South Korea:- A chronology of Christian attacks against Buddhism

As in India the religion of love starts small, inflitrates major sectors of the society. Now Christianity is the dominant religion in South Korea and Buddhism is a fading religion.  This is how Christians subvert from within. And this how they commit genocide of pre Christian culture and religions. And that is exactly their intention in India as well.

http://www.buddhapia.com/eng/tedesco/2.html

Buddhism under Siege 1982-1996:
A Chronology of Fifteen Years of Incidents Against Buddhism in South Korea

The following is an incomplete listing of defamations, acts of vandalism and arson attacks against Buddhist temples and facilities in South Korea which have occurred since 1982 and which have earned the attention of the news media and the dismay of the Buddhist population in the country.

Buddhism under Siege 1982-1996 : Fifteen Years of Incidents Against Buddhism in South Korea including at least twenty temples or Buddhist shrines seriously damaged or totally destroyed by arson since 1986.

Sources :
Newspapers :
Dong A Ilbo daily newspaper (Seoul), May 2, 1990, p. 1
Pulgyo Shinmun weekly newspaper (Seoul), May 28, 1996, p. 4
Pôp Po Shinmun weekly newspaper (Seoul), May 15, 1996
Hyôndae Pulgyo weekly newspaper (Seoul), May 22, 1996
Kitokkyo Shinmun weekly newspaper (Seoul), July, 1996  advertisement
(Other major dailies and such weeklies as the Haedong Pulgyo and regional papers have not been consulted at this time.)

Reports :
We have also corroborated and compared reports of incidents with records maintained in the headquarters of the Chogye Order in Seoul and the official written police report on the incidents at Hwagyesa, Pônwôn Chôngsa and Samsông Am (Hermitage).

TV :
A cable TV report (BTN) of the Pônwôn Chôngsa and Samsông Am incidents was also consulted.

(The modified McCune-Reischauer system of transliteration as appears in the Korea Journal of the Korean National Commission for Unesco is utilized for Korean names)

1982 May.A man by the name of Myông Chinhong organizes religious gatherings in Seoul to publicly denounce Buddhism.  He erects a banner “Jesus Heaven, Buddhism Hell!” He claims to have once been a Buddhist monk who has “repented,” though no records can be found to support the claim of his ordination.  Using this claim, he puts up posters claiming: “A Dharma Hall is a hall of demons.”

1983 March 1. During a Christian revival meeting held on the occasion of Korean Independence Day observations, a woman falsely claims to have been the daughter of a famous Zen master and revered national independence hero, Paek Yongsông.  She makes statements denouncing Buddhism.

1984 February. Red crucifixes are painted on priceless temple wall paintings at Muryangsa Temple and Ilsônsa on Samgaksan Mountain outside Seoul. Dirt is smeared on the paintings and on a statue of the Buddha located outside one of the temples.  A large ancient carving of the Buddha chiselled into stone is damaged with axe-like instruments.

May. Ignoring the pleas of Buddhist leaders, the Roman Catholic Church invites Pope John Paul II to visit South Korea to celebrate the bicentennial of the church in Korea. This event happens to fall during the annual national Buddha’s Birthday holiday celebrations.  Because it is the first ever visit of a Roman pontiff to South Korea, and because the Vatican announces that 93 Koreans and 10 French missionary martyrs will be beatified as saints during the visit, the visit becomes a major national event. It is the first time that a canonization ceremony is held outside of Rome and the largest number ever canonized at one time. This ceremony gives Korea the fourth largest number of Catholic saints in the world.  When the Pope tours the country, in the days immediately preceding and during Buddha’s Birthday, there are immense traffic jams which diminish attendance at Buddhist events in several key cities. Buddhist leaders protest the timing of the event as “disrespectful” and “in bad taste” because the Korean and Roman Catholic Churches schedule the mass beatification ceremonies to take place during Buddha’s Birthday celebrations, a day sacred to Buddhists and a national holiday.

November. In an official Korean textbook, Buddhism is called ” a fading religion.”

1985 April. Four major daily newspapers accept and publish advertisements which assert that the content of the Buddhist scriptures are “selfish” in intent.

May. A Protestant minister named Kim Jingyu publicly claims to have once been an ordained monk in the Chogye Order. Though there is no record of his ever having been a Buddhist monk, he hangs up banners which read “Why I Became a Protestant Minister,” and organizes meetings to denounce the Buddhist faith.

September. An individual by the name of Kim Sônghwa organizes a series of mass gatherings to denounce Buddhism in the cities of Pusan, Taegu, Kwangju, and Taejon. (This individual and his wife Kim Mija  regularly advertise their mission to convert the “25 million Buddhists of Korea” in the Christian Newspaper Kitokkyo Shinmun, July 1996).

October. An unidentified man disrupts a Dharma talk at the Nûngin Zen Center by driving nails into the tires of believers’ automobiles parked outside. The perpetrator also pours corrosive chemicals into various car engines. An accomplice meanwhile uses portable amplification equipment to sing Gospel songs up at the Buddhist gathering, located on the third and fourth floors.

1986 December 6. Several days before the annual Buddha’s Enlightenment celebrations, the Taejôkkwangjôn, the main Dharma Hall, a large building of ancient  origin at Kûmsansa Temple is completely burned to the ground in an event which makes top news throughout the nation.  The Hall is listed as National Treasure Number 476, and is the central hall in a temple which is a regional headquarters and major monastic training center for the Chogye Order.  A man active in a local church is apprehended at the scene, but is released because the police claim that, since the fire consumed everything, there is “no evidence.” Although he admitted to the crime, he is released without being charged.  Discounting widespread opinion and belief, local police claim that “religious heretics” are not suspected.  However, in an unprecedented move, the Korean government pays to have the building quickly rebuilt. It is widely believed that this unusual action was undertaken to preempt the possibility of interreligious strife.
(1 building)

1987 December. A fundamentalist Christian by the name of Yang Shinha from the Tamna Church on Chejudo Island is apprehended after setting fire to two temples – Kwanûmjôngsa and Taegaksa – completely burning them to the ground.
(2 buildings)

1988 September 25. In the early morning hours, a fire is set at Pômôsa Temple in Pusan, a major monastic training center of the Chogye Order and regional headquarters. The fire completely destroys the Myôngbujôn (Chijang Bodhisattva Hall- a funeral hall), taking with it 16 priceless altar paintings of the Buddha.  The paintings were considered treasures and the hall a registered Cultural Asset. The cause of the fire is unknown but deemed “highly suspicious” by Pusan city authorities.
(1 building)

December 8. Several days before the annual Buddha’s Enlightenment celebrations, the Chônggagwôn, the main Dharma Hall on the Kyôngju campus of Dongguk University is completely burned to the ground. Arson is suspected but no one is apprehended.
(1 building)

1989 January. A stone lantern and pagoda is destroyed and statements attacking Buddhism are painted on the temple’s gates Okch’ôn Am Hermitage located in the Sôdaemun (Hongûndong), Seoul.

March. Several individuals enter Kupok Am Hermitageon Samgaksan Mountain on the outskirts of Seoul and destroy a stone lantern and stone pagoda, seriously damage a Ch’ilsônggak (Big Dipper Hall), and paint red crucifixes on a large gilded Buddha statue.

April. Five to six individuals destroy a Buddha statue and paint red crucifixes on a large outdoor Ma-ae Buddha figure carved into the rock on Samgaksan Mountain on the outskirts of Seoul.  In all, some 10 temples are severely damaged or desecrated in the days immediately before and after the national Buddha’s Birthday holidays.

April. The Hyangmok Committee of the Seoul City Government gathers military reserve forces under its control for a (taesônghoe) church service. Some of the members are compelled to attend even though they are not Christian.

July 29. The huge main Dharma Hall and a temple dormitory at Potasa Temple, Oksudong, Sôngdonggu, Seoul are completely burned to the ground. A 23-year old follower of the Taesônjillihoe (Great Conversion Truth Church) is arrested at the scene.  Damage is estimated at $1.1 million according to the Chogye Order report.
(2 buildings)

October 27. The huge Taeunjôn, the main Dharma Hall, and a temple dormitory at Pohyônsa Temple in Taegu are completely burned to the ground. Though the modern buildings were erected in 1985, the police determine that each building must have suffered an “electrical short circuit,” and no further investigations are conducted.
(2 buildings)

1990 May 2. Two men break into the Buddhist Broadcasting System (BBS, the first Buddhist radio station in Korea) in Seoul, two days before it is due to begin broadcasting a combination of popular music and Buddhist teaching and cultural programs. They tie up two guards, and proceed to destroy all of the radio station’s recording and transmission equipment. They smash expensive electronic gear and tear up several state-of-the-art recording booths. At one point, they use a statue of the Buddha as a battering ram to break through several plate-glass recording booth windows and use the Buddha’s head to damage computer equipment, sound boards, reel-to-reel decks, and screens. Damage is estimated in the millions of dollars, and delays the opening of the station by several months. No arrests are ever made.

November. A man by the name of Myông Chinhong falsely claims to have been a Buddhist monk some 20 years before, and organizes mass spiritual revivals under the heading, “Why I Became a Minister.”  In the course of his “revivals,” this purported “ex-monk-turned minister” makes inflammatory and abusive statements about the Buddhism.  There is no record of his ever having been ordained a monk, or living in any temple. (See May 1982)

Students and parishioners at a Christian theological school in Pusan misinterpret an ancient, traditional Buddhist death ceremony as being “slanderous” of Jesus Christ.  The name of the ceremony, for many centuries called “Yesu-jae,” sounds similar to the Korean pronunciation and Korean spelling of “Jesus” (Yesu), though the Chinese characters are unrelated to Christian vocabulary or sacraments. (It is a traditional merit-making ceremony in anticipation of death).  The students and parishioners mail a letter of “warning” to Buddhist leaders at several area temples, schools, and organizations.  The letters slander Buddhist teachings, and are plastered on the walls of Buddhist temples and organizations throughout the city of Pusan.

1991 April. Yun Ch’anggyu and Shim Yôngch’o, teachers at the Taesông High School in Kôch’ang, direct their students (many of them Buddhist) to recite Biblical passages and sing Christian hymns in class.  In the same month, the Buddha statue of the Buddhist student club at Ch’ôngju University is vandalized.

Sept. 23. Pudo Am Hermitage at Tonghwasa Temple is destroyed by fire.
(1 building)

Oct. 15. Haeundae Buddhist Mission Bldg in Pusan is destroyed by fire.
(1 building)

October. The huge main Dharma Hall (Taeunjôn) at Pongwônsa Temple in the Shinch’on district of Seoul is totally destroyed by fire.  The hall was registered as Seoul city Cultural Asset Number 68. This temple was the headquarters of the T’aego Order, the second-largest Buddhist sect in Korea at the time of the incident. A guard at the temple testified to seeing two men flee into the mountains behind the temple as the building burst into flames.  Local police conclude that there is no evidence, that there was probably an “electrical short circuit,” and the fire was quickly declared “an accident.” Three large Buddha statues and altar portraits considered treasures are destroyed.
(1 building)

November. Military reserves stationed in Kyôngnam Province (many of them Buddhist) are forced to attend a Protestant revival meeting, presumably by a superior officer.

The Kwanûmjôn, the Kwanûm Bodhisattva Hall and a large Dharma Teaching Hall (Sôlpôpchôn) at Sôngjusa in Changwôn city are completely burned to the ground.
(2 buildings)

P’yo Ch’ajong, a member of the Pedel Church in Pusan, publicly declares that the world-famous Sôkkuram Buddha statue is a subject of “idol-worship” and the product of “a heretical religion”. He attempts to damage the priceless statue, but is stopped.  The Sokkuram Buddha was declared a “World Cultural Treasure” by Unesco in 1995, and has twice been renovated and preserved with Unesco financial and technical involvement.

1992 April. The Main Dharma Hall on the Kyôngju campus of Dongguk University is completely burned to the ground a second time.  The event makes national news. No arrests are made.
(1 building)

December. An unknown assailant cuts the two arms off a statue of Maitreya Buddha at Puljosa Temple in Wonju. Various temple artifacts are burned and over 100 threatening phone calls are made to the temple office.

1993 February. Colonel (battalion commander) Cho Pyôngshik of the 17th Tank Battalion, claiming a lack of warehouse space, has the Dharma Hall on his base dismantled. The gilded statue of the Buddha is taken from the Hall, burned, and openly discarded behind the mountain.  Taejon. The event makes national news.
(1 building)

April. Within two months of  Cho’s actions, the Dharma Hall and stone lantern are damaged at Kimhae Air Base.

The Yôngdo Church in Pusan organizes to prevent a temple from being built beside them, claiming that they “cannot accept the construction of a place of idol worship” near them.

May. At Hyundai High School, all students are required to attend church services, and their attendance at these services is reflected in their school records.

Lee Yun-sun, a teacher at the Paegun Primary School in Uidong, Seoul, teaches the Christian Bible in his class and declares that any Buddhist children in the class are “followers of the Satan,” and excludes them from certain class activities.

Professor Im In-hûi rejects the admission application of a Buddhist student. He claims he was only following the orders of the board chairman of Taejôn Junior College Lee Pyông-ik.

Lotus lanterns prepared for Buddha’s Birthday celebrations are destroyed at Pongguksa Temple and Chonjôngsa Temple in the Chôngnûng district of Seoul.

July. An assailant severely damages the Buddha statue and other Buddhist artifacts in a Buddhist meeting room at Sônggyungwan University in Seoul. Valuable religious objects are not stolen but thrown into a garbage basket.

1994 May. Before and after Buddha’s Birthday, various acts of vandalism and desecration are inflicted upon the properties (especially the richly painted gates) of Daesôngsa Temple and Kwanûmsa Temple in the Saegômjông and Shinch’on districts of Seoul. Approximately 30 acts of vandalism against Buddhist temples in Seoul are recorded during this period.

The Rev. Yu Sûng-hwan of Yuchongni Church declares that Buddhism is “idol worship.”  He forcibly attempts to “convert” the abbot of Sudosa Temple to Christianity, even mentioning Korean President Kim Young-sam, a Presbyterian.

According to Dr. Pyôn Sôn-hwan, “the thoughtless speech and behavior of this minister who understood that the government was protecting Christianity simply because Kim Young Sam is an elder and the alleged remark by the President that he would make ‘hymn songs reverberate throughout the Blue House’ at the time of the presidential election damaged confidence in the government that was supposedly based on the principle of religion and state (politics).

June.  A fundamentalist Christian enters Mirûk Chôngsa Temple in Kwangju and damages the Buddha statue and Dharma Hall.

1995 September.  A fundamentalist Christian by the name of Pak Oh-Sun is apprehended after entering and causing serious damage to five temples on Chejudo. He burns Buddha statues at the temples, in addition to other damage.

A Protestant minister is apprehended after painting a large red cross onto the altar painting behind the Buddha at Mu-ûi sa Temple in Kangjin, Chollanamdo. He is released without charges. Later an unknown person carves a crucifix below the same Buddha image.

1995-96. Students belonging to a fundamentalist Christian group begin an aggressive campaign of proselytizing on the campus of Dongguk University (Seoul), Korea’s main Buddhist university. The students proselytize directly in front of a large statue of the Buddha – the campus symbol and central meeting-point – making anti-Buddhist statements and handing out Christian literature to ordained sangha members.

1996. President Kim Young Sam attends services at a Protestant church located on the nation’s central military base at Kyeryôngsan Mountain. In an event which sends shock waves throughout Buddhist and Catholic circles in Korea, many troops based there are compelled to attend the service in order to create the appearance of a larger number of Protestant troops.  (Many of the troops are not Protestant Christians, and many are not even Christian.) Moreover, people attending services at a nearby temple and Catholic church are placed under virtual “house arrest,” their religious sanctuaries being encircled with troops while the President makes what is deemed a “preferential” visit to the Protestant chapel. Those inside the Buddhist temple and Catholic church were made to remain inside for several hours while President Kim completed his visit.  Buddhist and Catholic leaders lodge strong protests. Some Buddhist leaders perceive  the President’s actions as a license, a virtual “green light” for abusive actions to be taken against them, citing the centuries-old tradition in Korea of leaders signalling, through thinly-veiled actions, the unstated “allowances” that the government will make for actions which coincide with “non-legislateable” policies.

1996. The long-awaited tentative plans related to the new Education Law are announced by the government’s Education Reform Committee. The plans are based on the educational system of the Renewal Church of Christ, and include plans to establish (with government money) a special graduate school for the education and training of Christian ministers. Buddhists lodge strong protests, which are initially ignored. Eventually the Committee agrees to restate their objectives at a later date.

TheWônmi ward office of Puch’on city near Seoul sends official letters to several Buddhist kindergartens, primary schools, and other Buddhist organizations and temples. Language in the letters beseeches them to find “the peace of God and the comfort of Jesus Christ.

The swastika – for centuries a symbol of good fortune throughout Asia, and also a Buddhist symbol of the same – is replaced on many flagpoles in Seoul with crucifixes.

A large red crucifix is painted in a concrete shelter used by Buddhist monks for meditation, located one hundred meters above Hwagyesa Temple on Samgaksan Mountain on the outskirts of Seoul.

A school teacher by the name of “Lee” at Songwu Primary School in P’och’ôn, Kyônggi Province, urges students to attend church services as part of their lessons. She forces them to sing certain Christian hymns in class to confirm their attendance, and does other “missionary work” in her capacity as schoolteacher.

April 6. Fires are set to the Abbot’s quarters, the lawn  (dried from the recent spell) and nine other places (out-buildings) at Pulguksa Temple in Kyôngju, the most famous Buddhist temple in Korea, seen on travel posters everywhere.

According to the report filed with the headquarters of the Chogye Order, a Mr. Kim Yông-shik was caught on the spot and reported to the police. The police transferred him to a Taegu city mental hospital. Although he admitted to the crime as “a follower of another religion,” he was released without being charged because there was no material evidence.
(1 building)

April 19. Two temples on Samgaksan Mountain on the outskirts of Seoul are severely damaged by fires which are set within an hour of each other. The two-year-old large bell platform at Samsông Am Hermitage is burned to its foundation. The assailant(s) also cause damage to the Main Dharma Hall, burning holes in the locked doors while trying to gain access to the sanctuary containing the temple’s main Buddha statue. Damage to the ruined bell platform is estimated at $250,000 according to police.
(1 building)

April 20. Two recently-constructed Dharma Halls at Pônwôn Chôngsa Temple are burnt to the ground, and another is severely damaged by flames, just after midnight. The Nahanjôn enshrined 519 wood statues of arhats and bodhisattvas, each of which was painstakingly hand-carved and hand-painted over a period of seven years. Damage at Pônwôn Chôngsa Temple is estimated at $5.6 million according to the local police. The unfinished buildings were not insured.
(3 buildings)

April 21. The next day, fire is set to the Taejôkkwangjôn, the main Dharma Hall at Hwagyesa Temple, also located on Samgaksan Mountain, within a short walk of Samsông Am Hermitage and Pônwôn Chôngsa Temple.  Damage is minimal. Two police guarding the temple fail to catch the assailant, who is interrupted in his task when a monk spots him while walking to the outhouse. (1st attack on Hwagyesa, home of the Seoul International Zen Center and living quarters of more than twenty North American and European monks and disciples of most successful Korean Buddhist international teacher, Master Seung Sahn (Haengwôn Sûngsan sônsa).

May 12. Arsonists attack the main Buddha statue in the Taejôkkwangjôn at Hwagyesa Temple in Seoul for the second time.  A lit candle is placed in a box of papers and wisk brooms under the main altar. The fire is quickly extinguished by a passing monk.  At the time, more than 30 police and army are patrolling the temple in plainclothes in broad daylight, but fail to apprehend the assailant. (2rd attack on Hwagyesa)

May 14. Two days later, again with over 30 police and military patrolling the temple, a massive fire is set beneath the main Buddha statue in the Taejôkkwangjôn at Hwagyesa Temple in Seoul for the third time.  Superb altar paintings, ornate woodcarvings and traditional wall paintings are lost.  Damage estimated at about $775,000 according to the police.
(3rd attack, 1 building seriously damaged).

May.  Rev. Pae Sông-ho, a Protestant minister, enters the main Buddha Hall at Ch’ôngryongsa Temple in Chinhae on the southern coast of the peninsula. He swings a microphone over his head like a bolo, smashing the main Buddha statue and damaging beyond repair the altar paintings hanging behind the main altar. Witnesses who apprehend him hear him shouting abusive statements about “idol worship” and that “now [he] will go to heaven for destroying these craven images.” Though taken into custody by police, the minister is released within hours with no charges filed by the local authorities.  Damage to the Dharma Hall is extensive.

May 22. Two days before Buddha’s Birthday, the main Dharma Hall at Mangyông Am Hermitage in Sôngnam, a city bordering Seoul, is burned to the ground. Christian fundamentalists active in the area are suspected but not investigated.
(1 building)

26 Responses to “South Korea:- A chronology of Christian attacks against Buddhism”


  1. 1 senthil October 13, 2008 at 6:43 pm

    Excellent compilation sir..

  2. 2 jp September 21, 2009 at 6:23 pm

    Too much free time on your hand maybe? you might want to use that time to go to a church or read the Bible. I do not condone what fanatics do against other religions. However, I do believe that Jesus is the only way and that everyone needs to hear the good news. God bless and may you see the light one day. It will get rid of that bitterness.

    • 3 hate christian February 24, 2011 at 8:32 am

      Hello mr christian, you still supporting this evil religion dont you read this article. you think you will be saved by doing this. God made us specially to fight this evil christian religion. Namaste

    • 4 M. Gunaratne April 27, 2011 at 3:16 am

      Just beacuse you have got brainwahsed by age old stories and mythology like creation, do not advocate others to do so! you seem like a psycho!

  3. 5 lal October 5, 2009 at 9:23 am

    Only wise people are capable of understanding the Buddha’s Dhamma and also they are the only ones achieve the comfort & relieves from never ending suffering of day to day lives.
    Those who harm buddhists & temples ,are doing them with hatred & will be destroyed by the nature, never to mention but with their relatives & families.(Eg. Fundementalists muslims destroyed buddhists statues, monks, & temples in Afghanistan & see 12 million people suffer with out food, water & shelter & daily bloddy deaths for 10 years now..)
    Mentally ill people, specially must be forgiven.
    Those who harm, those who help harming, all will be engaged in severe suffering in their lives togetherwith their families.. This is the rule even for countries.
    There is one thing. Good christians or good muslims never agree with this type & they actually condem. But these people have no big say other than close their eyes. This seems like a big vote for those cracks & thei continue untill some one teach a lesson.
    What buddhists & hindus need is the UNITY among them & they always should follow Buddha’s Dhamma. Meet togather frequently.
    May TRiple gems bless you
    Lal

  4. 6 pecinta damai November 12, 2009 at 10:00 am

    christians are pests, you need more “pesticides” then.

  5. 7 Emily July 31, 2010 at 4:14 am

    How is the Pope’s visit an “attack” on Buddhism when presumably most of the people going to see him wouldn’t be going to the celebration of Buddha’s birthday anyway? Like why would it be an insult to Christianity for Jews to hold a Hanuakah celebration on Christmas Day if few Christians would even attend a Hanuakah celebration?

    • 8 Shareni February 25, 2012 at 10:19 pm

      Emily you’re comparison is just wrong. it would be more like if pope came to Israel on Hanukkah. it would require control of the streets for protection. that control would cut off most streets going to main synagogues. now that’s prohibiting someones religion,and that’s clearly an attack.

      As far as i remember no leaders of any religion love holding power as much as popes do,and converting,and yeah why do those bastards love crusades and holy purification so much.

      Maybe you should learn something from the orthodox church. it actually has some connection to teachings of jesus. The best thing you could learn is contained in a story about our greatest (and one of the rare real people in christianity) saint Sveti Sava.
      It goes along these lines:
      Sveti Sava was traveling by boat on water. He came close to the shore and saw a hermit jumping over a hole and saying “this to god”,,jumping over again and saying “this to me”. when he asked him what he’s doing he said that he’s praying to god. Than he thought him our father.Sveti Sava got back to the boat and continued sailing. just as he sailed away the hermit forgot the prayer and started running on water to ask him to teach him again because he had forgotten it. when sveti sava saw that the hermit is running on water as if it was dry land,he said: If that prayer is holding you on water,than you don’t need a better one. Therefore continue praying as you did before.

      That story has the heart of true christianity,loving other people,and not harming them. That’s not the way of the catholic doctrine.

  6. 9 Masaru November 7, 2010 at 12:50 am

    JP, maybe you have not read the Bible: a book which chronicles the genocide of innocent people in the name of Yahweh and the compassionate Christ who nonetheless says that he comes to “bring a sword.”

  7. 10 Karl January 10, 2011 at 11:03 am

    Evangelicals (and not all Christians) are behind these attacks.

  8. 11 jay March 6, 2011 at 11:22 pm

    Emily when was the last time you here hinds or Buddhist or Sikhs or jaim people attacking christian faith or Muslim faith . again these two religion along with communist have idea of using power of people to dominate the world with weapon of mass destruction . now in India we Hindus are forced to take action against such forced coming to dominate us. if we bend down to such evil force we will loose our self sovereignty and we will become like Afghanistan or Africa. we don’t need that

  9. 12 Sherab May 30, 2011 at 12:44 am

    Lucky it was Buddhism which was attacked, because if it was for other religions or Christians themselves being attacked by another religion, there will be a war. Buddhism is a non violent religion and has never used force or bribe to influence another. History is there to see.

    To me this also shows that Christians also can to become like Muslim extremists (terrorists) that exist today in the name of so called god. They grow wild in the name of god. So did the Muslims commit suicide in the name of god. How different does that make those koreans to any of the terrorists.

    Buddhism is simply like science based on facts. It simply asks you to open up and see for yourself rather than blind yourself for god. It believes in open minded debate on believes.

    Anyway, if god that you believe is great, why does he need to convert anyone into his idea/christians? Is he so worried about popularity as any of us do? If he really wants to help people, what different does it make for him to let other keep their religion and still help. Now christians cannot even question that because they think they are sinning. Isnt that narrowing yourself down further. What is the use of your intelligence if you are not allowed even to question.

    All said and done, I urge you to just use your intelligence to question and believe based on that rather than believe because there is god. That is blind faith and if you are blind you will not see the truth.

  10. 13 Rajan Das July 10, 2011 at 9:49 am

    70 years ago when South Korea was a Buddhist majority country, there was wide spread poverty, abuse, ignorance and backwardness. Today, with Christianity being the religion with the largest adherents in South Korea, and is growing by the day, we see economic prosperity and development in every area of life. If North Korea were to follow suit in embrassing Christianity, they would reap the same blessings.

    • 14 Brazilian Buddhist October 9, 2011 at 6:04 pm

      Rajan Das’s smug comment badly falsifies history to fit his triumphalist Christian bias and goes as far as implying that the value of a religion is to be inferred from the amount of material blessings one can correlate to the adherence to it; not to mention that it further qualifies as the typical fallacy of correlation mistaken for _causation_. Quite childish, and a bit representative of the misery of so much that has passed for “Christianity” in the last five centuries.

      During the corrupt Neo-Confucian Joseon Dynasty (14th century CE until 1910) Buddhist monks were expelled to mountain temples, isolated from most adherents, who were left in a spiritual vacuum: far from being “majority’s religion”, as Rajan Das all too ignorantly puts it, Buddhism in Korea was on the verge of collapse, and only in recent decades has been making a heroic comeback and proving to be the main guardian of Korean traditional culture and pride (as opposed to many West-fawning Christians), the main cultural asset of Korea and the main bulwark against the crass materialistic fetishism that pervades even modern religious life in Korea and that has indeed been the trump of so many Protestant sects.

      Foreign Christian missionaries deserve great credit in having taken ideas and techniques from the West, as well as their Western experience of adapting traditional religious beliefs to the wider possibilities of modern life, but the main factor that allowed Korea to sift good things from the West for its own development was the stoicism and determination of the Korean people _as a whole_, most of whom were non-Christian both today (Catholics and Protestants amounted to 29.2% in 2005; what does it help to say that they’re a “majority” among those who have a religion when one is talking about the society in general, the product of religious and non-religious people alike?) and even more so during the hardest years of work for the economic boom from 1960 to 1980. In fact, Christians will be overall a minority for a very long time, as Protestantism has recently began to _shrink_ in numbers and Catholicism is the only large Christian denomination growing in Korea.

      Politically, the utmost hard-working, though sometimes brutal, rule of the general Park Chung-Hee, himself a Buddhist, was also instrumental for the success
      of Koreans who, even those who have a recently adopted Western faith as exoteric belief or no religion at all, have their collective mindset to the greatest extent permeated with values instilled for millenia by good old Confucianism and Buddhism.

    • 15 George Finnegan November 26, 2011 at 6:59 pm

      It sounds like you want to justify attacks against Buddhist based on a supersticious belief that being Christian will make a country prosperous. There have been many causes for South Korea’s improved economic status having nothing to do with Christianity. The acts discussed here, committed by Christians, are no different than what the Ku Klux Klan did in the US. Such small minded bigotary has no place in a thriving South Korea. If I have my say, the US will have less to do with South Korea unless they can show more effective religious tolerance.

    • 16 bhupinder April 4, 2012 at 12:20 am

      i am living in christian nation,,i know how much they are rich,,allowing only m n c control on economis finance system,any nation can become rich,, it is hypocracy,,,,,real rich ness is blanketed by controled media,,everyone is made slave under finance slavery,,,,,

    • 17 Lee Jong Nam April 10, 2012 at 11:12 am

      South Korea by nature is a Confucian inspired nation like Singapore, Taiwan, HK and even China which explains why it is successful. The other Contries is not Christian-majority and they are also blooming. See China.
      If India becomes a Christian majority country, India will continue to be what you describe as poverty, ignorance,abusive and backward where people just shit everywhere. So this has nothing to do with Christianity or Buddhsit for that matter, but Confucianism.

    • 18 R. E. April 10, 2012 at 1:17 pm

      It may be true that people were poorer then, but the reason for economic progress is because of technology and economics, not religion. Christian fundamentalists are anything but progressive . They are more like the Taliban, except they spout Christianity instead of Islam.
      Fundamentalists of all religions are ignorant and intolerant of others. They are a hindrance to progess, not a cause of it.

    • 19 Yuan lee October 2, 2012 at 6:27 am

      So now a Stinky Indian Christian here 🙂

  11. 20 ezkivinuz September 18, 2011 at 7:44 pm

    LA OCIOSIDAD Y LA ESTUPIDEZ ES POR PARTE DE QUIENES CREEN EN UN DIOS QUE NO EXISTE, OSEA SU DIOS CRISTIANO.
    PERDER EL TIEMPO SERIA IR A IDIOTIZARSE A BUSCAR UN DIOS QUE NO EXISTE Y SER MANIPULADO Y ROBADO CON LOS ESCLAVOS DE LAS AMBICIONES DE LOS LIDERES RELIGIOSOS CRISTIANOS, LOS PASTORES Y SUS MINISTROS CON UN TONTO LIBREJO LLAMADO LA BIBLIA QUE ES CONTRADICTORIO Y AMBIGUO Y HABILMENTE INTERPRETADO POR QUIENES QUIEREN JUSTIFICAR SUS PERNICIOSAS INTENCIONES.
    EL DECIR QUE JESUS ES EL UNICO CAMINO YA LO HACE A QUIEN LO DICE UN ASQUEROSO FANATICO CRISTIANO IRACIONAL E IRESPETUOSO QUE NO MERECE RESPETO ALGUNO POR SU CANCERIGENA Y EQUIVOCADA RELIGION.
    EL MUNDO ES LA GRAN MIERDA QUE HOY ES GRACIAS A EL CRISTIANISMO Y SUS BUENAS NUEVAS DE JESUS
    DIOS NO EXISTE, QUIEN CREE EN EL ES UN TONTO Y ESTA MUY BIEN QUE SE ESCRIBA Y DIFUNDA ESTA INFORMACION, EL ENTENDER LO QUE EL CRISTIANISMO EN REALIDAD ES SE LLAMA CONCIENCIA Y NO AMARGURA COMO UN TONTO FANATICO CRISTIANO LO VOCIFERO
    LOS CRISTIANOS SON LOS ASQUEROSOS PSICOPATAS Y ENFERMOS MENTALES QUE ESTAN ACABANDO CON LA HUMANIDAD, SUS VERDADES SON TONTAS FANTASIAS QUE ENVENENAN EL ALMA Y PIERDEN LA MENTE.
    NO NOS HAGAMOS TONTOS, LOS CRISTIANOS SON UNOS HIPOCRITAS CONSUMADOS Y TODO SU ACTUAR Y PENSAR ESTA MOTIVADO POR EL ODIO Y LA IRACIONALIDAD QUE LO DIZFRASAN DE HIPOCRECIA. TODO LO QUE LOS CRISTIANOS HACEN ES ADREDIR Y CON UNA ACTITUD MALINTENCIONADA EN COREA DEL SUR Y EN TODO EL MUNDO CONTRA TODO MOVIMIENTO ESPIRITUAL DISTINTO A ELLOS.
    LEER LA BIBLIA ES SOLO UNA PERDIDA DE TIEMPO, SON UNA COLECCION DE FANTASIAS INTERPRETADAS HABILMENTE POR SUS LIDERES RELIGIOSOS CRISTIANOS PARA HACER Y ORDENAR LO QUE A ELLOS LES CONVIENE, NO DEBIERON DE ASESINAR EN UN PRINCIPIO A LOS CRISTIANOS, LOS DEBIERON RIDICULIZAR COMO ENFERMOS MENTALES E HIPOCRITAS COMO LO QUE EN REALIDAD SON. SU ENFERMEDAD MENTAL SE VE REFLEJADA EN LA CONTRADICCION MISMA DE LA ESENCIA DE SU DIOS QUE SEGUN ES COMPASION PERO QUE ASU VEZ VIENE A TRAER LA ESPADA, ESO ES UN INSULTO A LA INTELIGENCIA HUMANA.
    SOLO UNA PERSONA IGNORANTE Y UN ATROFIADO DE EL CEREBRO, OSEA UN FANATICO RELIGIOSO CRISTIANO PUEDE NO ENTENDER QUE COREA DE EL SUR NO ES ESTATICA, COMO TODO CUANTO EXISTE Y QUE DESDE QUE SE CONSOLIDO COMO REINO CONOCIO EPOCAS DORADAS Y OBSCURAS COMO TODO CUANTO EXISTE PORQUE ESA ES UNA CARACTERISTICA DE NUESTRA REALIDAD ESTE SAMSARA ATROZ, ESTA REALIDAD IMPERMANENTE.
    COREA DE EL SUR ESTA SIENDO ALIENADA POR UN MATERIALISMO INOCUO IMPERMENENTE Y TRANSITORIO TAN FUGAZ, QUE AL FINAL DE CUENTAS QUIENES ABOGAN POR EL CRISTIANISMO TERMINARAN FRUSTRADOS YA QUE SU FELICIDAD ES IREAL, BASTA VER COMO MORIRAN TODOS AQUELLOS QUE MORIRAN EN EL CENO DE EL CRISTIANSMO, SU FRUSTRACION SU AUTOENGAÑO, YA QUE ESTAN DROGADOS Y EN LO QUE REENCARNARAN YA QUE LA ENERGIA Y LA MATERIA NO SE CREA NI SE DESTRUYE SOLO SE TRANSFORMA.
    NO ES EL CRISTIANISMO LO QUE HACE QUE COREA DE EL SUR APARENTEMENTE PROGRESE Y SEA INMENSAMENTE FELIZ, ESO ES UNA ILUSION, Y SI EN PARTE FUERA CIERTA EXISTEN EXPLICACIONES ACADEMICAS Y REALES Y NO FANTASIOSAS COMO EL CRISTIANISMO LO PRESUME.
    YA QUE SI FUERA ASI PORQUE LOS GUATEMALTECOS NO PROGRESAN COMO LOS COREANOS SI SON MAS O IGUAL DE CRISTIANOS

  12. 21 ezkivinuz November 7, 2011 at 3:47 am

    CHRISTIANITY IS THE WORST THAT FINDS CANCER known to mankind, like all human creations, is immersed THE WORST REASONS, depraved, AMBITIONS AND DEFECTS IN HUMAN FACE WITH YOUR DIZFRASADOS hypocritical opposite. THE REAL REASON FOR BEING OF CHRISTIANITY by their religious leader is Dominate the world at will and get richer, handled skillfully THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CRY YOUR NAME, WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO A BRAIN WASHING, immersed in A world of fantasy, FANATISADOS, HANDLED, cheated and Staph WITH GOD THERE ARE become slaves to their masters’ INTERESTS they serve without realizing it.

  13. 22 Robert November 15, 2011 at 7:15 pm

    Many christians countries are poor so it is not an argument.

  14. 23 Harish Kumar December 7, 2011 at 5:05 pm

    Hello Mr.Rajan,
    I don’t understand whether to laugh at you or to Pity your logic. If what you believe is true then what about Phillipines which is one of the oldest Christian countries in Asia. It is a well known fact that Philippines is one of the most backward countries in the world. The UNDP development report of 2010 clearly ranks Philippines 97th on the index. Her education, health budgets are alarmingly low, and the crime rate is very high. Development or progress in life does not just come by a change of faith but depends on several other factors. We need to understand this.

  15. 24 bhupinder April 4, 2012 at 12:17 am

    we if read religion of christinity it is regimentation of nation against hypocracy of ruling elite now they have united with corporate,,,their is big example is preach christanity to tribal people and take away their land,,and make them tools of their hypocracy,,,christanity is hypocracy of big money pumping excercise,,,befool innocent poor and less awaken public,,i have seen how chrstian population follow religion in uk,western europe,, even 12 old girl become pregnant,,priest after preaching goes to pub,prostitution becuase it is part of their entertainment, they are totally hypocrate,,,these hypocrate looted india like nation pinched their wealth and tried to convert them

  16. 25 R. E. April 10, 2012 at 1:10 pm

    I live in the USA. I became a Buddhist about 20 years ago. I was online to study about Buddhism in other countries and was appaled by what I’ve read here. To me these hateful acts show the falseness of their religious beliefs. Here in the USA these type of actions are called hate crimes and receive extra punishment . The reason for this is that a society that practices religious freedom cannot tolerate these terrorist acts. Society won’t function if we are attacking each other because of religious beleifs. People that perpetrate these types of crimes are cut from the same clothe as the Communists in the North.


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