Shamanism in Korea

"All Koreans when they mingle in  society are Confucian; when they deal with philosophical questions they are Buddhist; when they come up against difficulties in life they are shamanistic." This was the way a  Protestant missionary described the Koreans back before the colonial rule of the Japanese, as reported in a Peace Weekly Series on different religious groups in Korea, the first article beginning with Shamanism. The writer agrees that there is much truth in the description: Those who go to a shaman when faced with life problems, no matter their alleged affiliations, belong to Shamanism; those who go to the Catholic Church are Catholics.

Korea has  over  300,000  shamans. They are, for the most part, not registered and are spread out into all areas of society. In the past, they were mostly found in certain sections of a city. Today they can be seen in market areas and wherever people congregate; they have become fashionable.
 

Although some consider Shamanism a religion, with  rituals to drive out evil spirits; others say it has only the appearance of a religion. They have no systematic teachings and have no ultimate concerns with life or death, good and evil, and have no world vision. Much of their ritual is focused on the shaman achieving an ecstatic state, which at times is also experienced by those participating in the ritual.
 

The history of Shamanism has little to do with the myth of Tan-gun, which deals with the history of Korea, says the writer. The shamans of the past were called to the royal court in the early kingdoms of Korea to offer sacrifices for rain, and other sacrifices similar to the rituals of Confucianism.
 

Some see Shamanism as rooted in the indigenous culture of Korea and for that reason should be preserved. Buddhism and Confucianism, and now Christianity with its 200-year history in Korea, have to be considered the religions of the Korean people. Those who consider Shamanism the native religion of the country want to see it develop and thrive. The writer agrees that preserving its contribution to Korean cultural history makes sense but to see that it develops is another completely different question. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Concluding  her article  she  gives us the words of Pope Paul VI, taken from his apostolic exhortation, "Evangelization in the Modern World," as a guideline on how to communicate with Shamanism:

        

Here we touch upon an aspect of evangelization which cannot leave us insensitive. We wish to speak about what today is often called popular religiosity.

One finds among the people particular expressions of the search for God and for faith, both in the regions where the Church has been established for centuries and where she is in the course of becoming established. These expressions were for a long time regarded as less pure and were sometimes despised, but today they are almost everywhere being rediscovered. During the last Synod the bishops studied their significance with remarkable pastoral realism and zeal.

Popular religiosity, of course, certainly has its limits. It is often subject to penetration by many distortions of religion and even superstitions. It frequently remains at the level of forms of worship not involving a true acceptance by faith. It can even lead to the creation of sects and endanger the true ecclesial community.

But if it is well oriented, above all by a pedagogy of evangelization, it is rich in values. It manifests a thirst for God which only the simple and poor can know. It makes people capable of generosity and sacrifice even to the point of heroism, when it is a question of manifesting belief. It involves an acute awareness of profound attributes of God: fatherhood, providence, loving and constant presence. It engenders interior attitudes rarely observed to the same degree elsewhere: patience, the sense of the cross in daily life, detachment, openness to others, devotion. By reason of these aspects, we readily call it "popular piety," that is, religion of the people, rather than religiosity.

Young Catholic Workers Movement of Korea

From 1970 to 1980, the JOC movement in Korea was very active. (JOC stands for Jeunesse Ouvrières Catholiques in French and Young Catholic Workers in English.) Founded by Cardinal Cardijn in 1958, the movement spread from France to many other countries of the world. Its mission, as set forth by JOC's international chaplain, is "to form a just society, raise the level of our appreciation of our human dignity, and promote fraternal love. To change the world is the work we have been given." He added that he hopes the movement will never forget this.
 
The JOC conducts its meetings by focusing on a three-prong approach of "seeing, judging, and acting."  First, a member examines a situation that needs to be confronted; second, forms a judgement with the light of Catholic social principles; and third, decides what to do in the concrete situation to implement these principles. In the 1990s it lost its vitality here in Korea primarily because of the change in the workers' environment. But, according to an article on the visit of the international chaplain that appeared in the Catholic Times, we are now seeing a change in the fortunes of the movement. 
 
 The bishops decided in 1999 to no longer have oversight of the movement, abrogated the national office, and returned the oversight to the individual dioceses, hoping to see some growth in the movement. But even in Inchon, where it was very active, it gradually disappeared. In Seoul it continued to thrive but the article mentions that there was a change there to a more spiritual approach, with the recognition that changing society begins with changing oneself.

The problems we had in society during the 70s and 80s have been remedied to a great extent so the ideals and expectations of the young have to be reconsidered with the eyes of the young workers.The chaplain, when talking to a group in Seoul, quoted the words of founder Cardinal Cardijn: "Young people are worth more than all the gold in the world because they are sons and daughters of God. All actions start from this premise." 
Since we are concerned with the young people in our society and their alienation from the Church, it is sad to hear that one of the great movements in the Church, which has inspired many other groups in the Church, was itself not helped to continue its work. 

The efforts of Cardinal Joseph Cardijn have not been appreciated by many in the Church. In his own time he ran into difficulty in having his concern for the workers brought more directly into the evangelizing life of the Church. He appreciated the role of the laity like few did in his day: "The lay apostolate is a necessity that does not have ecclesiastical origin but is of the divine order, willed by God himself." His most famous quote: "We are always at the beginning."  

The Cardinal had much to do with the ideas that formed the basis of Pope John's encyclical Mater and Magistra. His insights also appeared in the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World and the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity. There are those who would like to see him declared a Doctor of the Church so his words and life would reach more of the Catholic World.                                                                                                                                                                 

What Education May not be able to Give

It's not uncommon in Korean society to hear discussions on the merits of standard educational methods compared to alternative methods. A writer with a doctoral degree in literature was asked by a friend to share his thoughts on education. He sympathized with his friend for not wanting his child studying only for exams and facing the constant pressure to excel in school in order to succeed in our competitive society. And while appreciating an educational approach that focused on having a student discover their gifts and developing  them; he didn't think the  alternative method would be successful in accomplishing this objective. His views on the subject appeared in a recent Catholic magazine.

He mentions that a graduate from an alternative school, in a public forum, said that what he had learned about college was completely different from his  experience of  college. A teacher in an alternative school said that they had succeeded in reducing the level of anxiety concerning studies and grades but are far from educating  for creativity.

The writer feels we have to find a way of  uniting  the desire we have for producing better students and the methods to realize that goal. What do we hope for our students? He asks. The answer, he says, should determine our methods.

One of the goals of education is to help the student become a person of character by nurturing the resolve to reach this goal.  The person of character is one who can have rapport with his times and can sympathize with the marginalized in our society, see the injustice of divisions and the tragedy of war, can inspire others with an empathy for all those facing difficulties, and all those who are different from themselves. In short: to be able to see others with a moral perspective.

He concludes his article by noting two understandings for the word 'sympathy'.  The example he uses is seeing a beggar with whom  he becomes one. It is only the beggar who exists, and he gives alms. 

The other understanding of sympathy is  different. Seeing the beggar he intuitively sees his own future related to the beggar. The  beggar is not just one person but a sign of God showing us the darkness and reality of the present times. A  person with this common sympathy  will have this  important spiritual capability. Why are there people who are hungry and need food? This is moving from the autonomous individual to one who has a  sympathy for others that is not just personal.

The adage "It is better to give a hungry man a fishhook  than to give him a fish" may be an easier way of understanding what is meant. Seeing the beggar we do what we need to help, but at the same time we work to change society, so we do not have those who have to beg for food.  Hopefully, we do  not see these positions as either-or but rather as both-and. To educate a person with this understanding of life is possibly beyond the capability of any type of education.

Leaving the City for the Farm

Because of  the foreign exchange crisis during the last years of the 1990s, many city families decided to go to the quiet of the country and take up farming. Although many were returning to a life they had known before, few knew anything about farming. So with failure following failure, many returned to the city.

This trend continued for about two years after the foreign exchange difficulties, but  gradually the numbers began to decrease. In 2004 it increased again, with about 1000 families moving each year to the country. The Kyeongyang magazine gives us a look at some of these families in the Andong diocese.

For the last eight years the diocese has had a get-together for those who decided to go to the country to farm the land in an effort to help them meet others with the same problems, and to help them in their faith life in their new surroundings. They may all be planting  different crops, but they are all facing similar difficulties.

One of the difficulties is the tendency to worry about what the established farm neighbors may be thinking about their neophyte farming neighbors: are they wondering how long we will be able to endure this new life?  When they do ask for help from the more experienced farmers, they are likely to hear: " It's just a matter of doing what  you are doing."--farmers  are not going to go into  details.

There are those who go to the country not to farm but to prepare for retirement. Others go to leave behind working by the clock and  quarreling about nothing, preferring to come to the country to live more peacefully, surrounded by clean air and water.

Whether returning to farm or for other reasons--it is a return to nature. Even if nothing is done, returning to the country, especially when farming the land, is important. In the words of one who made the return to the  farm 13 years ago: "Before, my priorities were 'me' and the competition to earn money. Here on the  farm it is 'we' and the peaceful life that concern us."

At the Mass for those who returned to the farm, the bishop said, "The primary reason for farming is to produce healthful food. It nurtures life and is holy work, purifying those who farm with proper intentions. Environmentally friendly farming, organic and  life-giving, is not easy. However, with effort you will find satisfaction, nothing will be beyond your capabilities. You have experienced this and will continue to experience it. Although farming is a difficult life, you are living the life of the beatitudes."

Religions Visit to Pyongyang North Korea

At the end of last month a delegation from South Korea, including the leaders from seven major religious groups--Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist--visited North Korea. The visit was approved by the government, a sign of the desire to improve the relationship with the North.
 

The Catholic Times interviewed Gwangju archbishop Kim Hee-joong, a member of the 24-man delegation, who said that the hope for the trip was to contribute, even in a small way, to uniting hearts toward reunification and opening a new chapter of reconciliation and cooperation. The Times' editorial expressed hope for a change in our relationship with the North, and for more interest from our Catholics.  Below are some of the salient points made in the South-North statement, paraphrased from a short summary in the paper.

We have been together as a nation for over 5000 years, united by sharing the same blood. However, because of foreign intervention and by force, the country has been divided. Representatives of the South and North religious groups want to break the deadlock in our current situation,  and to work toward reconciliation and unity. We set our hearts for peace and unity, hoping for a new relationship.

We affirm that:
We want to break the hostile and confrontational relationship between the South and the North. We want to be on the front line with efforts to bring peace to our country, putting an end to war. The ones that are hurt by the confrontation are our own people.

We affirm that:
We support and want to carry out the historical declarations between the  South and the North. The problems between the South and the North have to be solved with the cooperation of our people according to  our thinking and to our benefit.

We affirm that:
We aspire to work for  unity with all religious groups and all segments of  society, national and international. In order to strengthen the dialogue and cooperation between the South and the North we hope to meet regularly and work for the realization of  unity of all religious people and for the unification of the homeland.  And with this in mind, we hope the  different segments  of society will be active in meeting and corresponding with each other.

The response of the North to the delegation from the South was warm and exceeded expectations. The North-South relationship has been extremely difficult to gauge, and doubts concerning unification continue to be expressed. But the efforts being made in that direction bring hope for a better future, though many are cynical, and with good reason. Efforts of religion in this very  political and difficult situation can be seen as futile. And yet, that the South had  seven leaders of different religious groups make the trip to the North is itself praiseworthy. As Archbishop Lee said, they were placing stepping stones between the two separated parts of Korea.

What Happened to the Church of the Poor?

Ordinarily, we tend to view religion as being concerned about what is happening in society, but now we have a society upset with what is going on in religion. Editorial director of a newspaper and past president of the Catholic Publishers Conference, writing the lead article in our premier Catholic magazine, presents his views on the subject.
 
"Religion has become the worry of the citizens." These words, spoken by a Buddhist monk, were picked up by the press and circulated widely. And our writer, on reading these words, had to agree, and believes he's not the only one who agrees with the monk.
 
Some of the larger Protestant churches in Seoul were too involved in what many saw as playing politics: trying to sway the recent vote in Seoul by their actions. Also in the  press recently, we have been reading about one of the largest churches in the world, where one family was seen as trying to make it their personal fief.  And there are  stories of churches  receiving privileges from the government to build their churches. Putting it bluntly, the Church was seen as too close to the party in power.   

The writer then considers the Catholic side of the issue, and looks at our problems. During the democratization of Korea,  Cardinal Kim, and  the impetus of Vatican II thinking and the foresight of the priests won the respect of the citizens, he says.  And this respect is still operative but there is a change. We should keep in mind the words of the Buddhist monk. The increase in the number of Catholics has reached a plateau. There are different ways of looking at this but our writer thinks that Catholicism is becoming the religion of the rich.

A Protestant newspaper, in a 2008 survey of the wealthiest area of Seoul, found that the Catholics outnumbered the Protestants. That many Catholics are rich is not a bad thing, but that the poor find it difficult  to approach the Catholic Church because of this fact is a problem. The poor Catholic going to church may say, "This is not a place where I feel I belong." Though said in jest it's a truth seen and expressed by many.  The weak  and poor of society find the threshold of the Catholic Church too high, and so turn away.

The Church is for the world and not the world  for the Church is a teaching we all accept; it is the teaching of Vatican II. Saying the world worries about the church and not the church about the world is  said sarcastically, and leaves one  sad and embarrassed. But the thought points to the very reason for the Church.  For Catholics to have a proper faith it is necessary not to  be content with the  present world situation but to work for a just world society and when necessary, to raise our voices, so we, as Church, can be heard.

Playing Hide and Seek

Once upon a time--as ancient tales often begin--when humanity was on friendly terms with God, he asked what fun game they would like to play. "How about playing hide and seek," they answered. "You hide and we will look for you; do not show yourself until we find you." God  said, "Good, I will hide." And so  began the game of hide and seek.

The desk columnist of the Catholic Times wants us to follow his thinking about this most important 'game.'  As we know, humanity has looked everywhere for indisputable evidence of God's presence in the world, but without success. And a game that seems to be without an achievable goal is no fun. Not enjoying the game anymore, most 'players' gave up. It was a game they didn't want to play anymore.

The columnist tells us that wars began, armies  were formed, weapons were made and sold, laws were promulgated and broken. The whole world was in turmoil. There was a desire to have God come out of hiding and put an end to the turmoil. But it was not to be. 

The philosopher Kant helps us out, says the columnist, by his critique of reason, claiming that reason has three objectives: determining what constitutes proper knowledge, what constitutes proper behavior, and what can we properly hope for. The answer to the first was a philosophy; to the second, a moral life, and to the third, religion. For Kant, the realm of religion was hope--a great insight. The knowing and  doing are possible according to each person's abilities and situation, but hope is something that transcends our personal limitations and is always available to us.

We often have hope for the ideal experience in life but experience instead its opposite. We hope that something will not happen and it does. Or hope that something will happen and it does not. We hope to make money and give to others but the opportunity never comes. We hope to live without worry but it seldom happens.  But the hope that society will change according to the belief we have is the ideal hope of the 'fools' who believe in God. A theologian has said, "Hope is faith  and despair is sin."

There are many, of course, who are still looking for God. These fools are always looking for traces of God in life. They  are looking for the reflections of righteousness and with their lives are giving it life. The world is being changed by those with ideals and hope.  They find the game of hide and seek a great joy.