유학의 ‘서’와 기독교의 ‘용서’ 관념 간의 대화 - 한국 토착화 신학 진영의 유학 이해를 중심으로

Abstract

This paper compares ‘Shu(恕)’ in Confucianism and ‘forgiveness’ in Christianity, and based on this, analyzes the understanding of ‘forgiveness’ in Korean Indigenous Theology to seek a dialogue between ‘shu’ and ‘forgiveness.’ First, the act of ‘forgiveness’ that appears in Confucianism is defined based on the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim and the psychological state of ‘resentment’, and so the meaning of forgiveness contained in ‘Shu(恕)’ is examined. Joseon(朝鮮) Catholics understood original sin and forgiveness by way of comparing them to Confucianism's filial piety. This was a means of apologizing Christian doctrine, and was inherited from indigenous theologians' understanding of original sin and forgiveness. Ryu Young-mo’s Non-dualistic(不二的) Thinking shows another possibility in the dialogue between Confucianism and Christianity on forgiveness. Non-dualistic (不二的) Thinking rejects the dichotomous distinction between self and other, and therefore does not imply a dichotomous understanding of the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim or the superior status of either party. This is similar to Confucianism’s ‘the cultured man was not a tool(君子不器)’ and ‘Harmony but Not Uniformity(和而不同)’; Since the gentleman is not bound by a framework that is bound by resentment in relationships, he can be defined as ‘the cultured man was not a tool (君子不器).’ In ‘Harmony but Not Uniformity (和而不同)’, the differences between self and others lead to mutual acceptance instead of confrontation and discrimination. The possibility of Non-dualistic (不二的) Thinking is already contained in the framework of Confucian thinking, and this enables dialogue with his Non-dualistic (不二的) Thinking and a new understanding of forgiveness.