A New Axial Age?German scholars elaborated the idea of an “Axial Age,” from about 8th to 3rd century BC, when in both East and West the first great religions appeared. But perhaps today we are in a second “Axial Age,” with several new world religions emerging since the 19th century.
In the first half of the 20th century Korean new religions had more members than traditional religions, and their membership today is still in the millions. The “cultivation” of Daesoon Jinrihoe involves the practice of moral virtues, revering Sangje, and performing certain rituals, including incantations and devotional offerings. Besides cultivation, the three major activities of Daesoon Jinrihoe include relief and charity, social welfare, and education and training. The movement insists that 70% of the money it raises is devoted to these social activities." -- Massimo Introvigne (Center for the Study of New Religions) |
Recently I attended the Yeoju Eco-Forum: Interfaith Dialogue for Ecological Civilization. It was held in Yeoju, Korea, from October 3-5, 2019.
The goal of the forum was to bring together leaders from different religious faiths and top scholars to facilitate a dialogue on ecological civilization, gather constructive wisdom to deal with urgent ecological crises, and take tangible steps towards the creation of a new form of civilization: ecological civilization. The event was sponsored by a new religious movement called Daesoon Jinrihoe (Fellowship of Daesoon) in cooperation with several other groups, including the Center for Process Studies and the Institute for Postmodern Development of China. As a professor of the world's religions, I was familiar with what scholars call New Religious Movements. The textooks on the world's religions typically have chapters on them. I also knew that many such movements have emerged in Southeast Asia (Korea, Japan, and China). I am grateful to the many followers of Daesoon Truth whom I met. I studied as much as I could of their ways and teachings, and was especially helped by an anthology called Daesoon Jinrihoe: A New Religion Emerging from Traditional East Asian Philosophy, published by their press. The anthology included essays by scholars of Korean religion and Korean scholars. One of the scholars -- Young Woo Ko -- made the case that the concept of God in Daeoon Jinrihoe bears strong resemblance to the concept of God in process theology. I am am not a member of the Daesoon Fellowship, but I met many of its followers and leaders. I sense a certain kind of enthusiasm and freshness among their followers that is sometimes lacking in the older religions. Inspired by the essay by Young Woo Ko, I found myself imagining how a Daeoon Process Theologian might introduce herself at a parliament for the world's religions. I offer it below. |
Haewon sangsaeng painting |
"Another pictorial representation of the principles of Daesoon Jinrihoe is what the movement calls the Haewon sangsaeng painting. It depicts a woman carrying her baby on her back and walking down a country road, with a snack basket set on her head. The mother’s look towards her child is one of unconditional love, and the child can find no other place safer or more comfortable than her mother’s back, despite the weight she is carrying. There are no grievances, nor seeds for future grievances, as mother and child are in perfect harmony between each other. Haewon sangsaeng implies that all human relationships can be based on trust and love, just like that of the mother and child in the painting. The dignified and harmonious style of the painting evokes the Korean traditional ideals of Injon (human nobility), by which people can respect each other and live in genuine harmony in the coming Later World. This is an earthly announcement of the harmony of the future paradise achieved through the practice of Haewon sangsaeng." |