In the end of every year, we can easily see the Salvation Army that dresses an uniform up and swings a handbell with one hand in the subway stations or streets. We know it is the Salvation Army, but there are few people who know what it does and why it does such things
I will look into general characteristics of the Salvation Army as a religious body in this paper. Especially, I will examine how they established and have preserved identity as a religious body with its special features. Here I will focus on three points. First, unlike the other religious groups, it considers social welfare as the most important thing. Second, it is militarized itself. Third, women's statuses are higher than any other religious groups.
These characteristics are related to its history, its own creed and rituals, and its organizations. Accordingly, I will deal with its history in Chapter 2. I will examine its origin, development, and mission in Korea through its history. I will also look into why it emphasizes social welfare and why women's statuses are equal to men's ones in its religious body. Especially, I will look into the origin of the Salvation Army by considering a series of processes that were classified into Anglican Communion, Methodism, and the Salvation Army and by showing some concrete examples of its participation in public welfare service and its improvements in women's social status depending on its historical development. Also I will examine the historical contexts and problems in those days of mission and settlement in Korea.
I will investigate its religious uniqueness through its dogma and rituals in Chapter 3. In particularly, I will take notice of resemblances and difference in the dogma between Methodism and the Salvation Army in this chapter. The Salvation Army has a creed like depravity in mankind that was influenced by Puritans. What notes is that it doesn't celebrate baptism and eucharist compared with Catholicism that celebrates seven sacraments in connection with a level of ritual. Of course, other protestants celebrate baptism and eucharist. There is, however, a big difference between other protestants and the Salvation Army in that the latter doen't serve them.
I will investigate its characteristics which are similar to the military system and its religious influence through its organizations and present states in Chapter 4. Title of this article is the history and identity of the Salvation Army. The word, identity, is a very abstract one that is different from history. The reason why I used a term, identity, in this article is that it is related to its history of social welfare service. In other words, what the Salvation Army chooses between a religious faith and a social welfare service within it comes to the front. However, I will hope that it will seek for its religious identity with its tradition which has come down until now.