This issue completes the fifth volume of Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia, which is a great achievement in the East Asian religions and Korean new religions academic space. As Editor in Chief, I am really excited by the growing level of interest in JDTREA and the academic events hosted by Daejin University, Pocheon City, South Korea, and diversity of academic content that is showcased in this current issue.
The opening article is by Shen Yeh-Ying (Singapore University of Social Sciences), and is titled “The Transformation Development of Chinese-Attributed Religions in Indonesia: A Case Study of Yiguandao, MATAKIN, and Mile Dadao.” This is the first study of religion in Indonesia that JDTREA has published, and it connects well with previous research on Yiguandao that has been featured in the journal. Shen establishes the political and religious context established in Indonesia after the nation emerged from Dutch colonial dominance, with a focus on Chinese Indonesian new religions. Yiguandao and Mile Dadao were introduced from Taiwan, but MATAKIN developed in the local context, focusing on Heaven, Thian, as sole god and Confucius as prophet. There are three levels of clergy, and the hymns and sermons were delivered in Bahasa Indonesia. The model of Islam and Christianity is seen to have profoundly influenced MATAKIN’s institutional form.
The next article is by Dominik Rutana (SWPS University, Poland) and addresses “The Rationality of Myth: An Analysis of the Mythology in The Canonical Scripture through theLens of Bronisław Malinowski’s Functional Theory of Myth.” Rutana begins by considering mythos and logos as different modes of thinking, and the importance of culture as an integrated whole. Daesoon Jinrihoe is examined in terms of drawing inspiration from the past, with Sangje’s personal practice offered as a model for religious excellence. The enduring value of the religious revolutions often referred to as the “Axial Age” in the present day is affirmed.
The next research included is by Ibukunolu Olodude (Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria), “Language and Identity Construction in Nigerian Pentecostal Christianity and the Korean Daesoon Jinrihoe Religious Movement.” This study brings together two radically different religious traditions and demonstrates that using broad, general methodological frames like language and identity – which can be nuanced and tailored to specific situations or applied to specific themes – and results in insightful perspectives that increase new knowledge. It is argued that such linguistically mediated identities are emergent, interactional, and intersubjective, and depend upon the theological and social structures of the religions.
The final article is Trinh Ngoc Linh’s (Vietnam National University) “Invented Traditions and the Construction of New Religious Collective Memory in Southern Vietnam: An Overview Study from a Cultural Perspective.” Trinh discusses the methodological frameworks of invented traditions, proposed by Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger, and the construction of collective memory, referring especially to Maurice Halbwachs. These ideas are applied to the new religions which developed in Vietnam in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Trinh connects the landscape of the Mekong Delta and the ethnic diversity of the people to the diverse and flourishing religious and spiritual culture of South Vietnam, which exhibits syncretic and mixed qualities as a result.
The journal issue is completed by reviews supplied by the Review Editor, Professor Holly Folk (Western Washington University). As always, gratitude is due to Chairman Bae Kyuhan, Lee Gyungwon, Jason Greenberger, and Choi Wonhyuk from Daejin University, and to the authors and referees who wrote the articles and reviewed them for publication. It is a delight to continue my involvement with Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia. Five volumes is a great achievement, and the future is looking bright.
Carole M. Cusack
Editor of JDTREA