A Comparative Study on Understandings of the Foreign Social Services and Religio-cultures of the American Religious Organizations and of the Korean Religious Organizations in the Cambodian Religio-cultural Context.
Aiming to examine the understanding of the foreign social service and religio-culture of the Korean religious organizations, the article analyzes the foreign social services of the American religious organizations and those of the Korean religious organizations comparatively, which have been practiced in Cambodia. Further the article compares how the Korean faith-based organizations understand the religio-culture among the cross-cultural social services in Cambodia with how the American faith-based organizations understand that in Cambodia. The research on the understandings is achieved through 3 methodological tools: critical method of literatures, visiting and surveying offices and field sites, and interviews with the persons in charge of the organizations. First, the article starts with discussing the religio-cultural context in Cambodia of which Theravada Buddhism has dominated lives of the people historically. Also Cambodian authority for the NGO/CSOs including Christian organizations and the NGO Forum on Cambodia are analyzed to impose requirements on the international NGOs. Second, the research discusses the theological policies to understand the religio-culture among the cross-cultural social services of the 7 Christian NGOs in the U. S. such as AFSC, CRS, CRWRC, CWS, MCC, MKLM, WVI which have maintained different traditions. Third, the article deals with the religious policies for understanding the religio-cultural social services of the 7 Korean religious organizations such as Catholic OBOS, Dail Community, Korea Food for the Hungry International, World Vision Korea, Buddhist JTS, Buddhist Goodhands, Won-buddhist NGO. Most of the Korean organizations show that they do not keep the policies to the cross-cultural issues. Fourth and Conclusively, the article compares the characteristics of the policies of the American FBOs with those of the Korean FBOs. Briefly speaking, the former focuses on the humanitarian and development issues as the NGO do, however the latter keep no policies, which are oriented to mission works to expand their religious identity. Therefore the Korean FBOs are asked to arrange theological or religious policies to be open to other religions and cultures. Inclusive of other religio-cultures the FBOs may do their mission-oriented development works. CRWRC can be a good model for Korean FBOs to contribute to exercising the holistic perspective development mission.