Christianity and culture in Korea: Korean churches’ understanding of God, Haneunim

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationships between Christianity and culture in Korea, focusing on the use of the traditional Korean term for God, Haneunim (the highest god). The study has three specific objectives. First, it examines Korean churches’ understanding of the traditional concept of Haneunim following cultural, historical, and religious approaches. The study investigates the origin of the ancient Korean term Haneunim and how it relates to Christianity and culture in Korea. Second, it discusses similarities and differences between traditional religions and new religions in the way they conceptualise Haneunim. That is, it investigates whether the concept of Haneunim has differing meanings or usages across such religions as shamanism, Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Korean new religions, and Korean Christianity. Finally, my research study examines the relation between Christianity and culture in the Korean context, showing how Christianity is accommodated or made sense of in local and indigenous cultural contexts. For example, controversy surrounds the relation between Christianity and culture not only in Korea, but also in other parts of the world. Some conservative Korean churches argue against traditional cultures or pre-existing religious faiths and practices, such as josangsungbae (ancestor worship), gibok-sinang (shamanic faith), and chukbbok-sinang (blessing faith). Liberal Korean Christians, on the other hand, view traditional cultures and practices, such as ancestor veneration and the use of the term Haneunim, positively and argue for including them with Christian practices. Thus, this study examines how Korean churches have treated elements of faith and practice from the non-Christian traditional religions. This thesis concerns how the Korean church understands Haneunim as the name of God, the origins of the term, and how Korean traditional religions and new religionists conceptualise Haneunim. Differences between the way Korean churches conceptualise God and the way new religions understand Haneunim are investigated. In addition, this study addresses whether Korean Christians need to accept their own pre-Christian religious and cultural traditions in their beliefs and practices of Christianity.