Religious studies in Korea, more often than not, categorize Korean religions through a general rubric of indigenous religion, foreign-born religions, and Korean people's religions. Indigenous religion refers to shamanism, which is believed to have existed from the beginning of the Korean people, going back to the legendary founder Tan'gun. Foreign-born religions refer to those that have origins outside of Korea, including Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Christianity. During the late nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, a number of new religions emerged in Korea, which are now grouped under the title “Korean people's religions.”
This array of religions in Korea demonstrates the complexity that Don Baker had to deal with in Korean Spirituality, in which he discusses all of the religions mentioned here in an admirably succinct manner, and does so without sacrificing serious discussions of core issues that are relevant to each tradition. In addition, Baker offers...
