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The Earth and Religion in the Anthropocene -The Search for a Discourse on Earth Religion-

Namjin Heo 1,  Lee Woo Jin 2

1원광대학교 원불교사상연구원
2공주교육대학교

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ABSTRACT

This paper attempts to explore the ‘discourse on earth religions’ through ‘the Anthropocene discourse’, which currently occupies a central position in pan-academic discourse. In particular, from the standpoint of ‘seeking a new reflective relationship between the Earth and human’ which is the central axis of the Anthropocene discourse, We have examined the changes in the perception of the Earth and the recent emergence of ‘discourses on Earth religions.’ Even before the new positions of ‘mechanism’ and ‘natural domination’ were positioned as the core concepts of the modern world, the ‘Earth Narrative as a Nurturing Mother and Parents’ who creates and nurtures has been discussed in every culture. Since the scientific revolution, this perception of the earth and human beings as absolutely dependent on each other has been seriously weakened. Furthermore, through commercialism, industrialization, and technologization, the position of ‘natural domination’ has been further strengthened. Now humans are positioned as ‘Agencies’ in relation to the Earth. Although humans are essentially inhabitants of the Earth, they are positioned as ‘Agencies’ that ‘live on the Earth, protect and rescue it’ and ‘explore, analyze and conquer it.’ However, in the Anthropocene discourse, the Earth was understood as ‘Gaia’ as an ‘Agecny’ from the perspective of the earth system. The earth was not to sit still any longer against human destruction and domination, but was to be positioned as an entity that threatens and resists human behaviors. Next, We examined two new discourses that have emerged in the religious realm in line with these discourses of the Anthropocene. One is the ‘Gaian Earth Religion Discourse as a Civil religion’ from the perspective of Earthpolitics, and the other is the ‘Earth Religion Discourse as a Religion for the Earth’ from the perspective of theology for Earth. Both of these discourses were ‘Earth religion discourse’ to solve the crisis of the Anthropocene. Conclusively, the ‘Earth Discourse’ and the ‘Earth Religion Discourse’ of the Anthropocene were aware of the problem that the Earth crisis was caused by the ‘loss of reverence for the Earth’. In order to overcome the crisis of the Anthropocene, the direction of religion had to be sought as ‘the direction to restore reverence for the Earth.’

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