chanting a specific incantation that invokes the twenty-four divine rulers of the divisions, originally a group of Tang Dynasty officials that in nature and function resemble the spirit generals of the early Celestial Masters. Beyond this, the number twenty-four also applies to space. Not unlike the twenty-eight lunar stations or mansions, traditional cosmology acknowledges twenty-four directions, made up of six constellations each in the four cardinal directions, complete with starry deities and divine generals. Their powers are activated with the help of written characters rather than vocal incantations, using techniques common both in Daoism and Daesoon Jinrihoe.

• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.17-37
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• 2021

Scholars of new religious movements have emphasized the role of "second founders," such as Judge J.F. Rutherford for the Jehovah's Witnesses, Brigham Young for the Mormons, or Deguchi Onisaburo for Oomoto. They systematize and structure movements often created by the "first founders" with a minimal organization only. The paper argues that the model for the sequence first founder/second founder described by these scholars is the relationship between Jesus and Paul of Tarsus at the origins of Christianity. It proposes a comparison between Jesus of Nazareth and Kang Jeungsan, who established the tradition leading to present-day Daesoon Jinrihoe. It then summarizes the biography of Jo Jeongsan, recognized by Daesoon Jinrihoe as its "second founder" within the same tradition, and discusses the analogies between his connection to the "first founder," Kang Jeungsan, and the connection Paul of Tarsus established with Jesus Christ. The paper considers recent scholarship about Paul, often described as the "New Perspective on Pauline Scholarship." Paul never personally met Jesus Christ, except after the latter's death through a spiritual revelation, just as Jo Jeongsan never met Kang Jeungsan, except after his death, when he manifested himself to him in spirit. Nonetheless, Paul was able to decisively shape the largest branch among the followers of Jesus Christ, just as Jo Jeongsan originated the lineage leading to Daesoon Jinrihoe, currently the largest religious order among those recognizing Kang Jeungsan as the incarnated Supreme God.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.31
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• pp.1-45
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• 2018

Daesoon Jinrihoe is one of Korea's most influential religious organizations. Its doctrines and creeds include a rich variety of concepts, and among these, the philosophical notion of 'feminine virtue' holds tremendous value. This paper will explore the multitude meanings of feminine virtue, assume these as a foundation, and then examine the doctrines of Daesoon Jinrihoe to analyze the universality and uniqueness of the philosophical notion of feminine virtue. Additionally, background theoretical points of interest and distinctive features will likewise be analyzed to show the truly valuable lessons that this concept holds for today and why it is so worthy of research and promotion.

• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.51-72
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• 2023

This article explores the intersection of freedom of religion, sangsaeng, and symbiosis when considering the post-COVID study of religions, especially new religions. When it comes to the study of new and alternative religious groups, where there is more potential for misunderstanding and misinformation, it becomes all the more important-and indeed mutually beneficial, in the areas of religious liberty, religious freedom, and cross-cultural dialogue-to learn about a tradition by taking into account the spiritual life and practices of members themselves and their own sacred writings and practices. Daesoon Jinrihoe offers a case study of the importance of this principle and the notion of sangsaeng in particular is a fruitful utilitarian lens for thinking about how scholars, journalists, and others might approach the study of religion in our complex and global digital age of (mis) information. Daesoon Jinrihoe is also considered in light of Roy Wallis's typology of world-rejecting, world-affirming, and world-accommodating new religious movements. Open areas for sociological research are proposed and the nascent field of Daesoon studies is compared to some similar scholarly endeavors within NRM studies.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.22
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• pp.509-538
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• 2014

This paper analysis Daesoon thoughts of three essence Sung, Kyoung, Sin in the traditional confucianism emphasis in the distinct ethical implications of religious meaning. Daesoon thoughts basically background on the supreme god sangje of religious faith. Here's sangje is as Daesoonjinrihoe religious order of the supreme god, to achieve the human religious daeyeoksa come world ingyeoksin which means gangjeungsan. Thus, Daesunjinri start come world gangjeungsan which is believe sangje, as Tenet. Faith and purpose degree all around having religious denomination, see based on the attitude of religious faith. So Daesunjinri of tenet doctrine that corresponds to the three essence which is Sung, Kyoung, Sin of understand also need to explanation is based on religious attitude. Three essence is three important truth or meaning of three important clause, to possess all the religious attitude of Christian said. Always said to hearty funeral of hearts (誠), the fear of spirits and honor the Emperor(敬), one strong gangjeungsan do not doubt believed that the Emperor(信) is that. Thus in the text, Daesoon thoughts of Sung, Kyoung. Sin as by analyzing the religious dimension, Daesunjinri is to achieve the tenet doctrine. Also shown in 『jenkyoung』 views of the individual religious experience and religious devotion and reverence and faith for the analysis of the arguments presented by the Emperor Daesunjinri faith the transcendence of truth inspires faith or deepen naganeunde would like to contribute.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.29
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• pp.1-36
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• 2017

The purpose of this article is to investigate the future prospects for establishing the True Donghak phase of Daesoon Thought. The True Donghak refers to 'the future prospect of having a true life, true thinking, and true living' in which enjoying the world in a state of good fortune became a true reality after the death of Suwun, according to faith in Gucheon Sangje. The correlation between "Attending to the Lord of Heaven" in Donghak, and "The Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth" in Daesoon shows the prospect of achieving the Daesoonist transformation into energy to gain true life and re-creation. The correlation between "Nourishing the Lord of Heaven" in Donghak and "Attending to Study and Attending to Law" in Daesoon show the transformation of Daesoon-reason into true thinking and renewing. The correlation between "Humanity is Divine" in Donghak and "The Salvation of Humanity is the Will of Heaven" in Daesoon show transformation into the practice of Daesoon for the true living and renewing. This investigation utilizes the literature review and the generation theory of life-philosophy to examine revelations regarding the conversation between Spirit and Mind. This is the future prospect for the establishing the True Donghak phase of Daesoon thought. It consists of a threefold connection among life, thinking, and living. The "public-centered spirituality of Daesoon Truth" which connects and mediates among people appears in three aspects. Firstly, it is thought to be the vision of the true life through the 'renewal of active, energetic power' bestowed by Gucheon Sangje. Secondly, it is thought to be the vision of true thinking through the "renewal via freedom from delusion". Thirdly, it is thought to be the vision of true living through the "renewal of true mind". To bring about the creation of true Donghak, Gucheon Sangje incarnated to the Korean peninsula instead of Suwun and the salvation of the world salvation now centers on Korea with regards to the threefold connection future prospect. Gucheon Sangje's revelation addresses and solves the postscript problem of Chosun and further establishes a Utopia. Suwun established Donghak but failed later on due to his lankiness. At last the true Donghak has been opened for the future by Gucheon Sangje and Jeongsan's fifty years of religious accomplishments. In the long run, it has been developed further by Woodang's Daesoon Jinrihoe.