From August 29 to 30, 2025, the Daesoon Academy of Sciences and the Daesoon Institute of Religious and Cultural Studies participated in the 23rd World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR), held at Jagiellonian University in Poland.

The IAHR is widely regarded as the most prestigious international academic organization in the field of religious studies, comprising national associations that represent their respective countries and playing a leading role in shaping scholarly standards and research directions in the discipline.

Held under the theme “Beyond Europe: Religions in an Interconnected World,” the congress brought together more than 1,000 scholars of religion from around the world for active presentations and discussions. At the congress, Chairman Bae Kyu-han of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences and research fellow Dr. Jason Greenberger presented a paper titled “Elder Care as Filial Piety: Religious Inspirations Embedded in Elderly Welfare Facilities of Daesoon Jinrihoe.”
In addition, Professor Cha Seon-geun of the Department of Daesoon Studies presented “A Religion That Does Not Wish to Be Called a ‘Religion,’” while Director Park Sang-gyu of the Daesoon Institute of Religious and Cultural Studies and Professor Kim Jin-young of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies jointly presented “Forgotten Identities: Immigrant Religions and Multicultural Policies in Korea.”
Furthermore, Research Professor Lee Soo-hyun of Kyung Hee University presented “Cosmology and Environmental Ethics in East Asian New Religions: An Exploration of Ecological Practices in Daesoon Jinrihoe, Tenrikyo, and Yiguandao.”

These high-level academic presentations provided a meaningful opportunity to introduce Daesoon Thought and Daesoon Jinrihoe to the global community of scholars in religious studies.