The religious census of 2015 showed more unbelievers than believers. Non-believers accounted for 56.1% of the population. In 2005 the number of believers was 52.9 % and dropped to 43.9 % in the 2015 census. Religious believers are of many different persuasions: Shamanism, Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists, Confucianists, and many other indigenous religions.
Shamanism is very much part of the culture, as is Confucianism; this would not readily appear on a survey. Protestantism would be divided into many different sects that mainline Protestants would have difficulty accepting as Christian and one such group would be the Shinchonji Church of Jesus.
Most of the believers and unbelievers are sincere and convinced of their position. At times it is difficult to see anything positive in what a person believes because of the aberrations, behavior, irrational thinking of the adherents. Consequently trying to keep some of the good many see in religion, they consider themselves spiritual and the attraction to atheism.
An editorial in the Catholic Times sees the spread of the Shinchonji Church in Korea with some of their tactics becoming more abhorrent. Mentioned was the infiltration of the Legion of Mary trying to find new recruits by the 'harvesters' of the Shinchonji Church. This was reported by a group formed to bring attention to Catholics of the maneuvers of these quasi-religious groups such as the Shinchonji church.
The editorial mentions sadly that 30% of the new members of the Church were Catholics. They have in recent years increased membership by about 20,000 each year. This should be a great embarrassment to the Church that the faith of our Catholics is shown to be so shallow.
One of the Catholics who converted to Shinchonji was quoted in the Catholic Peace Weekly: "In Shinchonji they met God, learned his word and was saved. I did not find this in the Catholic church. I wasted my time."
One of the priests who has studied the movement stresses the need for Catholics to realize that we have been saved by our belief in Jesus and received the mark of a disciple of Jesus and are sons and daughters of God. Sadly this conviction is missing in many. When this is missing it's an easy step to look for a worldly salvation.
Catholics are slow in working within the church to counterattack attempts of the cults to find new members within Catholicism. Protestants have 15 special groups throughout the country that are in place to counsel those who have been hurt by Shinchonji—families are often divided. Catholicism has begun also to take an interest but they have not the members yet to do the work.
Prevention from getting involved with the movement is to stay away from their teaching. Shinchonji mission activists, who are called "harvesters", approach their target as a specialist belonging to a company or school that everyone knows and invites them to their Bible study programs.
Necessary is to always expand the horizon of our faith life. Not only with the Scriptures but with spiritual books and reading of Catholic newspapers and magazines which will strengthen us in overcoming the temptations the world continues to present.
