Religion in Korea

As you can see, I didn't keep the plan I made the other day. Which isn't good.

In any case, I quit coffee and found out that I don't have osteoporosis. Which is good. 

With the Pope's visit to Korea, religion has been in the news here.

This is my simple framework for thinking about Korean religion. There may be errors:

(1) Animism/Polytheism. Korea's original religion, and the predominant religion prior to the Three Kingdoms period which survives to this day. The Three Kingdoms period was from the beginning of the first millennium A.D. until the unification of the country under the Silla kingdom in the latter half of the first millennium. 

(2) Buddhism arrives in the early part of the first millennium A.D. It spreads throughout Korea during the Three Kingdoms period, finding its most advanced expression in Unified Silla, and immediately after, during 700s, 800s, and 900s. Buddhism does not attempt to extinguish Korea's animism/polytheism. Hence, even to this day, one can find animistic/polytheistic shrines near or outside of Buddhist temples. Buddhism splits into many different schools, but a theme of unity prevails despite this. 

(3) Catholicism arrives at the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning part of the nineteenth century, although, as I understand it, Koreans were aware of Matteo Ricci's presence in Beijing, and a Catholic priest accompanied Japanese troops during the Hideyoshi invasion.

(4) Protestantism arrives in the form of American missionaries at the end of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century. It reaches its apex during the 1970s and 1980s. 

I split Catholicism and Protestantism into two categories because they are regarded as separate religions in Korea, whereas Buddhism, though having many different schools, perhaps because of the overarching theme of unity that has been insisted upon within it,  is by contrast regarded as a single religion. 

I think of these as strata, with Korean animism being the deepest and most ancient layer. Note that Korean animism is popularly referred to in English as "Shamanism", but this seems as inaccurate as calling Tibetan Buddhism, "lama-ism". To call it "Shamanism" is to identify it by its human priestly expression, rather than by its theological taxonomy. 

I encountered a beautiful twin set of Korean 'totem poles' on a hike the other day. I was going to get some pictures of them today for this blog, but I am going to meet someone, and have no time to go up the mountain. The Wikipedia article about them is good, and has pictures. They seem to serve a very different function than Tlingit and Haida poles.