보천교의 교육활동 = Educational Practices of Bocheonkyo

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper is dealing with the old educational practices of Bocheonkyo which have been criticized for promoting only traditional education and then the counterargument of the Bocheonkyo order, which insists on their interest in new education. Their argument is based on daily press and records left behind by the Japanese. The summary is as follows: In the 1920s, Cheondokyo founded Siil School and was carrying out national education. On the other hand, Bocheonkyo was performing not only traditional Chinese education but also evening classes to spread new knowledge by organizing a Bocheonkyo young men`s association. Jinjeongwon in KyoungNam province planned to establish Bohyo girls` night school and library. The headquarters of Bochenkyo recruited woman devotees and educated them in Boheung girls` school. Besides that, they set up a kindergarten, organized a boyscout, and were interested in social and cultural activities such as holding concerts. Ko Younghwan and Ju Ik, both Bocheonkyo devotees, worked as a standing committee in The First Executive Committee of the Minrip University Establishment Movement. Although there is not yet enough evidence to support their claims, but the Bocheonkyo order insists that they dispatched students to Japan in order to acquire new knowledge. They also kept the relationship with Hyeongpyeongsa, the movement for the abolition of class discrimination. However, the order did not seem to have a strong will to educate people. If the Bocheonkyo had been interested in education, they would have established a village school, institutes, and a general school earlier. But this movement was confined within certain areas, such as Jinju, in KyoungNam Jinjeongwon. Also, even though smaller brances were opened in Jeoungeup and Taein while the Minrip University was being established, these were not as active because of the process of requiring permission from the head of the town in order to take further action. In conclusion, It seemed that Bocheonkyo was interested in new education and new knowledge but that they did not make any real efforts to obtain it. Therefore, they did not proceed these projects and could not adjust the doctrins of the order to the changing times. It seems obvious that the critical reason for the decline of Bocheonkyo was the oppression of the Japanese. However, the lack of education about new knowledge and not coping with the flow of times were other reasons why the influence of Bocheonkyo was severely weakend.