Cultural Differences in the Concept of God through Open-Ended Questions

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Cultural influences on spirituality have been emphasized, but few cross-cultural studies relating to spirituality have been done in recent years. Accepting that there is a need, this study attempts to compare children’s concept of God in Korean and American contexts, using open-ended questions. Korean children have a tendency to show emotional responses toward God instead of intellectual understandings, and they especially feel close to God during religious activities. They are more interested in the attributes of God rather than historical facts or the acts of God. On the other hand, American children reveal theologically sound responses regarding the nature of God and soteriology. In addition, they feel close to God in their everyday life, not just during religious activities, and focus on facts and logic in place of emotions and belief. These findings are coincident with the results of another cross-cultural study using quantitative analysis.

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