Is Ven. Beopjeong in hell?

By Jason Lim

Advertisement

Ven. Beopjeong of the non-possession fame was one of the most respected religious figures in modern Korea when he passed away last year at the age of 77. He was also a popular spiritual writer that resonated with the masses with his simple but eloquent prose with the power to continually move us even from beyond his grave; or, in his case, cremated ashes that were scattered about his favorite tree.

But even the venerable probably never imagined that his memory would be thrust into the media spotlight as the center of a religious debate with a popular pop-cultural figure.

Eric Mun, of the Shinwha fame, ignited the controversy recently when he responded rather heatedly to a fan's comment on his twitter. He had apparently been vocal about his Christian faith on his tweets, and one of his fans requested that he tone down his overtly religious tone since some of his fans were not Christians. The fan also quoted (falsely, it turns out) Ven. Beopjeong as saying that he would be willing to go to hell to rescue all the people condemned by their supposed loving "God".

Eric Mun, by all accounts a devout Christian, took umbrage at what he thought was an affront by the late venerable to Jesus Christ and made some intemperate remarks that could be construed to be insulting to Ven. Beopjeong. Although he took his offending tweets down soon afterwards, the issue went viral, garnering more than 12,000 replies in a major portal site.

I don't want to discuss whether Eric Mun's response was appropriate or not. Or even whether his interpretation of Christian doctrine was correct. In fact, I support him in his right to speak whatever's on his mind on his own twitter account. If some of his fans are uncomfortable with his religious meanderings, then they can disengage from his tweets.

But I do find it interesting how Eric Mun reacted at what he perceived was an attack on his faith by heatedly claiming that even someone who was as virtuous as Ven. Beopjeong wouldn't be saved from eternal damnation in hell. Which naturally leads to the question: Is Ven. Beopjeong in hell?

And the answer has to be yes.

Ven. Beopjeong is in hell because he wasn't a Christian. According to most Christian dogmas, you have to believe that Jesus Christ is your personal savior and died on the cross to pay for humanity's sins, only to rise three days later to ascend to heaven to sit at the right hand of God as his only son.

In Christian faith, the above is the minimum set of conditions that would make you eligible for salvation. Therefore, in Christian context, Ven. Beopjeong is in hell, which, in itself, is a Christian concept.

This is a matter of faith. To Christians, this is true because it's what they believe in. But this is where it gets tricky. Religious truth does not mean that it's factual. In fact, the founding myth for the Christian faith is decidedly not factual.

It's impossible to be born from a virgin, walk on water, raise the dead, be reincarnated three days after being killed, and float in the air toward the sky. By any reasonable standards, these are fictional stories. They are patently illogical. That is, unless you choose to believe that they are not. Then they become the truth.

So, when you hear a devout Christian claim that someone like Ven. Beopjeong is in hell, he is absolutely correct from his own perspective. Such a claim is not really subject to an argument of whether he's right or not because it's a matter of his faith, not fact.

In short, you can't argue about faith. If you do, you are only creating an impossible situation where no one can be proven right. And people tend to react severely if they are challenged on their faith. Eric Mun reacted as viscerally as he did because he felt that his faith was being insulted. That's why most religious conflicts lead to violence because no one can win on the strength of the argument alone. To win an argument in the matter of faith, better bring the biggest gun you can find.

The problem arises when religious leaders mistake their "truth based on faith" with "truth based on facts". And when one religious faith holds power, it will often try to impose its version of the truth on others. This happened when Confucians killed Catholics for not engaging in traditional ancestor worship, Catholics butchered indigenous people all over the world for not being of the true faith, and Protestants killed the Jews for being Jews.

That's why separation of power between church and state is so critical. It follows then that any appearance by a ruler seemingly favoring one religion over another is a cause for concern, a lesson that this administration hopefully learned well.

As for Ven. Beopjeong, the only thing that's factual is that his ashes have fertilized his favorite tree. As for hell, he probably couldn't care less since it doesn't exist in his world.

Jason Lim is a Washington, D.C.-based consultant in organizational leadership, culture, and change management. He has been writing for The Korea Times since 2006. He can be reached at jasonlim@msn.com and on Facebook.com/jasonlim2000.

___________________

The documentary recently released "Monk Beopjeong's Chair", was dedicated to Venerable Beopjeong.