Today, I’m Japanese and I practice Shinto.
Considering that I’m a white girl living in Pennsylvania, it might seem odd that I’ll be immersing myself in the indigenous religion of Japan, but hey, that’s what this year is all about.
The word Shinto is actually a Chinese version of a Japanese term, kami-no-michi, which means “the Way of the Gods” or “the Way of Those Above.”
Shinto is one of the oldest religions in the world, yet it pretty much only exists within Japan. Historically, the Japanese viewed their faith as being a unique relationship between the nation of Japan and its deities, who were believed to protect the Japanese people specifically.
That’s not to say that practitioners of Shinto believe that ONLY the Japanese have a legitimate relationship with God. In fact, Shinto is a flexible faith, one that can be practiced alongside other religions—especially Buddhism, which is prevalent in Japanese life—without any conflict.
Shinto is a nature-based religion that has four basic beliefs, or affirmations:
1. Family and tradition are of paramount importance.
2. Being close to nature and having respect for the beauty of the world is an essential part of life.
3. Cleanliness is absolutely necessary. As Brandon Toropov and Father Luke Buckles write in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World Religions, “In the West, we have the saying that ‘cleanliness is next to godliness,’ but the Japanese conception may be closer to ‘cleanliness is not distinct from godliness.’” I guess I’d better hop in the shower pretty soon. And maybe pull out the vacuum, which I haven’t bothered to use in about a month. Yeah, I know. I’m gross.
4. It is important to hold matsuri, or festivals to honor the deities.
So far, it seems like Shinto might actually be kind of fun. Except for that whole cleanliness thing. We’ll have to see how it goes.
Tara, Brigham Young University is creating an independent study survey course on World Religions. The university is looking for individuals who consider themselves practitioners of Shinto that would be willing to be interviewed for that course. The interview would focus on how Shinto influences the day to day lives of practitioners, and a bit about the history and practices of Shinto. I realize you may not be far enough into this religion to feel comfortable being an interviewee--but If you know someone who would (or if you feel you are)--would you please let me know (alg@byu.edu). The university is not looking for scholars of Shinto. Rather, it is looking for practitioners who would be willing to be interviewed on film (via Skype). Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. Alonzo Gaskill
ReplyDeleteTara, Brigham Young University is creating an independent study survey course on World Religions. The university is looking for individuals who consider themselves practitioners of Shinto that would be willing to be interviewed for that course. The interview would focus on how Shinto influences the day to day lives of practitioners, and a bit about the history and practices of Shinto. I realize you may not be far enough into this religion to feel comfortable being an interviewee--but If you know someone who would (or if you feel you are)--would you please let me know (alg@byu.edu). The university is not looking for scholars of Shinto. Rather, it is looking for practitioners who would be willing to be interviewed on film (via Skype). Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. Alonzo Gaskill
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