Japan has the highest IQ in the world. Considering the beliefs of Japan, there are not many Japanese followers of Jesus Christianity, Islam, or any other religion. The Japanese religion continues to be a hybrid of Buddhism, Shinto and non-religion. Even the Japanese don't understand religion. Therefore, there is no way I can understand foreigners. Japan has its own Trinity theory like Jesus Christianity. All the natural forces (spirits) in this world, including God itself, the goodness in human hearts, and nature, are considered as gods! If God is God, even though all of these seem to be multiple, in Japan's unique trinity, God is one. Both foreigners and Japanese who say that there are multiple gods in Japan are wrong. In addition, no religion is a religion that does not believe in religion, even though Japanese people say they have no religion. Even though the person died and the priest came to the funeral, there is no way that the person has no religion. No matter how the world thinks about God, the clock on the answer moves to the right. If God is God, there is only one God from the beginning.
It is said that Shinto in Japan began around the third century, and before the third century, in China, Japan was called Onido as a creepy religion worshipping the sun. Therefore, in the Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese people told the Japanese that they were the children of Satan living on a small island. Buddhism came to Japan from China around the sixth century.
Hey Arthur, that was a very interesting conversation. Have you ever read Osamu Tezuka’s ‘Phoenix’? I’m convinced that reading the Ho-ō and Taiyo chapters will deepen your understanding of Japanese religious views. If you have read it, I’d like to hear about a topic on Osamu Tezuka sometime. Looking forward to next time.
Thank you for sharing your valuable story. 宗教への理解が少し深まりました。ありがとうございます。 クリスチャンの人たちがイエスの復活とか聖書の内容を心の底から信じてるわけではないと思っていたから、聖書の内容が理にかなっていないな、とか怪しいな、と思ってキリスト教をやめたことに驚きました。 でもアーサーが話していたように、キリスト教をやめることは教会中心のコミュニティを抜けたり友達を失うのと近い意味を持つから、実際には、聖書の内容を信じられなくても宗教をやめる人は少ないのだろうなと思いました。
I really enjoyed your talks on religions. Nonetheless, it seems to me some historical things are not correct in most Japanese pont of view. Buddhism was first introduced to Japan sometime in 5th or 6th century, things are not so sure though. The real game changer was that Soga family, one of influential clans in Imperial court, brought a Buddha statue from Paekche, today's part of Korea, and enshrined it in his temple. Mononobe family, another rivalry clan in Imperial court was strongly against the Buddhism since he considered it as an evil foreign god that would cause disasters. Consequently, Soga and Mononobe clans fought with each other, finally Soga clan defeated Mononobe clan. Soga clan established a dominant oposition in the Imperial court. From then on, Buddhism become Imperial and national religion. Many students were dispatched to Tang dynasty of China to study Buddhism and brought Buddhism sutras to Japan. Moreover, Buddhist temples were built all over the country. Old Kami of Shintuism still existed together, later mixed practices of Buddhism and Shintoism were widely accepted for about a thousand years until Meiji Restoration. After the government order of Shintoism-Buddhism separation issued, Shintoism got official position of national and Imperial religion. It is true Buddhism had an unhappy time just for a.short period and many national-treasure class Buddhist statues were improperly sold by foreigners. But after a group of people like Dr. Okakura Tenshin advocated the historical importance of Buddhism, the government began protecting Buddhist temples and statues.
Religion is a fascinating theme that highlights the stark differences between Japan and the rest of the world. If you ask Japanese people about their religious beliefs, most would say they adhere to none. However, we Japanese have the habit of visiting shrines and temples for prayers, especially around New Year's Day, as you mentioned, and when we travel around Japan we usually go to famous temples and shrines for prayers. I guess if any you Americans go to famous churches for sightseeing, you DO NOT offer up your prayers, do you? Moreover, nonetheless, we Japanese often feel uncomfortable when we see pious guys, whether traditional or new-age religion. In fact, we actually cannot understand political parties based on religion like the Christian Democratic Party in Europe or the Republican Party supported by Big Church in the U.S. Neither we can understand what 政教分離(the separation of politics and religion) truly means. I can safely say we hate religions by large, though we have habits of practicing religious ceremonies. This is very interesting for me too. One more example you have not mentioned. We often hold funerals in the Buddhist tradition, where we chant sutras with a monk, an activity that only occurs during such solemn occasions. This practice is sometimes cynically referred to as 'funeral Buddhism.' Interestingly, when we chant Buddhist sutras, whether at funerals or elsewhere, we do not necessarily understand their meaning. Unlike you, ex-Christians, who read the Bible to comprehend its message, we Japanese do not read Buddhist scriptures in the same manner. Instead, we simply chant these mysterious spells without grasping their significance, solely because we believe they are effective, religious, or suitable for solemn occasions. Why? This is because the Buddhist sutras widely used in Japan today are based on Chinese translations of texts originally written in classical Sanskrit. Fortunately or unfortunately, we are able to read Chinese characters in the Japanese way (onyomi), allowing us to chant these sutras without understanding them. For example, two of the most famous Buddhist sutras, '南無阿弥陀仏' (namu Amida Butsu) and '南無妙法蓮華経' (namu Myoho Renge Kyo), are well-known to almost every Japanese person in terms of pronunciation (onyomi). However, it's likely that at least 90% of Japanese individuals couldn't explain their meanings. Furthermore, in my opinion, at most half of Japanese people can distinguish between Shintoism and Buddhism. Both religions have complex histories in Japan, which I cannot fully explain within this limited space. If you're interested, I recommend looking up the concepts of 'honji suijaku' and 'haibutsu kishaku' on Wikipedia in English for more information. (oh, I'm sorry, because I write this while I'm watching this video, I don't find you mentioned 'haibutsu kishaku'!)
@@momosseo公明党と創価学会はある程度の政治への興味があれば100%知ってますね。特にインターネットによって拡散されて、若い人もほぼ知ってると思います。(最初から政党の名前も知らないし興味ないような人を除いて) 日本の良いとこでもあり悪いとこでもある「本音と建前」みたいな感じで、政教分離という建前があるけど実際は政治と宗教はガッチリ繋がってます。ご存知公明党だけじゃなく、普通のサラリーマンが貧しくて家も買えない時代に税金免除で坊主は丸儲け。別に文化を守るとかじゃなく、宗教に厳しく当たると選挙で負けるから手を出せないだけです。 他にもギャンブルは違法なのに駅前にズラッと並ぶパチンコ、性風俗は法律上禁止なのに実際は… こういうダブルスタンダードが、宗教にも当てはまると思います。神様も一つに決めたがらない。As they siad, everything is grey in Japan😂
I don't believe in either God or Buddha. When I was a child, I somewhat believed in their existence, but as I grew up, I stopped believing. However, I feel that understanding why religions were born, why such teachings exist, and how those teachings can be beneficial in my life is valuable.