어떤 칼럼은 정말 쓰고 싶지 않지만 써야 할 필요 때문에 쓸 수밖에 없는 것도 있습니다. 이번 칼럼 주제야말로 여기에 해당합니다. 한국역술인 협회 등 관련 단체에 따르면 이들 단체에 등록된 무당, 점쟁이들만 해도 30여 만이라고 하니 등록하지 않고 종사하는 사람들을 생각하면 대한민국 국민의 1%가 무당, 점쟁이라고 보아야 하는 부끄러운 현실을 때문입니다. 그보다 더욱 부끄러운 것은 어떤 통계에 의하면 점집을 찾는 사람들의 30%가 교회에 다니는 사람들이라는 충격적인 사실 때문입니다. 게다가 우리 교회가 위치한 복산동이란 이름 자체가 점쟁이들이 살던 데서 유래된 만큼 피해갈 수 없는 주제이기도 합니다.
이삿날을 잡기 위해서 아니면 자녀의 결혼을 앞두고 “점쟁이들이 용케 맞춘다.”는 주위의 말에 혹해서 궁합이 미신이라는 것을 알고도 점집을 찾는 교인들이 있으며 특히 새해가 되면, 음력설을 전후해서 자기가 태어난 생년월일을 근거로 길흉화복을 점치는 토정비결을 보는 일이 빈번한 전통문화 때문에 걱정이 됩니다. 새해 운세를 알아보기 위해 점집을 찾는 교인들이 많다는 것은 공공연한 비밀이기에 더 이상 방치할 수 없다는 마음의 부담 때문에 “점보는 교인들”이라는 부끄러운 제목의 글을 쓰게 되었습니다. 실제로 우리 전도팀의 전도를 받고 점치는 업을 접고 교회로 발을 디딘 어떤 무속인은 울산교회에 와보니 과거 자기 고객이 많이 보인다는 증언을 전해 듣기도 했습니다.
성경은 점술에 의해 미래를 예측하는 것을 엄격히 금하고 있습니다. “… 점쟁이와 복술가와 요술객과 무당과 주문을 외우는 사람과 귀신을 불러 물어 보는 사람과 박수와 혼백에게 물어 보는 사람이 있어서는 안 된다.”(신 18:10, 11 표준새번역) 또한 잠언은 “사람의 발걸음은 주님으로 말미암은 것이니 사람이 어찌 자기의 길을 알 수 있겠느냐!”(잠 20:24, 표준새번역) 점치는 일에 혹하는 사람은 평생 속아서 살게 되며 미신에 현혹된 삶은 영원히 자신의 건전한 자아를 회복할 수 없습니다. 사주팔자를 보거나 점을 치는 것은 운명에 인생을 맡기는 것입니다. 성도는 운명에 매여 사는 것이 아니라 하나님의 섭리를 믿고 살아가야 합니다.
사랑하는 성도 여러분, 모든 것은 하나님의 손 안에 있습니다. 우리의 미래를 알고 계시며 역사를 주관하시는 분은 오직 우리 하나님밖에 없습니다. 하나님은 우리를 짓기 전에 우리를 아시고 우리가 첫 울음을 터뜨리기도 전에 우리의 모든 날들을 하나님의 책에 다 기록해 두었습니다. 답답한 일, 걱정되는 일들을 만날 때 우리 하늘 아버지께서 누구시며 얼마나 좋으신 분인지를 생각하며 그분께 기도로 여쭙는 것이 성도의 자세입니다. 하나님은 이미 우리에게 필요한 모든 것을 주셨고 충만한 복을 그리스도와 함께 허락하셨기에 기뻐하며 기도하며 감사하는 마음으로 살아갑시다.
There are some columns that one truly does not wish to write, yet feels compelled to write out of unavoidable pastoral necessity. The topic of this column is precisely one of them. According to relevant bodies such as the Korean Association of Fortunetellers, registered shamans and fortune-tellers alone number around 300,000; when considering those who practice without registration, we are faced with the shameful reality that roughly 1% of the South Korean population can be regarded as fortune-tellers or shamans. Even more humiliating is the shocking statistic showing that approximately 30% of those visiting fortune-telling houses are churchgoers. Moreover, given that the very name of Boksan-dong, where our church is located, traces its origin to a neighborhood where fortune-tellers once gathered, this is a topic we can hardly avoid.
Whether choosing an auspicious moving date or preparing for a child's wedding, some believers—swayed by nearby murmurs that “those fortune-tellers are remarkably accurate”—visit fortune-tellers even while knowing that marital compatibility divination (gunghap) is sheer superstition. Particularly around the New Year and the Lunar New Year holidays, there is deep concern over the entrenched cultural habit of consulting the Tojeongbigyeol (traditional Korean New Year divination based on birth dates) to forecast fortunes and misfortunes. It is an open secret that many church members visit fortune-telling parlors to peer into their New Year's fortunes; burdened by the conviction that this can no longer be left unaddressed, I find myself penning this column with the shameful title, “Churchgoers Who Consult Fortune-tellers.” Indeed, a former shaman who left divination behind and came to faith through the outreach of our church’s evangelism team once testified that, upon arriving at Ulsan Church, they recognized quite a few familiar faces who had been their past clients.
Scripture strictly forbids attempting to foresee the future through divination and sorcery: “Let no one be found among you who... practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead” (Deuteronomy 18:10–11). Proverbs also reminds us: “A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?” (Proverbs 20:24). Anyone who is seduced by fortune-telling ends up living a life entangled in deception, and a soul captivated by superstition can never truly restore a sound, healthy sense of self. Having one's four pillars of destiny (saju) read or consulting a fortune-teller is an act of surrendering one’s life to fatalism. Believers are not meant to live bound by fate, but rather to walk daily by faith in the sovereign providence of God.
Dear beloved congregation, everything rests securely in God's hands. There is only one God who knows our tomorrow and reigns over all human history. Before He formed us, He knew us; before we ever cried our first breath, all the days ordained for us were recorded in His book. When confronted with perplexing trials and anxious moments, the true posture of a saint is to recall who our heavenly Father is, how remarkably good He is, and to lay our questions before Him in prayer. Since God has already given us everything we need and granted us the fullness of blessing in Christ Jesus, let us live each day rejoicing, praying, and overflowing with thanksgiving.
Daar is rubrieke wat ’n mens werklik nie graag wil skryf nie, maar wat jy weens ’n onvermydelike noodsaaklikheid eenvoudig moet skryf. Die tema van hierdie rubriek val presies in daardie kategorie. Volgens verwante instellings soos die Koreaanse Vereniging van Waarsêers is daar sowat 300 000 geregistreerde sjamane en waarsêers; as ’n mens diegene byreken wat ongeregistreerd praktiseer, staar ons die beskaamde werklikheid in die gesig dat bykans 1% van die Suid-Koreaanse bevolking as sjamane of waarsêers beskou moet word. Wat nog meer ontstellend en skandelik is, is die statistiek wat aandui dat sowat 30% van die mense wat waarsêers besoek, kerkgangers is. Daarby kom nog die feit dat die naam van Boksan-dong, waar ons gemeente geleë is, histories ontleen is aan ’n plek waar waarsêers gewoon het—wat dit ’n onderwerp maak wat ons onmoontlik kan systap.
Of dit nou is om ’n gunstige trekdatum te bepaal of voor ’n kind se huwelik, is daar gelowiges wat—beïnvloed deur praatjies dat “daardie waarsêers dinge merkwaardig raakvat”—waarsêers besoek, al weet hulle terdeë dat huweliksversoenbaarheid (gunghap) blote bygeloof is. Veral met die aanbreek van die nuwe jaar, rondom die Maannuwejaar, wek die ingewortelde tradisionele gewoonte om die Tojeongbigyeol (tradisonele nuwejaarslotsbepaling volgens geboortedatum) te raadpleeg om voorspoed en teëspoed te voorspel, groot kommer. Dit is ’n ope geheim dat baie kerkgangers waarsêers besoek om hul jaarlikse lot te verneem; met die las op my gemoed dat ons dit nie langer kan duld nie, skryf ek hierdie stuk onder die beskaamde titel: “Kerkgangers wat waarsêers raadpleeg.” Trouens, ’n voormalige sjamaan wat deur die uitreik van ons gemeentelike evangelisasiespan tot bekering gekom het en die waarsêery laat vaar het, het getuig dat sy by haar aankoms in Ulsan Gemeente talle bekende gesigte gesien het wat voorheen gereelde kliënte van haar was.
Die Bybel verbied die voorspelling van die toekoms deur middel van waarsêery ten strengste: “Daar mag niemand by jou gevind word wat... waarsêery beoefen, voortekens verklaar, toordery pleeg, of wat beswerings doen, of ’n gees of ’n toordokter raadpleeg, of die dooies vra nie” (Deuteronomium 18:10–11). Spreuke herinner ons ook: “Die Here bepaal die voetstappe van ’n mens; hoe sou ’n mens dan self sy eie pad verstaan?” (Spreuke 20:24). Enigiemand wat verlei word deur die waarsêerskuns, leef sy hele lewe in bedrog, en ’n gees wat deur bygeloof betower is, kan nooit sy gesonde, ware self herwin nie. Om jou lotsbestemming (saju) te laat lees of ’n waarsêer te raadpleeg, beteken dat jy jou lewe aan noodlottery oorgee. ’n Gelowige leef nie vasgeketting aan die noodlot nie, maar wandel in geloof in die soewereine voorsienigheid van God.
Geliefde gemeentelede, alles berus veilig in God se hande. Daar is slegs één God wat ons toekoms ken en die ganse geskiedenis beheer. Nog voordat Hy ons gevorm het, het Hy ons geken; nog voor ons ons eerste lewenskreet gegee het, was al ons lewensdae reeds in sy boek opgeteken. Wanneer ons voor benouende vrae en sorge te staan kom, is die ware houding van ’n gelowige om te dink aan wie ons hemelse Vader is en hoe onbeskryflik goed Hy is, en ons versoeke in gebed aan Hom voor te lê. Aangesien God reeds in al ons behoeftes voorsien het en ons saam met Christus die volheid van sy seën geskenk het, laat ons lewe met blydskap, aanhoudende gebed en dankbare harte.