What was the main religion of Japan in WW2?

[happygal]

I understand your position. I would offer to you that all humans and cultures are capable of such things, especially in wartime. Pol Pot also committed atrocities.

Yup, sometime i just don’t understand why human can do such inhuman stuff “human experience” Talking about Pol Pot, i have a chance of visiting Cambodia to places where all those victims was tortured during his regime…By looking at those photo really make me sick…the victims have huge nails pierce into the body, the head, buried alive, knife alive, skin alive…etc…etc…really inmoral and inhuman…

I offer this because it is all too easy to label groups as one thing or another that may not be true for that whole group. All Japanese are not brutal and neither are all Germans.

Peace…

Fa Chan

 

[ishii]

I had the good fortune to live and work in Japan for seven years during the '90’s, and am able to make some observations on some of the topics raised in this thread. Two factors come to mind when considering why Japan is not a very religious country now. One is the prevalence of cults of which most Japanese are very (and rightly) suspicious. While living in Tokyo a doomsday cult attacked the subways with sarin gas and quite a few people died as a result, although the damage could have been far worse. The general impression I got from most Japanese I knew was that many of the different Buddhist sects and temples were all about making money and often shady. Those things give organized religion in general a bad name. The other hurdle is the strong urge on the part of Japanese to conform. While that tendency has helped them build a post WW2 society that is well-educated, industrious and economically successful, it has also made it hard for Catholic parents to bring up their children in the Catholic faith. At my parish in Japan, we had a children’s religious education class before mass which was pretty well attended. The problem was when the children got to junior high age (about 12 years old) their tests, cram schools, school clubs, and sports become more important than going to mass. They are really pulled away from the Church at that point. It is very sad and one of the biggest reasons why I chose to move back to America to raise my children (who are half-Japanese). And there is only one mass on Sunday, no Saturday vigil, or Sunday evening mass unless you’re in Tokyo. I ran into quite a few protestant missionaries as well as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. I never encountered any Catholic missionaries. The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Finally, regarding WW2, I would hesitate to make the generalization that all Taiwanese and Filipinos “hate the Japanese” unless I could back it up with something more than just “I’m married to a Filipina and so I know these things” anecdotal evidence. The Filipinos and Chinese I met in Japan had a very positive view toward the Japanese and their country. I encourage my children to take pride in their Japanese heritage. Japan is a great country. Ishii.

 

[patrick457]

I had the good fortune to live and work in Japan for seven years during the '90’s, and am able to make some observations on some of the topics raised in this thread. Two factors come to mind when considering why Japan is not a very religious country now. One is the prevalence of cults of which most Japanese are very (and rightly) suspicious. While living in Tokyo a doomsday cult attacked the subways with sarin gas and quite a few people died as a result, although the damage could have been far worse. The general impression I got from most Japanese I knew was that many of the different Buddhist sects and temples were all about making money and often shady. Those things give organized religion in general a bad name. The other hurdle is the strong urge on the part of Japanese to conform. While that tendency has helped them build a post WW2 society that is well-educated, industrious and economically successful, it has also made it hard for Catholic parents to bring up their children in the Catholic faith. At my parish in Japan, we had a children’s religious education class before mass which was pretty well attended. The problem was when the children got to junior high age (about 12 years old) their tests, cram schools, school clubs, and sports become more important than going to mass. They are really pulled away from the Church at that point. It is very sad and one of the biggest reasons why I chose to move back to America to raise my children (who are half-Japanese). And there is only one mass on Sunday, no Saturday vigil, or Sunday evening mass unless you’re in Tokyo. I ran into quite a few protestant missionaries as well as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. I never encountered any Catholic missionaries. The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Finally, regarding WW2, I would hesitate to make the generalization that all Taiwanese and Filipinos “hate the Japanese” unless I could back it up with something more than just “I’m married to a Filipina and so I know these things” anecdotal evidence. The Filipinos and Chinese I met in Japan had a very positive view toward the Japanese and their country. I encourage my children to take pride in their Japanese heritage. Japan is a great country. Ishii.

You’re talking about the Aum Shinrikyo right?

 

[Gearoidin]

You’re talking about the Aum Shinrikyo right?

He does seem to be talking about Aum. BTW, we do have a a Saturday evening Mass here but it is mainly for the Neocat community.
I do agree about what you said about JHS. The hours the kids spend at school or school clubs is crazy. Also all major school events such as the sports fewtival are on Sundays. Kids have to attend. It is difficult to bring up kids as Catholics here but not impossible. There are quite a few families at our church with teenagers who seem to be doing a good job.
Gearoidin.

 

[MichaelTDoyle]

I understand your position. I would offer to you that all humans and cultures are capable of such things, especially in wartime. Pol Pot also committed atrocities.

I offer this because it is all too easy to label groups as one thing or another that may not be true for that whole group. All Japanese are not brutal and neither are all Germans.

Peace…

Fa Chan

Amen!

We all have a fallen nature. These atrocities of the past are a warning to me as to what I could do if I do not try to follow the Master. To have Christ’s Way is my surest safety net to not ending up doing things like that or nodding while others do things like that.

How many now dead by abortion? How many women scarred? How many lives in spiritual ruins? And it goes on today and I would be nodding to it were I not Catholic.

It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

 

[ishii]

He does seem to be talking about Aum. BTW, we do have a a Saturday evening Mass here but it is mainly for the Neocat community.
I do agree about what you said about JHS. The hours the kids spend at school or school clubs is crazy. Also all major school events such as the sports fewtival are on Sundays. Kids have to attend. It is difficult to bring up kids as Catholics here but not impossible. There are quite a few families at our church with teenagers who seem to be doing a good job.
Gearoidin.

Yes, I was referring to Aum and there leader Shoko Asahara. The key Aum members involved in the Sarin attack were fixtures on every most-wanted poster in Japan while I was there. I think you make a good point Patrick. Even though Japanese culture makes it difficult to raise older children in the Catholic faith, it isn’t impossible. Pardon my ignorance here, but what exactly is “neocat community”? Ishii