The Influence of the Tradition Philosophy of Christianity on Thai Society

Abstract

The purposes of this article are; 1) to study the history of Christianity in Thailand; 2)to study the philosophy embedded in the doctrines and rituals of Christianity, and 3) to study the tradition philosophy of Christianity influencing on Thai society. The results reveal that; 1) Christianity has entered Thai society since the late Ayutthaya period by the European missionaries. The first age was the evangelism of the Catholicism. Even though this was obstructed at first, when the need for the diplomacy and politics, these missionaries had been accepted and played an important role in Thai society respectively; 2) regarding the philosophy embedded in the rituals of Christianity, all the rituals focus on the belief and the faith in god. The baptism and the sacramental confession are the concepts that human beings can make mistakes, but at the same time they should have the opportunity to correct the sin. The marriages focus on the family philosophy of the mutual honesty.

Additionally, the Eucharist focuses on the universal love of Jesus; 3) The tradition philosophy of Christianity influences on Thai society. The philosophy of Christianity is firmly embedded in Thai society in terms of culture and knowledge, such as film, music, public health, and political education.