총 36페이지

24 CultureInsight
Are Your Prayers being Answered?
By LeeYeong-eun
have established a form of following in
increase in consultations with Koreans,
KoreasinceancienttimeswhenKoreans
especially with youth. It appears
E
Reporterof CultureSection
turned to shamans to enlist help from
that Koreans, regardless of age and
very year during the time of
the spirit world to better their lives.
generation,arestillmystifiedbyfaiths.
“Su-neung,” an important
Koreans who sought divine solutions to
examination for high school
their anxieties visited Buddhist temples
Belief:Thepursuitofhappiness
students to get into universities, an
regularly. Meanwhile, Christianity,
Evenastheyarewell-versedinnatural
annual pilgrimage begins in Korea.
which is a relatively nascent religion
science,whyareKoreansstillboundto
Throngs of parents visit their Buddhist
in Korea, has found a horde of fervent
themagicofthesupernatural?Perhaps,
temples with their offerings, praying
followers. Believers readily attend
the answer lies in a Korean horror
for divine favor for their children’s
sermonstoseekprotectionandblessings
film,Bulshinjiokor“Possessed.”Inthe
examinations. Similarly, church
inlife.
film, where people are in the bleakest
attendance swells like never before,
Even today, such mystical sects
moments of their lives, they are more
withpastorsferventlyheapingblessings
and organized religions still attract
willing to believe in miracles. Not
onthedevotees’children.Evenfortune-
followers in contemporary Korean
because they have become delusional,
tellers become busier, as they dispense
society. According to a population
but because they need hope. People
supernatural wisdom for anxious
census conducted by the National
confronted by tough times when there
parents.
Statistics Office in 2005, more than
appears to be no way out, the hope
Mysticalsectsandorganizedreligions
half (53.1 percent) of Koreans were
offeredbyreligionsortheoccultseems
affiliated with a religious organization.
to be too good to ignore. Therefore,
Compared with the results of the same
Koreans are attracted to mysticism.
google
census in 1985 and 1995, it appears
They get a promise that any problem
more and more Koreans are flocking
can be solved by supernatural means.
to religions. However, not only are
Also, it is promised that happiness and
religions flourishing, occult practices
peacearepossible,nomatterhowdark
such as fortune-telling have found new
thepresentappears.
believers. Today, there are hundreds
of Korean fortune-telling websites and
Abreatherinlife
smallstoresandcafesbeingestablished.
While their problems cannot be
Students pray together for good results for
Also, fortune-tellers have seen an
miraculously solved, the promise
their“Su-neung.”
www.theargus.org

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