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Merits and demerits of shintoism religion
Merits and demerits of shintoism religion
Merits and demerits of shintoism religion
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The origins of Shinto and Judaism are rich in history, yet it is the steadfast strength of their belief systems that are most fascinating. While the beliefs of most religions will evolve with time, the core beliefs of these two religions seem impervious to the cultural and generational changes in modern times. In fact, their belief systems seem to be the very foundations of which their cultures were originally built upon In exploring the completely diverse beliefs of Shinto and Judaism, an appreciation for the longevity of each is undeniable.
Shintoism is a polytheistic religion that believes the world was created by “Kami” (deities or spirits). Although Kami are thought to be invisible presences, they are treated as persons and are given names. Kami are not believed to be living beings in a distant realm; rather their presence is felt as powers in or near this world. Two of these Kami, Izanami (“female who invites”) and Izanagi (“male who invites”) are said to be the creators of the Japanese Islands, as well as three major
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Kami of nature, Tsukiyomi the (spirit of the moon), Susanowo (spirit of the wind), and Amaterasu (spirit of the sun). The sun goddess, Amaterasu sent her grandson to bring order to the islands of Japan. From him came Jimmu, the first human emperor of Japan. As a result, the imperial house mythically traces its origin back to the goddess of the sun. There are also lesser kami that represent more earthly elements. Ancestors become kami and return to watch over their descendants. Judiasm is a monotheistic religion, believing in one Divine God, the Creator of all life. God is one, formless, all-knowing, and eternal. No physical description of God exists but he is always referred to in the masculine form. The story of creation tells that it took seven days for God to create the world; the first day God create light by separating it from darkness; the sky on the second day; land and plants on the third; the celestial lights of the sun, moon, and stars were created on the forth day; fish and birds on day five; animals and humans were created on day six; on the seventh day, God rested. Shinto’s are sensitive to the power of nature and the Kami who animate nature. Shinto spirits are equally loving and gentle or harsh and terrifying. While the Kami of nature can cause dread, such that is that experienced during a bad storm, they do not inflict any type of punishment. Suffering is not a form of punishment; it is considered a natural element of human life. Shinto’s believe human beings are basically good and this earthly life is good. They do not believe in the notion of original sin or of any basic sinful tendency. The closest notions of evil are pollution and impurity; even sexuality is viewed positively without guilt. Jewish faith follows the written scriptures of the Hebrew Bible, which teaches that God is supposedly just and loving. However, many of the stories in the Book of Genesis, depict God as omnipresent and omnipotent, often inflicting punishments of suffering. He exiled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden for demonstrating free-will; disgusted with the rapidly growing, immoral and human population, God flooded the world, sparing only Noah and his family. Many believe these earlier stories are purely symbolic to warn people what will happen if they anger God. In the Book of Exodus, Moses reveals the Ten Commandments, which are at the heart of Jewish morality and serve to direct their behavior. The goal of all laws in the Jewish faith is the recognition of God’s presence and to be accepted into His heaven. Shinto’s do not have a clearly defined code of ethics. Instead, they adhere to a value system that was heavily influenced by Confucianism, which is the belief that humans have an innate moral sense and are motivated by the fear of shame to avoid doing wrong. Any wrong-doings committed are cleansed through acts of purification. People conserve and restore their purity by fulfilling all obligations, repaying debts, and apologizing for misdeeds. One of the most common Shinto purification ritual, called misogi, involves standing under a waterfall as act of purification. In Japan, washing, sweeping, and cleaning, have religious implications. They adhere to the philosophy “We must keep our bodies, our character, and our houses and clothes clean”. When they become dirty, they must be washed and purified with blessings. At the core of the Shinto vision of society is harmony – between humans, Kami and nature. Sincerity, which is the harmony of thought and action, is a most prized human characteristic. Judaism teaches that God created man in his own image, meaning that man bears some of the dignity of God. As such, Jews believe that the human nature is rooted in the divine image of God and therefore has infinite value. In Judaism, human beings have a special role. Because they are created in God’s image, they have the ability to reason, to will, to speak, to create, and to care; and they have the responsibility to manifest these divine characteristics in the world. Judaism teaches that among human beings, the Jewish people have a special role, which is to witness the one God and to do his will in the world. Others believe that their role is to suffer for a purpose known only to God. And others have said that their role is to bring a sense of justice to a world that often has none. Although there is no agreement about the Jewish role, there is general consensus among Jews that they hold a unique place in this world, and there is great pride in knowing that they have contributed so much to world culture. I could not imagine two religions that are more different than Shintoism and Judaism.
The only remote similarities are found in their creation stories, both of which contain common elements - the sky, stars, moon and sun. From there, the differences between Shintoism and Judaism are more evident. Shinto’s believe in many deities; Judaism is devoted to one, All-Powerful God. While both religions do put emphasis on cleanliness, Shinto teaches that all areas of a person’s life should be clean. Judaism is more concerned about the cleanliness regarding food – that it is kosher, “ritually correct”. Shintoism is focused less on human suffering and more on living a harmonious life. Conversely, Judaism depicts a life of suffering in hopes of pleasing God. While I am more knowledgeable about Judaism, since Christianity originated from it; however, I have more of an affinity for Shintoism because of its basic philosophy living a life of
goodness.
Analysis: Shinto: The Way Home’s organization is quite useful because it moves in chronological order and it leads the reader in a way that allows for understanding the most unrelatable Ideas of Shintoism. The book uses many Japanese terms and names that may lead confusion for the audience as they have to learn the vocabulary to understand many of the statement Kasulis uses. Kasulis also lack an argument through most of this work and he seems to focus on supplying information as accurately as possible. The author discusses a variety information pertaining to Shintoism making it useful
Image and Text.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 33.2 (2006): 297-317. Jstor. 12 Oct 2011.
Shinto: The Way Home written by Thomas Kasulis is a book designed to inform the reader of Shinto traditions and history, but how does his work stand on its own as a scholarly source. Kasulis uses simple organization strategies to control the flow of the work the simplest method is the separation of the book into six chapters as well as a two prefaces one from the editor and one from the author. The first chapter discusses Shintoism in the terms of a western audience while the second chapter confers the connection with normal Japanese culture with Shinto traditions. The third, fourth, and the fifth chapter canvases the history of Shinto traditions in chronological order from prehistory to 2002. Chapter 6 explains Issues with Shinto in a modern
There are many similarities and differences between Judaism and Buddhism. While Judaism is more popular Buddhism they both have many followers throughout the world.
Shintoism has no founder ,and the history behind the technicalities of the rise of Shinto are rather obscure. Experts don't agree as to when Shinto became a unified religion more than just a label to give to the different faiths of Japan. Before the arrival of Buddhism, Shinto referred to the many local cults of the prehistoric Japanese people. These people were animists; devoted to the worship of nature and spirits. These spirits were the Kami; found in living things, nonliving things and natural phenomena. The early Japanese created a spiritual world—and rituals and stories to accompany it—that seemingly gave them control of their lives. It wasn't considered a religion at those times, early Japanese people regarded their faith as a commonality as a part of the natural world. The realms of Earth and the supernatural were closely integrated into each other for them. (“Religions”)
Shintoism is a religion that is from the Japanese culture Shinto means “the way of life.” Shinto is an ancient belief that is still practiced in Japan. The Meiji Restoration in 1868 brought reorganized of Shinto. This made Shinto officially separate form Buddhism. There are still shrines and rituals that are done to this day. (BBC) Shintoism believes that everything should be
One thing common between these two religions is that they both are monotheistic and believe that there is only one god. Something that is different is that the Judaism started around 1900 BC unlike Islam which started in the 7th century. Both religions are also disparate when it comes to devotion. The Muslim spend so much time everyday to pray for their god Allah unlike the Jewish. The Jewish are very religious when it comes to special events like marriage but during daily they aren 't that dedicated as the Muslim. Another difference is that the Muslims day of worship is on Friday unlike the Jewish which is on Saturday. Most of the Jewish live in Europe and the United States in contrast to the majority of the Muslim who are inhabited in the Middle East, and Southeast
Compare And Analysis The Japanese Buddhism And Indo Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded by Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India during the period from the late 6th century to the early 4th century BC. Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played an influential role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of much of the Eastern world. It is the prevailing religious force in most of Asia (India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet). ‘Buddhism’ is reformulated and re-expressed in different cultures and at different times, adopting and redefining aspects of the cultures in which it has taken root. Today, there are about 300 million followers. (Yamplosky) The Indian religion Buddhism, founded in the sixth century BC, is one of the common features of Asian civilization, and Buddhist institutions and believers are found all over East, South, and Southeast Asia. While Buddhism is now just a minority belief in the country of it’s founding, it remains a significant religious and cultural force in Japan today. Buddhism started in India and made its way to China and Korea. From there, it ended up in Japan. Buddhism went through several different periods before it became Japan's national religion. In indo Buddhism, the temple is the main sanctuary, in which services, both public and private, are performed but Japanese Buddhism is mainly hub of individual activities and services. Similarly to Japanese Buddhism, in Indo Buddhism the monastery is a complex of buildings, located usually in a spot chosen for its beauty and seclusion. Its function is to house the activities of the monks. Images are important features of temples, monasteries, and shrines in both Indo a...
In this essay I will discuss the many aspects and ideals of Asian Religions along with their impact and the role they play within the United States. I had a few questions that I had to try and find answers for, in order to complete the connection of Asian Religions to the United States. Why are some Americans and westerners finding Asian Religions as well as Asian thought and philosophy to be more gratifying than traditional western religions and philosophy? How are Asian Religions perceived and practiced here in the United States as opposed to its place of origination? Finally, is there further growth of the Asian Religions as well as philosophy still possible here in the United States and the west? All of the answers to these questions will try and explain the place Asian Religions have here in the United States.
The development and evolution of the different sects of Japanese Buddhism such as Zen Buddhism played an important role in the development of classical Japanese culture throughout the four major periods, which was shown in the way that the Nara period, the Heian era, the Kamakura period, and the Edo period were all shaped by the ascent and decline of different Buddhist sects. It is these transitions that make Japanese history a myriad, but fascinating web of interconnecting events that manages to confuse even the most veteran historians. At first, Buddhism was only a pastime of the elite class of landowners and daimyo that held no special significance to the common peoples. It was mainly another way for the central government to gain power and influence among the many local lords that it had to contend with on a regular basis. Although it is to be noted that most of these new converts to Buddhism did not abandon their earlier religions, but instead blended it together with several aspects of Shintoism, the original indigenous religion of Japan(“Japanese Buddhism”,1). This created several amalgamations of the two religions wherever and whenever they met(“Japanese Buddhism”,1). However, as Buddhism was introduced to the general population through the process of hierarchical diffusion, it quickly branched off and evolved from its original form as different sects that shaped contemporary Japanese culture (Kasahara, 302).
Both Christianity and Judaism are religions that have some relationship between them as much as they also have differences. Judaism and Christianity developed on the basis obeying God, on adherence to his rules and fulfillment of God’s will is a duty of a Jewish or Christian person, both religions fall into the rule deontological category.
Shimazono, Susumu. 2005. "State Shinto and the Religious Structure of Modern Japan." Journal Of The American Academy Of Religion 73, no. 4: 1077-1098. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2012).
Althoughthe two religions share some of the same beliefs, there are vital differences between the two. Judaism is called the religion of the Jews and was the first faith to believe in one God. Christianity then followed that belief. Both religions are based on monotheism (that there is only one God).
In contrast to many other religions, Shintoism does not have a formalized system of rules or regulations, or official moral principles. This is also what makes Shintoism so unique and different to many other religions.
Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan, survives even to this day and lies at the basis of Japanese society. Shinto played and continues to play not only an enormous role in general Japanese society, but also regarding the roles of women both in general society and the society within traditional Shintoism.