테크놀로지의 진화와 종교적 체험의 동역학 - 근대시기 천도교와 개신교를 중심으로 -

Abstract

This study tries to explore religious experiences in the acceptance of scientific-technology in Cheondoism, which was a major representative religion in the early modern period of Korea. In the modern times, Cheondoism did not stay within the limits of religion but played a very active role in socio-political areas. Radical intellectuals of Cheondoism were convinced that a reformation of humanity is a religious reform, which then reforms society. Finally reforming a human being and human society can move the whole universe. In addition, they had a religious self-identity based on belief in social darwinism that Cheondoism is a ‘new religion’ for the new world and ‘the last religion’ in the evolution of religions. Therefore, Cheondoism responded very sensitively to the tide of the times to overcome the limitations of the established ‘old’ religions. Instead of abstractly approaching the universal and natural world of religions of the past, Cheondoism was interested in the scientific-technology that fundamentally changed the modern world-view. It also sought to propose a new vision for human beings on the base of concrete scientific knowledge. Until now, many researches and studies on Cheondoism have been significantly building up, however, they have been mainly dealing with political, religious, and ideological aspects of Cheondoism. It’s necessary to pay attention to the interest of Cheondoists in the times of scientific-technology. For this purpose, I am focusing on the newest technologies of that time like telegraph, telephone and radio in the magazines of Cheondoism. Especially these technologies stimulated religious associations and imaginations in terms of Cheondoists cosmology, world-view and thoughts on human being. I would like to show what the prototypes revealed in the process of adopting scientific technology in Cheondoism in comparison with Korean Protestantism their meaning. This study will provide us with an insight in order to understand one aspect of the development of religion-science discourses in the context of modern Korea.