다문화사회와 다문화가정에서의 종교적 갈등

Abstract

This study aims at reconsidering the significance of Korean's multicultural society declared by late president No Moohyun since 2006 and the anticipating religious conflicts in multicultural families in our society. A multicultural society means a society getting ready to receive the multiculturalism as the realities of our main culture. The Multiculturalism originated in the policy adopted for the management of cultural diversities in the multiethnic and multiracial society. And also multiculturalism, contrasting the policy of cultural assimilation between immigrants and large majorities, is the acceptance or promotion of multiple ethnic cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations. But these programs have caused disagreement both within immigrant communities and in the wider public. As ever public opinion in the advanced multicultural society seems divided on the issue of multiculturalism. Our country has 854,007 registered foreigners residing here for more than 90 days, or 17.2 per 1,000 people. In 1998, only 147,914 foreigners were registered as residents, or 3.1 per 1,000 people. Since the change has been rapid, our society urgently needs social preparation to ensure harmony and co-existence with foreigners. The country, however, lacks preparation in this regard. Deep-rooted beliefs in blood ties and nationalism of a homogeneous nation often result in prejudice and discrimination against foreigners Fortunately our society also began to receive the multiculturalism and government ready to set up diverse drafts to cope with the prevailing state of multicultural society. Above all progressive NGOs in our country have given their support to the government's multicutural policies. But as exposed in the conservative NGOs' counter movement to the introdused bill, °ПMulticulturallntegrated primary legislation°п, public opinion seems divided on the issue of multiculturalism. Actually different experiences lead to different interpretations and attitudes of multiculturalism. In spite of all, government must take preventive measures against anticipatable social conflicts in the multicutural society, especially religious conflicts in multicultural families. Religious belief and practice is the most firmly rooted in one's everyday life style and also conservative in his or her social action. And we can easily presuppose the religious conflicts among multicultural families. But our society deliberately assume an indifferent attitude to the religions of immigrant's. We have to fear that if our society fails to brace for multiracial families' diverse religious practices, it will suffer a huge social cost in the future.