Shamans serve as mediators between the human world and the spirit world. They communicate with spirits to achieve certain aims for individuals or communities, such as physical healing or alleviation of a disaster.

Unlike Buddhist monks or Hindu priests, shamans embrace spirit possession, said Chansamone Saiyasak, founder of Mekong Evangelical Mission in Thailand. “Shamanistic practices address basic needs, from health and security to social belonging and self-esteem, similar to Maslow’s hierarchy,” Saiyasak said.

In other parts of the world, an encounter with mystical forces beyond human comprehension may occur through consuming psychedelics like ayahuasca, a South American Indigenous concoction with hallucinogenic properties, or when seeing a sangoma, a South African witch doctor, to connect with an ancestor.

In Asia, engaging with spirits or divine entities is an activity that is often centered on the role of the shaman. Seeking counsel from a shaman is often seen as a legitimate and effective way to deal with everyday matters in life, from deciding who to marry to removing bad luck and healing diseases or illnesses.

Belief in the supernatural is widespread in the region: A majority of adults in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam say they believe in a god or unseen beings, according to Pew Research Center. Having an otherworldly experience is commonplace as well. “We often experience evil spirits before we experience the Holy Spirit,” said author Justin Tan in a CT piece on the Hungry Ghost Festival.

Christianity Today interviewed seven scholars on how shamanism shows up in certain Asian contexts, what its key sources are, how it has influenced their churches, and what Bible verses challenge it.

In South Korea, shamanism is growing in popularity as younger shamans work through YouTube and other social media platforms to assuage citizens’ anxiety for the future. In Japan and Thailand, animistic beliefs form the bedrock of shamanistic rituals. In Indonesia, people may regard pastors as “spiritual shamans” who wield special powers. And in the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam, folk religion, folk Catholicism, and Daoism (Taoism) have helped shamanism to thrive because many of their rituals encourage people to appease a spirit or venerate a deity.

While shamanism has helped to develop a greater awareness of the spirit world across many parts of Asia, engaging in shamanistic rituals or practices invites syncretism, opens up room for evil spirits to influence a person’s life, and goes against God’s injunctions on spiritism and sorcery, say these Christian leaders. Their responses can be found in the drop-down list above or linked below:

Indonesia Kristian Kusumawardana, head of the bachelor’s degree program in theology at Bandung Theological Seminary

Japan Martin Heisswolf, author of Japanese Understanding of Salvation: Soteriology in the Context of Japanese Animism

Philippines Dave Johnson, editor of the Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies at the Asia Pacific Theological Seminary

South Korea Yohong Roh, instructor of religious studies at Louisiana State University

Taiwan Tony Chuang, author of Religiosity and Gospel Transmission: Insights from Folk Religion in Taipei

Thailand Chansamone Saiyasak, president of Mekong Evangelical Mission

Vietnam Saralen Tran, Christian education lecturer at Hanoi Bible College

The post Shamans, Sorcerers, and Spirits: How Christians in Asia Grapple with the Supernatural appeared first on Christianity Today.

This resurgence is evident in popular culture, as seen in the highly successful 2024 film Exhuma and reality TV like Possessed Love, a dating show featuring good-looking shamans. Such shows offer a modernized and sophisticated portrayal of young shamans. Unlike traditional institutional religions, shamans have become accessible spiritual consultants, equipped with an approachable and nonauthoritarian image.

Shamanism represents one of the most ancient forms of religion in Korea. Its date of origin is unclear, but it was around the Three Kingdoms Period and before Buddhism arrived in the sixth century.

Shamanistic rituals, like communicating with dead souls, were regarded as obscene and vulgar in the Chosŏn dynasty (1392–1910) and continued to face stigmatization during the postcolonial era. Despite this public stigma, shamanism has maintained its significance in private spheres and is increasingly recognized as a distinctive Korean cultural heritage. Notably, shamanism exists outside official religious statistics in Korea. Many nominally nonreligious Koreans acknowledge spiritual entities and engage in Buddhist or shamanistic practices.

The relationship between shamanism and Korean Christianity reflects traditional gender roles in the Korean religious landscape. Since the establishment of the Chosŏn dynasty, shamanism and Buddhism were relegated to the private female sphere of the household and pushed out of public life. Despite persecution, both traditions persisted privately, largely practiced by women fulfilling customary spiritual duties. This pattern continues in Korean Christianity, where women’s religious roles center on practices for family success and health.

This traditional female engagement with spiritual entities has shaped, whether consciously or unconsciously, Korean evangelicals’ understanding and sensitivity toward spiritual beings. Among Korean evangelicals, the concept of spiritual warfare is not merely abstract but representative of the tangible interference of evil spirits in their daily lives. This awareness of these evil spirits is supplemented by the contemporary revival of shamanism.

One example of this spiritual sensitivity is found in revival meetings called simnyŏng puhŭnghoe. Since the 1970s, these gatherings have emphasized healing practices reminiscent of traditional shamanistic rituals, as noted by James Huntley Grayson in Korea: A Religious History. The healing prayer, where revivalists known as puhŭngsa lay hands on believers, demonstrates a clear connection to shamanism’s strong tradition of therapeutic rituals. In addition, there is a prevalent belief that the spiritual authority of the person performing such a prayer can lead to more powerful divine responses.

An extension of this practice can be found in a hall of prayer, or kidowŏn. Some churches have built large prayer facilities on mountains, which are traditionally recognized by shamans as a spiritually rich environment. Shamans often bring their clients to the mountains to perform rituals there, because this location is viewed as more efficacious than the shaman’s own shrine. This also influenced the development of sangkido (“mountain prayer”) culture among Korean Christians, which involves praying outdoors or praying while holding onto trees as a sign of strong devotion to God.

Korean shamanism fundamentally conflicts with Christian theology, particularly as articulated in Deuteronomy 18:9–18, which explicitly warns against mediums, spiritists, and those who consult the dead. These practices are central to the role of Korean shamans, who, as spirit mediums, communicate with the dead and resolve spiritual issues by invoking the power of strong deities. 

While shamanism has helped to grow an awareness of spiritual beings in Korean society and has become trendy among young Koreans, it is ultimately opposed to God’s commands. Churches can address the allure of shamanism in their congregations by showing young people who Jesus is and what he has done. Most churches talk about Jesus as God, but they do not emphasize his humanity as much or his actions on earth, like pursuing justice and helping the poor.

Yohong Roh is an instructor of religious studies at Louisiana State University. Read more in our series’ lead article, Shamans, Sorcerers, and Spirits: How Christians in Asia Grapple with the Supernatural.

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