Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Treefarmer]

Not that I think there is anything wrong with it, I just am puzzled why more Koreans go to church every week than anywhere else I've ever been, I lived in Italy and you didn't meet as many practicing christians as you do here, and I've never lived there but I've met loads of Spanish and Irish people and Koreans seem to be more christian than them

anyone got any ideas why?

[pdx]

Really?

The stats I've heard are that about 1/3rd of Koreans are Christian, and I doubt that many go to church every week. Is this really more than other countries where Christianity has a presence?

[twg]

Jesus is a money making scheme here. Most go for the networking opportunities, and to help the pastor/ owner pay for his BMW.

Kinda like back home, now that I think of it.

[contrarian]

The last stats I looked at had over half of Koreans as Christian (this includes Catholics etc.). The Korean Christianity is largely "American Evangelical in charaacter.

[ED209]

[Bibbitybop]

Korea is based on Confuscism. The philosophy has ideals similar to Christianity, like the golden rule, but doesn't involve an afterlife. When Christian missionaries came to Korea, Koreans loved the message as it was similar to Confuscism but also promised an afterlife for believers.

[dogbert]

[RACETRAITOR]

Here if you're a Christian, you're a dedicated Christian. There are no Christians who would say "I went to church when I was young, but I really don't believe in any of that garbage" as pretty well all Christians in my hometown said.

It's not uncommon here for Christians to wake up at 4:30am on Sunday to go to church, to go to church throughout the week, or to spend all their free time in church.

[oldfatfarang]

It's all about networking. There's no welfare here. You have to make a 'circle' of friends/acquaintances to help you through life's rough patches. Churches provide that perfectly here.

The churches prolestise (jess, I just can't spell that one) aggressively, and even offer free English lessons to get new members. They are always looking for a new 'English-speaking Western' congregation member. The kids all go to 'meet their friends' etc. And each church is a closed group/circle. So inter congregational marriage is common and expected. And Koreans are Confucian - so they expect to be told what to do my a higher authority figure (pastor etc). The missionaries have had a field day in Korea. I see mormons on bikes nearly every month.

And religion is big business in Korean. My adult students told me that churches don't pay tax here. That might account for every second building having a cross on it - and the temple monks wearing Nikes and driving new SUV's.

[Bibbitybop]

[ED209]

[YoshaMazov]

No, he's a sex offender. With a record. He served 6 months in Chino for exposing himself to an eight year old.

Sorry, I had to.

[pest2]

Actually, confucianism isnt religion. Its a social philosophy that prescribes certain behaviors for certain effects... and because of those prescriptions and desired effects, it can seem like religion. But its not. It doesnt require "faith," or a belief in something that cannot be confirmed.

The leading religion of Korea used to be Budhism. It changed to Christianity over the last 200 years. Slowly at first, and then rapidly over the last 50 years.

The most likely reason is that Christianity, especially the Calvinist and Lutheran veins, contains the notion that your success in your current life is a predeterminant of your status in the afterlife. Therefore, despite that fate has already created a course for you on which you will attain a certain level of wealth or not, that level will also determine you status in heaven. But Christians believe that you should work to fullfill fate (by the way, its a really interesting discussion going on in the faith vs freewill thread), and that work consists also of earning and saving money. And not just that, but also it requires following a sort of ritualistic approach by which certain practices are done a certain way.

Koreans of the later, modern, and developing Korea (did i just make an oxy-moron, or what) like this idea because it give them a chance to justify thier money grubbing, selfish, hard-working, self-denying behavior with the perfect religion. And the ritualistic part fits because Koreans of earlier history were shamans.

I know less about budhism, but what I do know is that it, similar to hinduism, requires a 'casting off of worldly possessions' to attain enlightenment. 'Releasing yourself from material possession to attain Nirvana (something like reconverging with the energy in the universe)" is not compatible with the people in Korea who want to make the Korean economy grow by being successful business ppl.

[mindmetoo]

Also add in too that at the end of the Korean war Koreans were starving. The Christian charities moved on in. It's easy to convert a person with an empty stomach.

And yeah, Christianity is just a perfect vehicle for ripping people off with a clean conscience.

[nobbyken]

The Gospel didn't come to Korea until about 120 years ago!

Compare that with Western countries, and the growth of the Church is a phenonemon. There are many small and large Christian churches (mega-church) here, along with Catholics and other denominations.

There is a foreigners cemetry in Seoul, where the first missionaries are buried. It has not been too long since they left Korea.

Even in the last 30 years, growth has been rapid and Korea now has in excess of 10,000 missionaries to other parts of the world to spread the good news.