ABSTRACT
A Historical Study on Shamanism of Women in Early Period of Korean Church: 1884-1910
Jang Jin Gyeong
Department of Christian Studies
Graduate School
Soongsil University
This study is to examine shamanism shown by female church...
ABSTRACT
A Historical Study on Shamanism of Women in Early Period of Korean Church: 1884-1910
Jang Jin Gyeong
Department of Christian Studies
Graduate School
Soongsil University
This study is to examine shamanism shown by female church members in the period of 1884 to 1910, the early years of Protestantism missionary work. The early period of missionary work ranged from 1884 when missionaries came into Korea to 1910 when introduced Protestantism and Korean churches were gradually established. During this time activity for Korean female church members centered on preaching and education. This was a significant time since faith of female church members started to be embodied. As for the condition of religion in Korea when Protestantism was introduced, the influence of existing major religions such as Buddhism and Confucianism was disappearing, while shamanist custom, the traditional fold religion, was still very powerful as a religion for women and common people. For the 124 years after Protestantism was introduced, Korean churches resounded with worries about the remaining influence of shamanism within church especially from 1920's when they were beginning to take shape. The argument that contribution and responsibility of female church members, in fact the majority of church members, to the characteristics of shamanist custom were regarded as substantial was generally accepted throughout the history of existing Korean churches. Thus, this study examines the features of faith introduced to women in the early years of missionary work and the role of female church members regarding the remaining of shamanism.
Shamanist custom is folk faith that wishes to avoid calamity and gain blessing with shaman as the medium. This study defines the term, 'shamanism', as concentrating religious strength on seeking blessing upon individuals or family by asking realistic wealth and material fortune to spiritual existence. The concept of 'blessing' in Protestantism is a religion based on the Bible that consists of the Old Testament emphasizing the relation between blessing and covenant with God and admitting realistic and material blessing, and the New Testament stipulation as blessing the pursuit of Kingdom of God and hardship in eschatological view. Such a concept of blessing includes hope for richness and filling needs, benefits and serving for the society and nation that the church belongs to, and realization of justice and impartiality of Kingdom of God.
Early Protestantism introduced by American missionaries existed with puritanical belief and the characteristics of capitalism. In the periodical condition of Korea where only women could preach to women, female missionaries in Korea were deliverers of Western cultures as culture deliverers as well as the Gospel of Protestantism, which was based on the family nature of Victoria, USA, their environment in terms of education and life. The spread the Gospel to Korean women who were suffering from poverty and treats of pillage of nations through education and medical missionary work, explaining that the rich, Western way of life of missionaries were fruits of Protestantism faith. Such a way of preaching made Korean women think that conversion to Protestantism and going to church would be a way of receiving benefits of Western culture. Protestantism condemned shamanism as a superstition and tried to drive it out, but it failed to make changes in line with the spirit of Protestantism that harmonizes the pursuit of blessing for individuals and families with benefits of the community and social responsibilities, and ended up with leaving shamanism in church.
'Bible women' were Korean female religious workers to fulfill the needs for woman missionaries in Korea, who in time were through much trouble due to insufficient Korean speaking abilities and strict law on gender segregation doctrine. They were mainly lower class people, abandoned women, and widows, who possessed strong faith with the Gospel of Protestantism as the turning point of their life. These women, who had magnificent power of prayer to expel demons and heal diseases more than female missionaries, played the role as dynamic power of growth and development of early Protestantism. They only received basic theological education after conversion to Protestantism, served as assistants of female missionaries in their ministry. Thus, they become female leaders in church with few opportunities to conform the genuineness of the beliefs of Protestantism that they accepted. Bible women as well connected acceptance of the Gospel of Protestantism to the pursuit of Western way of life. They regarded becoming beneficiaries of more material for them and their families as the result of Protestant blessing, and believed and preached that living a life as a missionary was a fruit of successful Protestant life.
To laywomen, the most powerful reason of conversion was healing of diseases. Those whose health was recovered through medical missionary work or prayer of preaching women would convert without any hesitation. Further, conversion of those who become free through a ritual of expelling demons was more certain and prompt. Some of them merely chose a higher spiritual existence than the sprite that they served before, rather than believing in the preached message or the truth of Protestantism. Others converted for opportunities of education and Western benefits for better life. Conversion of women in time was not easy since it was likely to put them in threat of life and severe opposition even to the point of being alienated from their families and community. Although some accepted the Gospel of Protestantism and converted with no problem, those who came into church to accept a higher spirit rather than the truth of Protestantism became a member of church with their own shamanist custom. As such shamanist customs remained and were mixed with various rituals in church, religious ri
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