This week we learned about the indigenous religion of Japan, Shinto. Shinto has some unique characteristics that sets it apart from other religious traditions – it is almost exclusively focused on a single area, Japan, and is not missionary or widely practiced outside of Japan. It also is usually not called a “religion” by its followers, who mostly think of it as simply part of Japanese culture. It also combines notions of purity and cleanliness as being pleasing to the Kami. For this week I would like you to answer a question about Shinto as well as one about the religions we have studied in general.
- Do you consider Shinto a “religion”? Why or why not? What about it makes it “religious” or something else, like culture or a philosophy? Furthermore, we have seen other traditions over the course of this semester that did not consider themselves “religions”, like Confucianism, Taoism, or Buddhism in general. Why do you think so many Asian traditions are not comfortable with the term “religion”? Do you agree with them in general, or do you think we need to expand our definition of the word “religion”?
- Which religion, that we have studied, has been the most interesting or most surprising to you? Which religion did you enjoy learning about the most? And why?
