The gendering of religious experience: ecstatic trance in Ch’ondogyo

Kirsten Bell

The gendering of religious experience: ecstatic trance in Ch’ondogyo

Kirsten Bell

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Cheondogyo is a Korean religion which espouses a central doctrine that has often been labelled ‘radically egalitarian.’ However, although religious ideologies emphasize gender equality, in practice these themes are translated in ways that seem to limit women’s access to power. These gender differences are most apparent in ecstatic trance, which occurs reasonably often during religious training sessions. While legitimized by the religion’s founder as a key source of spiritual enlightenment, the more boisterous forms of ecstatic trance are viewed with hostility. Because these forms of trance are exclusive to women, this condemnation of ecstatic trance becomes a condemnation of a largely female expression of religiosity. Moreover, ecstatic trance is seen to confirm a female affinity for instinctive spirituality, which deems them unsuitable for the types of leadership positions currently dominated by men.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	7-35
Journal	Asian Journal of Women's Studies
Volume	9
Issue number	2
Publication status	Published - 2003

Keywords

new religious movements
gender
trance

Access to Document

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/12259276.2003.11665946

Cite this

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title = "The gendering of religious experience: ecstatic trance in Ch{\textquoteright}ondogyo",

abstract = "Cheondogyo is a Korean religion which espouses a central doctrine that has often been labelled {\textquoteleft}radically egalitarian.{\textquoteright} However, although religious ideologies emphasize gender equality, in practice these themes are translated in ways that seem to limit women{\textquoteright}s access to power. These gender differences are most apparent in ecstatic trance, which occurs reasonably often during religious training sessions. While legitimized by the religion{\textquoteright}s founder as a key source of spiritual enlightenment, the more boisterous forms of ecstatic trance are viewed with hostility. Because these forms of trance are exclusive to women, this condemnation of ecstatic trance becomes a condemnation of a largely female expression of religiosity. Moreover, ecstatic trance is seen to confirm a female affinity for instinctive spirituality, which deems them unsuitable for the types of leadership positions currently dominated by men.",

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AB - Cheondogyo is a Korean religion which espouses a central doctrine that has often been labelled ‘radically egalitarian.’ However, although religious ideologies emphasize gender equality, in practice these themes are translated in ways that seem to limit women’s access to power. These gender differences are most apparent in ecstatic trance, which occurs reasonably often during religious training sessions. While legitimized by the religion’s founder as a key source of spiritual enlightenment, the more boisterous forms of ecstatic trance are viewed with hostility. Because these forms of trance are exclusive to women, this condemnation of ecstatic trance becomes a condemnation of a largely female expression of religiosity. Moreover, ecstatic trance is seen to confirm a female affinity for instinctive spirituality, which deems them unsuitable for the types of leadership positions currently dominated by men.

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