강증산의 종교운동과 민족의식

Abstract

This paper discusses religious acts and national consciousness of Kang Jeung-san, a religious leader who lived in the last phase of Joseon dynasty when Korea was challenged by the advent of the West and Japanese colonialism. The religious life of Kang Jeung-san can be divided into three periods: (1) growth (ages 1-20), (2) learning and travels (ages 21-30), and (3) spiritual enlightenment and acts (ages 31-39세). Jeung-san’s national consciousness was formed during the period of learning and travels. Jeung-san’s religious movement was a social product created by drastic historical changes from the the advent of the West to the Japanese Occupation. Jeung-san’s thought was created by critical understanding and integration of existing religions: Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Donghak, and Christianity. Symbols and signs are used in Daesunjeongyeon, a holy book that records acts and words of Jeung-san, to convey Jeung-san’s nationalist ideas. Jeung-san’s nationalist arguments, made in the format of religious messages, are more powerful and persuasive than those of other nationalist leaders of the era. Jeungsan’s national consciousness can be divided into two categories: ideational and cultural. In the ideational category, the central argument of Jeung-san’s religious thought involves seungongsa. According seungongsa idea, Joseon will undergo changes in three phases and emerge as the leading nation of “the world of latter Heaven.” In the cultural category, Jeung-san has developed a system of religious emotion and spirit based on Korea’s traditional culture. The significance of Jeung-san’s religious movement in the history of religion and culture can be found in Jeung-san’s spirit of human emancipation and people-centered worldview. To a greater extent than other religions, Jeung-san’s religious thought was based on Korea’s unique traditional worldview.