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Alias
Joined: 24 Jan 2003
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 Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 4:40 am Post subject: Question about religion in Korea? |
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I went to immigration to fill out my foreign reisdence application. I was surprised to see the box asking what religion you are? I don't remember filling this out lsat year. Is this something new?
Anyway, the options were something like Catholic, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and a couple more. I checked 'others' because that was the only option for us heathens.
I was surprised to see 'Catholic' and 'Christian' as being separate. Anyone want to take a guess at why? I'm thinking that maybe it has something to do with Catholicism having been in Korea longer, while Evanglical Protestants are relatively new. |
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jaebea
Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Location: SYD
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 6:26 am Post subject: |
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Without opening any theological debate, I'll try and explain.
In this case:
"Christians" would be the post-reformation Protestants (and their subsets).
"Catholics" would be those of the Roman Catholic faith.
My 2c.
jae. |
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Kalhoun
Joined: 30 May 2003
Location: Land of the midnight noise!
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 7:23 am Post subject: |
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I think that some Koreans don't get the concept that there are Protestant Christians, and there are Catholic Christians. Some seem to think Catholics are not Christians.  Anyhow, that's how i perceive it. I had a former colleague who was a Christian-Buddhist. Lots of her students had trouble getting their mind around that one.  |
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Hyalucent
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: British North America
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 8:52 am Post subject: |
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| Kalhoun wrote: |
| I had a former colleague who was a Christian-Buddhist. Lots of her students had trouble getting their mind around that one. |
... not to mention some Westerners. 
I heard that supposedly, the Portuguese had brought Catholicism to Korea and in so doing, were promptly killed. Protestantism however, had taken root in China and it was Chinese missionaries that carried it into Korea. They were allowed to live, of course, and Potrestantism flourished. In the end, Catholicism took quite a while to get here and a substantial hatred and mistrust existed against Catholicism by the time it did come. |
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Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 2:46 pm Post subject: |
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Some Westerners act the same way about catholics.
A: "Are you christian?"
B: "No I am catholic."
Maybe Catholics are just a cult  |
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Emma Clare
Joined: 24 May 2003
Location: Anseong, sung, song.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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| My adult students asked me this one not so long ago. They wanted me to explain the difference between Christians and Catholics. They were under the impression that the two were entirely different faiths. I explained to them that Catholics were a particular denomination of the Christian church. This confused them even more! |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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The problem seems to come from Catholics answering the question "Do you have a religion (sic)?" with "I'm Catholic". Baptists and Presbyterians, etc. seem to answer, "I'm Christian." It confuses American teenagers too.
Try telling students about Greek and Russian Orthodox churches and watch their eyes glaze over. Then bring up the Mormons. What are they? |
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dogbert
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: Killbox 90210
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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| hyalucent wrote: |
| Kalhoun wrote: |
| I had a former colleague who was a Christian-Buddhist. Lots of her students had trouble getting their mind around that one. |
... not to mention some Westerners.
I heard that supposedly, the Portuguese had brought Catholicism to Korea and in so doing, were promptly killed. Protestantism however, had taken root in China and it was Chinese missionaries that carried it into Korea. They were allowed to live, of course, and Potrestantism flourished. In the end, Catholicism took quite a while to get here and a substantial hatred and mistrust existed against Catholicism by the time it did come. |
I believe that it was Catholicism that came in through China and was brought by Koreans, which helped it gain acceptance. It was popular enough to be perceived as a threat to the ruling order, which was why Catholics were massacred in Korea throughout the 19th Century.
Protestant sects were introduced later by missionaries and had the advantage of being seen as a form of protest against the Japanese colonial rulers, which gave it more popularity and legitimacy.
The semantic difference between "Catholic" and "Christian" arose chiefly because Christianity is not a religion native to the area and was more a matter of translation rather than a belief that Catholics were not Christians. However, the terminology has been exploited by some Protestants who wish to make just such a point. |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| The semantic difference between "Catholic" and "Christian" arose chiefly because Christianity is not a religion native to the area and was more a matter of translation rather than a belief that Catholics were not Christians. However, the terminology has been exploited by some Protestants who wish to make just such a point. |
Intersting point. When I mention Catholicism to my students, I'll often have one student nod and say "Maria". So, they probably buy into the fundamentalist protestant line that Catholics worship Mary as a god. In fairness, the Catholic Church itself has more-or-less encouraged that misperception over the years. |
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Alias
Joined: 24 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 6:52 pm Post subject: |
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I know that there are Evangelical Protestants who don't consider Catholicism to be part of the Christian faith.
Anyone ever heard of Jack Chick?:
www.chick.com
Its for people who think that the Pope is the antichrist. That reminds me, I haven't seen Anda around lately.  |
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Hyalucent
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: British North America
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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I had a former colleague who was a Christian-Buddhist |
I don't know much about Buddhism but would have thought there were some definite conflicts there. What exactly did s/he expect to happen after death?
It annoys me when people think they can mix and match religions like clothes. I have no idea why, and I'm sure someone will tell me why it makes me a bad person. |
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Moldy Rutabaga
Joined: 01 Jul 2003
Location: Ansan, Korea
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2003 2:49 am Post subject: |
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There are some who boil down Christianity and Buddhism into such an unrecognizable mush that it all seems the same. I am not suggesting that they are.
I would be interested in whether the Korean version of the form is the same. This fuss might all be over a bad translation or simply more Konglish. The English newspapers here, when they occasionally list Seoul-area churches, do not list Catholic or Protestant churches in separate categories.
Ken:> |
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matthewwoodford
Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Location: Location, location, location.
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2003 3:11 am Post subject: |
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Koreans probably owe this confusion to the religious parochialism of American missionary-colonialist influence - and so they can be forgiven. Fundamentalists, and people who call themselves just 'Christians', are responsible for perpetuating the myths, ignorance and misconceptions behind this Christian/Catholic non-dichotomy - and they should be *burned at the stake*!!!   
Matt |
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