근현대 전라남도 순천노회의 역사와 역사적 정체성의 정립과정

Abstract

This thesis researched the procedure of history and its identity formation upon the Suncheon Presbytery which had a crucial influence on the local society of Suncheon. An area, Suncheon had belonged to the Jeonnam Presbytery before the presbytery was established in Suncheon. In 1922 it was founded as a result of a separation petition by the Jeonnam Presbytery. Afterward, the Suncheon Presbytery was gradually developed. The main roles of the Suncheon Presbytery were played by the Suncheon-eup Church, the Gwangyang-eup Church, the Yeosu-Jangchun Church, the Goheung-eup Church, the Gurye-eup Church and so on. These churches were built by themselves from 1905 to 1908 before there was not the Korea Mission of the Presbyterian Church of the United States in Suncheon. Accordingly, leading members of the Suncheon Presbytery were figures of influence in Suncheon local societies. The number of missionaries, pastors, elders and church members of the Suncheon Presbytery was gradually increasing from the beginning of the presbytery foundation to the late 1930s. Suddenly, it declined in influence by the colonial religious polices of the Japanese Occupation. Furthermore, it extended to the decline of Christian schools, its students and teachers after the late 1930s. In 1938, the Suncheon Presbytery determined Shinto Worship as the second in the Korean Presbytery. However, some pastors and Christians vehemently rejected Shinto Worship. Some major leaders of the Presbytery opposed the colonial religious polices of Japanese Occupation through their sermons and lectures. Since 1945, the independence of Korea, the rebuilt Suncheon Presbytery started to eliminate the vestige of Japanese Imperialism and expanded their influence by positively suggesting religious policies of the Korean government with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Churches. The reason for its power is grounded upon over 100 churches, the Women’s Christian Association, the Men’s Christian Association, the Sunday School Children’s Association, the Bible School of Suncheon, and the Maesan Junior & High School for training its Christian resources. From 1954, the Suncheon Presbytery as a mega religious organization established its historical identity. For instance, it decided a special offering for aiding the anti-Shinto worship bereaved family. This presents the Suncheon Presbytery was clearly a National religious organization of Korea. In addition, its historical identity was proved by anti-communism in 1982. This was coming from the Korean nationalistic religious organization during the period of Japanese occupation; it was shown by some enterprises like the martyrdom establishment in 1982, the formation of the martyr examination rule, the list of martyrs and so forth. In particular, a number of martyrs on the list persistently opposed the Shinto Worship of Japanese religious policy and then lost their lives in the Yeosu-Suncheon Rebellion in 1948 after Korean Independence in 1945 and the Korean War in 1953. In order to remember them, the Suncheon Presbytery built the status of martyrdom. Accordingly, the Presbytery precisely revealed the historical identity and has played an important impact upon Suncheon’s local society through the present.