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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
 Posted - 09/10/2005 : 16:08:18
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I cam across this article, "South Korean cloning pioneer faces Catholic critics" http://www.stnews.org/articles.php?article_id=1592&category=Research
and I was facinated with the concilatory language used by the stem-cell researcher, Hwang, in comparison to the reactionary rhetoric of the critics. Hwang says things like: “All science has two sides,” and “I will take lessons from the great teachings and guidance, I will not fail to meet the Archbishop's expectations.” The Catholic critics on the other hand say stuff like, “Professor Hwang Woo-suk's work entails anti-life activities of cloning an embryo, a human life, and destroying of a life,”
It seems to me that Hwang has found a way to give enough lip service to the Catholics to keep them at bay so he can keep doing his research.
My favorite line from the article:
The church said the research could relegate women to the status of a “biological tool” for producing and donating eggs.
LOL! As if the Catholic Church has a leg to stand on concerning women's rights and social status. Puh-leeze!
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"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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BigPapaSmurf
SFN Die Hard
3192 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2005 : 07:20:45 [Permalink]
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For those who didnt know South Korea is heavily dominated by Christianity with about 35% Catholics and 30% Protestants, and their government is guided in part by Catholic tradition. Their power stemming from the usual Persecution and underground movement phase. Christian Protestants were mostly in the lead during the WWII occupation and after the war the Protestants absorbed Buddism within the Church teachings. These are some of the reasons that lead to the Christian role in gov. There are over 40,000 protestant churches in SK, the fastest growing Protestant base for quite some time if I recall correctly.
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"...things I have neither seen nor experienced nor heard tell of from anybody else; things, what is more, that do not in fact exist and could not ever exist at all. So my readers must not believe a word I say." -Lucian on his book True History
"...They accept such things on faith alone, without any evidence. So if a fraudulent and cunning person who knows how to take advantage of a situation comes among them, he can make himself rich in a short time." -Lucian critical of early Christians c.166 AD From his book, De Morte Peregrini |
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2005 : 22:42:04 [Permalink]
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BigPapaSmurf, I think you are mistaken. When I went to South Korea I saw way more Buddhist monks and nuns than Catholic clergy, and very few churches in comparison with the United States. Indeed, there is a larger Christian presence there than in any other Asian country, but it is not nearly as big as you suggest. Also, while Christmas is a national holiday, so is Buddha's birthday and Chusok - a day to pay spiritual homage to dead ancestors. I recall my Lonely Planet Guide saying there were about 35% Christians and just as many Buddhists.
From Wikipedia: (my emphasis in bold)
Nonreligious: 35.0%
Christian: 28.7%
Protestant: 36.3%
Presbyterian: 16.4%
Pentecostal: 3.7%
Methodist: 2.9%
Baptist: 1.5%
Other Protestant: 11.8% (many independent congregations)
Roman Catholic: 8.1%
Marginal Christian: 3.8% (including the Unification Church)
Other Christian: 1.2%
Buddhist: 23.9%
Indigenous religions: 8.0% (including Shamanists, Chondogyo, Confucianists and others).
Other: 1.4%
NOTE: The Christian denominational figures add up to considerably more than the total number of Christians due to widespread dual membership and unrecorded transferal of membership, especially within Protestant bodies. This probably accounts for the almost certainly inflated statistics published in some circles, purporting to show that around 50 percent of South Koreans are Christians.
It should also be noted that although self-styled Confucianists are few, the great majority of South Koreans, irrespective of their formal religious affiliation, are strougly influenced by Confucian concepts.
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"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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| Edited by - marfknox on 09/12/2005 22:58:41 |
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
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