• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.22
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• pp.317-344
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• 2014

There are many modern elements in religions appeared in the early Korean modern era. From the nationalism perspective, most religions had tendencies toward anti-feudalism and anti-foreign power. Pak Eun Sik(朴殷植) emphasized the importance to explain those religions as the National Religion in his writing 《Korea Painful History(韓國痛史)》. That is, he realized those as one of Korean spirits or souls keeping Korean identities like the Jew's Judaism or the Turk's Islam. In the paper, I try to analyze religions on Kang Jeung San(姜甑山) with Daesoonjinri-hoe as the central figure from Pak's perspective. In the early Korean modern era when Kang went his own the Savior way, Korea and its society got into uncontrollable confusion because of strong demands both of a feudal-state breaking and against pillaging foreign-power especially Japan. For all countries of the world, it is difficult to change from a feudal state into the modern nation state to keep existing society order. Because the reformation under old social systems means the incomplete reformation. So in this era new religions showed the neglected class of people the vision of new society. Meanwhile Korean society try to become a modern state, and now became a recognized modern state in international society. But it is still insufficient to debate on groups and their roles for Korea modernity in that time especially new religions. Since Korea independence, new religions including Daesoonjinrihoe have not receive good reviews because of a certain religion group expansion and the government's regulation and control toward new religions. Till today, I think, Independence Movement as well as reform of modern awareness have not relatively receive reasonable reviews. So I hope to serve as a momentum that in early Korea modern era new religions receive reasonable and positive reviews.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.27
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• pp.41-52
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• 1996

This thesis is a rearch on ritual dresses and ideology of new Korean religions primarily cen-tering on the way how religions ideology has been expressed into them. THe results are as follows" 1. The representative ideology in new Korean religions is the beginning of the world after the end religional union anthropocentrism ethno-centrism and social reform. 2 The creator of Mirukbulgyo hinm-self made the ritual dress for Mirukbulgyo Therefore his thought and the thought new religions are expressed variously on literatiure and ritual dress Ritual dress which has been wearing to all the believers show the thought of social reform also it is not connected with the social position and sex distinction. That ritual dresses are used the part of boue color appears the thought of beginning of the world after the end and ethnocentrism The organization of all the dresses contains the ideol-ogy of religional joined-one. Each dress embodies the ideology of religional union and anthropocentrism in its Inhwagwan, Chungbok contains the ideology of religional union which Taosim prefominanates and ethnocentrism P'oui contains the ideology of beginning of the world after the end and the ideology of social reform.form.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.37
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• pp.141-190
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• 2021

In early modern Korea, the founders of three main-stream indigenous new religions, Choi Je-woo (崔濟愚), Kang Il-sun (姜一淳), and Park Jungbin (朴重彬), were all ruined yangban, who could no longer maintain the social dignity of yangban. Prior to their regular religious activities, they earned livings as rural teachers, peasants, merchants, and fortune-tellers. They were marginalized for having declined from upper-class nobles to lower-class people. Due to their subalternal status, they religiously represented the inexpressible aspirations and resentments held by various subalterns. The millennial movements of marginal religions in the late Joseon Dynasty exposed and deviated from the fetters of the established order, but they did not propose a new alternative order to replace it. Unlike these millennial movements, Choi Je-woo, Kang Il-sun, and Park Jungbin all proposed utopian visions of post-subalternal alternative religions that systematically presented and practiced new alternative worldviews characterized by the "Great Opening of the Later World (後天開闢)." The world they longed for was one wherein anti-subalternal social regulation were overthrown, the oppression of various subalterns end, and the established social order was replaced. In this article, I have argued that three main-stream indigenous Korean new religions, Donghak (Eastern Learning), the Jeungsan-inspired religious movements, and Wonbulgyo (Won Buddhism) are utopian alternative religions. I made this argument by analyzing some aspects by which they represented subalterns and offered subalterns a new religio-social status.

• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.58
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• pp.201-243
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• 2018

Understanding the theory of how a religion accepts the perspective on death is a prerequisite to grasp the identity and characteristics of such religion. Furthermore, contemplating the perspective on death, itself has a significant meaning as the contemplation provides an insight on how religion has, currently is and how it would influence the practical life of the human race. This current study compares and analyzes the perspective on death accepted by New Religions of Jeungsan, Confucianism and Taoism. By comparing the perspectives on death, this study seeks to conclude the similarity and discrepancy of New Religions of Jeungsan, Confucianism and Taoism. The objective of this study is to summarize the religious characteristic and identity of New Religions of Jeungsan, and the social role of New Religions of Jeungsan. How does New Religions of Jeungsan preach afterlife? This question implies varieties of questions including: In what shape or form does human exist in afterlife?; Does human maintain their original identity in afterlife?; What happens to relations with family members in afterlife?; What is one's role in afterlife, and what would one experience in afterlife? or Does soul transmigrate or are reborn? This current study compares the answers to these questions one by one with Confucianism and Taoism.In general, this current study was conducted with a non-religious methodology. Death can be explained in three different domains: the psychological domain explaining the individual psychological awareness upon encountering death; the philosophical-religious domain explaining the death through the philosophical understanding of the human concept; and the socio-cultural domain explaining death through the social ceremonies upon death.This current study focuses on the philosophical domain of the perspective on death accepted by New Religions of Jeungsan, with a comparison of the socio-cultural significance. To understand the perspective on death preached by New Religions of Jeungsan, It is indispensable to explain the five key elements of Hon(魂), Baek (魄), Shin(神), Young(靈) and Seon(仙) that construe death. The perspective on death preached by New Religions of Jeungsan imposes a multi layer of acceptance and overcoming. This current study complements the problems and limits of previous studies by comparison with Confucianism and Taoism. Throughout this process, this current study intends to highlight the key elements of the perspective on death preached by Deasunjinrihoe, and identify the aspects of each key element. With the sophisticated discussion of the perspective on death provided by New Religions of Jeungsan with clarity, this current study will provide grounds for future studies to extract, in detail, the aspects of the perspective on death preached by New Religions of Jeungsan, in further subjects including: discussions on death such as rituals for death, treatment of bodies, funerals, educating death, euthanasia, or suicide; discussions on the existence of hell; discussions on psychological aspects of ones who encounter death; or discussions on rebirth of those who died during the creation era. This current study will provide an overview on what kind of perspective on death does those who are faithful to New Religions of Jeungsan have and currently are living their life with.

• Journal of the Korean Association of African Studies
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• v.43
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• pp.89-111
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• 2014

This article deals with the characteristics and limitations of Edwin W. Smith's study of African religions. He was born as son of British Primitive Methodist missionary in South Africa, 1876. He was trained to become a Bible translator. After marriage he moved to Africa with his wife and translated the Bible into the Ila language. Most Western missionaries despised African cultures and religions, but Smith proposed a new way to study African cultures and religions on the anthropological basis of respect and understanding. Though he kept the mission mind to convert Africans to Christians and supported the fulfillment theology, he accepted the values and significance of African religions. With scientific and object approaches, Smith regarded Africans as rational and philosophical human beings. He rejected the traditional concept of mission that Western form of Christianity should be forced upon the mind and heart of Africans. Rather Smith encouraged Africans to build up their own churches and theologies with creative and dynamic worldviews including magic, Dynamism, Spiritism, ancestor worship and the faith to the Supreme Being. In conclusion, despite his limitations as missionary, Smith has been remembered as 'the founder of African Studies' and 'the ancestor of British phenomenological school.' His missionary experience became the solid foundation for becoming scholar of African religions.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.33
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• pp.179-218
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• 2019

This article examines some important issues in films about new religious movements (NRMs) that express and represent NRMs in sensationalistic ways and criticize them as immoral and antisocial cults. I presented a typology to analyze films about NRMs from the perspective of marginalized religions separated from established religions and also as alternative religions that replace the established religions. In recent times, films about NRMs have changed from being social criticisms that represents NRMs as perpetrators of brainwashing and the need for deprogramming to that of faithful participation and empathetic reflection. Films about NRMs that utilize empathetic reflection, including Wild Wild Country (2018), go beyond the normative, single-perspective formula to enable insiders to conduct self-reflection and outsiders to empathize through openness, varied perspectives with multi-faceted composition and polyphony. In contrast, films about NRMs that adopt the perspective of faithful participation, including The Road to Peace (1984), present a new visual way to unravel the voices of silenced subalterns with alternative religious visions and those who needed relief from the marginalization due to alienation or exclusion from established religions. In the Korean context, these visions are expressed as 'the great transformation into the creation of a paradise of the Later World (後天開闢)' or as 'the resolution of grievances for mutual beneficence (解冤相生).'

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.21
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• pp.409-452
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• 2013

This paper aims to cast light on the theoretical characteristics of Korean new religions' utopian theory from the perspective of theology and apply the findings to the utopian theory of the new religions in Korea. The utopian theory of the new religions in Korea occurred to meet people's aspiration towards a new world on the background of the national ordeal and its consequential psychology in the late Chosun dynasty. As a result, it has the characteristics of a shift from a pure religious framework to participation in reality to realize religious ideals 'right here, right now'. Thus, it basically defined an utopian theory as the product of a society and history, and explained the utopian theory as the projection of the thoughts about current conflicts. However, an approach in this way may leave the likelihood that the individual characteristics of Daesoonjinrihoe would be overlooked and the utopian theory would be limited to the byproduct of the age, only. Thus, this paper has dealt with the religious experience of the founders as the lead of discussion, not a sociological approach. In this context, the religious experience of founders can be more significant clues to view the characteristics of an utopian theory. This directivity of a study can be understood as an attempt to improve the previous sociological methodologies, the leading discourses, and to contribute to the different perspectives on an understanding of the utopian theories of Daesoonjinrihoe. Furthermore, this paper is anticipated to give salience to the individual characteristics reflected in the new religions in Korea and to enhance its status in the history of thoughts, not as the trend of the thought limited to the past.

• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.57-85
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• 2023

The politico-economic waives of Western imperialism and colonialism, along with Christianity, affected East Asia's geopolitical landscape in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. While the Korean people (of the Joseon Dynasty) witnessed the incompetence of Buddhism, Confucianism, and folk religions in maintaining social cohesion with a sense of frustration, the new religious movements (NRMs) emerged to provide altrnative teachings of hope through historical figures like Choe Je-u, Kang Il-sun (or Kang Jeungsan), Na Cheol, and Pak Chungbin. In terms of popularity, colonial Korea (1910-1940) was impressed by the native groups of Cheondogyo (=Donghak), Bocheongyo, and Mugeukdo. Son Byong-hee (1861-1922) was the third leader of the first Korean NRM, but both Cha Gyeong-seok (1880-1936) and Jo Cheol-Je (= Jo Jeongsan) (1895-1958) participated in the post-Jeungsan grassroots movements. How, then, did both of these new religions originate? How did they conceptualise their deities and interpret their teachings differently? What was their policy for national independence? The article explores the socio-religious leaders, historical origin, organizational structure, deities, teaching and doctrines, patriotism, and conflicts of both NRMs in a comparative context. As such, this article argues that they both maintained patriotic characteristics, but that Cha's Bocheongyo community with its ' 60-executives' system (60 bang) failed to manage their internal conflicts effectively. Meanwhile, Jo Cheol-Je of Mugeukdo had the charismatic leadership needed to maintain Mugeukdo, despite being seen as a pseudoreligion under the colonial pressure of Shintoism.

• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.52
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• pp.243-280
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• 2017

To the mid 19th from the early 20th century, there were many movements about religion in Korea society. Protestant which first flew in 1885 grew up greatly and Confucianism of traditional thought sought for religionization to survive. At once new religions named Korea ethnical religion appeared. They are Donghak(東學), Daejonggyo(大倧敎), Jeungsangyo(甑山敎) and Won-Buddhism. Generally speaking, these ethnical religions deeply relates with Korea original mental culture. In this paper, I want to infer that these religions have Korea origin metal culture. The first, I will consider some traditional thoughts of (1) worshiping of Heaven, (2) practice and (3) harmony from traditional (religious) ceremonies and thoughts. Ans then I will infer how these traditional thoughts from origin mental culture appear in ethnical religions of Donghak(東學), Won-Buddhism(圓佛敎), and Jeungsangyo(甑山敎).

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.46
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• pp.1-32
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• 2023

The purpose of this article is to critically reflect on the 2022 national curriculum on religions. The perspective of this reflection is that since the religious curriculum is meant to be a national curriculum, it should be applicable to all high school students, be shareable, and function as a place for meta-reflection regarding the proper use of the category of religion. For this purpose, I reviewed the form and content of the 2022 curriculum on religions in Section 2. The form of the 2022 curriculum on religions looks similar to the previously utilized curriculum. However, the main change is that the subject of religions was arbitrarily placed into the category of 'subjects for choosing a career.' And the 2022 curriculum on religions has two characteristics in terms of content: the orientation of 'making religious people (spiritual formation)' and the reemergence of the concept of 'pseudo-religion.' In Section 3, I delved into the orientation of 'making religious people through religious reflection' among the characteristics of the 2022 curriculum on religions. In this process, I discovered that the concept of 'reflection as a metacognitive technology,' which was the core of the prior curriculum and school education, was transformed into the concept of 'religious reflection,' and the concepts of spirituality and religiosity were also added. In Section 4, I delved into the dichotomy of 'religion and pseudo-religion.' 'Pseudo-religion' is a new focus in the 2022 curriculum on religions. In this process, I revealed that the concept of 'pseudo-religion' is a combination of an outdated administrative term of the Japanese Government-General of Korea during Japan's occupation of Korea, and as such, the term is inherently value-laden and harmful. I also revealed that determining 'pseudo-religion' in school education regenerates the colonial Japanese Government-General's biased attitudes toward Korean religions and forces teachers to 'invent' (detect or personally appraise) modern day pseudo-religions through arbitrary judgements. The 'curriculum to emphasize religious reflection and detect pseudo-religions in order to create religious people' can distort the subject of religion in the national curriculum as into a 'subject for religion (promotion or degradation).' If this distortion continues, the appropriateness of curriculum on religions existing within the national curriculum will eventually become a subject of debate.