Religious Culture in Korea

Religious Culture in Korea

The Cult of Tan'gun (Taejong-kyo): This faith is said to be the oldest religion in Korea, dating back as far as 4,000 years. It evolved from the legend of Tan'gun, a "god-man" who was believed to be the grandson of God and was supposedly born through the union of a female bear and the "son of the Creator," Donald N. Clark writes in his book Culture and Customs of Asia. The religion is based on myth, and in 1990 the North Koreans asserted that they had found "the tomb of Tan'gun" near the capital city of Pyongyang, Clark writes (p. 55). Allegedly the North Koreans also found the bones of the God-man and his wife, and they have assumed the right to possess the tradition of Tan'gun for the communist regime. In South Korea, according to the book Far East and Australasia 2003, there were 103 Taejong Gyo temples, 346 priests, and 7,603 believers in 1995.

Christianity -- Catholics and Protestants in Korea: Robert E. Buswell and Timothy S. Lee have published a book called Christianity in Korea, and in the book they trace the very interesting and sometimes contentious history of the Roman Catholic Church and the rise of Protestantism in Korea. Buswell writes that the Catholic community surpassed "twelve thousand by 1854," following years of persecution (which began in 1801) (Buswell, et al., 2007, p. 288). By 1865 there were "as many as twenty-three thousand" Catholics in Korea, according to records kept by French priests; those numbers included "…many babies who were baptized shortly before their deaths" and hence the numbers are somewhat lower than 23,000, Buswell argues (p. 288).

More persecutions of Catholics began in 1866, Buswell explains, and three years later "thousands of Korean Catholics had been killed" and it would be another ten years before another Catholic priest would be practicing his faith in Korea. About this time, according to Buswell's narrative, Korea agreed to allow the United States, Japan, and the UK to "engage in educational activities" in Korea (in other words, missionaries and other religious personnel could come to Korea without "government interference" (p. 288). Protestant missionaries arrived in Korea in 1884 and by the late 19th Century Protestants and Catholics did not have a friendly relationship, as Protestants believed Catholics were "no closer to salvation than Buddhists or other non-Christians" (Buswell, p. 289).

The Protestants created a name for "God" that the Koreans could embrace without seeming to abandon their Asian culture for a Western culture; they called God "Hananim" and hence they "created a form of Christianity that felt more familiar to most Koreans than the Christianity of Catholicism did," Buswell explains (p. 290). In 1905, Buswell writes, there were about 64,000 Catholics and 37,407 Protestants.

But in 1907 the numbers changed radically and there were a reported 73,000 Protestants and 63,340 Catholics (as many Koreans converted to Protestantism) -- and by 1910, the Protestants outnumbered Catholics 144,242 to 73,517, Buswell continues on page 292). By 1970, there were approximately 12,866 Protestant churches in Korea and 16,982 clergy; there were only 2,299 Catholic churches and 883 Catholic priests, Buswell concludes (p. 298). According to Gallop polling data, in 1997 there were 3.4 million Catholics and 9.3 million Protestants (Buswell, p. 301). Buswell's data (from Gallop) shows today that about 10% of the population is Roman Catholic, about 19% of the population is Protestants, 22.8% are Buddhists, and about 46% of South Koreans say they are not affiliated with an organized religion. Less than 1% of Koreans practice Confucianism, according to Buswell.

Confucianism: There may be a very number of believers in Confucianism in Korea today (less than 1% of the population), but professor Edward R. Canda of Kansas University writes, "Confucianism has strongly influenced Korean culture for about 2,000 years" (Canda, 2008, p. 1). The origins of Confucianism go back to the teachings of the Chinese philosopher, K'ung-fu-tzu (later his name was "anglicized as Confucius"), who was alive during the period 551-479 BCE.

Confucius was a reformer; he advocated for principles that were fair and just among members of society and he criticized political power and the corruption it brings to society. Confucianism was adopted as the official state philosophy in China during the Han dynasty, Canda explains, and Neo-Confucianism was the official state ideology during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) in Korea. Confucianism promotes the "ideal of the scholar, who cultivates virtue in oneself and shares it through service in government, teaching, and daily life," Canda explains on page 1. The pure idea of Confucianism is to benefit all the citizens and those benefits have a ripple effect starting with the individual, through the family, and out to the Korean society and then the world (Canda, p. 1).

Confucianism has had an influence on many spiritual and physical Asian-based traditions; for example, Confucianism had a big influence on the development of martial arts, acupuncture, and meditation, according to Canda.

Shamanism: There are about 300 shamanistic temples within an hour of the capital of Seoul, according to an article in the New York Times (Sang-Hun, 2007, p. 1). The article points out that shamanism is presently enjoying a renaissance after "centuries of ridicule and persecution"; indeed, shamans were "demonized by Christian missionaries and driven underground during the Japanese occupation" Sang-Hun, p. 2). Moreover, there are now more than 300,000 shamans in South Korea, Sang-Hun asserts. Korean shamanism is rooted in "ancient indigenous beliefs" that many folk religions still hold true to; members of this faith believe that the air is "thick with spirits, including those of dead relatives, and a fox in the hills behind a village," Sang-Hun explains (p. 1). What is interesting is there are about 273 categories of "gods" that are prayed to by Korean shamans; among those, Jesus Christ and Gen. Douglas MacArthur (Sang-Hun, p. 2).

Chondogyo: There are an estimated one and a half million believers in Chondogyo in South Korea, according to the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. Chondogyo is actually linked to the ancient system of Hwarangdo, "or the ideal way of life" that was developed during the Shilla dynasty, a way of life that espoused the principles of "chivalry and patriotism" (Beaver, 2010). Reportedly Hwarangdo blended the virtues of Confucianism with the Buddhist "reverence for all living things," Beaver writes.

Buddhism: Buddhism has a powerful history in Korea; during the Unified Shilla Period (668 a.D.) the Buddhists brought "social harmony" to the peninsula; later, Buddhist monks let the people against the Japanese in the 16th Century. The form of Buddhism that is practiced in Korea is Bodhisattva, which extols the six perfections: Generosity, Good Conduct, Vigor, Patience, Meditation and Wisdom (www.buddhismtoday.com). When Buddhism was first introduced to Korea from China (372), the indigenous religion in Korea was shamanism. A "natural blend" was created between Shamanism and Buddhism (based on the belief that "human beings and natural forces and inanimate objects all possess spirits").