• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.31
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• pp.375-406
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• 2011

The paper investigates the ideal image and the ideological tendency of the traditional intellectuals in the East Asian Societies by analyzing the religious thoughts of Donghak, Tenrikyo and the Society of God Worshippers, which were the representative religious bodies in Korea, Japan and China. In particular, this paper focuses on the founders' thoughts of the religious organizations, such as Choi Jewoo(崔濟愚, 1824-1864) of Donghak, Nakayama Miki(中山みき, 1798-1887) of Tenrikyo and Hong xiuquan(洪秀全, 1814-1864) of the Society of God Worshippers. The results obtained from the study are as follows:Choi Jewoo's father was a teacher in a rural village, and so Choi Jewoo also wanted to be a teacher. Afterward when he had religious experiences, in the trance state, he became a teacher. Consequently, his religious thoughts were based on the ideal teacher's stance. Nakayama Miki respected her father, who was a low-ranking warrior or bushi(武士). And when she experienced strange experiences, she became a high-ranking warrior or shogun(將軍). On this account, many of her religious thoughts were based on the ideal bushi's position. Hong xiuquan's father was a low-ranking local official, therefore Hong xiuquan wanted to be a high-ranking official since childhood. Later, he took the civil service examinations only to failed. And so when he had religious experiences, he became an official appointed by God. And his religious thoughts, in many cases, depended on the ideal official's stance.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.34
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• pp.171-202
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• 2020

The nations of East Asia have similar historical backgrounds in terms of going through modernization during the nineteenth century. All of them commonly experienced socio-political hardships. Three of the most prosperous East Asian new religions, Yiguandao, Tenrikyo, and Daesoon Jinrihoe, all emerged under similar socio-political circumstances during the nineteenth century. There was no mutual interchange, but the cosmological perspectives share some analogous ideology. All of them were types of nativist millennialism. The ultimate goal in all three is redeeming lost elements by magical means-the sudden disappearance of invading forces, the return of mystical heroes or messiahs, and an altered landscape. As Stark said, although it is impossible to calculate the actual rate of success, probably no more than one religious movement out of 1,000 will attract more than 100,000 followers and last for as long as a century. By this standard, these three groups are certainly worthy of being studied. This paper will examine and compare these three groups through four dimensions: the Messiah's eschatology, the re-interpretation of that eschatology after the Messiah's death, the rational transformations of millennial dreams, and the institutionalization of those millennial dreams. Analytically, I could demonstrate the differences among these groups through two dimensions: (1) The dimension of time, which can be conceptualized in terms of this-worldly or other-worldly; and (2) Collective vision, which can be conceptualized in terms of utopia or reform. The cross-classification of these two dimensions is suggestive of the general avenues of Millennialism. Through these comparisons and observations, light will be shed on the essence and dynamics of East Asian Millennialist Thought by exploring deeper cultural implications.