• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.29
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• pp.241-278
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• 2017

This study aims to classify broadscale anti-religious movements in Korea based on critical public sentiment and analyze the meanings of these movements. To carry out the research, global religious changes that have occurred in modern times were closely looked into first. The world religions have had an influence on the world's religious awareness. As a result, they intend to acquire universality on their own individual grounds while keeping consistency with the past. This phenomenon used to appear to retain the identity, recreate tradition, transform itself to fit in the present times, pursue innovation, or even become overshadowed by other forms of thought such as when religions have collided with nationalism. How does Korean society perceive the changes that emerged in world religions? In general, the circumstances that Korea faces in this era tend to manifest themselves via the Internet, multimedia, and Youtube wherein they sound off on religion and this includes criticism of Christianity, demand for reformation, attack on minor religions, pro-reform academic circles and media, and the propagation of anti-theism. Criticism of religion is interpreted as an anti-religious movement. The secularism and anti-theism brought up by some Western scholars and critical theories of religion from scientific or historical perspectives are being spread through bookstores. Christianity is prone to reflecting on itself and trying to emphasizing a meta-religious spirituality. This in short, characterizes anti-religious movements in Korea. Indeed, criticism against particular religions has also emerged in the past. However, anti-religious movements that have recently come into existence in Korea are in some regards unprecedented when compared to that of the past in terms of their patterns and context. Especially, the active anti-Christianity movement in general is definitely a new phenomenon. This research mainly focused on Christianity, but on-going anti-religious movements will be a major topic for further research that aims to understand the religious changes unfolding in Korea.

• Korea Petroleum Association Journal
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• no.5 s.123
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• pp.74-85
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• 1991

지구촌은 최근 21세기를 앞두고 동유럽ㆍ소련ㆍ중동 등지에서 이른바 「이데올로기의 종언」이 확산되는 한편 페레스트로이카에 대한 다각적 추진이 한창이다. 뿐만 아니라 그러한 개혁바람과 더불어 세계 도처에서는 현재의 국경구획에 불만을 갖는 여러민족들이 자신의 고유문화와 종교신앙을 부흥시키자는 조직운동이 정부정책과 마찰을 빚고 있다. 국제경제에도 영향이 많은 이런 문제지역들에 관해 외지자료를 통해 살펴본다.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.74
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• pp.189-208
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• 2023

Spiritual direction is not a product created and developed by an individual, but a historical product that includes the church, believers, society, and the contexts of the times. Among the social changes related to spiritual direction, this study pays attention to monasticism and the Reformation. Focusing on these two social changes, this study analyzes the social dimension of spiritual direction indicated by the occurrence and change of spiritual direction and discusses its meaning. Around the time Christianity was officially recognized by the Roman Empire, monasticism began its long history, and Athanasius spread his ideal of monastic life and at the same time pursued the unity of the church and the monastic movement. Through this process, spiritual disciplines and educational models interacted and changed. During the Reformation period, Protestantism began to form new spiritual education and training. The Catholic Church pursued renewal through new concepts and practices of spiritual direction. Spiritual direction is being formed and recognized as a means of helping the spiritual life of individual Christians. The origin and change of spiritual direction mean that spiritual direction can be understood and applied differently reflecting the contexts and situations due to social interaction. Also, it should not be overlooked that spiritual direction can act as a cause of integration or division of the Korean Protestant churches.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.74
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• pp.227-253
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• 2023

Purpose of the Study: This paper focuses on a significant historical event, namely the Bremen teachers' movement of 1905, which aimed to abolish religious classes in public schools. By examining an incident in the German history of religious education that remains unfamiliar to the Korean Christian Association, I aim to explore the interconnected diachronic and synchronic influences involved in this particular event. Contents and Method: The religious controversy sparked by the Bremen Teacher's movement of 1905 marked the first official call for reform towards neutral religious education in schools. Several factors contributed to this debate, including the rise of civil society in the 19th century, advancements in science and scholarship, the emergence of social democracy, and the conflict between the Lutheran and Reformed Churches. This paper delves into the historical context of the controversy and analyzes its impact on the develop of religious education in Germany. As reflected in the Bremen Document, the official outcome of the Bremen Teacher's Movement, educators argued for the separation of religion and education, emphasizing that religion is a deeply personal matter. The document called for the adoption of value-neutral moral education in public schools, achieved through objective Bible-History classes. This paper explores the impact of the Bremen School Dispute of 1905 on the development of religious education in Germany. Specifically, the provisions of the Bremen State Constitution of 1948 and the German Basic Law of 1949 were influenced by the controversy, with Article 141 of the Basic Law - known as the 'Bremen Clause' - providing a legal basis for the exclusion of churches from religion-classes at Schools in Bremen. The Bible-History Classes advocated in the Bremen Documents served as the basis for the present-day Bremen religious education curriculum well known for neutral objective religion-classes. Conlusion: This study analyzes the background, content, and influence of the Bremen School Controversy, which remains relatively unknown in Korea. The findings of this study can contribute to the ongoing discussion of Christian school education in Korea, with an emphasis on maintaining a Christian identity while promoting religious publicity in the classroom.