Korean Job Discussion Forums

[OptimalOptimus]

Kiwiduncan, again, is using his own wildly prejudiced beliefs toward Christians, and emphasizes "Korean Christianity," in an earlier post. What exactly does that mean? How is "Korean Christianity" any worse than Christianity in Western countries, or NZ, for that matter? He has no basis for his angst with Korean Christians, and offers no empirical evidence to support his claims that Korean Christianity is so terribly evil. He has never even been to a Korean Church. I know because I asked.

Let's be honest. It's become fashionable to bash Christians indiscriminately, and if folks can find or hear of anecdotal evidence of Christianity gone a muck, they will hold on to it like gospel. There are plenty of bad things about all faiths, and yes, Christians have a whole bunch of nuts who call themselves Christian (especially of the American Southern evangelical fundamentalist variety, of which I know a plenty because I'm from the American South). However, if we are truly trying to be intellectually rigorous and fair, we ought not use the same tropes, illogic, reductive, divisive attacks that a certain kind of Christianity uses against everyone else (e.g. Nutty Christians: "All 'non-believers' will burn in hell, praise Jesus=Smug Psuedo-Intellectual: "Christians are invariably crazy and ought to be reviled, pass the beer"). Both sound just as stupid. I hope Kiwiduncan and those who agree with him (including myself, on not having religious missionaries in class!!!!) can more seriously engage the question of religion without the obvious arrogance and rank contempt they display in these posts.

Finally, w in all his reveling in anti-Christian demagoguery, Kiwiduncan missed the whole point he was trying to make in the first place, the point I was making in an earlier post: religious or political proselytizing, of any kind, in a place of public educational sanctuary, like a school or university, is wrong in any democratic republic. Take your prayers and beliefs and leave them outside the classroom! I throughly agree. But need we hold such nastiness when we are confronted with things we don't believe in, such dismissive, harsh discourse?

Those who are atheist, and obviously angry with any religion, need to look at ways in which religion, both its good beliefs and the places of worship in which those beliefs are practiced, have helped to create great and progressive change. The American Civil Rights movement of the 20th century, of non-violent protests, peace, loving all 'God's' creatures, and the like, was made possible through the church. Those in the movement used, in part, the precepts they considered Christian and argued that these precepts are good, right, universal, and should be afforded to all. In fact they were making an effective religio-political argument. So to the Abolitionists, the Underground Railroad, Women's Suffrage, and serious attention to Darfur were all done in large part through churches, using, gasp, religion as a backdrop for something socially and politically positive.

and PS: Those who keep quoting my earlier post about Nazis, saying that Hitler and the Nazi's had a religious system: I have said that "Nazi mysticism" excluded, fascism and communism-- both violently anti-religious ideologies, awarded us with no better way in which to govern ourselves or believe in something greater (replacing the State with God didn't work). Religion is here to stay, being dismissive of it will not produce much fruit in the way of progression in human society, though it makes those who oppose it with such vitriol have a place to opine.

[RACETRAITOR]

Korean Christianity is much different than mainstream Christianity in other countries. Here, it's more like a self-help seminar, with a minister speaking about how you too can make a billion won, and promising that God will get your kids into a good university if you donate enough money. Some of the biggest churches started by catering to the wives of the rich, telling them they had to join their churches or their husbands would lose their jobs/businesses. There are still lots of churches that do the whole Peter Popoff microphone-in-ear faith healing, and I've heard stories that psychic surgery is still practiced. Basically here it's got more in common with a pyramid scheme. All these things seem to me to be markedly un-Christian.

Of course that's not to say that regular Christianity doesn't attract the greedy as well, but it's more diverse in other countries.

[cbclark4]

It's AMWAY.

[cheeseface]

Here you go.....get down on this one!!! Great track by the way.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsXtEUhFA-g

[ED209]

[ED209]

[laogaiguk]

Religion, or lack of, does not make one a good or bad human being. You would have been with or with out it. The problem is, religion tends to make the good people do bad things sometimes. I guess Atheism could too, but you don't see that too often. Drugs, TV, sports games, women, and a lot of other things can make people do bad things too though, so it's not just religion.

There is no such thing as a good Christian. There is only a Christian who is good (or bad).

[cheeseface]

[goo_stewart]

When the one particular church 'minister' hangs around the local elementary school at closing time and herds kids into corners to tell them about his church and the love of Christ then Korean Christianity is definitely wrong (or at least this particular church is wrong). He is trying to recruit young members to his church. This is a totally unacceptable practice, be it in the west or Korea. All the Koreans I know deplore the actions of this man, but are powerless to stop him.

Every Friday he is there, herding children into corners, using the Korean cultural trait of listening to your elders, as a away to keep the children from going on their way home. He does this to kids who have no parents present, no kids with parents are approached. He keeps the kids and talks to them about his church, getting names and other details out of them. Typical high pressure sales tactics.

I have tried to stop it, even being cautioned by the police for taking pictures of this intimidation on the kids by this man. The police agreed it was wrong for this man to do it, but they are powerless to stop it. Apparently I was wrong to take pictures! The school have been contacted but it is happening outside their gates. Basically this man is preying on kids, trying to recruit them and using Korean culture to his benefit. He is doing this without the consent or knowledge of the parents.

If this is an example of Korean Christianity being normal, then I have obviously lost contact with me Christian roots in UK!

[RACETRAITOR]

[tractor]

confucianism with it's social class system was adopted during the goryeo dynasty and became the primary system of belief during the chosun dynasty. The language and social behavior to this day, still reflects the class system. If you are learning the korean language, you will be very familiar with honorifics. Also, you will easily be able to recognize by observing the interaction between the old&young, teacher&student, parent&child and other forms of interactivity. with this social class system in place, came systematic organization, and the suppression of critical thinking. the combination of these characteristics are a breeding ground for domineering religions.

the difference between korean vs western christianity:

Korean:

christianity + class system + systematic organization - critical thinking = effortless assimilation, high retention of faith and ease of exploitation.


Western:

christianity - class system + individualism + critical thinking = declining assimilation, vulnerability of faith and constant examination of practices.

to be blunt: korean christians are zombies and i see them trying to eat the brains of fellow citizens everyday. their brains are so delicious that even mormons and jehovahs are coming here to feast on them.

[Captain Corea]

[Mix1]

Come to think of it, Korean Christianity may not be inherently worse than other branches or versions of Christianity. They are all pretty much inherently irrational. Thanks for pointing that out.

However, I recommend checking out a Korean Christian service sometime. If anything will shake your faith or turn you off from organized religion, it will probably be that. The Korean tendency to copy various parts of Western culture makes the experience particularly phony and see-through. The fact that the service, the scenery, and the whole procession is so blatantly copied makes for an unforgettable experience. I went to three different ones and I always had the feeling of walking into a used car lot mixed with an infomercial with a few songs and crosses thrown in for good measure.

But, has Christianity helped and benefited many Koreans in certain ways? Yes, arguably it has. Christian moral precepts (honesty, love thy neighbor, help the poor, etc.) can positively affect a society (in contrast with some of the negative aspects of Confuscianism that makes up Korean society), but that doesn't mean one has to buy the whole story, hook, line, and sinker. And it doesn't mean that those aspects of morality can not be found outside of the Bible. Koreans would be just fine though without Christianity.

Anyway, stop playing the victim card. If you are going to put your views out into the marketplace of ideas, be prepared for competition and criticism. It's not that it is suddenly "fashionable" to criticize and hate on Christianity, though it may seem like that. Rather, it's that many are making the argument that Christianity and other religions need to be taken off the pedestal and examined more closely. Historically, this could rarely be done without fear of repercussions. So, Christians and other people of faith are used to everyone treating their beliefs with reverence, but that time is at an end. Get used to it.

[CentralCali]

I don't know how other denominations in Korea are different from their own counterparts in other countries; however, I do know from personal experience that my denomination in Korea is the same as it is in every other country in which it has a presence.

And the OP is a fine one to talk about someone being prejudiced against a religion!

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Koristians seem very much like Jehovah's Witnesses who believe in the Trinity. I've been to two Koristian services and will never go to one again unless it's a wedding for someone I know very well.