윤치호가 1893년에 미국 시카고에서 열린 만국박람회와 “세계종교의회”에 참석하고 남긴 기록이 있어 옮겨보았다. 그의 일기 중에서 13번에 해당하는 내용이다. 세계종교의회(Parliament of Religions)는 처음으로 세계 종교들의 대표자들이 모인 자리로, 초기 종교학사에서도 의미가 있는 일이었다. 이 회합이 갖는 독특한 의미는 에릭 샤프의 <<종교학>>(한울, 1986), 179-81에 서술되어 있는데, 샤프는 이 의회가 “종교학에 일면 자극이 되었고 또 일면으로는 위험한 것이기도 했다”고 평가한다.
윤치호의 생각은 이 행사를 바라보는 미국의 보수 기독교인들의 생각을 그대로 보여주는 것이어서 흥미롭다. 1893년이면 1888년에 미국에 건너간 윤치호가 밴더빌트 대학을 졸업한 후 에모리 대학교에서 수업을 듣고 있을 때라고 생각된다. 동양인의 사유방식이 알려지는 것은 환영하지만, 그 종교전통을 대하는 태도는 선교사와 동일한 위치에서 고민하고 있다. 지금까지도 크게 바뀌지 않은 기독교 우월주의적인 사유형태가 최초의 한국기독교 신자들 중 하나인 윤치호를 통해 볼 수 있다.(미국 민주주의에 대한 태도와 함께!)
“막스 뮐러에 관한 모든 사상가”(all thinkers as to Max Muller)라고 애매하게 표현된 사람은 종교학자를 가리킨다고 볼 수 있지만, 더 정확하게는 세계종교들의 진리성을 긍정하는 입장의 사람들, 예컨대 이 회합에서 비베카난다의 연설에 호응하여 신지학회에 동참하는 부류를 가리킨다고 보아야 하겠다. 사실 막스 뮐러는 이 의회에 참여는 하지 않고 이름만 빌려주었다. 어찌 보면 이것은 한국기독교인이 종교학에 대해 보인 최초의 반응이라고 볼 수 있는데, 종교학이라고 하면 다원주의로 생각하는 요즈음 인식의 예고편이라고 할 수 있겠다.
<<윤치호 일기>> 제3권, 1893년(고종30년) 9월 24일.
13. 다른 종교들을 보고 의심할 여지없이 많은 기독교인들의 신앙이 흔들릴 것이다. 한 부인은 불교가 그렇게 좋은 것이라면 선교사를 보낼 필요가 없다고 말했다. 많은 사람들, 특히 여성들은 부처님, 공자, 무함마드의 아름다운 가르침에 열광하는 것으로 보인다. 그러나 (세계)종교의회의 유익한 효과는 다음과 같다.
(a) 미국 대중은 동양인이 사유하고 이성을 갖고 논증하며 글을 쓴다는 것, 그리고 그럴 능력이 있다는 것을 알게 되었다. 즉 동양인의 체계들이 진리를 담고 있다는 점이 부인될 수 없으며, 기독교 교사들은 동양인의 편견과 감정을 부드럽게 다루며 존중할 필요가 있음을 알게 된 것이다.
(b) 구세주를 사려 깊게 따르는 이들은 기독교가 단순한 형태로, 전통에 매이거나 악습에 물들지 않은 형태로 해외에 전파되어야 한다는 점을 명심하게 되었다.
(c) 그리스도의 교회는 명목상으로가 아니라 최소한 영적으로 통일되어야 한다. 선교 사업의 가장 큰 장애 중 하나는 본국과 해외에서 교파들이 경쟁하는 어리석은 모습이다.
(d) 기독교와 다른 교의들 간의 전쟁이 이미 시작되었다. 내가 지난 며칠간 세계의 신앙들에 대해 들은 모든 감동적인 이야기들에도 불구하고, 기독교와 다른 교의들 간의 전쟁은 기독교가 승리할 때까지 계속될 것이다. 물론 그 전쟁은 극심하거나 피를 흘리는 것일 이유가 없으며 그렇게 되지도 않을 것이다. 그러나 기독교가 자기 생존을 위해 관용하거나 타협하며 경쟁해야 한다고 이야기하는 것은 기독교의 참된 정신과 역사에 반하는 것이다.
(e) 막스 뮐러에 관한 모든 사상가[?]들에게는 기독교가 결국은 어느 종교보다도 우월하다는 것을 보일 필요가 있다. 만일 의회가 토론하기 위해 모인 것이라기보다 다른 정부 체제들에 대해 옹호하는 것을 들으러 모인 것이라면, 영국의 입헌군주제로부터 한국의 망할 놈의 독재까지 모두가 자신을 옹호하고 장점을 선보일 것이다. 그러나 누구도 미국의 민주주의가 그 결함에도 불구하고 결국은 가장 훌륭한 것이라는 점을 부인하지 않을 것이다. 그러므로 고차원적인 의미에서 다른 교의들의 훌륭함을 [선보이도록] 허용한다고 해도 결국 기독교가 그들을 모두 물리칠 것이라는 점은 진실로 남는다.
<원본>
SEPTEMBER 24th. Chicago Illinois.
Just a week since my arrival to this World's Fair City. Things, Persons and Thoughts!
1. Chicago is the biggest city I have seen in America. The distances are amazing. Population 1,550,000.
2. Spent two days and two nights in the Fair. The magnificence
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of the buildings needs no poor description. The Chinese exhibit is very stupid. Except in ivory-carving, fineness or delicacy is not a part of the Chinese skill. Such a miserable grotesqueness in their China paintings! The Japanese exhibit is praised by everybody. Well may a Japanese be proud. Siam and Burmah are represented. Corea has a corner where are found the crude productions of the Corean skill or rather dullness. While I could not help blushing at the poverty of Corean arts etc. the sight of the Corean flags had a strong attraction to me.
The Midway Plaisance is a bust. The heathen and Mohammedan theatres are miserable spectacles. In the Congress Beauty there are some pretty girls, in different costumes. The Cantonese woman cuts a shamefully ugly figure in the Congress.
3. Attended the Religious Parliament for two successive days. The Parliament is a better affair than I had feared before I came. Some of the wise sayings and the otherwise.
(1) Mill. If we had lived as Christians ought to, a Parliament of Religions would have been impossible.
(2) Webb. A pure-minded man can be a polygamist and be a true and perfect Christian. (!)
(3) Peabody. "If Christanity takes no interest in social questions, those who are concerned in them will take no interest in Christanity. The individual is the means and the Kingdom the end. The church has been so impressed by the half of Christ's truth―the individualism―that it has altogether
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neglected the other half―socialism. Good men retreat from the world: thus unholy men have to work harder in order that saints might be idle. The Kingdom of Christ is not the coming of the self out of the consecrated society.
(4) Miss or Rev. Olivia Brown. It is the interest of every man that his neighbor's conduct be right, especially that of his ancestors. The hope of the world is free Motherhood(?)(!).
(5) If God has provided medicine for curing sicknesses why didn't Christ use them? A poor argument by a Faith curer.
(6) Bishop Arnett, a colored Bishop. "I have been asked to speak on Christianity and the Negro. Christianity needs no defender; it will take care of itself if let alone. The Negro needs no defender; he will take care of itself; if let alone. "Neither needs me; but I need both. I need be a Negro to be on earth; I need Christianity to go to Heaven on. We have come here to study the great problem of God and religion from the West, from the North, from the East and―a few from the South. We Negroes don't mind be judged but we hate to be hung and then be judged. We shall all meet in Heaven with men from Ceylon's spicy isle, from India's coral strand (pointing to a Hindoo in scarlet robe) and those from America who may repent of their sins".(The Hall shook with cheers and applause).
(7) Dr. Burrows. When I saw the eminent Catholic divine join hands with the eloquent Negro Bishop, I could not help
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saying in my heart "What God hath joined, let no man part".
4. Heard so much of liberal-mindedness; broadness; universal faith; humanity, fraternity; brotherhood of men; fatherhood of God; truth etc. etc. that I am tired of these terms. The one trouble in the Parliament is that it is so "broad" that it is too thin. The night Bishop Arnett spoke, the colored choir sung the old good hymn "All hail the power of Jesus' name". Most of the audience saying it with enthusiasm. "That hymn sounds very refreshing in this Hall" said I to a man by my side. "You are right" replied he. Broadness is good enough; but too much of it is a curse to a soul. Steam, electricity, heat, magnetism and other forces never accomplish a blessed thing until they are confined to a narrow space. I would rather be narrow and be earnest than be broad and be indifferent.
5. The English language is so rich that a man can get up any kind of nonsense and clothes it in fine phrases and pass if for wisdom!
6. A Japanese, Noya, whom I had met in the Tribune Office yesterday came and slept in my room. He disgusted me with his English―I despise anyone who affects other tongue when he can speak his own language. He said he had graduated in different colleges, a theological seminary included. He looks and acts too much like a sponger and time server. There is beggarly littleness in a Japanese despite of his agreeableness.
7. Fruits―watermelons, cantaloupes, grapes, apples, peaches,
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bananas etc. are abundant and cheep. A good meal be had for 20￠(Roast beef, Irish potatoes, coffee, light bread, etc.). No biscuit as known in the South; no corn bread; no gravy; no colored waiters; comparatively little racial prejudice.
8. Called on Mrs. Bemis last Wednesday morning. She was as cordial and kind as ever.
9. Called on 鄭敬源 the Corean Commissioner this morning; but he did not see me on the ground that as a representative of the government he didn't think it right to see a man whose father is a political exile and who has been out of the country so long without any good cause(!). From what I hear from Mr. Pack and Arn, the two underofficers of the Commissioner, Korea is exactly where I left her. How long―!
10. Mr. Pack 朴永 shows me a considerable sympathy. He has been sent here as a naval student. Oh my! A country which stands in the most crying needs of a postal system, of R. Roads, of trained custom officers, of teachers, of miners etc.―a country which has less use for a navy than for anything else should spend its money in training naval officers!!!
Misgovernment has its own punishment as any other crime. Centuries of despotism, injustice, cruelty and oppression have deprived the rulers and the ruled of their sense and reason and they are hastening to ruin and destruction by their own sins and follies. It's God's doing.
11. Walking along Wabash Ave. after ten in the night, many a "strange woman" is seen trying to get customers.
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12. Rains often―damp―chilly―foggy every morning. Have been suffering from a bad cold for three days.
13. The presentations which different religions have made will no doubt shake the faith of many Christians. A lady said that if Buddhism is so good there was no use of sending missionaries. Many, especially women, seem to be crazy over the beautiful teachings of Buddah, Confucius and of Mohammed. Yet the good effects of the Parliament of Religions are:
(a) The American public is informed that the Oriental can and do think, reason, argue and write; that his systems contained truths which can not be disputed; that his prejudices and feelings ought to be handled gently and respected by Christian teachers.
(b) The thoughtful follower of the Savior is reminded that Christianity must be sent abroad in its simplicity, unclogged by traditions and unstained by abuses.
(c) The Church of Christ must be united if not in name, at least in spirit. One of the greatest hindrances to missionary work is the ugly sight of denominational competitions at home and abroad.
(d) The war between Christianity and other creeds has just begun. Inspite of all the sentimental talks I have heard in the past few days about universal fatih etc. etc., the war between Christianity and other creeds will go on until the latter triumphs. True, the war needs not be, will not be and ought not to be in bitterness and bloodshed. But to say that
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Christianity is to be contented with a compromise or toleration for its existence is contrary to its true spirit and history.
(e) To all thinkers as to Max Muller it must have been shown that Christianity is after all superior to any. If a Congress had been assembled to discuss or rather hear the presentations of the advocates of different systems of government, from the Constitutional monarchy of England to damnable autocracy of Corea each could have been defended and its merits shown. Yet no one will deny that the democracy of America is after all the best form of government inspite of its defects. So in a higher sense after all the allowances made to the excellency of other creeds it remains still true that Christianity beats them all.
