Cheondoism (spelled Chondoism in
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
n sources; ) is a 20th-century
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
n
pantheistic
Pantheism is the belief that reality, the universe and the cosmos are identical with divinity and a supreme supernatural being or entity, pointing to the universe as being an immanent creator deity still expanding and creating, which has ex ...
religion, based on the 19th-century
Donghak
Donghak (formerly spelled Tonghak; ) was an academic movement in Korean Neo-Confucianism founded in 1860 by Choe Je-u. The Donghak movement arose as a reaction to seohak (), and called for a return to the "Way of Heaven". While Donghak originat ...
religious movement founded by
Ch'oe Che-u and codified under
Son Pyŏng-Hi.
Cheondoism has its origins in the peasant rebellions which arose starting in 1812 during the
Joseon dynasty
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
.
Cheondoism incorporates elements of
Korean shamanism
Korean shamanism or Mu-ism is a religion from Korea. In the Korean language, alternative terms for the tradition are ''musok'' () and ''mugyo'' (무교, 巫敎). Scholars of religion have classified it as a folk religion. There is no central auth ...
. It places emphasis on personal cultivation and social welfare in the present world.
Splinter movements include
Suwunism
Suunism () is one of the Korean ethnic religions derived from Sinism.Lee Chi-ran, p. 3 It is a splinter from Cheondoism that in turn originated as an organised formation of the Donghak movement. "Suwun" was another name used by Choe Je-u.Lee Ch ...
and
Bocheonism
Bocheonism (Korean: 보천교 ''Bocheongyo'' or ''Pochonkyo'', "religion of the vault of heaven/firmament") was one among more than 100 new religious movements of Korea of the family of religions called Jeungsanism, rooted in Korean shamanism an ...
.
Name
''Cheondogyo'' translated literally means "religion of the Celestial Way", where ''cheon'' means "sky", ''do'' means "way" (written with the same character as Chinese
Tao
''Tao'' or ''Dao'' is the natural order of the universe, whose character one's intuition must discern to realize the potential for individual wisdom, as conceived in the context of East Asian philosophy, East Asian religions, or any other philo ...
), and ''gyo'' means "religion", "teaching", "-ism".
Beliefs
Over time, Cheondoism has also adapted elements of other Korean religious traditions, including Do (
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...
) and
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
.
In keeping with its roots in
Confucian
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...
thought, Cheondoism venerates
Cheon (Sky) as the ultimate principle of good and justice, which is referred to by the honorific term
Haneullim
Haneullim or Haneulnim (하늘님 "Heavenly Lord"/"Lord of Heaven") is the sky God of Cheondoism and Jeungsanism. In the more Buddhist-aligned parts of these religions, he is identified with Indra. In the more Taoist-aligned parts of these religio ...
(하늘님), or "Divinity". According to the church doctrine, the term "Haneul" does not only mean the Sky but represents the whole universe, oneness. This title implies the quality of Heaven as "instructor", that is a belief that man and things are not created by a supernatural (out of nature) God, but generated by a God, divinity that is already inside all beings, both living and unliving
Also in keeping with its Confucian background, Cheondoism places emphasis on personal cultivation in the belief that as one improves one's innate nature, one comes closer to the Sky, and that all things are the same as God in terms of their innate quality.
Choe Si Hyong, the leader who published Cheondoism's scriptures, established the core principle of the unity of all things based on this innate presence of the divine.
This principle carried with it a sense that "to serve a person is to serve Heaven."
Professor Roland Boer summarizes the cultural impact of Chondoism as follows:
History
Cheondoism originated from the
Donghak
Donghak (formerly spelled Tonghak; ) was an academic movement in Korean Neo-Confucianism founded in 1860 by Choe Je-u. The Donghak movement arose as a reaction to seohak (), and called for a return to the "Way of Heaven". While Donghak originat ...
("Eastern Learning"), a religious movement that arose in 19th-century Korea as a reaction to Western encroachment, particularly the spread of
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. The Donghak movement began with Ch'oe Che-u in 1860,
[Young, Carl F. pp.6–7] who formulated the Donghak ideology in 1860 as an alternative to Catholicism ("Western Learning"), which was gaining momentum within the lower classes in Korea due to its ability to provide a sense of structure and stability beyond the family unit.
Due to its basis in established religions—
Confucianism
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
,
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
, and
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...
—and its commitment to representing Eastern ideals, the movement rapidly gained broad acceptance among the peasantry. The movement "offered the most oppressed and downtrodden of Korean society a sense of their intrinsic worth."
Because the movement taught that the divine could be lived out on earth (a teaching with "immense socio-economic implications"), it was viewed unfavorably by local landlords and foreign powers who sought to outlaw the movement and oversaw Ch'oe's trial and execution in 1864.
Cheondosim became an officially-recognized religion under its third leader,
Son Byong-hi
Son Byong-hi (April 8, 1861 – May 19, 1922) was a Korean religious leader and independence activist. He was born in Cheongju, in Chungcheong province. He became the third leader of Donghak (Eastern learning), an indigenous religious movement f ...
.
[Young, Carl F. pp.113–121]
Cheondoism as a religion evolved in the early 1900s from the Donghak peasant liberation movements in the southern provinces of Korea, particularly the unsuccessful, yet consequential, rebellion of 1894. Followers of Donghak were severely persecuted until the establishment of the Protectorate Treaty of 1905, which guaranteed freedom of religion. Therefore, on 1 December 1905, Son Byong-hi decided to modernize the religion and usher in an era of openness and transparency in order to legitimize it in the eyes of the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
, who had strong influence over Korea at the time. As a result, he officially changed the name of Donghak to Cheondoism ("religion of the Celestial Way"). Following this, a constitution and a Central General Bureau were laid out for the religion, centralizing it and making it more accessible to the public.
Cheondoism today
As of 2005, Cheondoism reportedly had about 1.13 million followers and 280 churches in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. According to the 2015 national census, Cheondoism had about 65,000 followers in South Korea.
In North Korea, the state recognizes and favors Chondoism as a distinctly Korean revolutionary religion.
Chondoists are nominally represented in North Korean politics by the minor
Cheondoist Chongu Party
The Chondoist Chongu Party is a popular front party in North Korea. The party was founded on 8 February 1946 by a group of followers of the Ch'ŏndogyo. The party increasingly came under the influence of the government over time and is a part ...
.
North Korean leader
Kim Il Sung
Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...
's memoirs recount at length an effort to persuade his communist comrades to accept a Chondoist recruit. While Kim's memoirs lightly criticize the Korean faith (given his own
Marxist-Leninist perspective), they also stress how Chondoism draws close to the Korean form of communism. Among other aspects, Kim's memoirs highlight Chondoism's concern for the intrinsic worth of all people, especially the poor and lowly. According to Kim, Chondoism is a "progressive religion" characterized by the novelty of its principles, its spirit of resistance, the simplicity of its rites and practices, and its inherently popular nature.
See also
*
Chondoist Chongu Party
The Chondoist Chongu Party is a popular front party in North Korea. The party was founded on 8 February 1946 by a group of followers of the Ch'ŏndogyo. The party increasingly came under the influence of the government over time and is a part ...
*
Donghak
Donghak (formerly spelled Tonghak; ) was an academic movement in Korean Neo-Confucianism founded in 1860 by Choe Je-u. The Donghak movement arose as a reaction to seohak (), and called for a return to the "Way of Heaven". While Donghak originat ...
*
Donghak Peasant Revolution
The Donghak Peasant Revolution (), also known as the Donghak Peasant Movement (), Donghak Rebellion, Peasant Revolt of 1894, Gabo Peasant Revolution, and a variety of Donghak Peasant Revolution#Role played by Donghak, other names, was an armed ...
*
Korean shamanism
Korean shamanism or Mu-ism is a religion from Korea. In the Korean language, alternative terms for the tradition are ''musok'' () and ''mugyo'' (무교, 巫敎). Scholars of religion have classified it as a folk religion. There is no central auth ...
(Sinism)
*
Taoism in Korea
Taoism or "Do" is thought to be the earliest state philosophy for the Korean people spanning several thousand years. However, its influence waned with the introduction of Buddhism during the Goryeo kingdom as the national religion and the domin ...
*
Yongdamjeong
Yongdamjeong (lit. ''Dragon Pool Pavilion'') is a sacred place to Cheondoism, located on Mt. Gumi in Gajeong-ri, Hyeongok-myeon, Gyeongju, South Korea.
Religious significance
Cheondoism is an indigenous Korean religion that evolved from Donghak ...
References
This article incorporates text fro
Korea Web Weekly Used with permission. Korea Web Weekly is not an independent source of information but is instead associated with various North Korea government sources.
Sources
* Lee Chi-ran. Chief Director, Haedong Younghan Academy.
The Emergence of National Religions in Korea'.
* Young, Carl F. Associate Professor, Western University.
Eastern Learning and the Heavenly Way: The Tonghak and Chondogyo Movements and the Twilight of Korean Independence''
External links
천도교서울교구천도교
{{Authority control
Donghak Peasant Revolution
History of Korea
Monotheistic religions
Religion in Korea
Religion in North Korea
Religious Confucianism
Korean Confucianism
East Asian religions