Christianity has made significant impacts across the globe through Judeo-Christian ideas such as the concepts of Imago Dei, a concept that all humans are created in the image of God, and the New Commandment, a commandment Jesus gave to his disciples telling them to love one another as he loves them. These ideas have been the foundations of not only the democracy of the United States but also the democracy in South Korea. The first encounters of Christianity in South Korea occurred during the late Joseon Dynasty which was around the 1600s. A diplomatic military official by the name of Yi Gwang Jeong brought many Christian theological books written by an Italian Jesuit named Matteo Ricci who was employed as a missionary in China. Due to the many liberal and democratic ideas within Christianity, the royalty of Korea saw it as dangerous and began to persecute and kill the believers of Christianity. However, during the more tolerant years of the late 19th century, the first Protestant missionaries arrived in Korea in 1884. The first protestant missionary to enter Korea was an American missionary and physician named Horace Newton Allen. Horace and the other protestant missionaries who came after him planted the seeds of Christianity in Korea through the building of churches, hospitals, and translating the Bible into Korean. According to the 2015 South Korean Census, 19.7% of Koreans are Protestant, and 7.9% are Catholic.
During the Japanese rule and the Korean War, Christianity boomed and rose in numbers. The democratic ideals of Christianity appealed to South Koreans when the opposition was motivated by communist ideals. Foreign missionaries also encouraged the opposition of the communist government hoping for the democratization of Korea would lead to better lives for South Koreans. Christianity has also had huge influences on the development of women’s rights. Before encounters with Christianity, Koreans held dear to Confucian principles which support a patriarchal society. This teaching was fundamentally challenged by imago Dei and the thought that everyone was equal in Christ: Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” These ideas also challenged the divine rights ok kings and emperors and pushed for a more fair society. Christianity also has influenced the lives of many Korean-Americans as well. In fact, a study conducted in 1990 by Won Moo Hurh revealed that almost ¾ of all Korean immigrating to America were either Protestant or Catholic. In fact, there are more than 4,400 Korean churches in America! These Korean churches allow Korean Americans to have fellowship with other Koreans while in America. Korean churches often allow the members to make essential connections to find jobs and find places to live which are important tasks for immigrants. Korean churches in America also allow for the preservation of Korean culture and language in the U.S. I can confirm this as I have attended Korean churches in Ohio and Virginia!
Comments
This post is very interesting. I knew that there was Christianity in South Korea but never knew when it started or how it came to the country. I think I saw in some historical kdrama that in the beginning people had to hide that they were a christian because the government didn't allow them to follow the religion.