Ch’ŏndogyo​—Korea’s Religion of the Heavenly Way

Buddhism, fortified by Taoism, and Confucianism are among Korea’s main non-Christian religions. After being introduced from China, they were influenced by Korea’s folk religion, shamanism, and according to The Encyclopedia of Religion were “selected, transformed, and adapted in varying degrees to the social and intellectual conditions prevailing on the Korean Peninsula.”a

Another religion in Korea is Ch’ŏndogyo, “Religion of the Heavenly Way,” its name since 1905. Founded in 1860 by Ch’oe Suun (Che-u), it was originally called Tonghak, “Eastern Learning,” in contrast with Sohak, “Western Learning,” the term for Christianity, which Ch’ŏndogyo was developed partially to counteract. According to German author Gerhard Bellinger, Ch’ŏndogyo attempts to merge “the ideals of Confucian human kindness and justice, Taoist passivity, and Buddhist compassion,” which is what its founder intended. Ch’ŏndogyo also contains elements of shamanism, and Roman Catholicism. Despite its claims of promoting religious unity, by 1935 it had spawned at least 17 daughter sects.

Central to the “Religion of the Heavenly Way” is the belief that man is essentially divine, part of God. Sain yŏch’ŏn, (“Treat man as God”) is therefore a major ethical tenet, requiring that fellow humans be treated with “utmost concern, respect, sincerity, dignity, equality, and justice,” explains Yong-choon Kim of the University of Rhode Island.

Striving to change the social order in pursuit of these high principles brought the founder, Suun, into conflict with the government. Political meddling led to the execution of both him and his successor. It also helped provoke the Sino-Japanese War of 1894. In fact, political activity is characteristic of newer Korean religions, of which the Tonghak movement was only the first. Nationalism is often a major theme, with Korea being assigned a future place of world prominence.