Leaving Religion in Korea

A professor of religious studies in a secular university writes in a bulletin for priests on the religious situation in Korea. For over 50 years, the religious population of the country continued to rise but then sharply began to decrease. From 2005 to 2015 it decreased from 53.1 % to 43.9%.

The Korean Gallup survey made earlier this year showed the same results. In 2004 the religious population of the country was up to 54%, in 2014 it was 50% in 2021 it was 40%. The percentage of the younger generation was even more pronounced. In 2021 those in their 20s who are believers 22%, in their 30s, 30% in the 40s, 32%. 98 percent of the believers in Korea are members of the three main creeds.
 

Among the religions, Buddhism decreased from 22% to 16 %, Protestantism from 21 % to 17 %, and Catholics from 7% to 6 %. Surprisingly the good feeling towards religion has gone from 33% in 2004 to 46% in 2014 and in 2021 it went up to 61%. The professor believes this is the result of the many who have left their religion.

It was understood that in a society where fears of danger were present we had a demand for religion and its growth. In Korea because of the pandemic for well over a year, in a 'high-risk society, paradoxically, the decline in the religious population in Korea, is a mystery.

At that time, he thought it was necessary to distinguish in predicting the change in the religious population, to distinguish between the entire external religious terrain and the internal. (I wonder if this is not what the West sees in the phrase I am not religious but spiritual)
 
He sees in the last 20 years in Korea a noticeable increase in hazards to the good life. Jobs are harder to find, less security in labor, small business problems, the five day week and 40 hours have brought about voluntary and involuntary problems which has made religious life more difficult for many.

The overall decrease in the frequency of social remarks by the church, selective remarks, and when dealing with political, social, and ethical topics it's only conservative images that the citizens hear.

Working together in the Church, in establishing a human network that will proclaim an integrated Catholic policy would be the best emergency prescription to reverse the trend of abandoning religion.
 

In the mid-to-long-term outlook, important to prevent polarization of society, a situation that keeps vulnerable people away from the church, and to help everyone enjoy weekend life.

How to Grow Old

 

"Even death is God’s creative work." A reporter writing for the Here and Now, Catholic Blog, writes about the thoughts of Sister Kim Hyo-seong from her interview with the sister. The religious sister is the author of the book Smile is my Calling dealing with the spirituality of the elderly. 

 

Focusing on the transcendence of old age will make a difference in the way the elderly are seen. Just as spring to summer is a vivid symbol of creation, so is autumn to winter. It is God's work that we have death! 

 

So for the believer, death is a creative activity of God. Can we happily accept old age and death? The Sister is not afraid of getting old and even excited. If you change your point of view that getting weaker and 

dying is not the end of your life, but the creation of the Lord, it is not sad to get old.

 

Based on this, she has been doing spiritual education since 2014 helping her prepare for convent life in her old age. Society and the church is getting old just because the elderly population increases, and she looked back on this point of view that saw this as a 'problem'. If we take a close look at the thought that a church must be full of young people, it may be we see the elderly as useless.

 

In society, often the abuse and dislike for the elderly continue. In the rapidly developing world, the value of old age is difficult to see positively. If we look at the elderly only from the problems they often face as if there are normal people and the elderly are people who deviate from that standard, problems will arise. 

 

"A society can tell how mature it is in the treatment of the socially disadvantaged, how the church or parish community treats the elderly reflects how they live the

gospel concretely."

 

In addition to biological, legal, and social age, there is an 'inner age'. The detachment or transcendence that is revealed in old age is not just a loss of spirit but "the figure of a philosopher who has matured 

naturally." Even though social welfare: pensions for the elderly and free subway fares have increased, the notion we can learn from those who have matured is still lacking in our society. If society had paid attention to the transcendence of old age early, the perception of the elderly would have changed. 

 

Not long ago, the Catholic Church decided to celebrate the International Day of Grandparents and the Elderly on the fourth Sunday of July every year. The Vatican emphasizes that "the ecclesial community always wants to be with the elderly" and issued pastoral guidelines for visiting grandparents and seniors living alone. Sister Kim said that the meaning of creating this day goes beyond simply caring for and helping the elderly, and has a broader meaning "to recognize that I am going to die someday, to see life in an integrated way by inserting old age into my life." "In a way, the ultimate goal of life is death, and it is a reality that each of us must achieve. Pope Francis is reminding us of our future by not forgetting the elderly in our lives and being with them." 

 

To grow old gracefully, is important not only to society and the church but also to the efforts of the aging 'me'. According to psychology, we grow from birth to death. Humans are born with 'human vitality', and 

"when this vitality is exerted and can make decisions on its own, it can grow at any time. Sister Kim emphasized, "First of all, I need to accept the reality of my body getting weaker as I get older, and then 

focus on how to take care of my weakened self." It's hard to see aging positively if you keep reminding yourself of the glory of being young and thinking you're not as good as before. 

 

In the Bible, the old person often appears as a prophet. Sister Kim believes that older people in the church could play these prophetic roles, with courageous remarks of an insightful prophet awakening those who are asleep. 

 

Sister said, "If you are over 65 and able to be active, you should have a prophetic function in your position." She stressed that solidarity and dialogue with young people are also essential if adults are to act as advisors and prophets in the church and not appear naive. The reason she accepted this interview is to fulfill this prophetic calling. It was an opportunity to spread the gospel quickly by borrowing the hands of the younger generation within the church. "There is no one-size-fits-all approach to aging," she said. Therefore, discovering each person’s own unique way of life and pace is the secret to a richer and more beautiful life in old age"

Distorting Facts In Reporting News

 

In the Kyeongyang Magazine a college professor, familiar with  communication and journalism shows how many are injured by written words and what the ear hears. He visits an incident where a young medical student died while with a friend at a park on the Han River. He was found drowned.

The case was publicized widely in the media and gained a great amount of attention from the public. The young man had all the qualities that any parent would want to see in their sons and the death was felt by many.  

Consequently, the media stayed daily with the incident in its reports. In Korea, the number of different media is beyond counting and much of it was concerned with reporting the incident. Much of the media was not concerned with the ethics or legality in reporting and  reports were often made without facts. Different committees always present as watchdogs made known the problems but much of the new and old media were not listening.

Examples would be subjective opinions distorting facts, not able to distinguish facts from opinion, a basic rule of making clear the source of the news was not followed. Not to distort the news item with superfluous items, not to plagiarize freely from other media, following the copyright laws, allowing the victim of the criticism to give a counter-argument, protecting the injured party, and preventing inflammatory reporting, defamation of the individual or the group. The failure to keep these and similar rules were far too many.  
 

Individual digital platforms that are available such as YouTube, it's natural for them to express their own opinions but when they change the character of the facts we have a problem. In addition, YouTube and the Internet media, which lack the means of coverage, often plagiarize articles from other media.

Prejudice and sensationalism are also strong. These days, when the media is an important sample of the digital economy and clicks are converted into money, media operators stained with this mindset put forward sensational texts and titles that will catch the eyes of readers and viewers because profits come first.

This does not mean that large traditional media such as general daily newspapers and broadcasters strictly follow ethics and laws. Traditional media also adapt to the counterattack of the media ecosystem following the digital world expansion.

In the death of the young man mentioned above, much of this new media was abused. A reporter writes a word or two from notes, without checking the facts, and using a title as if it were a factual title and text, often in a sensational and shocking expression.

The death of a young man is unfortunate, but the media that misused this incident as material for selective reporting that resulted in confusion and incited social conflict was tragic.

Except for the small number of media that received 'caution' this time, the general internet media and individuals will likely continue as before. Foretelling that similar journalistic incidents will likely occur again.

Recruitment of Nurses in Korea

The ongoing response to coronavirus 19 is exhausting the medical staff at hospitals and clinics. It's easy to understand the burdens as everyone focuses on responding to the Coronavirus. The outbreak has already exceeded a year and six months. The complaints are not just recent, if there is no response, it is only neglect. So begins a medical doctor's column in the 'Symptoms of Sickness' in the Catholic Peace Weekly.

Korea in the number of hospital beds is one of the highest among the developed countries but medical and especially nursing personnel are at the bottom. A large number of nursing staff can avoid misdiagnoses and a quick return to society. In Korea, the environment the nurses have to work in is difficult, many new nurses turn their backs on being at bedsides within a few years.

Most countries have standards for nursing staff— the number of patents and nurse ratio. In European countries even if the regulations are not legally binding, wards are closed if there is a shortage of nursing staff. However, in Korea, no sanctions even if 30 patients are taken care of by a nurse and support staff.

The government has been encouraging the recruitment of manpower through the health insurance system. Incentives are given when the ratio of nurses to patients is high, however, no measures to penalize those with sub-standard ratios. As a result, large hospitals can maintain a high nursing level, hire more manpower to increase profits, but local small and medium hospitals stay outside the rating system because of difficulties in supplying more help.

In this structure, the quality of medical care between large hospitals and small and medium-sized hospitals is widening, and the public naturally prefers large hospitals.  

Even now, a government policy to fill the nursing workforce is needed. First of all, sub-standard situations must be changed. Although Korea is a country with many hospital beds, there are not enough that adhere to proper manpower standards. If a small and medium-sized hospital is in a crisis of closure due to insufficient manpower, if necessary for the local community, the state will have to support it to meet the manpower standard or make a public purchase. If we just rely on good intentions and use the sick as an excuse, we cannot break the vicious cycle discussed above.

Health care workers have announced a general strike in the face of the coronavirus. One of the main reasons for the strike is to increase manpower. With the recent 4th epidemic, it is difficult to respond to treatment with around 2,000 confirmed cases every day. The core of the urgent discussion on the change of quarantine policy is the ability to respond to treatment, and the core is the expansion of medical personnel.

Leaving hospitals and beds that do not meet manpower standards is neglecting the health and life of the people. Let's set clear standards for manpower compared to hospital beds to those of advanced countries, and boldly close out beds outside of the standard. The rotten flesh must be cut out so that new flesh can grow.
 

Learning from St. Hildegard

 

One of the four women doctors of the church is Hildegarde of Bingen (1098-1179), Benedictine abbess and saint with modifiers before her name showing the fullness of life she was able to live: theologian, preacher, composer, knowledgeable in medicine, therapist, animal and plant life scholar.

She is especially suited to our age because of her great love for the environment the way of growing closer to the creator. She was not mentioned in Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si but fits easily into what the Pope envisioned. 

She introduced us to Viriditas an important concept in understanding her thinking. It is the greening of God's creation: growth, life but also the poetic images of vigor, freshness vitality, fecundity, lushness. We are meant to cultivate this greenness in our lives. It's the greening power of God. Existing in all of creation.  

In a diocesan bulletin, a priest introduces the readers to the Saint and her teachings. She from an early age had visions that she expressed in pictures and analyzed theologically. During her lifetime she was considered a prophet, and mystic.

The saint describes in Liber Divinorum Operum (The Book of Divine Works) her outlook on life. God made us in his image, central to his creation and we contain within ourselves all the different aspects of creation in a microcosm. Consequently, we must aspire and search for God. Not the largest in size but our souls are what give us strength. 

Those who are sincere will be aware of God's existence, be God orientated with a spiritual and secular desire for him. We are his greatest masterpiece and learn this from his creation. God makes himself known thru his creation which was made for human beings.

The saint was also interested in scientific inquiry into the natural world which was rare at that time. The saint shows this aspect of her interest in her book Causes and Cures and the Physica. These books show us the cause and treatment of diseases with natural remedies and treatments.

Her books on natural science can be considered as a medieval version of an encyclopedia of nature. The saint-like many other theologians believed that human beings were the pinnacle of God's creation. She recounts the healing power of herbs, trees, fish, birds, and animals. In particular, she mentions the health benefits of animals as pets.

What does this interest in the natural world that Hildegarde expressed in her study of plants and animals mean for us? As important as humans are they are not able to live independently from creation in this world; her insight was we need each other to live.

The saint tells us that if other creatures should disappear even humans cannot live. This makes us realize again the gratitude and humble attitude we should have before God. 

The saint sees God becoming man to lead us to a life of perfection and in harmony with his creation. She would want us to stay close to nature for both health of body and mind.

World Day of Grandparents and Elders

 In  the Catholic Times'  Eyes of the Believer column a pastor writes about the new 'World Day of Grandparents and Elders'. The Pope established the day on the fourth Sunday of July because of the neglect and isolation of so many of the elderly especially during the Corona 19  health crises and the important role the elderly have in society.

Many of the elderly are  dying alone and these days  not even having funerals because of the virus. The elderly easily understand  the pope's solicitation for their well being.  Instead of focusing only on the suffering physical and mental loss he emphasized the three gifts  only the elderly can give to the younger generation: dreams, memories, and prayers. 

In other words, it means 'the wise dreams of the elderly', 'memories from abundant years' and 'the prayers of the elderly with all their heart'. These gifts would become a foundation and a new future for the younger generation, who could easily be shaken or fall into difficulties. The Pope's discourse suggests that the elderly should be companions of young people and preachers of the faith.

The Pope's statement makes us realize that the elderly, members of the ecclesial community, are approached with a natural, everyday, practical perspective. It's not elderly that is stressed, but their role as grandparents to pass on the tradition of faith to the grandchildren through dreams, memories and  prayers.

 

A corresponding model is Timothy, the spiritual son of the Apostle Paul. He received their faith from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice from an early age (2 Timothy 1:5).  He was martyred as a bishop of the Church of Ephesus while inheriting the legacy of faith from the apostle Paul. The reason that Bishop Timothy was able to become an exemplary believer was his grandmother and mother, a Catholic family, and a teacher named Apostle Paul. In particular, it can be seen that grandparents, such as grandmothers, have a very large influence on their grandchildren and granddaughters to grow and grow as believers regardless of age.

There's a joke these days that shows just how big a role grandparents play in the education of their  grandchildren. It is said that there must be three 'visions'  to educate a child: 'grandfather's wealth', 'mom's intelligence', and 'father's indifference'. The wealth of the grandfather determines the education of the grandchildren. But today, one more has been added. That is the maternal  'grandmother's physical strength'. 

 

Interest and expectations are  mobilized on both sides of the family for their children's education and social success. The birth of a child is a blessing in itself in a country gradually decreasing in population due to abandonment of marriage and low fertility, so interest and expectations for children are inevitably high.

 

What about religious education for the child? While enthusiasm for education for the college entrance is high, religious education is rarely conducted even in the most devout of  families. Of course, it is important to enter a good university or a good company and achieve social success, but living as a true human is even more important. Human perfection requires not only intellect and humanity, but also an abundance of spirituality.

 

Grandparents should reflect on the Pope's discourse to see if they are passing on the legacy of faith to their grandchildren. To newborns, children, adolescents, grandparents should set an example of faith in the home. It is also important to create an atmosphere in the house according to the liturgical calendar, celebrating the liturgical feasts at home. When we have  prayer at home,before and after meals, the  reading of the Bible, children and adolescents naturally watch learn and follow. 

 

In particular, grandparents' love for the  grandchildren who replace working parents these days will never end. And  with the increase of age this becomes  more difficult with the ailments that come. In this environment there is no doubt that grandchildren will grow into precious children of God if faith is inherited through the dreams, memories, and prayers of grandparents. "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:52).

Comparisons Are Odious

 

A monk, John Lydgate, back around 1440 in his debate between the horse, goose, and sheep concluded that "comparisons are odious". They debated not their own merits but what each gave to the human race for flourishing. The results of this kind of talk are often not helpful.

In a diocesan bulletin, a director of a counseling center gives the readers some thoughts to ponder in comparing ourselves with others.

We have all experienced in one way or another being compared to others. It's a very natural aspect of life. At times it helps us to study more, increase effort,  accomplish something we wouldn't. Is this not true? Actually, we find ourselves judging ourselves and when the results are positive, our self-worth grows in our own eyes.

However, it is a two-edged sword. At times comparisons can arouse within us motivation for success and accomplishment but often give rise to obstacles in life. Examples: we see others who have a nicer appearance, a better car, a more harmonious marriage and conclude that we are lacking what others have. We feel inferior, unsatisfied, guilty, and look down on ourselves cruelly.

The possibility of positive results makes us happy but again looking down on others can also boomerang. This attitude can create excessive anxiety about the future when we know we too can fail at any time.

We always see the part of the iceberg above the water but the more important part is under the water. When we compare with others we don't think of effort expended or the process required but only the results. Life is much more than success achieved.

We need to stop comparing ourselves to others. Often we distance ourselves from what is far more important: the meaning of love, friendship, empathy, and mutual understanding. When these are forgotten relations with others suffer.

We are all unique individuals and consequently all different. When we desire to be like another, we don't believe in our unique qualities. Chances are we will not be what God has planned for us and we allow others to decide how we will live.

Today, she hopes you will take a moment to reflect on who we are and what we have received as blessings from the Lord.  

The only person we should try to be better is the person we were yesterday and as Christians to be more like the Lord.