Exploration of the Relationship between Korean Protestant Churches and Stigma: From the Perspective of Erving Goffman

This study explores the characteristics of Korean society and Korean Protestantism based on Goffman’s social stigma theory. Stigma means extreme disapproval of an individual or organization for socially obvious reasons. ‘The normal’ refers to people who are not stigmatized, and ‘the stigmatized’ refers to people who are stigmatized. However, the two entities (or viewpoints) are considered to exist simultaneously in a single entity. It is like two pieces of cloth from the same shirt. For this reason, the interaction of the two must exist for a better “healthy” society. Protestant churches and their members in Korea have both normal and stigmatized characters. They are on one hand stigmatizing other beings in the name of religious traditions and doctrines, and on the other hand they are stigmatized by society. Korean Protestantism has shown negative attitudes toward drinking, smoking, sacrifice, and more recently, homosexuality, and has stigmatized those who participate in such practices. However, at the same time, there are more than a few Protestant churches in Korea being criticized for ethical and moral problems. Thus, just as normal and stigmatized people listen to each other’s voices to restore their relationship, the Korean Protestant Churches must listen to society to overcome this situation. In addition, not only the Korean Protestant church but also all the stigmatized beings need to practice “impression management.” The stigmatized need to make efforts to communicate with the public through impression management. Likewise, normal people should be able to acknowledge and accept the effort of the stigmatized. Through this process, mutual reconciliation will be made between the normal and the stigmatized, and between Korean Protestant churches and Korean society.