Comments by "Harry \x22Nic\x22 Nicholas" (@HarryNicNicholas) on "What is Shinto? (Rethinking Religion in Japan)" video.
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it demonstrates that gods are invented though, the nature of a god should dictate how life is lead, but japan is such a diverse set of subcultures (islands / mainland / the four main islands) that religion has adapted to fit the landscape,rather than dictated by a deity.
i've been to japan twice, i love it, it's a pity it is such an oppresive culture though, many japanese resent it's strictness, it's a pity humans can't purely take the best of every culture and live by that, that even the "best of cultures" like japan, has it's problems. still, beautiful, multi-facted country, wonderful and interesting people.
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one of the more enjoyable experiences when i was in japan was going to the shrine at new year and praying for a new house or a better job or a new car. it's so odd what different religions consider "good" and "bad", praying for material goods in the west is a no-no (although people do). the japanese are such a practical nation!
6:40 rituals always amuse me, the british royal weddings, funerals, religious rituals, we look at them and take them for granted, but at some point someone sat down and tried to figure out a way to make all this stuff look serious "let's seee now, if you have to walk on the left or right we can say the spirits come down the middle, how many times should you clap? is four too many? is once kinda half-hearted?"
it's spell casting, if you just strolled in, flopped down on a sofa and said "hey god dude, can i pass my exams" that would be exactly the same in effect, but not as convincing to the audience.
12:25 i am atheist, but again the japanese seem to have found a balnce between atheism and belief in something spiritual, i don't belive there are ghosts or spirits or gods or an afterlife, but i do believe humans have common traits that i think of as "spirituality" and japan feels very like that. it's like a religion for atheists :)
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