What would a religious person who is Shinto be like? (salvation, America)

[100years]

I am not calling religious people freaks, I really want to clarify that. [mod] edit [/mod] I am talking about the kind of people who are obsessive and almost insane and do things like force their children to marry each other just to be biblical (not sure if that is something that happened in the bible though). What would those kind of people be like if they were Shinto? Sorry if this doesn't make sense, and once again I don't mean to offend anyone with the way it sounds, I just couldn't think of a different title.

[Le Lune]

The chances of being Shinto and a religious freak is next to nil. You could be religiously devoted to the point of freakish obsession, but the chances of using it to promote your own agenda is quite slim.

The reason is because the belief, Shinto, is tied into the culture. Or more specifically, the culture of the Japanese people. Those who believe in Shinto and "religiously" force someone to marry one another is not because it was written in the Shinto belief, but because of the traditions and values of Japanese people.

[Thomas R.]

There was a time "State Shinto" I think had some real fanatical people. Although that was more being a fanatical Japanese nationalist than anything.

I don't think we have any Shinto here to give a real insiders take, but Le Lune's deal mostly sounds right. Modern Japan is not particularly religious with the most intensely religious Japanese fairly often being those in "Shinshukyo", religions that emerged in the last 150 years. So if a Shinto person starts wanting something fanatical they might just join a Shinto-derived Shinshukyo.

[Le Lune]

Originally Posted by Thomas R.

There was a time "State Shinto" I think had some real fanatical people. Although that was more being a fanatical Japanese nationalist than anything.

I don't think we have any Shinto here to give a real insiders take, but Le Lune's deal mostly sounds right. Modern Japan is not particularly religious with the most intensely religious Japanese fairly often being those in "Shinshukyo", religions that emerged in the last 150 years. So if a Shinto person starts wanting something fanatical they might just join a Shinto-derived Shinshukyo.

That's quite interesting. I have never heard about "Shinshukyo" at all.

What I find interesting is that East Asian beliefs are tied primarily to folklore and that the practitioners have a "Live, let live" sort of approach to life.

But yes, political agenda in Japan would be based primarily on social majority and what not, rather than on religion. Quite the opposite from America

[smokingGun]

One of my neighbors growing up was originally from Japan and the daughter of high-ranking aristocrats/diplomats connected with the Imperial family. As she explained it, life during her childhood in the 1930's and 40's was more like a fascist military state where code of conduct was both encouraged & proscribed by indoctrination since birth.

Institutions like school teachers, temple leaders, social/neighborhood clubs reinforced duties & obligations to the Emperor, the Japanese state, parents & ancestors. Unlike messianic religions, followers of Shintoism during the pre-WWII era didn't feel like their purpose in life was to work & sacrifice for personal salvation or redemption through the power of a single spiritual leader. Which I think is interesting, since it shows how different the concept of free will & self-determination is for Japanese vis-a-vis the West.

[Thomas R.]

Yeah Shinto has no real founder and I don't think it has any specific ideas on the afterlife. What I recall it's more about ritual purity, spirits, and nature. Like I think there was a time the Emperor actually had to change palaces when his father died because death was seen as spiritually polluting a place. Things like that. (Might be part of why Japanese are, or at least were, stereotyped as "clean" or cleanliness obsessed)