The Study of 'Den-doo Hoo-koku' Identity of Taiwan Christians during Japanese Colonial Period (1937-1945)
| Autor: | LU, CHI-MING, 盧啟明 |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Druh dokumentu: | 學位論文 ; thesis |
| Popis: | 99 During the final stage of the Japanese imperial rule, the Japanese government promoted a series of policies which intended to rally the national strength. As a result, these policies rendered its religious policy stricter. The then-commonly used slogan “Den-doo Hoo-koku” (“Evangelizing for Patriotism”) actually implies two level of meanings—Kingdom of Heaven and Japanese Empire. In order to practice their belief, Christians shifted their concern from static church service to active social service, revealing a structural change in their understanding of faith connotation, national consciousness, nationality, and church-state relations. The main thrust of this dissertation discusses the issue of identity in the mindset of “Evangelizing for Patriotism” among the Taiwanese Christians during the war time. The issues of dual identifies, shift of Christian role and character, and interaction with government across social boundaries were also included in this paper. The conclusion in this paper indicates that, in the mid-1930s, various aspects of church movement were prosperous. Christians built up their sense of honor through history, politics, study of Bible, and series of reform movements. Evangelists also kindled conversion and revival among Christians. The positive attitude, changes based on life experience, and related doctrine of the church were also discussed. Christians at this period assumed the responsibility to improve church and society. In the mean time, an awakening of the faith identity as “Sons of the Kingdom” was initiated and gradually consolidated. In 1937, the policy of Japanese Imperialization got underway, its main scheme being heightening of national spirit, Japanese learning, and restructuring of religious groups. Meanwhile, Christians thought they should take the responsibility to help those who had lost their faith. By 1940, foreign mission workers were expelled and Taiwanese Christians gradually conformed to the wartime system, acknowledging the power and success of the Empire and the progress of the Japanese Christianity. The identification with "the Royal People of the Empire" reached its heights. With the intensification of the war in 1941, the service structure of Taiwan Christianity was established. Failing to join the United Church of Christ in Japan, Taiwanese churches were soon incorporated into the United Church of Christ in Taiwan which was dictated by the colonial government. Under the political and religious oppression and discriminatory policies, Christians in Taiwan turned patriotism into concern for homeland and local affairs. Sunday school is the primary means of religious education for children and was quite influential at the early stage of the Japanese colonial rule. However, during the wartime, the effect and impact of Sunday school gradually dwindled due to the merger of the churches and the introduction of Japanese learning. By the end of war, with the official intervention, Sunday school was replaced by social studies. Such process provides a medium for Taiwanese Christians to appraise the propriety of Sunday school courses and evaluate the significance of the mindset of “Evangelizing for Patriotism.” We may conclude that the final stage of the Japanese imperial rule is a time of “Evangelizing for Patriotism.” The religious belief and faith identity among Taiwanese Christians remain the same before and after the war. They always urged themselves to preach the Gospel and work for evangelism. Nonetheless, their political stance shifted with the change of political situations. Taiwanese Christians had the consciousness that it was their social responsibility to evangelize for the sake of the nation. In order to protect the common interest of Taiwan and concern for their homeland, Taiwanese Christians chose to cooperate with Japanese government and Japanese Christians. In the context of their colonial suffering experience, Christians scrutinize their beliefs and re-discover their identification with homeland. To sum up, the mindset of “Evangelizing for Patriotism” will remain an important issue for Christians of every generation to review and reflect. |
| Databáze: | Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations |
| Externí odkaz: |
|