Oh Gang-nam: What Makes True Religion Different?
Much like the pronouncement of the "death of God," it seems that religion has been pronounced dead since the 20th century. The global phenomenon of secularization can be seen as a characteristic of the modern era. According to 2015 statistics, non-religious individuals—those who answered that they have no religion—accounted for 56.1 percent of the total population in South Korea. In the ten years between 2010 and 2015, the religious population decreased by a staggering 9 percent, or approximately 3 million people, and has been declining even more rapidly since then. This means that in Korea as well, the non-religious population has far surpassed the religious population. It is also noteworthy that this phenomenon is more pronounced among the younger generation, ranging from their teens to their forties, and among the highly educated. What is the reason for the decline in the status of religion, which has long served as the root of humanity? Is it not because religion no longer acts as a key and lighthouse in solving human society's problems, but has instead transformed into the problems themselves, becoming the main player in conflict and antagonism? Professor Oh Kang-nam, the author who has long explored Korean religions as a balanced intellectual in comparative religion, points out the following regarding this: “This can be attributed to the fact that most teachings of traditional religions, based on old paradigms, do not align with the newly emerging worldviews or values. Taking Christianity as an example, religion is regarded at best as a means to receive blessings; there is a tendency to force people to be satisfied with the convenient explanation that various phenomena occurring in the universe, the world, society, and individuals are the will of God, and to demand that the contents of the Bible be accepted literally. Naturally, it is difficult for modern people to accept these things. Buddhism and other religions are largely the same.”
Korean title: 진짜 종교는 무엇이 다른가
Korean author: 오강남
Korean publisher: 현암사
ISBN-13: 9788932320144
