Getting Rid of our Idols

A priest professor at a Catholic University has an article in Biblelife  on  making the God I believe into an idol. He begins the article with an American TV program in which we have a group of college students in an auditorium asking questions of a Republican, a Democrat and the new's anchorman. The first question was for the anchorman:  Are you Republican, Democrat or independent? The anchorman responded with the name of an American football team. Another student asked: Why did the United States become such a great country? The Democrat answered: variety and opportunities; the Republican answered: freedom.  The anchorman again, humorously tried to  avoid answering the question, but was not  allowed to by the spokesman for the students. He  answered: The United States is not a great country. It only happened that  we have on occasions acted with greatness.

He went on to explain that the people have risen up for justice and fought for virtue.  They have made laws to increase virtue and have abrogated other laws. They have overcome much poverty, but did not at times fight with the poor. In the last election, they didn't question the reason they voted for their candidate. Looking back in the past, we see that at times they were courageous and  truly great. The reason we could act with greatness in these circumstances, he continued, was that we had the information to make a judgement, the reason that we could act wisely we knew the problems.

The way we look at society is different for each of us. There are those that see no problems with the society in which we live.  Then you have those that see the structural problems in society and want to do something to change the situation. And between these two points of view, we have those who are confused. He uses two phrases that are seen often on the Internet used disparagingly of the conservatives and the progressives. The division of the country has brought about a division in our thinking even here in South Korea, where instead of coming closer together we are making the wall of hate and distrust only higher.

The ideological battles are dividing the country. What is the most fearful of the idols which  we face? He asks. Is it not making God after our own image? Wanting God, the Church and the  clergy  to speak what I believe is  true. If I am of a conservative disposition I don't want the Church or the clergy to talk about anything outside of spirituality. If of a progressive disposition, I want them to put the  spiritual on the back burner and just speak about the problems in society.

Our faith is not wanting God and the Church to move in the way I think important, but to change the way I am living to  the way God wants. Often I  don't care to change and  desire God and the Church to change. This way of thinking is spreading widely in the society. The priest professor introduces us to the Joy of the Gospel and to paragraph #227.

"When conflict arises, some people simply look at it and go their way as if nothing happened; they wash their hands of it and get on with their lives. Others embrace it in such a way that they become its prisoners; they lose their bearings, project onto institutions their own confusion and dissatisfaction and thus make unity impossible. However, there is also a third way, and it is the best way to deal with conflict. It is the willingness to face conflict head on, to resolve it and to make it a link in the chain of a new process. “Blessed are the peacemakers!”

The first thing that is necessary is that we have a healthy inner life. When the interior is healthy,  we can live with  diversity and examine what is involved, and discern what is the truth that God wants us to accept. When the inner life is weak, then we are only concerned about ourselves and end up in conflict. We have to keep our attention on the God who is, and not the idol of our making. He recommends strongly that we read the exhortation. 

Catholicism as a Religious Brand

When we say there are few words that control the way we live like the brand word, we are not dealing with exaggeration says the  opinion  columnist in the Peace Weekly. When we want the news, we look for KBS, MBC, SBC,  or one of our favorite channels. A cup of coffee similarly has a brand name attached. A sick person looks for the brand name of their hospital. Students look for their college brand, and we look for the business enterprises and their brand products.

This brand thinking also enters the cultural world of our thinking. When we are looking for services and products, the providers use all the means available to show us why their brands are superior to others. The competition is fierce.

True also, he says, in the world of religion.Those religions that use this information will do a better job in bringing others into their fold. He explains why this is the time for the Religious Brand.

First, brand is a mark of identity, legitimacy, uniqueness, a marketing word that distinguishes it from all the competition.  Catholic,  Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Protestantism, etc. each one has an identity, and uniqueness which it stresses in  its propagation.This is a reason that makes for the branding of the religions.

Secondly, the  world is the big market for all these religions. Of the 7 billion inhabitants 6 billion 200 million have a religion. This makes the religions competitors in finding followers. Which of the brands will they want to accept?

Thirdly, propagating, we ask people to choose. Our society does not take to absolute authority, there is a strong tendency in not being impressed with traditional authority. We see this in politics, finances, society, education and of course in religion. In the past, the emotional, collective, and traditional was out front, today it is the intellect, the individual and the situation in which we find ourselves.

The companies that are successful study the actions of the consumers, the values they seek. The company is not at the center but the consumer; the development of their services and products is determined by what the consumer needs, and their brand is there to answer their need. Because of this,  religion can no longer go out and say; 'believe in God, believe in Allah, believe in Buddha'.  The potential believers of the future need to be attracted to what is being offered, and will choose accordingly.

People of the  present age will choose a religion that meets their tastes. This kind of thinking gives rise to choosing of brands, the new trend.The traditional religions avoided the language of the market place, marketing,  brands, management and the like; evangelization was a different way of making the message known. But according to the columnist we are in the 'brand age' and  people will select the brand of religion that meets their taste.

Catholicism is a brand that promises happiness. The  product is easily tested for we have many examples of those who have lived the life and are good billboards for the teaching. The brand is easy to examine and analyze, and although we have members saying and doing things differently it is not difficult to determine who speaks for the brand. In the study of the  brand one can ascertain quickly whether it answers the longings of  our hearts or not.  Making a  judgement, in the present age, of the authenticity of the brand and what it offers, one has all the necessary information available on the Internet, if one has the patience, a desire to search for truth, and the wisdom to discern.

Ecumenical Forum in Korea

Articles in both Catholic papers recount some of the points that were discussed at the 2014 Ecumenical Forum among Christians this past month. The subject of the forum: "Necessary for Christian unity are faith, practice and spirituality."

This is the first time since the start of the group that they settled on a way of proceeding in the years to come with an agenda: * to associate closely * study together * work together *  pray together.

The president of the Ecumenical Group, Archbishop Kim Hee-jung, chair of the Committee to Promote Christian Unity and Inter religious Dialogue, of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea  said: "We should not only proclaim our faith but work to get some fruits from our interaction. We need to overcome our prejudices and biases and trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit if we want to  see results  from our meetings." 

The Orthodox Archbishop  Ambrosios  said without the unchangeable values of  love and truth, we will not attain unity. A false unity only leads to greater problems.

A priest from the diocese of Inchon said that the big obstacle that we face in inter- religious dialogue is the different misunderstandings we have about dogma  and the faith life. The attachments that we have to our different  denominational viewpoints and the narrow minded understanding in our methods in the study of theology, are the obstacles to the goal of unity. To overcome this we need to make the movement for unity better known, and work to  educate our Christians with  continual theological discussions.

Another priest from the seminary said to make the ecumenical goals known we have to work together as we did in the bazaar in helping the poor: to work together in ecological works, diminish consumption,  problems with women's issues, helping the marginalized in our society, unification of Korea, and the scout movement within society. 

Christians in Korea are doing much to better the relationship that we have with each other. Archbishop Kim Hee-jung, is quoted as saying: “We have the same faith, but along with our lack of concern, we have not hesitated to speak and act exclusively. Let’s pray together and act together to prepare the path that we can walk together, not only for ourselves but for those outside the fence as well.”

However, although as a country, Korea is one of the few countries that has, for the most part, a friendly  interaction between religions and a respect for each other this is not 100 percent. While  this meeting was going on, we had a group of Protestants demonstrating against the ecumenical meeting.

“Roman Catholic is not Christianity. Therefore, it is never possible to look for unity with the Catholic church.” This kind of thinking is not missing in Korea, but hopefully we will see a change  with more understanding of each other and with prayer and study.
 

Happy Pentecost

Pope Francis in his trip to Israel and Palestine invited the two presidents to visit the Vatican for a prayer meeting for peace. The Peace Weekly column, in the recent  issue, mentioned the two leaders have accepted the invitation, and will be present at the Vatican today, Pentecost Sunday, praying for peace.

During the trip to the Near East, we also had the decision of Pope Francis and  Patriarch Bartholomew, the primary leader of the Eastern Orthodox Christians, to meet in modern-day Turkey at Nicaea where the Church had the first Ecumenical Council: a meeting with prospects  for unity of the two largest segments of Christianity. It will be the 1700 anniversary of the Ecumenical Meeting in Nicaea.

In Nicaea  we have the Church agreeing on the creed that we recite after the sermon on Sundays. "I believe in One God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth and of all things visible and invisible." In  381 AD we have an addition about the Holy Spirit. 

During this trip the meeting of the two Palestine and Israel leaders at the Vatican to pray for peace and the meeting in 2025 for the reunion of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches are truly golden opportunities for change. The Columnist calls these two  opportunities gifts from Pope Francis. A gift, he says, always depends how it is received and  used.

The visit of Pope Francis to Korea in about two months has three reasons, often reported in the media: to attend the Asian Youth Meeting, the beatification of the 124 martyrs and to pray for peace on the peninsula. There are many who  are hoping for other results besides the events. The journalist also  hopes for other gifts to come from the visit. Pope Francis is always full of surprises.He hopes we will not refuse the gifts offered.

Today on the Feast of Pentecost we celebrate  the birthday of the Church. The day the Church left the locked doors behind, the fear and indecision, and went out into the roads and mixed with the people convinced they were the messengers of  good news for the whole world. They were convinced they had a mission and that they were given the help to carry out the mission with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  This is the gift that God has given us to be his instruments of peace and joy.

Searching for Truth

A professor at Sogang University gives us his thoughts on watching a popular historical drama on Korean TV. The drama is Jung Do-jeon; the name is taken from the  leading figure in the transition from the Goryeo Dynasty (1392)  to the Choson Dynasty. When we deal with historical drama, we are seeing events through the eyes of the person who writes the screenplay, so we can't say all is historically true, but we are dealing with a historical event which adds to its charm. We are able to see the choices and actions of those in the historical situation and compare ourselves and our situation with the past.

The drama is situated in the time between the end of the Goryeo Dynasty and the beginning of the Choson Dynasty. It was a difficult time filled with  turmoil. The two characters that we follow are Jung Do-jeon and Jung Mong-ju. We are shown how they acted and      their decisions. Jung Do-jeon wanted to change completely from the past and start anew. Jung Mong-ju saw the contradictions and the abuses but did not want to change the foundations of the Goryeo  Dynasty.

These two ways of thinking, says the columnist, in the opinion column, View from the Ark,  are both valid ways of thinking. Even in our own times the course of action is not readily ascertained.The position of Jung Do-jeon and his idea of loyalty can be seen as traitorous, but  the citizens looking at his position can see him leading the country into new times and with a genuine search for truth. Jung Mong-ju no matter how incompetent and filled with problems, he was loyal to the country and worked to  better the situation. He is seen as a loyal citizen. His position was to  protect the foundations of the country, and would be considered conservative.

In our lives, we see similar situations repeated often. No matter what the standards we need to face our situation, judge and choose. Different standards that co-exist in society come into conflict: choosing between positions is not easy. One side says this,  and the other says that. In our society, we have similar problems deciding.

The professor says the  basic  standards that we use are both  partial and limited, which brings about the conflict. When each side looks at the situation and judges according to their individual view point and then absolutizes their decision, there is bound to be confrontation between the two  sides. When I make my opinion the absolute standard,  I have to reflect on what I am doing. In this case when we make our opinion, absolute,  we find ways to  justify the position. In the drama, this is what the two Jungs do; as if their positions are the only ones possible.

The professor quotes Wilfred Cantwell Smith, who in such a situation and when we  stubbornly insist,  arbitrarily on our opinion, we need 'Faith'  to surmount this way of thinking. 'Faith' is a the transcendent  response of the whole person. A transcendent person is  a person that is seeking to follow the whole truth. Such a person who is searching for transcendent truth will be continually  examining  themselves. Before an absolute and transcendent truth, we should be able to see our limited and partial opinions, and put them  aside as we examine ourselves in search for transcendent truth.

When we have opposing values, he concludes,  that are in a collision course as in our present society, choosing demands that we examine ourselves, which  requires  we have a genuine faith, a prerequisite of the times in which we live.

Thoughts, After the Survey on Pope's Visit to Korea

The editorial team of the Catholic Times reports they spent over two months discussing  the visit of Pope Francis to Korea. They decided to make renewal the topic in preparation for the visit. There are a variety of aspects on the visit, but basically, it can be expressed by evangelization. Using the words that the pope prefers, we are being faithful to the original mission given to the Church by Jesus. This requires renewal and reform on our part.

We prepared a questionnaire on the visit. We wanted to know what the members of the Church felt about the visit. One of the surveys was with the  opinion leaders, persons of  influence  among the priests, religious, and lay people;  the  second survey was of the laity.

The results were very subtle but  there was a difference between the two. The leaders in the Church saw a need for change within the world Church and the Korean Church with percentages of 97 and 98.The ordinary laity, 92  percent were for change within the world Church and 94  percent for change within the Korean Church.

With the leaders in the Church, we had only 28 percent that thought the visit would bring about change.  While among the laity, we had 43  percent that were sure of a change. Comparing with the other areas this was the biggest discrepancy between the two groups.

The Desk Columnists gives two reasons for the differences. Among the leaders in the Church, they thought it too early to make any decisions. Change does not come quickly or with one event. The other reason  is  pessimistic: "This is the way it has been, and we do not see any difference in the will to change, with the visit of the pope can we expect anything else?" This  sarcastic response makes clear the  problem. The pope's visit could be what is needed but without the desire and will for change, nothing will happen.

The Columnist in his work meets many Catholics. "Working within the Church the more they get involved the more likely they are to  lose their religion," is often heard. The more they learn about the Church and  its management, the satisfaction and passion instead of increasing, they become disillusioned and frustrated.  The beginners when they express themselves, hear from their seniors  that is the way it is,  and their  desire for  renewal disappears.  If this is the situation within the Church then, the columnist says, we have  a serious problem.

The pope with his humor and method of operation, can  light the flame for change. However, this requires  it begin with us; the will to bring about change has to be present  in ourselves and the Church. Clearly, we see a need for change. We must begin.The first persons to be out in front are the Bishops and  priests.  If they are unsure of what to do, looking around here and there, without the will for change, then  the road is still far in the distance. To be honest, he says, that is what he feels. Renewal must  begin with the priests....

The Lesson from the Sewol Tragedy

Much has to change after the  Sewol  disaster, and much has changed writes the columnist in the Peace Weekly. Pope Francis expressed his condolences for the loss of so many lives, and said: "He hoped the  South Korean people will take the Sewol tragedy as an occasion for moral and spiritual rebirth."

The hands of the  world history clock have been moving, centered on the  West; we here in the Far East have been left in the dark for the last 500 years. Korea has  come from an underdeveloped country with effort and cleverness to forming the  Democratic Republic of Korea: a country that received aid to one giving aid, a country that democratically changes its leaders by free elections. We have come a long way in a short period of time. We have had many changes in society, yet we  are the only country in the world that is still divided.

The columnist, a sociology professor in a Catholic University, reviews the progress of Korea in recent history. Korea moved from being a colony of Japan, to a free country at the  end of the Second World War, to civil war, to the end of the cold war. Europe during this time overcame the walls that separated them to form the European Union. The use of the Internet has been breaking down walls between nations for some time, and Korea is still concerned with the problems from the second World War and the end of the cold war. We still have the comfort women  who were the sex slaves for the Japanese soldier demonstrating every Wednesday in front of the Japanese Embassy asking for an apology. 

In Europe after the war, they had the war crime tribunal which the times demanded. In the Far East we don't have this kind of thinking reflected among our citizens. We are still  fighting over the  ownership of an island with the Japanese. The hands of the historical clock are still not moving in the Far East.The cold war stopped us from thinking of the problems connected with capitalism. The Sewol tragedy brings our thoughts back to the  issue of greed. There is no society that does not regulate greed. We have imported the word neo-liberalism; unbridled greed has brought in the financial crisis but also the freezing of changes in the structures of society. We don't see the faces of those who are walking away with the money, she says, but the ordinary person is the one whose life becomes more difficult. The area of  public concern that is given the most benefits is the growth of our capitalistic system, when the welfare of the ordinary citizens is discussed, we hear about  waste of resources and not efficient.

Jesus is a sign of love, and we know how angry he was when in contact with the money lenders in the temple. He prepared a whip and chased them out of the temple. We should remember this scene.

When the capitalistic thinking is not  associated with morality but with greed we have many problems in society. The pope's words on the occasion of the tragedy hoping for a moral and a spiritual rebirth should be the lesson that we learn from the tragedy.