Download Lesson 1: Religion in South Korea

Lesson 1: Religion in South Korea
Introduction
Study Contents
Overview and Statistics
Folk Beliefs
Shamanism
Buddhism
Confucianism
Christianity
Overview and Statistics
46.5
50
45
40
35
29.3
30
22.8
(%) 25
20
15
10
5
0
0.3
Christianity
Buddhism
W on
Buddhism
0.2
0.1
Confucianism Cheondoism
No Religion
Overview and Statistics cont’d
Religion is important in all cultures. It reflects the covert culture and the
innate values or world views of the people. In Korea, the study of religion
can be used to explain not only the group subconsciousness but also the
history of Koreans. Generally speaking, foreign religions were adopted by
the elite, and the indigenous religions in Korea such as shamanism have
survived in a purer form among the populace.
Religion in South Korea is dominated by the traditional Buddhist faith and a
large and growing Christian population. The practice of both of these faiths
has been strongly influenced by the enduring legacies of Korean
Confucianism, which was the official ideology of the 500-year-long Joseon
Dynasty, and Korean shamanism, the native religion of the Korean Peninsula.
Overview and Statistics cont’d
According to a 2005 survey conducted by the South Korean government,
more than half of the South Korean population professed to have a religious
faith. The two predominant religions were Christianity (29.3%) and Buddhism
(22.8%). As for the Christians, protestants (18.3%) outnumbered Catholics
(10.9%). South Korea has the third largest percentage of Christians in East
Asia, followed by the Philippines and East Timor.
Except for the Christian groups, which maintain a fairly clear-cut distinction
between believers and non-believers, there is some ambiguity in these
statistics. There is no exact criterion by which Buddhists or Confucianists can
be identified. Many people outside of formal groups have been deeply
influenced by these traditions. It is not uncommon for Koreans to pray at
Buddhist temples or participate in Confucian ancestor rites.
Overview and Statistics cont’d
As Roman Catholic cathedrals are considered cultural heritage in Europe,
so Buddhist sites such as the Pulguksa Temple and the Haeinsa Temple are
regarded by most South Koreans as important cultural properties rather
than as places of worship. Confucianism remains important as a social ethic;
its influence is evident in many areas of Korean life.
Christianity is often identified with modernization and social reform.
Folk Beliefs
As do all primitive religions, Korean indigenous religion includes a variety
of folk beliefs regarding things unknown or supernatural, such as worship
of house gods, village gods and natural gods. The worship of these gods
differs from shamanism, even though shamanism has incorporated some of
these gods.
Shamanism
Korean shamans are similar in many ways to those found in Siberia,
Mongolia, and Manchuria. They also resemble the yuta found on the
Rkykyu Islands, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Cheju Island is also a center
of shamanism.
The largest association of shamans in South Korea claims more than
100,000 members.
Shamanism cont’d
The depiction of a mudang performing at a gut in the
painting entitled Munyeo sinmu (무녀신무, 巫女神舞),
painted by Shin Yun-bok in in the late Joseon Dynasty
(1805).
Shamans, most of whom are
women, are enlisted by those who
want the help of the spirit world.
Female shamans (mudang) hold
kut, or services, in order to gain
good fortune for clients, cure
illnesses by exorcising evil spirits,
or propitiate local or village gods.
Such services are also held to
guide the spirit of a deceased
person to heaven.
Buddhism
Buddhism entered Korea from
China in 372 A.D. and became a
state religion of Koguryo, one of the
three ancient Korean kingdoms.
Thereafter, Buddhism was the
dominant religious and cultural
influence during the Silla (668-935
A.D.) and Koryo (918-1392)
dynasties.
Sculpted Buddha found in rock mountains, estimated
to date back to Koguryo kingdom.
Buddhism cont’d
Buddhism in South Korea is
dominated by the Jogye Order, a
syncretic sect traditionally linked
to the Seon tradition. Most of the
country’s old and famous temples,
such as Bulguksa and Beomeosa,
are operated by the Jogye Order,
The Bulguksa temple
which is headquartered in Seoul.
Confucianism
Confucianism was brought to Korea from China in early centuries, but it
occupied a subordinate position, compared with Buddhism, until the
establishment of the Joseon Dynasty(1392-1910 A.D.), which replaced
Buddhism with Confucianism as its state religion. The Joseon Dynasty is
considered by many scholars as one of the most Confucian states in East
Asian history, and the influence of Confucian ethical thought in Korean
society remains quite extensive.
Christianity
The profusion of church steeples in most South Korean cities has often
attracted attention. Christianity, which initially got a foothold in Korea in
the late 18th century, grew exponentially in the 1970s and 1980s, and
despite slower growth in the 1990s, caught up to and then surpassed
Buddhism in the number of adherents. The Christian faith in South Korea is
dominated by four denominations: Roman Catholics, Presbyterians,
Methodists, and Baptists.
End of Lesson 1