earticle

영어

This paper contains a critical review about the idea that identifies the Confucian ancestor worship with idolatry. We consider the Confucian ancestor worship as extended filial piety, and Confucian sacrificial rites as performances aiming at shortening the distance between ancestors and offsprings, far from practicing idolatry. The investigator found three factors that influenced Christians to take Confucian ancestor worship as idolatry. Those factors are ①the biases of the monotheistic religions, ②the arrogance of the Western culture and religions, and ③lack of understanding of the symbolic meanings of the Confucian rites. To know the true nature of the Confucian ancestor worship it is necessary to pay full attention to the symbolic meanings involved in them.

한국어

이논문은유교의조상숭배를우상숭배로보는견해를비판적으로검토한것이다.
유교의조상숭배는부모에대한극진한마음―효(孝)―의연장이며조상제사는조상
과자손의거리를좁히고자손들이일체감을갖기위한퍼포먼스이지, 어떤우상을
숭배하는행위가아니다. 그럼에도불구하고일부크리스트교도들에게유교의조상숭
배가우상숭배로비춰진것은①유일신교의편견, ②서구문화와서구종교의우월감,
③의례의상징적의미배제에기인한다. 유교의조상숭배와제사행위에담겨있는상
징적 의미를 이해하지 않고는 그 본질을 바르게 이해할 수 있다.