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Comparative strategies of proselytizing religions should be noted in understanding religious topography of Jeju-Do. Religions in Jeju-Do have compared themselves with others and have articulated both commonalities and differences. Religions from outside have tried to find common elements between themselves and the native religion or preexisting religious system, exploiting the analogical concepts to make themselves look familiar to the native people. In addition, the imported religions in Jeju-D

많은 학문적인 경전 연구들은 경전의 내용과 의미를 중심으로 하는 의미론적차원에만 초점을 맞추어온 반면, 경전 자체의 성스러운 지위를 강조하는 성상적차원이나 의례를 통해 신자에게 의미 있는 결과를 유발하는 경전의 수행적 차원은 간과해왔다. 그러나 경전을 읽고 쓸 능력이 없는 신자들이 다수였던 근대이전 종교들의 사례에서 볼 수 있듯이, 정작 많은 종교인들의 삶에 경전의 내용은 그다지 중요하지 않은 경우가 많다. 따라서 경전 본문에만 집중하는 연구만수행한다면, 윌프레드 캔트웰 스미스가 지적한 대로 경전이 종교인들에게 어떤의미가 있고 어떤 역할을 하는지를 보지 못하게 된다. 이 논문은 종교인들이 경전을 이해하고 수용하는 방식, 나아가 경전을 이용하는 방식들을 밝힘으로써 경전의 성상적 차원과 수행적 차원을 설명한다. 많은 불교인들은 읽거나 쓰지 않고도 단지 불경을 소유하는 것만으로 경전의 성스러운 지위를 인식했으며, 한국개신교 신자들은 성경을 읽는 의례를 통해 읽은 내용과 관련 없는 종교적인

Public scripture reading rituals, such as the Bible study meeting of early Korean Protestantism and contemporary protestant retreats for reading through the Bible, should be analyzed from a comparative perspective. This analysis provides a vivid illustration of the social function of the performative dimension of scriptures, but it also suggests the need to further define the meaning of “performative.” As to the first point, the particular ways in which the Bible was read in the Korean context c

This article demonstrates the need for the iconic status and function of Buddhist scripture to receive more attention by illuminating how lay Korean Buddhists try to appropriate the power of sutras. The oral and aural aspects of scripture, explained by Wilfred Cantwell Smith, provide only a limited understanding of the characteristics of scripture. It should be noted that, before modern times, most lay people, not only in Buddhist cultures but also in Christian and other traditions, neither had

This Special Issue is composed of the articles that were presented at the first World Religion Forum held 7–8 October 2019 by the World Religious Peace Committee (세계종교평화협의회, hereafter WRPC) [...]

This paper illuminates ways of lay Korean Buddhists’ appropriation of power of sūtras from the perspective of comparative religion, so as to demonstrate that iconic status and function of Buddhist scripture should be paid more attention. The oral and aural aspect of scripture that Wilfred Cantwell Smith emphasized provides only very limited understanding on the characteristics of scripture: it should be noted that most lay persons before modern times, not only in Buddhist cultures but also in Ch

이 논문은 소설 『채식주의자』를 세밀하게 분석하고 여러 전통신화 및 문학작품들과 비교하여 이 작품에 담겨있는 신화적 사고를 드러낸다. 특히 『채식주의자』의 바탕에 자리 잡고 있는 ‘부조리한 현재를 벗어나 태초의 신화적 시간으로 회귀하기’ 및 ‘죽음을 통해 새로운 존재로 다시 태어나기’라는 두 개의 원형적인 신화 주제에 초점을 맞춘다. 소설의 주인공 영혜는 폭력과 억압이 당연하게 여겨지는 일상을 벗어나, 동물과 인간이 평화롭게 공존할 뿐 아니라 식물과 인간의 생명이 유기적으로 연결되어 있던 신화적 태초를 회복하고자 한다. 영혜가 채식주의자가 되고 나아가 나무가 되고자 하는 처절한 노력은 ‘이전의 존재 양태는 죽고 새로운 존재로 거듭나고자 하는 시도’로 해석될 수 있으며, 이는 인간이 오랜 세월 동안 신화를 통해 천착해왔던 주제이기도 하다. 나무가 되고자 하는 영혜의 갈망은 인간의 생명이 초목에서 유래했고 또한 죽어서 초목이 될 수 있다는 신화적 사고를 계승하고 있다.

Religions in Jeju, South Korea, have sometimes been in conflict with each other, but have generally coexisted peacefully. In a situation where diverse religions share an island that is isolated from the mainland, they have emphasized that they are similar yet superior to their rivals. Religions that were imported to Jeju, including Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity, have tried to make themselves look familiar to Jeju people on the basis of people’s knowledge of preexisting religions. Thes

Many scholars assert that the Bible study meeting, which has public scripture reading as its central feature, played a crucial role in the rapid growth of Korean Protestantism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Most scholars agree that the Bible study meeting promoted “the Great Revival,” which led to a fourfold increase in church membership in Korea between 1903 and 1907. These meetings have not been widely studied by academics. Analysis of the Korean public scripture reading

This paper articulates Jeju shamanistic ideas of the human soul. While it has been thought in Jeju that human beings have three or even seven souls, I argue that these numbers are not specific but rather indicate the complete state of the multipart soul. By analyzing the neokdeurim, a Jeju shamanistic ritual performed to reintegrate the human soul, and by referring to related Jeju myths, I demonstrate that Jeju shamanism suggests that every person has a single soul. The soul can be divided into

Though systems regulating purity and pollution are found in almost every culture and across historical time periods, and though the similarities among the purity systems of different cultures have been noticed, the field of comparative religion has failed to develop sophisticated theories about the concepts of purity and pollution. Currently, social-functionalist theories are dominant in the study of purity and pollution. While the social-functionalist theories have focused almost exclusively on

This book examines the ways in which scriptures are accepted and appropriated by religious people in Korea. It explores how sacred texts in various religions, including Protestantism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shamanism, attain their sacred status and power. It also delves into how the performative aspect of scriptures is often intrinsically linked to their iconic status. The book highlights the close relationship between the performative use and the iconic nature of these scriptures, showing

Abstract This essay is part of a collection of short essays solicited from authors around the globe who teach religion courses at the college level (not for professional religious training). They are published together with an introduction in Teaching Theology and Religion 18:3 ( J uly 2015). The authors were asked to provide a brief overview of the curriculum, student learning goals, and pedagogical techniques employed in their courses.