Catholics attend Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul, Aug 4, 2014 (Photo: AFP)
By UCA News reporter
Dec 1 2023
Catholic and Protestant churches in South Korea need to break away from their authoritarian and institutional approach and embrace flexibility amid rising number of religiously-unaffiliated people, experts said during a seminar.
“I don’t go to church, but I believe in God. Sometimes I pray alone,” a speaker said during the seminar titled: “Dereligionization and Society, and the Future and Prospects of Korean Catholicism.”
The Catholic Cultural Institute of Korea (KCCI) hosted the program with Catholic and Protestant experts on Nov 23, the Catholic Peace Broadcasting Corporation (CPBC) reported on Nov 29.
The speakers said national data shows the religious population is on the decline.
About 63 percent of adults aged 19 and above do not follow any religion, according to 2022 official estimates.
“As long as human suffering exists, religion will not disappear, and as long as we do not give up the reason for life and death, the reason for religion’s existence is sound,” said Teresa Bang-mi, KCCI research director.
“Young people who are leaving the Church are flocking to heresy”
“If we abandon the character of an interest group and pursue the moral aspect that the public expects from religion, religiosity will be more effective,” Lee added.
The experts unanimously said the trend in Korea is more toward a decline in institutional religion rather than de-religionization.
Father Yang Seung-woo of Gangnam Church in the Seoul diocese of the Anglican Church of Korea said approximately one million Christians have abandoned their churches.
Christians, especially young people leave churches because their spiritual thirst remains unfulfilled and they find interesting neo-Christian groups, even if those are heretical, Yang said.
“The reason they do not go to church is not because they have lost their faith, but to keep their faith,” he said.
“Young people who are leaving the Church are flocking to heresy,” he claimed.
“Clergy need to be more kind to satisfy their spiritual thirst,” he urged.
Father Choi Young-gyun, director of the Korea Institute of Christ Thought, pointed out that loyalty to institutional religions decreases as people find out “alternative means” to quench their spiritual thirst.
“We must break away from authoritarianism within the Church”
“The Church emphasizes community, but in reality, people’s religious activities are often for individuals, so their loyalty to institutional religion is bound to decline,” Choi said.
“As the elements that fill the void have become more diverse, an era has come where even so-called ‘spiritual shopping’ is possible,” he noted.
This is because the environment in which people can quench their spiritual thirst outside of the Church has become increasingly available, such as counseling and healing programs that appear on various broadcasts and YouTube, and retreats and temple stays that even non-believers can participate in, he explained.
“We must break away from authoritarianism within the Church and pursue equality,” he urged.
“The Church must aim to be like a fluid and flexible tent that embraces everyone.”
The number of young people who attend Sunday Mass dropped by 17 percent compared to years before the Covid-19 pandemic, a survey by the Korean Catholic Research Institute released in March found.
About 58.8 percent of Catholics over the age of 50 in North Gyeongsang province and Seoul reported that they were not attending Sunday Mass.
The survey also revealed that 13.6 percent of Catholics who participated in Sunday Mass regularly throughout the pandemic period attended Mass on special occasions or did not attend at all.
Catholics in South Korea account for 5.3 million or about 10 percent of the nation’s estimated 52 million people. Christianity is the most followed organized religion with 30 percent adherents. – UCA News
