포스트코로나 시대의 신천지(新天地)와 신종교학 -종교현상학적 해석-

Abstract

This article deals with how the religious discourses of Sincheonji (New Heaven and Earth) as a new religion were formed and developed in the era of post-COVID-19. The negative recognition of Sinchenji will be analyzed in discourses of a new religion and those of religion in general. Moreover, the social responsibility of the new religion will be explained in the case of Sinjeonji. According to the Pew Research Center, South Korea is regarded as a medium of social hostilities and government restrictions. The annual report of international freedom of religion published by the US government contains the change of the Sincheonji event. In February 2020, The outbreaks of COVID-19 led to the criticism and reflection of the existing church against Sincheonji. The counter-discourses on Sincheonji strengthened the negative image of religion in the theoretical and spiritual dimension and debunked the severity of religious criticism through meta-discourses. Beyond the dichotomy of religious discourse, this study focuses on the narrative of the Sincheonji community, analyzing its unique and different interpretations of the Bible. According to a religious ethicist, Stanly Hauerwas, the social responsibility of the new religion is based on the structure and power of narrative. Its responsibility is to become a church by itself. Therefore, the social ethic of new religion embraces the community’s diversity, develops its leadership, overcomes liberalism, and strengthens the community. We need not one way critical discourse of Sincheonji as a new religion but a more empathetic and systematic understanding.