• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.56
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• pp.81-117
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to clarify the overall features and its meaning of the Gaebyok(開闢) through the intercomparison of the Gaebyok idea that is the core idea of a newly risen modern religion in Korea. Limitation of most studies so far is that they have stayed in the fragmentary study on the Gaebyok idea of each new religion. In order to overcome this problem, first of all, the Gaebyok idea was studied from a philosophical point encompassing the cosmological view of time in the book of changes. And based on this methodological foundation, with organizing the existing result of study, the process of development and characteristics in the Gaebyok idea of a posteriori Donghak(東學), Right I Ching (正易), Won Buddhism(圓佛敎), and Kangjeungsan(姜甑山) was investigated respectively. And through comparing and analyzing each Gaebyok idea, the similarities and differences between each other were organized. The founders of new religions thought that a great change in the universal and natural luck was made before and after the point of their living. The concept of the frequency of revolution theory is the concept to explain the aspect of transition according to the frequency of revolution(運度) of the cosmological nature that returns to the beginning, and in the idea of the posterior Gaebyok, this content and concepts is contained as it was. This study showed that the concept of the frequency of revolution theory in an apriority and a posterior like those becomes appeared in some preaches of Suun, Ilbu, Sotaesan and Jeungsan. An apriority in the Gaebyok idea of new religion is the world of crisis that represents the limited condition of human being, and a posterity means the religious ideal world realized through the power of the absolute being or a dramatic universal change from that limited circumstances. So the Gaebyok ida is a kind of an universal eschatology and religious view that expects the coming of ideal world in the future. In addition, since the universal eschatology is a kind of a view of time, it inevitably has an issue how long time apriority and a posterity included in it have. And especially, it becomes to premise the content how the social condition and human condition change in an apriority and a posterity. Accordingly, in this study, based on the understanding of the view of time in the cosmological level, the content of answers that each newly risen religion discloses was listed and analyzed with comparison. It can be considered that Suun took charge of a mission to deliver the message through being possessed of a god in heaven who is able to be called a transcendental existence, Ilbu disclosed the coming of the world of a posterity beyond an apriority through the Book of Changes(易學), Jeungsan proclaimed himself as the absolute being who could make such a posterity and bring it, and Sotaesan proposed the Gaebyok of mind in order to meet with the world of a posterity and to live in that era.

• The Critical Review of Religion and Culture
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• no.25
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• pp.195-241
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• 2014

When the objective of a modern state focuses on securing basic human right of an individual and realizing public good in a state community, the direction of policy on religion of a state can not deviate far away from such objective. Meanwhile, the policy on religion of modern states today mostly takes the church and state separation principle as its basis. The states secure religious freedom and enforce the separation of church and state by differentiating religion and the mundane world and establishing the relation between the two. This study examined the church and state separation principle, which is an important system device of recent age nation-states, and explored the possibility of more active policy on religion. First, the relationship among religion, state and politics was examined from more structural and functional viewpoint. Next, how the separation of church and state principle has become recent age political principle and what was the settlement process of church and state separation in other countries are summarized. At last, the actual situation of church and state separation in Korea, the structural limitation of it and the direction of policy on religion are examined. The application experience of church and state separation principle is quite short in Korean society. In addition, when there is a religious issue, there is the trend of evading the issue unconditionally or responding to it passively. However, the religious culture in Korean society is one of the biggest cultural resources and social assets. Since it has big potential as driving force for the advance of state, it is regretful to leave religion alone as it is. Therefore, this study explored the original limitations of church and state separation principle which are limiting the religious policy of of state and searched for a theoretical basis for the utilization of resources in religious culture as driving force of state by overcoming the limitations. This study examined the situation in Korea by paying attention to how differently the church and state separation principle is being applied in other states, The separation of church and state, which is the basis of policy on religion in Korea, belongs to 'similar separation type' like in Japan; therefore, there is a trend of doctrinaire interpretation or arbitrary interpretation. This study suggests that it is required to overcome this limping state and settle down the church and state separation principle, which fits to Korean society, as a social and cultural practice. It is also suggested that more active policy on religion would be enforced by wider interpretation of church and state separation.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• v.126
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• pp.321-343
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• 2013

The Reformation seems to have nothing to do with modern philosophy, but in reality closely related to it. From a philosophical point of view, the Reformation had a profound effect on the formation of modern philosophy in two respects. Voluntarism, asserting the predominance of divine will over divine reason, which is the basic principle of the Reformation, allowed an arbitrary interpretation of the Bible by ignoring the tradition of the Church and emphasizing 'Sola Fide'. As a result, the severe religious disputes arose and the modern intellectuals sought a deism and natural religion as an universal religion which is expected to put an end to religious conflicts. Moreover, voluntarism changed the way of inquiring nature from the speculative to the experimental based on observation and experiment, and provided the clues of the birth of experimental philosophy (empiricism) which is the experimental inquiry of human nature. In short, the Reformation brings about the search for universal religion on the one hand, but on the other the advent of experimental philosophy. Universal religion is not a mystic religion on which the religious behaviors and practices are based but just a world view that is the basis for scientific inquiry, and it was nothing but a philosophy for science. And also the experimental philosophy was a philosophy by science in that it is a science of human nature through experiment and observation, After all, the Reformation expelled religion from the main living room of philosophy and placed science on the spot instead.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.597-605
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• 2012

This research examines whether religions can explain differences in the rule of law across nations. It finds that several religious groups can explain much of the variation in the rule of law while others have no explanatory power.

• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.81-102
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• 2021

This study attempts to investigate the role of children in the Korean new religious movement, Daesoon Jinrihoe. The research method combined archival studies with qualitative research; interviews with two members involved in educating youth through the establishment of Youth Camps and Donggeurami, the order's youth magazine. Our four research questions were: 1. Do children play a central role in the millennial vision of this NRM? 2. Are children separated from the world? 3. Have Daesoon childrearing methods been challenged by secular authorities or anticult groups? 4. Are there procedures to educate children in the religious beliefs and values of their parents and the community? Our results found that Daesoon Jinrihoe appears to be a religion designed for adults. Children do not usually participate in religious activities. On the other hand, since 2005 there has been a strategic effort to educate the children in the faith of their parents, through the establishment of Youth Camps and the youth magazine, Donggeurami.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.42-57
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• 2016

The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet who have adapted to the region's harsh climate and environment, and developed their own culture. Religion played a central role in maintaining its traditional culture and society in the history. The objective of this study is to understand Tibetan costume and religion, and examine patterns that appear on the costume to study their religious symbolism. The significance of this study lies in explaining the symbolisms of the patterns that appear on the costume in terms of cultural maintenance and change. Based on literature review, I summarized the data about Tibet's environment, history and religion, and divided the residential district into three: ${\ddot{U}}$-Tsang, Amdo, Khamba. Then, I organized each region's characteristics and clothes, and studied Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana) costumes and features of the patterns that appear on the costumes. Through combining these data, I would like to examine the religious symbolism of the costume pattern of Tibet. Buddhism is at the heart of cultural and social maintenance and change in Tibet, and the patterns shown in the costume is influenced mostly from Buddhism. The features of general Tibetan costume vary with the region and life style, but the patterns that appear on the costume are used over a wide area to represent good luck and the spread of Buddhist teachings. The costumes for religious rites vary with religious sects, but most of the patterns are commonly used. The symbolism of pattern is a form of figure that represents the human psyche and physical world. The symbolism of pattern implies meanings such as compensation or futuristic wish. First, the lucky omen normally means long life, happiness and peace, and means religious salvation in Buddhist perspective. Second, warding off evil spirits normally means avoiding misfortune, and means dignity and self-protection, and protection of Buddhadharma in Buddhist perspective.

• English & American cultural studies
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.33-64
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• 2018

Through the experimental narrative construction by authorial divinity, Muriel Spark's novels and films based on her fiction show the difficulty of living like a human being under various inhumane and manipulative circumstances of the modern capitalistic society. By adopting flash-forward, self-reflection, and deceptive omnipotent viewpoints, her work has surprisingly predicted the post-modern trend in which humans are increasingly attracted and interpellated to the digitalized media. Muriel Spark called the recent anesthetic situation by stimulation "a driver's seat" because it is a symbol of how humans should act to maintain the critical subject. Emphasizing the value of self-reflection, religion and morality in the mechanized society, Muriel Spark stressed literature should play the role of helmsman who sails safely in the rough sea. In Muriel Spark's works, God is often synonymous with writers. As a Jewish immigrant she experienced alienation in Scotland, marital violence, prejudices of the London-based publishing world, Nazism, and Watergate. For her, the harsh reality of the modern society needs to be guided and complemented by something beyond human control. But rather than relying entirely on traditional Catholic doctrines such as Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh, Muriel Spark has taken a personal, religious view of literature and insists that the genuine writer must play God's play. Seeking for the speculative vision for the future of human life in God's plan, she tries to understand the complex twisted motives of human beings which are often far from the ideal form. Simply put, her search of self-reflection, religion and ethics is modeled on the God's plan for the ideal human being who is supposed as the writer with the transfigurative imagination of the trinity.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.47
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• pp.1-37
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• 2023

This essay seeks to answer the question of how best to understand Korean new religious movements (KNRMs). KNRMs have the characteristics of folk religion, ethno-religion, or popular religion. KNRMs are products of the national consciousness promoted by Korean society during the Late Joseon Dynasty at the turning point of modern Yi-Jing Studies. From the perspective of social evolutionary theory of developmental history, during that period, Joseon (Korea), like China, was faced with a double-edged sword consisting of the strength of tradition and the upheaval of modernity. If the strength of tradition depended on the Yi-Jing Studies to promote national enlightenment toward anti-imperialist aims, then it was equally the case that modernity depended on the sense of urgency to guide the people to secure livelihoods and edification regarding anti-feudalism. In this essay, the KNRMs that appeared during this transition period of Yi-Jing Studies will be a significant focus, and the worldview of Daesoon Thought will be the main focus. As one of the central topics, intensive discussion will be dedicated to the issue of the nature of pre-experientialism (先驗主義) which characterized the Great Opening (開闢). The principles of Daesoon Thought have a religious dimension of realistic awareness that guides the people's lives and edifies them. The process of the Great Opening aims to secure an ontological clock that tracks the Great Itineration of the world toward Daesoon Truth. This in turn as a process establishes the epistemological world of the Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth (天地公事) and reaches the axiological boundary of the future world. The links among the Three Realms is characterized by a pre-experientialist line that experiences the space-time nature of the universe as the Great Opening of the Later World (後天) within the framework of Heaven and Earth. Throughout this course, humans look to enjoy the infinite vitality of the universe from within their own finite vitality. Therefore, Daesoon Thought can overcome perceived reality through pre-experientialist channels such as the Great Opening of the Later World and aim for a state of self-awareness such as the Earthly Paradise. This is an attempt to participate and practice in the actual world rather than pursuing a world of transcendental ideas, and therefore, it tends to be proactive in the world rather than exhibit a passive tendency to be worldliness. In conclusion, the truth of Daesoon Thought, which is characterized by the Great Opening of the Later World, contains a future-oriented outlook that longs for a Nextopia full of hope and promise rather than idealistic fancy towards a Utopia or well-founded dread and disdain towards Dystopia.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2015

Today, in the course of globalization and crisis, the world needs the new ideas, new variants and ways of development of civilizations. Due to this, the author has developed and introduced own research (know-how) without world's analogue. The main purpose of this research is to transfer Turkestan in the spiritual center (mega polis) of the international level. For the first time in history, as an example of one region, two large cardinal problems had been connected, i.e. on the one hand spiritual and cultural development of the society, on the other hand new 6th technological way to show to the world opportunity of Kazakhstan new model of spiritual-innovative development. After realization of this research the status of Kazakhstan will strengthen at international level. This workout is devoted to all people, especially to the youth - as future of our country.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.219-243
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• 1988

The sacrificial rite has its origin in the old China's primitive folkways faith based upon animism (B.C. 25c). From the animistic faith, Confucianism made its appearance in B.C. 551. Inevitably, the procedure of Confucian sacrificial rite was developed on the basis of the preceding primitive faith. In Korean culture, the god of Chinese Confucianism introduced to Korea in A.D. 108 was mixed properly with that of Buddhism imported in A.D. 372. Traditionally, Korean primitive religion (from B.C. 10c to B.C. 2c) was the sacrificial rite practiced by 'shaman.' The 'shaman' who was able to utilize ecstasy for the good of community was gods itself, and naturally the main form of the sacrificial rite was an exorcism with a sacrificial offering (food). After Korean primitive religion had been grafted to Buddhism and Confucianism, the character of Korean culture had to become compound. The most essential conception in sacrificial rite is a discrimination of a ghost, one is the evil spirit and the other is the good spirit. According to this conception, the good spirit is a spirit which ascended to heaven, in contrast, the evil spirit is a one which did not ascend to heaven and dispersed into this world. The sacrificial rite is a method to help the evil spirit ascend to heaven or to prevent harms from it. The mode of sacrificial rite especially the dead ancestor worship was transmitted from generation to generation as a purpose of the wealth and honors of descendants. Descendants believed that the evil spirit would not harm them only after receiving sufficient food and the right sacrifice. As a result, the sacrificial rite food was the sign of filial piety and a compensation for the evil spirit. How did the Korean religious culture which was consisted of three different religions-Shamanism, Buddhism. Confucianism-be combined and transformed? The author focused the mixture and transformation of the procedure of sacrificial rite and the arrangement of sacrificial food in each religion. In this thesis, the author studied first, the conception in sacrificial rite, second, the items of sacrificial rite food according to each period. In consequence of the research, each religion had lost its uniqueness and became mixed to each other and settle down in Korean culture.