A New Vision of Unificationist Religious Education

ABSTRACT

This article describes the ideal and reality of the Unificationist religious education, and diagnoses the religious education of the past pioneer period, and views the religious education of the future settled life period. Unification theology is an utopian theology which aims toward an ideal world. The theory of Unificationist Education aims toward an ideal human being. The early Unificationist religious education for Children and youth has been influenced by Protestantism. However, it gradually took the characteristics of the Unificationism. The Unificationist religious education for adult was focused on the doctrine training class and therefore organized into short term course and long term courses gradually. Pastor training program was separated from it and developed into a theological education. The religious education for adult did not cultivate humanity in the eschatological atmosphere. Unificationist Religious Education has the dual challenges which are the development of original nature and the removal of fallen nature. Three forms of education in the educational theory of Unificationism is required to modify the narrow sense of each concept. Therefore, it is necessary to re-conceptualize by exploring the meanings of the three forms. In this article, I understood an education for the first blessing into heart education, original nature education, spirituality education. I also understood an education for the second blessing into norm education, pure love education, filial piety education. And I added an ecological education to an education for the third blessing. And I explore the meaning of each.