Jesus and the Rich Young Man (1879, Beijing).
The Korean Constitution establishes the principle of freedom of religion and separation of church and state. No one religion dominates in Korea, but instead there is an unbalanced peace among a plurality of religions, including traditional shamanistic beliefs. Buddhism and Christianity are most dominant. Recent events, however, have shaken their hold on the hearts and minds of Koreans.
Buddha’s birthday (Seokga tansinil), which is an important holiday in Korea, will take place later this month. But a leaked video of some Buddhist monks gambling tens of thousands of dollars at a luxury hotel–with cigarettes and booze in hand—may put a damper on the festivities. You can take a look at a video of the monk’s party here.
The monks are from the Jogye Order, which is the leading Buddhist order in Korea. The Jogye Order is famous for its conflicts with the self-identified Christian president Lee Myung-bak. Specifically, they have taken issue with President Lee over some social issues, but they seem most concerned about limited funding for temple stay programs (where tourists pay to sleep in a temple for a few days) and other Buddhist events and propagation efforts. They were also quite disturbed by the president’s alleged preferred treatment of Christianity, marked by his public prayer session where he kneeled down on national television.
Although the monks grabbed the headlines this week, the Christians have also had their fair share of scandals over the years. Most notably, there has been a series of embezzlement cases and a disturbing rise in abusive new religious movements (simply put, cults). There were even some unpleasant revelations this week about a well-known Christian businessman.
The Somang Presbyterian Church (which is located in one of the richest areas in Gangnam) has a membership list that reads like a who’s who of Korean political and academic life. For example, president Lee Myung-bak belongs to the Somang Church. Sadly, earlier this month, another one their most prominent members, Kim Chan-kyung, was arrested and charged with embezzlement, among other things.
Kim was the chairmen of the troubled Mirae Savings Bank. After an investigation uncovered massive corruption at the bank, Kim hired some Chinese gangsters to ship him out of the country. The Korean Coast Guard ended up catching him sneaking across the Yellow Sea on a little fishing boat. He was wearing sneakers and holding about 12 grand in cash.
I am worried that this post sounds judgmental. But I am more sad than judgmental. I understand, people make mistakes and no religion should be judged by the acts of a few outliers. But you would hope that those who identify with (or lead) a religious group would do so for more than networking purposes or image alone. You would hope for some level of sincerity.
It always amazes me that a religion whose founder said things like, “turn the other cheek” and, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” has so many followers who live by opposing creeds. And doesn’t Buddhism teach that desire and greed lead to sadness? I know my remarks are not original or particularly profound, but the disparity between belief and action lingers and is troubling.
I think that the cumulative effect of these types of news stories has been the erosion of faith in Korea, including the arguably positive elements of faith that have enriched many Korean communities–from the wealthy heart of Seoul and the Somang Church, to the peaceful temples in the mountains of Korea, and beyond to the groups of Korean Americans connected through small local churches in the U.S.
Today, most of the young people I know and work with identify themselves as nonbelievers. In fact, it is becoming increasingly popular to disdain religion. Following the story of the monks, you can hear the word “Joong” (중) being uttered more frequently, which is derogative slang for a corrupt monk.
This was not always the case. For those of you who have ever visited Korea, you know that the Korean version of Christianity was historically very successful, albeit a tad assertive. You may have witnessed the lines of preppy looking proselytizers who sometimes gather around subway exits wearing cross embossed sashes and handing out flyers. And I am still amazed by the super-sized neon crosses that dot the Seoul skyline at night. Marveling at the spectacle of these crosses is one of my earliest memories of Korea. Churches can be huge here too–I am talking Madison Garden like.
A church like a stadium. The Full Gospel Church in Yeuido.
As for Buddhism, the temples are as much part of the mountains in Korea as the moss, rocks, and trees. I love to visit the temples (especially at night) for a little serenity. It seems, however, that they are growing larger (and gaudier). It also seems that far less people are coming to worship and that more people are coming just to take pictures.
I better stop there.
