Filial Piety

Definition and Meaning

Filial piety (hyo, 孝) denotes the attitude and conduct of honoring, respecting, and serving one's parents. In Korean society it has long been a central virtue of Confucian ethics. Protestants accept it as a commandment given by God. In churches the term is often used together with the expression "honoring one's parents."

Biblical Background

• The Ten Commandments: The fifth commandment of the Ten Commandments is "Honour thy father and thy mother" (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16). It follows the commandments concerning God and stands first among the commandments governing relationships between people.
• New Testament teaching: Paul called this commandment "the first commandment with promise" (Ephesians 6:1-3). The same passage also exhorts parents not to provoke their children to wrath (Ephesians 6:4).
• The words and actions of Jesus: Jesus rebuked the practice of evading the support of one's parents under the pretext of "Corban" (meaning "given to God") (Mark 7:10-13). On the cross he entrusted his mother to his disciple (John 19:26-27).
• Providing for the family: 1 Timothy 5:4, 8 teaches that caring for one's own household, especially one's parents, is part of the life of faith.

At the same time, Jesus also said that one must love him more than one's parents (Matthew 10:37). Protestant theology therefore generally explains honoring parents within an order that places it beneath the fear of God.

Practice in the Korean Church

• Historical background: In the early period after Protestantism was introduced, the church taught believers not to participate in ancestral rites. As a result, Protestants were often criticized as people who "do not know filial piety." In response, the church developed the memorial service (chudo yebae) to honor the deceased. It has also emphasized that true filial piety consists in devotedly serving one's living parents.
• Parents' Sunday: Many churches observe the Sunday around Parents' Day (May 8) as Parents' Sunday. On that day sermons address the theme of honoring parents, and congregations pin carnations on elderly members or hold banquets in honor of the aged.
• Ministry to the elderly: Operating senior schools or senior colleges within the church and making pastoral visits to elderly people who live alone are also regarded as ministries that put filial piety into practice.
• Denominational differences: Most Protestant denominations regard ancestral rites as connected with idolatry and encourage believers to replace them with memorial services. However, more specific questions, such as how far one may participate when spending holidays with family or whether bowing is permissible, are decided differently by denomination, congregation, and pastor. The Catholic Church is known to have permitted ancestral rites since the mid-twentieth century, regarding them as cultural ceremonies. This difference is frequently noted in comparisons with Protestantism.