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

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.25
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• pp.391-420
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• 2011

Christina Rossetti's novella Maude displays Tractarian influences in terms of Holy Eucharist, Puseyism, and the doctrine of Reserve. Tractarianism is High Church revival movement of nineteenth century. In the story a teenage girl, Maude went through hard time receiving Holy Eucharist due to self-consciousness and internal guilt according to Puseyism. She felt guilty when she enjoyed worldly things and outward beauty. Due to guilt Maude refused to receive Holy Communion, which is complete connection to God. Her cousin, Agnes suggested that in refusing Holy Communion Maude is following her own will not God's will. Later Maude overcame Puseyite thought of self-hatred and reconciled with her identity as a poet and a woman. Maude oscillates between concealing and revealing, secrecy and truth, sincerity and affectation, and modesty and display. Her marvelous poetic talent makes people praise her but she withholds private feelings and attempts to divert attention from herself. Like Maude herself, the meaning of her poems is at times reserved and withheld. This tendency goes with the doctrine of Reserve in Tractarianism. The doctrine of Reserve utilizes indirect methods to reveal divine attributes because finite human being can not accept infinite God. The doctrine of Reserve sees to it that the expression will be veiled, indirect, subdued and self-effacing. Rossetti adapts a poetic method of Reserve when Maude has anxiety over 'display and poetry' and generates the reticence, secrecy, mystery, renunciation, modesty and detachment. According to Mary Arseneau, by veiling and expressing herself through symbols she can rise above the self and employ the phenomenal to suggest a noumenal reality. Thus the poetry becomes an expression of longing for the divine. The poem "Three Nuns" exemplifies Maude's maturity and gradual progress in the relationship with God. Rossetti suggests the vision full of hopes and promises of reuniting with God. In conclusion, in some sense, authoritative and conservative Tractarianism affects Rossetti both ways. On the one hand, it makes Rossetti abnegate herself and leads her to asceticism, on the other hand, it makes Rossetti express her faith in God and write amazing devotional poems such as "Three Nuns". A poem within the poem has three voices that are in perfect harmony. In the poem the first and second nun show hesitation to fully commit to God's will and the desire for the world prevents them from having heavenly joy. Third nun reveals spiritual maturity and sings new life in God where their hopes and joys begin. Rossetti expresses the procedure of spiritual growth through the poem "Three Nuns". For Rossetti, self-abnegation and self-expression both are involved in the doctrine of Reserve, Puseyism and Holy Communion.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.28
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• pp.165-206
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• 2017

In Daesoon Jinrihoe (The Society of Daesoon Truth), pilgrimages can serve as a medium to experience and spread Daesoon Thought. The purpose of this study is to gauge the empirical impact that the motive of a pilgrimage has on the satisfaction level of the participant and the participant's willingness to revisit the holy place. This study further suggests a variety of propositions to promote pilgrimages and thereby Daesoon Thought. This study employs hierarchical analysis for measuring the correlation between all factors the pilgrimage can entail and also the moderator variables (holy places) in the pilgrimage. The study reveals that empirical motive is one of the most influential factors in determining a given participant's level of satisfaction and willingness to revisit said holy place. It is also revealed also that the religious significance of a holy place plays an important role in satisfaction and future revisitation. This study claims pilgrimages are a form of learning and cultural exchange which promotes Daesoon Thought that enables maturity of religious faith. Thereby, all stake holders in the Daesoon Jinrihoe community including clergy should increase their efforts to raise awareness and recognition of Daesoon Truth.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.194-202
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• 2018

This study was designed to analyze the impact of Christian counseling for the common faith and religious wellbeing within the Korean Luther Church, and to provide church growth factors based on the results. The study target was based on the survey results of a total of 83 members who were attending layman in the ${\bigcirc}{\bigcirc}{\bigcirc}$ church, which is affiliated with the Korean Lutheran Church. The research tool used NCD questionnaire for church health diagnosis by the Korea Church Growth Institute for the church growth model and the reliability of Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ in this study was 0.91. The collected questionnaire was tested for correlation to verify the relationship between church development and growth, and for multiple recursive analysis to confirm factors affecting church development and growth. The results showed that church's services, programs, and atmosphere were highly correlated with development of church, including counseling. The research showed that the relationship between church services, programs, and friends, including counseling, was highly correlated with spiritual growth and self-growth, while community activities and mutual communication were low. Therefore, for continuous church growth, the importance of community programs in the church is considered necessary.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.638-647
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• 2020

This study reflects on suffering, a theme of anthropology, from a Christian theological point of hope. It suggests that suffering is not a negative experience, rather a medium of hope that can be a positive driving force in life and an opportunity to reach personal maturity. It aims to deepen the content of anthropology regarding the meaning of suffering by discovering a new harmony within the relationship between pain and hope. The book of Job denies the theodicical concept that justifies suffering as punishment for human sins and opens a new horizon of understanding the suffering as a space of hope, where men can experience the Love of God in the relationship with God. In his theology of suffering, Moltmann broadens and deepens the horizon of understanding as the book of Job discovered. First, he interprets the history in the hope of an eschatological future when the resurrected Jesus Christ will bring the final victory over evil and suffering. Then he invites men to proactively resist the absurdity and suffering revealed through this interpretation. Second, Moltmann reflects on the problem of suffering in the concept of the Trinity of God who endures active suffering with love for men shown in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He offers another hope that enables men to overcome the suffering in God's love. Therefore, the Christian faith can confess that we can hope in suffering.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.66
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• pp.75-112
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• 2021

This study is purposed to prepare students in theological universities so that they contribute to their faith community as well as the broader social community in future through developing a practical course model for education of character formation. Facing the challenge of a high-tech revolution being progressed globally in this period, theological seminaries as the Christian-affiliated institute of higher education see the necessity to nurture their learners' competency of holistic personality comprehending cognitive, affective, behavioral, and more spiritual maturity as well as specialty in each subject matter. The holistic character capability of seminarians is closely related not only to their own self-realization, but also social community's well-being. This research had the following content and results. Chapter 1 brought up a subject to educational needs of the holistic character formation in the theological seminaries to meet the rapidly changing times. Chapter 2 considered the importance of character formation in the curriculum of the universities and theological seminaries in the times of high-tech revolution through the literature reviews related to. Chapter 3 clarified the elements of character education to be placed emphasis on theological seminaries and established the way of course planning. Chapter 4, using a course of Christian social education for illustration, described in order the whole process of course planning comprehending the need of planning, description of course concept, establishment and definition of learning outcomes, organization of learning experience(course content), teaching-learning activities, evaluation of learning outcome, and course improvement, which was visualized with the chart of the process of course design. Also, it provided a practical illustration of the conceptual map, an outline of content and an organization of units, and scope-sequence chart. Finally, chapter 5 gave an syllabus example in an integrative and digestive form as the course plan to be distributed to the students, which is the final result produced through the whole process of course planning. This research is intended not to present a overall curriculum planning of the university-level in the theological seminaries, but to develop a course-level curriculum focused on the formation of character. The author hope that this study would be used as a guideline in developing a course model to nurture the capability of the learners' holistic character.