Korean Christians Americanized

Introduction

Historically, Koreans have adhered to the traditional layman definition of “Anti-Christ,” to mean those who edit the Bible sayings or alternatively add derivative stories out of any Bible characters that detract and change the passages of the Bible. Specifically, Koreans are aware of the last temptation of Christ in which Christ had a brief mundane life of marriage with a “prostitute,” meaning a working girl and a girl opposing the existing governance and government, an outlaw; and Judah and his lady landlord in which the sin categories of lust and greed collide to disguise as a secretive and unspeakable crime is glossed over as a contract because of unequal bargaining power of the contracting powers and betraying hierarchical layers of inequities and oppressions to be considered as competing factors when determining fairness, meaning “arm’s length [1].” Conceptual Paper South Korea alone is placed as thirteenth populous nation in Asia [2] (with 29% Christians) while North Korea is placed at 21st populous nation among the tally of forty-eight countries named as Asian nations. Of the top fifteen populous Asian nations all nations in some way celebrate Christmas holiday regardless of faith in Christianity or any church membership. They are as follows in the order of population from largest to smaller in numbers as of year 2020, meaning the top 15 [3]:

• Mainland China (inclusive of dependent in many ways of Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan): x-mas as a holiday (Hong Kong with previous British influence, Macao with previous Portuguese influence and Taiwan as previous Japan influence.)
• India: x mas as a holiday except in the state of Chandigarh, bordering Punjab in Nortwest India

• Indonesia: x-mas as official APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Public holiday
• Pakistan: x mas as a holiday, a popular celebration despite 97% Muslim majority
• Bangladesh: x mas as a holiday, but not a national holiday
• Japan: x mas is celebrated but not recognized as a holiday. Emperor’s birthday celebration as the national holiday is far more popular claiming the original Emperor of Japan was related to Sun god and China’s Tang Dynasty, the latter version of which seems to be in accord with the original textile history of kimono and mourning ritual ceremonies since the antiquity.
• Philippines: x-mas is a national holiday according to APEC listing.
• Vietnam: x-mas is a national holiday according to APEC listing.
• Turkey: x-mas celebration is trumped by Islamic majority tradition such as Feast of Sacrifices meaning cows.
• Iran: x-mas celebration is trumped by Muslim majority tradition encompassing Ramadan fasting and repentance and introspection in late April. Also of great importance of Martyrdom of various holy prophets who courageously saved the nation [4].
• Thailand: x-mas celebration is trumped by Buddhist practice such as Vesak Day which is the Buddha’s day or birthday in May on days of full moon. Buddhism is still prevalent in South Asia, Southeast Asia as well as Tibet and Mongolia.
• Myanmar (f/k/a Burma) x mas is a popular holiday.
• South Korea: x-mas is a national, public holiday according to APEC listing.
• Iraq: x mas is a Public holiday. But the nation as a whole is a Islam nation with more than 95% of citizens are practicing Muslims [5].
• Afghanistan: Muslim state, although x-mas is celebrated.

Of significance in understanding Muslim religion that parallels Christianity is the cyclical calendar of religious observance days encompassing Ramadan holidays consisting of fasting, introspection and prayers at the end of April then Arafat Days at the end of June during which prayers and utterances for the sake of forgiveness by Allah, their God. So Ramadan days are days of repentance and Arafat days are days of confession. Confession ritual also entails study of their history. Generally, feasts and family visits then follow as a family celebration which is akin to personal pilgrimage for thanksgiving.

The forty-eight Asian nations are categorized into [6]:

• Eastern Asia, for example, Mongolia, Koreas;
• Western Asia, for example, Jordan, Armenia, Georgia;
• Southern Asia: Bhutan, Iran, Pakistan;
• South Eastern Asia: Indonesia, Singapore.

Other Christian states in Asia are as follows:

• Kazakhstan celebrates Russian Orthodox Christmas on January 7.
• Singapore celebrates x-mas as a national holiday according to APEC listing.
• Armenia celebrates Eastern Orthodox Christmas on January 6.
• Georgia celebrates Orthodox Christmas on January 6.
• Brunei celebrates x-mas as a national holiday according to APEC listing.
• Philippines was a former Spanish colony then later occupied by the USA before National Independence. Of historical significance from the perspective of Old World Europe is the bone china, porcelain and ceremic trade and later inclusive of other furnishings including furniture initially cornered by Spaniard traders whose dishware both decorative and functional were said to have been originated from the present day Mainland China.

Those nations to the east of Southeast Asia are labeled as nations of Oceania. They are:

• Australia and New Zealand, both of which celebrate Christmas as official national holiday because of English colony legacy;
• Micronesia inclusive of for example, Guam, Marshall Islands and Mariana Islands where Koreans are populous and so they celebrate x-mas.
• Melanesia for example, Fiji.
• Polynesia situated south of Hawaii such as Samoa and Cook Islands with French inhabitant legacy.

Celebrating religious holidays with those you customarily party with associate or limiting to host choosing with is in sync with the US Constitutional Law First Amendment under freedom of assembly which includes gathering for partying, protest, conference or other meetings of various associations. That is to say, for instance, one does not have to be an equal opportunity party goer. Generally speaking, you don’t have to date, party, marry with a category of people you don’t have to or want to.

In one Johnny Carson show a mystery book author alluded to how trauma and murder stories draw crowd together and form a community. Korean church history in New York is a case in point. Generally, Koreans who choose to attend a Korean speaking church consider the following denominations:

• Presbyterian or the Dutch version, Reformed Church
• United Methodist or Methodist depending on stance with gay marriage
• Pentecostal or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints [7].

This paper is confined to trend and pattern in certain Korean churches [8] I attended and Korean community gossip in both local Korean news and mainstream media, discussing dialectical elements of grace and presence of Satan vis-à-vis Jesus’s teaching of love others, neighbors as yourself.

Koreas are sandwiched among the big whale international players such as Russia of USSR, Mainland Communist China and Japan. During routine news commentary or political analyst on air in TV in South Korea or else in other public forum, speaker posits a scenario then articulates and prefaces the discussion, China is not going to like this, Japan would do this, Russia will tell us so and so etc. etc. meaning stepping into the shoes of Koreas neighboring countries. Very few Korean ladies or otherwise dubbed as ajumma, a sardonic phrase conjuring up pudgy women with noticeable packing in waist area regardless of marital status would begin their utterance with, “I think that …” But instead, they would say, “They/He is not going to like this but …” This phenomenon is a variation branching out habit out of NOONCHI business model that Koreans have lived by as a course of dealings in commerce and trade tracing back to Dynastic days before modernization into modern states.

Dialectic Tension and Element

• Tension and fact consideration between grace (passive) and Loving neighbors (active/aggressive);
• Pioneering effort in the spirit of progress, moving forward, that is, yoking up and outward verses “As is” posture and taciturn diplomacy, alluding to the intrusive and unexpected visits in our spiritual life by SATAN;
• Liberty and publication and journal keeping v sweeping things under the rug and let the big honcho above review instead Korean original work with the big bully “neighboring” name stamped as originator for credit;
• Getting some color by gifting not knowing at times gifting took place, meaning there was NO donative intent by Koreans in possession of goods, property, asset and so forth.

Donations and Theft

With Jesus Christ teachings and conversion initially by European then American missionaries in Koreas [11], Bible says no more human or even animal sacrifice after Jesus Christ. Instead during worship service, church goers are given opportunity to partaking in breaking bread and sharing red wine to signify that in the Last Supper with his disciples he said passing around dinner roll and drink, “This is my body, given to you. Do this and eat bread in remembrance of me.” Then Jesus pointed to grape juice, “This is my blood given to you. Do this and drink red wine/ grape juice in remembrance of me.” So sincerely held belief in Christianity includes shying away from gluttony sin category, cannibalism, human sacrifice and so forth. This is another area where the First Amendment Free Exercise Clause should engage in robust and respectful discussion regarding secret ritual of cannibalism. There are other precedents, notably peyote smoking prohibition as part of religious ritual and practice. Some say, American civilization has evolved and advanced so far that we have to create permanent caste system marked by classicism with assets and income so that the top class may have to convert inferior johnny come lately ethnic lot who achieved new wealth into their own and to abate the ruling class “our rage and anger”. The top class feels repugnance at the notion they may have to step aside [12] after feeling pushed aside to make room when the new comers make no effort at creating their own space by asserting their rights, taking prophylactic measures for the welfare of the community especially protecting minors and so forth. Instead they say yellow people are false believers just chiming and be sycophants with their pauperish hand sticking out waiting for crumbs after currying favors to the establishment because loud noise is too upsetting and making everyone distraught. In the extreme, hateful speech could escalate into mass killing under the pretext of ethnic cleansing and maim and then indulge in cannibalism to have a sense of latitude and generosity mimicking noble spirit of generally known as aristocrats of the bygone Imperial eras in the four corners of the earth because no outsider is going to find out dirty little secrets that seem to offer instant and quick relief. Believers and nonbelievers should be cognizant of such deviance and aberration that everyone viscerally feels and knows as totally and completely unacceptable and deems egregious misconducts by any standard. These hysterical terrorists should also be afforded a day in court with a trial on the premises in God we trust. Thanks be to God. Grace and Peace.

Because 2 Corinthian 10 to 11 says “Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven – if there was anything to forgive – I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are NOT UNAWARE of his schemes,” Korean Christians make easy and smooth transition from traditional Confucianism that places education imparting knowledge as everything from ethics to skill sets to coping mechanisms for sanity and social harmony to Western Christian practice that makes knowledge as a forward moving in motion [13] and branching out to other new and different disciplines where necessary as part of building patience and tolerance as building blocks for Jesus’s Commandment of neighborly love to instill duty of care for safe and civil society with ever so changing job descriptions in work ethic minded community with relative division of labor to know each person’s burden and workload are bearable and where love and loving (3 different kinds) can overcome sickness and anger in each mortal. So cognizance of Satan’s wordings and workings is part of faith journey to issue spot and later followed by work to find a solution or a strategy that which may be identified with each hardship encounter in the end that befalls human after living a life of a strayed hedonist however brief it may have been.

Addendum: Images

1) Christianity by Korean American artist, Dorothy M Hong [7].

Click to enlarge

2) Korean Thanksgiving/Harvest Day: Source: digital art posting on Facebook newsfeed.

3) Epiphany by Dorothy M Hong [7].

4) Religious paintings since the Middle Ages in Europe (as comparison).

Click to enlarge

5) Missionary work and Evangelism in Asia: The late Billy Graham in Yoido in Seoul, South Korea in June 1973. Source: a picture book of the late Billy Graham.

6) The late Billy Graham and his prayer works.

Source: picture book of Billy Graham, God’s Ambassador by photographer, Russ Busby.

7) Easter, Resurrection by Dorothy M Hong [7].

8) 59% of Korean ancestry population consists of church going Christians in the USA. Source: The Korea Times, New York Edition article [9].