• Journal of East-Asian Urban History
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.235-271
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• 2020

Tainan was the capital of Taiwan and was the largest commercial city in Taiwan with a significant number of ports. However, after the end of the Qing era, the functions of the capital and major ports were shifted to Taipei and Kaohsiung, thus leading Tainan to lose its position. This article focuses on festivals in the city. The Qing dynasty administrative agency set up a local government that grouped multiple villages based on the religious beliefs which were closely related to the concept of the urban space as the primary temple. Mazu is an object of worship that attracted the attention of city residents from the Taisho era to the colonial era. At the Mazu temple in Tainan, which has acquired a new mystery, a Mazu festival was conducted with Mazu patrols. This festival was conducted from 1915 to 1937, when it was canceled due to the temple reorganization movement. At the festival, multiple participating groups used to compete to earn the luxury of running the pavilions. The procession ran through the north side of the city on the first day and the south side of the city on the second day. During this festival, in addition to going around the villages of the old city, a touring route was planned for the procession to pass through major landmarks related to the colonial administration and the Ginza-dori Shopping Street, which was newly created during the Taisho era. Therefore, this procession was unique because it ensured that people could explore the old and new streets that were transformed through urban remodeling during the colonial period. Moreover, passing through the licensed quarters called Shin-machi, which was relocated through urban remodeling by the administrative agency, allowed people to visualize the urban structure of colonial Taiwan. Tainan city was renewed through remodeling during the colonial period, thus leading to the formation of a new commercial area. The spirit of the people in Tainan city can be gauged based on the fact that the festival was financially and religiously supported by the merchants who promoted it. The restoration of Mazu during the colonial period indicates the restoration of urban commerce in Tainan, which had fallen from its position as the primary port city in Taiwan since the end of the Qing period. Therefore, it can be considered to represent the restoration of the city.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.41
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• pp.1-29
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• 2015

This paper aims at studying how to express and be used the characteristics of New age consciousness in the popular culture. New age consciousness is used interchangeably with new age movement. The philosophy of new age is based on humanism, which the infinite potential power of human can change the human himself and the earth forward to be shown the new age of peace, hope and love in an instant. This consciousness is based on the Western secret art and Eastern consciousness against the Christianity and has begun to develop in the alternative religion influenced by Postmodernism and Counterculture movement on 1970's which is against the corruption of American society on 1960's. However, new age consciousness has tried to change to a social movement for the culture, the peace, the happiness of mankind and the healing society rather than a religion idea because of the limitation of the theory itself. Nevertheless, the new age culture contains the characteristics of the religion, and the characteristics has been easily borrowed to the mess media and infiltrated to us. In a broad sense, the religion includes both own religion beliefs and behavior and the social movements and tendencies about the established religion which pursues the holy and the highest value. The religion is valued as a complex culture phenomenon, which the religion presents the right direction and the meaning of life as well as contributes to the maintenance of social order and the social unification. For this reason, the religion and the culture have a deep relationship between mess media and needs to be captured and listen to religious longing lurking deep within the human consciousness in order to give the audience impressed and fun. In the study, the characteristics of New age such as reincarnation, illusion, meditation, monism and pantheism is analyzed for what affects students studying mess media and the popular culture. And then the study is analyzed the characteristics of new age consciousness in the animation through 'Avatar'. This study shed new light on the influence of religion which is ideological identity of popular culture, and I expect to be a little help to have the insight to examine the mess media with a various angles.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.32
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• pp.237-267
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• 2019

The article considers the problems of envisaging a paradise on earth, with special reference to Jehovah's Witnesses. After an explanation of their relationship to the Christian Protestant tradition, particularly Adventism and American fundamentalism, some key doctrines of the Watch Tower organisation are identified, with particular reference to their belief in a coming earthly paradise. Jehovah's Witnesses are a restorationist movement, seeking a restored paradise on earth, and endeavouring to restore authentic Christianity in what they take to be its original form. Discussion is given to the possibility of physical accommodation on the earth, the position of animals, family life, language, and technology. Finally, brief comparison is made with the expected paradise of the Daesoon Jinrihoe, which is based on a radically different worldview. It is concluded that such differences help to explain why Jehovah's Witnesses have limited success in Korea, as compared with indigenous Korean new religions such as Daesoon Jinrihoe.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.34
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• pp.107-139
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• 2020

This paper primarily focuses on the highest deity, the Upper Thearch of the Nine Heavens (officially translated as 'The Supreme God of the Ninth Heaven'), in the Korean new religious movement (NRM) Daesoon Jinrihoe and the true minister of the myriad spirits in the Taiwanese NRM, Yiguan Dao, the Upper Thearch of Manifest Luminosity. As the two both serve as highly representative "Upper Thearch" beliefs in emerging NRMs, I attempt a comparative analysis of the source of these beliefs, their characteristics, and the links that exist between them. On the basis of ancient Chinese classics and Daoist texts, along with Daesoon Jinrihoe's scriptures and works from Yiguan Dao's Canon, I try to understand the distinguishing features of cosmological ideas from both religious movements. For example, because the Upper Thearch of the Nine Heavens could not bear to see the human realm growing ever more disordered and in order to improve worldly conditions, he traveled to the harmonized realm of deities, and therefore descended into the world to make a great itineration and enlighten the people through his teachings. In the end, he came to Korea and was reborn as Kang Jeungsan (secular name: Kang Il-Sun) in Gaekmang Village. In the Human Realm, he spread his transformative teachings to the people which were later became the doctrines of the Virtuous Concordance of Yin and Yang, Harmonious Union between Divine Beings and Human Beings, the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence, and Perfected Unification (jingyeong 真境) with the Dao. Yiguan Dao; however, explains that the source of humanity is the "Heaven of Principle" (Litian 理天), and people are "Buddha's Children of the Original Embryo" (Yuantai Fozi 原胎佛子), created by the Upper Thearch of Manifest Luminosity, who came to world to govern and impart spiritual refinement, before returning to his native place in the Heaven of Principle. Yet, because he became infatuated with the world of mortals, he forgot the path of his return. Therefore, the Eternal Mother sent Maitreya Buddha, the Living Buddha Jigong 濟公, and the Bodhisattva of Moon Wisdom (Yuehui pusa 月慧菩薩) to descend to the human world and teach the people, so that they may acknowledge the Eternal Mother as the root of return, achieve their return to the origin, and go back to the home of the Eternal Mother in the Heaven of Principle. Both Daesoon Jinrihoe and Yiguan Dao refer to their highest deity, the true ministers of the myriad spirits, with the simple title "Upper Thearch." This phenomenon also has some ties to God in the western Biblical tradition but also has some key differences. In investigating the sources of these two deities, we find that they likely took shape during the Yinshang (殷商) period and have some relationship to the Upper Thearch of Chinese antiquity. The questions raised in this research are quite interesting and deserving of deeper comparative study.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.35
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• pp.295-330
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• 2020

This paper examines the current state of the field wherein theoretical issues of ecology are still in need of concentration. Ecological texts are reconsidered from a religious worldview by extracting eco-friendly notions within religion and discourse is also essential in the practical field. As a case study on this matter, this paper aims to describe various aspects of ecological theory in Daesoon Jinrihoe, a new religious movement in Korea. In short, in its view of the natural world, Daesoon Jinrihoe values that all things originated from the Supreme God who presides over them, and the two are organically interrelated. Hence, the principle of nature is cherished. Especially as the Later World draws near, the fundamental basis of nature is slated to undergo change, and this also features heavily in Daesoon Jinrihoe's view of the natural world. Furthermore, the Supreme God reforms nature, and human beings live lives in conformity and resonance with that reformed nature. Above all else, the doctrines of haewon sangsaeng (the resolution of grievances for mutual beneficence) and boeun sangsaeng (the reciprocation of favors for mutual beneficence) are advocated in Daesoon Jinrihoe. Each supports its own form of ecological discourse, and together, they can be called Sangsaeng Ecological Theory (the Ecological Theory of Mutual Beneficence). Specific discussions of Daesoon Jinrihoe and ecology should be considered in light of this finding.

• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.33-50
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• 2023

'Fasting of the Mind (心齋, ch. xīn zhāi)' is arguably the most important concept within the practical approach to the spiritual cultivation formulated by the Daoist philosopher, Zhuangzi (莊子). Most scholars have interpreted 'Fasting of the Mind' as an apophatic practice centered around the aim of the 'Dissolution of the Self (喪我, ch. sàng wŎ).' The Korean new religious movement, Daesoon Jinrihoe (大巡眞理會), can be shown to instead consistently utilize cataphatic descriptions of spiritual cultivation based on the 'quieting of the mind (安心, kr. anshim)' and 'quieting of the body (安身, kr. anshin)' with the highest attainable state referred to as the 'Perfected State of Unification with the Dao (道通眞境, kr. Dotong-jingyeong).' While the language used by Zhuangzi and Daesoon Jinrihoe appears quite different on a superficial level, a deeper examination shows that these rhetorical framings are likely negativistic and positivistic descriptions of the same, or at least reasonably similar, phenomena. Zhuangzi, who focused primarily on the body, mind, and internal energy, cautioned practitioners that 'mere listening stops with the ears (聽止於耳, ch. tīng zhǐ yú ěr)' and 'mere recognition stops with the mind (心止於符, ch. xīn zhǐ yú fú).' He therefore encouraged cultivators of the Dao to 'listen with the spirit (聽之以氣 ch. tīng zhī yǐ qì).' The main scripture of Daesoon Jinrihoe states that "The mind is a pivot, gate, and gateway for gods; They, who turn the pivot, open, and close the gate, and go back and forth through the gateway, can be either good or evil (心也者, 鬼神之樞機也, 門戶也,道路也)," and the Supreme God of the Ninth Heaven (九天上帝, kr. Gucheon Sangje) even promises to visit anyone who possesses a 'singularly-focused mind (一心, kr. il-shim).' In both these approaches, there is a sense of what must be kept out of the mind (e.g., external disturbances, strong emotions, malevolent entities) and what the mind should connect with to attain spiritual progress (e.g., spirit, singular focus, the Supreme God). The observations above serve as the main basis for a comparison between the apophatic descriptions of cultivation found in Zhuangzi and their cataphatic counterparts in Daesoon Thought. However, the culmination of this nuanced comparative exploration reveals that while the leanings of Zhuangzi and Daesoon Thought generally hold true, ultimately, both systems of cultivation transcend the categories of apophatic and cataphatic.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.62
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• pp.101-133
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• 2020

This study is an attempt to grasp the fundamental characteristics and core structures of Bibliodrama, which has recently received a lot of attention in various fields including Christian education. Bibliodrama is a guided form of process-oriented staging of biblical texts in groups with the aim of mutually opening up the text and the biography of the participants in the implementation of holistic encounters (H. Aldebert). In the background of the birth of Bibliodrama can be found the hermeneutical efforts of the biblical scholar Walter Wink who sentenced the bankruptcy of historical criticism. He laid the biblical interpretative foundation for Bibliodrama which combines Bible and body. German theologian Gerhard Marcel Martin had a new experience of seeing the Bible through body activity during his life in New York, and based on that experience he began to work on the Bibliodrama. And the New Testament scholar Tim Schramm, who focused on the TCI (themecentered interaction) movement, found the optimal methodology to embody the interaction of biblical studies in Bibliodrama. On the other hand, Peter Pitzele, who wanted to realize the Bibliodrama in the tradition of Midrash, has developed a new type of Bibliodrama (Bibliolog) that is different from the European Bibliodrama. When we put together the positions of the pioneers of Bibliodrama, it turns out that it has three fundamental characteristics: body, interaction, and the empty space of the Bible. The body refers to the personality of learners participating in the Bibliodrama. They are not passive participants, but voluntary and active participants. Interaction is realized through the dramatic way of Bibliodrama. Bibliodrama aims for a dynamic process in which hermeneutical interaction occurs. The empty space of the Bible, which Bibliodrama pays attention to, allows us to understand why the Bible is not a fixed word but a living word that is still heard today. In order to understand the Bible as the content of education, Bibliodrama liberates the text that is fixed in a literal way and gives life by paying attention to the empty space of the Bible and reading it slowly.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.50
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• pp.33-68
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• 2024

Byun Chan-rin (1934-1985) intertextually reconciled important world religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism from the perspective of Pungryu (風流), also known as Seon (僊), which he considered to be the foundation of the Korean spirit. Naturally, his category of Pungryu also encompassed modern Korean national religions. He emphasized the necessity of a neo-religion in order to overcome the exclusive limitations of various world religions as each was bound by their own tradition, and hence deviated from the mainstream of the Great Way of Pungryu. He also appreciated various indigenous new religions in modern Korea, including concept of epoch-making and the practices of Kang Il-sun (姜一淳), as "neo-religion" that could overcome the limitations of world religions by elevating the magical activities of shamanism to the Great Way. His appraisal was positive, and he refrained from dismissing this growing movement as "superstitions" or "new emerging religions" embraced by the common people. From his viewpoint, the important indigenous new religions in modern Korea were not the ruling religions of the empire but alternative religions of the colonial people, and the concept of "Great Opening of the Later World (後天開闢)" in modern indigenous Korean religions and Kang's idea of the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence (解冤相生) were creative evolutions of religion that overcame the contradictions and limitations of the world's religions. He presented the insight of a spiritual seeker who heralded the era of "SBNR" (spiritual but not religious), which seeks new possibilities for spirituality by escaping limitations of religiosity.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.66
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• pp.179-208
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• 2021

Due to COVID-19, the entire world is facing the unprecedented phenomenon. Amid the threat of the virus, the global community is struggling for life. In such circumstances, churches in Korea have been criticised as selfish groups threatening the community by spreading the virus. With such criticism, they are disregarded by Korean society because their immorality and exclusive attitude towards other religions and cultures were also mentioned in public. There are many reasons for Korean churches to lose trust from people. One of the reasons for that is the quantitative growth of church and expansion of the power of church, which is a direction that has been practised so far as a missionary goal. The zeal for spreading gospel has undermined the trust of church and become a deteriorating factor for mission, which is irony. In such problematic situations, the change of paradigm is required for new mission. The passion for evangelisation should not only focus on the quantitative growth of church; it should change its direction for serving the world in lieu with the plan of God for the activity of redemption on this land. A hint of such mission can be found in ecumenical mission. Ecumenical mission is a new paradigm which was discussed in ecumenical movement led mainly by WCC, and its aim is to participate in activities of redemption of God for life in this world. Christian education has been a tool for the expansion of Christian power in the context of traditional mission. Reflecting on the role of Christian education as such, the change of direction as practical movement for the kingdom of God was tried in ecumenical movement: the beginning of the discussion of Christian education based on ecumenical mission. Due to exclusivity, aggressive mission, and the excessive attention to the system of ecclesiastical authority rather than life, Korean churches, which have lost trust in this society, should recover themselves as the model of the kingdom of God, and the establishment of mission education based on ecumenical mission is required for them to become a community towards life. Furthermore, this is an urgent task for Korean churches to implement such mission education in a church community.

• 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.