Shinto

Religions come in all shapes and size, start in a variety of different ways. The world is covered in different religions, some vastly different from others. One of these religions is Shinto. Of all the religions Shinto is unique. In fact, Shinto is considered by some to be more than a religion, to them it’s the Japanese way of life.

The Shinto believe that the world was created by the Gods at the beginning of heaven and earth. They believe the world is full of sacred energies, Kami. Some Kami are creative beings, some are natural forces, while others are the souls of ancestors. They believe the Kami created their nation and shaped theirs culture; by honoring the Kami in rituals they may link them to their past. Shinto is a polytheistic religions, although they don’t have any specific deities. They call them all Kami, and all Kami are sacred. There is so set day to worship for this religion also, which is different from most other religions().Shinto believe people are inherently good and evil is due to evil spirits that push humans to do bad things( ).

Shinto has ancient origins that can be traced all the way back to 500 B.C.,but it wasn’t called Shinto until 8th century Japan when Buddhism started to threaten the Japanese way of life. The religions begun, of course, in Japan. Shinto has no founder, it has been practiced by the Japanese since they appeared on the earth apparently so nobody knows who the heck started it (). There is no specific person who spread the religion, due to the fact Shinto didn’t spread much, There are some temples in Hawaii, South America, and Europe, which are most likely from immigrants into those regions from Japan (). Some say that Shinto is tied in with the land of Japan. If your mom was Shinto yo...

... middle of paper ...

...having ceremonies. There is Shegatsu, which is the most important holiday in Japan. This is simply the Japanese new year ().

The holy text associated with Shinto are Nuhon and the Kojiki. These books are compliles of ancient myths and teachings that used to be passed down by oral tradition. However, these books are not exclusively Shinto. Japanese religious life had huge impact from Buddhism and Confucianism, which hold a place in these holy texts.

Works Cited

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/ http://www.hr.uwa.edu.au/equity/diversity/interfaith/shinto http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/category.php?categoryID=12 http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~qm9t-kndu/shintoism.htm http://www.religious-symbols.net/shinto-symbols.html http://www.orias.berkley.edu/visuals/japan_viauals/shinto.htm http://www.rc-artkids.com/Japan/popupwindows/shintopopup.htm