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Role of Religion in Pre-Modern Japan. The role of religion in the Asian countries and in Japan is historically very significant. The Japanese religion of the pre modern times can be viewed applying to different communities. The religion is a part of the natural culture of the country. Japan is a traditionally multi religious country. The variety of religions is explained by the specific historic development of the Japanese society.
One of the dominating religions of Japan is Shinto. Shinto shares its dominating position in the Japanese society with Buddhism which is traditionally popular in the countries of Asia. Shinto plays an important role in the cultural life of the Japanese. Strictly saying the religion like Shinto is a form of the ideology and being associated with Japan mainly got the state support.
The essence of Shinto is that it is originated from Nature. Shinto is a polytheistic religion, i. e. it believes in several gods. From this point of view it may be compared with the religion of the ancient Greeks, pre-Christian Slavic people of Europe with their polytheistic pagan religions, and a majority of African traditional cults. The introduction of Buddhism made it necessary to explain the difference between two dominating cults.
There are Kami holy spirits in the center of Shinto. One explanation saw the Japanese kami as supernatural beings still caught in the cycle of birth and rebirth. The kami are born, live, die, and are reborn like all other beings in the karmic cycle. Shinto has been influential Japanese ideology for a period of time 1. In Shinto Kami is understood as "divine forces of nature." The worshippers of the Shinto religion in ancient Japan revered creations of nature which exhibited a particular beauty and power such as waterfalls, mountains, boulders, animals, trees, grasses and even rice paddies. They strongly believed the spirits or resident kami deserved respect 2.
The influence of Shinto ideology was incredible. On one hand any society needs some ideological provision to consolidate it. On the other hand when such ideology becomes fanatic it may bring more harm. The ideological strength of Shinto was manifested in the history of Kamikaze during the WWII. Kamikaze were the suicide pilots who directed their fully fueled planes to the American vessels.
Kamikaze can be translated from Japanese as god winds. The idea that they were specially chosen by god was at the center of their motivation. They were equipped with a book of uplifting thoughts and mundane suggestions: "Transcend life and death. "Keep your health in the very best condition. "Be always pure-hearted and cheerful. " 3 The parallel with 9 / 11 attacks is direct. Kamikaze were the young boys in their teens who were not even properly trained as pilots.
They needed to learn only how to take off. They were not intended to come back that is why their skills were restricted by the take off and directing the aircraft to the vessel. Shinto defines the moral values of the society. The Japanese had great respect for tradition, family and their elders 4. This respect is defined by Shinto traditions. Aum Shinrikyo is the cult based on a mixture of Hindu, Christian and Buddhism traditions.
A cult established in 1987 by Show Asahara, the Aum aimed to take over Japan and then the world. Approved as a religious entity in 1989 under Japanese law, the group ran candidates in a Japanese parliamentary election in 19905. Aum Shinrikyo can be translated as supreme truth. Being established as a religious organization, Aum Shinrikyo became one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations.
The leader of the group, Asahara teaches that when he visited the year 2006 he spoke to people who had survived WWII I. Asahara calls the group to fight in a final world revolution against the enemies of Japan including USA. The group established a number of chemical factories and manufactured chemicals to prepare to Armageddon 6. Asahara uses various religion traditions to support the ideology of his cult. At the basis of his activity is the Christian scriptures, and the writings of a 16 th Century Christian astrologer, Nostradamus, he has predicted major disasters to occur in the final years of this millennium 7. In 1995 Asahara committed the gas attack in the Tokyo subway using Sarin. 12 people were killed and 5, 000 were sent to the hospital 8.
The attack was cruel, absolutely senseless and could be defined as terror against civilians that had nothing common with religion. Asahara showed the danger of the ideological influence of his cult. Aum Shinrikyo, though may be considered as a senseless mixture of all religions has about 20, 000 followers worldwide which indicates the real strength of the cult. Japan is a country with the great cultural and religious traditions. The Japanese pay great attention to their cultural roots.
The positive religious movements have formed the Japanese society that possesses certain high moral features like respect to Nature and old people etc. The Japanese are very tolerant to various religion movements. The cultural heritage of Japan incorporated the traditions of Asia and Europe, Buddhism and Christianity. The morality of the Japanese society has been in a great measure formed under the influence of the best world cultural and religion traditions. At the same time there is a real danger of ideological blindness, the examples of which were described in the current paper. There are no substantial ideological disagreements in the Japanese society.
As we know religious, ethnic, territorial and other disagreements may be the fertile soil for the terrorism. Aum Shinrikyo proved the fact that the terrorism is not associated with Christianity, Muslim, Orthodox or any other religion. The terrorism exists as it is and uses the religion just to obtain ideological coverage. Bibliography Kami, available at web Ford, Daniel, The Horror of the Human Bomb-Delivery System, The Wall Street Journal, September 10, 2002, available at web Aum Supreme Truth (Aum), a. k. a.
Aum Shinrikyo, Aleph, available at web Aum Shinrikyo, (Supreme Truth), available at web Citation Kami Ibid Ford, Daniel Kami Aum Supreme Truth Aum Shinrikyo Ibid Aum Shinrikyo, Japan, cultists
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Research essay sample on Role Of Religion In Pre Modern Japan
