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this page Newsletters - Families at the Frontiers of Faiths
South Korea
South Korea is a multi religious society (Buddhism (25%), reformed Christianity (20%), Catholic (6%), Confucianism, traditional shamanism, Korean national religions (1%)). It's easy to see the multi-religious phenomenon in families, relatives, neighbours, schools and companies. There are many cases of different beliefs and different religions between parents, couples and children.
Whereas multi religious society is a field of cultural opportunity in which we can understand the inheritance of civilisations, it can cause tension and conflict. The basic reason is that each religion thinks its own belief the absolute or the highest and that other religions are wrong or inferior. Particularly Christianity shows an exclusivity to neighbouring religions. Korean Christianity was mainly influenced by fundamental conservative missionaries from America during the last hundred years. Sometimes, extreme conservative Christians set fire to Buddhist temples and cut the neck off Buddhist statues. Christianity gives difficulties to families. Family members don't talk about neighbouring religions. I interviewed some as follows:
- A medical doctor, Mr. Lee, married a Christian woman. The bride's parents demanded as a condition of marriage that he had to go to church. Lee accepted this condition, and at first went to church. But afterwards, he often did not go. Religious conflicts deepened between him and his wife and at last they divorced. It is one of the growing number of divorce cases caused by religious conflicts.
- Mr. Moon of a Buddhist family falls in love with Ms. Kim of a Christian family. But Mr. Moon's parents can't accept two religions and Ms. Kim's parents also insist on the young couple not getting married if he doesn't convert to Christianity. Neither set of parents allows the couple to meet. There are many young people with difficulties of marriage because of different religions.
- A Korean national religion, 'Chondogyo' which respects and serves human beings as like a god, effected the independent movement during Japanese colonialism in the beginning of the 20th century. When women who believe in Chondogyo married Christian husbands however, most of them were seriously afflicted, being treated by the husband's Christian family members as if they were believing in Satan or practising idolatry. Mrs. Lee Sun-Young's grandparents were 'Chondogyo' believers. But she studied in a Christian mission school. Her husband was not interested in her religion for five years of their marriage. At that time they had conflicts, but he is participating in 'Chondogyo' with their children. Mrs. Lee takes part in religious dialogue meetings.
- Mr. Jun grew up in a Buddhist background and married a Buddhist wife. When he got sick with cancer, he worked as a volunteer in an Anglican social welfare centre. He went to an Anglican church and decided to become an Anglican priest, and, through dialogue, persuaded his parents, wife, and sons to convert. They accepted his decision. His wife hesitated to go to church, but now she does. Mr. Jun is now studying at the Sungkonghoe (Anglican) theological seminary.
Korean society is a multi religious society, and even though it has religious conflicts, the religions have a very peaceful co-existence compared with Christian-Muslim relations. From the 1970s to now, religious solidarity has been found in the human rights movement, eco-life movement, migrant workers' issues, food aid to North Korea, peaceful reunification in Korea, and NGO activities. These are good trends in religious dialogue in social activities. However, these do not affect each family yet. There is no counselling centre for resolving religious conflicts of families in Korea.
An historian, Arnold Toynbee, demanded mature dialogue to resolve conflicts between religions and to transform them to co-operative relations, and, one step further, the need to go beyond dialogue towards creative transformation. Religious dialogue has to be 'a frank self-openness.' And it has to get an enthusiasm for the 'righteous way' to free human life from oppression and injustice in families and society while learning the religious and spiritual experiences of neighbouring religions.
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