Daily gazette and comet. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1856-186?, 1860-05-23
JAPANESE RELIGION.

April last, contains an articU on
The subject Of religion In Jepan, In
which many new and curious facts
are presented in whimsical reality.
The Review coIates from Kampfer,
Pierre de Charlevoix, the United
States Expedition and Lawrence
Oliphant, Private Secretary TO Lord
Elgin, in the recent English Mission
TO China and Japan.
In many respects they are better
of, religiously speaking, than the
inside Christian world, and are
equally Christian with ourselves,
il not more so. Tolerance, which
the Christianity of this country is n
stranger to, Is peculiar character
istic of Japanese theology. Char
levoix says. when the Dutch and
Portuguese obtained footing and
required the islanders to comply
with the established forms of their
religion, they did not demure but
consented as peaceful citizens TO
the laws and ordinances. They
did not object to being baptised,
and were willing to give passive
admission to the "Merciful scheme
of Redemption" but the terrific dog
ma OF eternal daunation, was cold
received; indeed some of them said
nor ohor" and shook their heads
Whether the Japanese is any bet
ter off than the Christian empire in
the knowledge Of truth, remains to
be seen, when we shall be better
acquainted with them. Certain it
is, they commenced living pretty
much in the manner we did; by
making gods to worship the very
first thing Here's the great trou-
BILE; the gods have been handed
down from generation to generation
as household goods, and we begin
to find that they are not in keep
ing with the other furniture. Where
did we all come from ? This is the
first and most important question.
When correctly answered, we shall
begin to discover our relationship
to the earth and to oneanother.-
Then follows this question where
are We (perhaps) goingY Christian
ity as taught by its founder, deals.
sparingly with the world to come.
What ia good for us here-how we
should behave towards oneanother,
is the concern. Christianity in it's
truthful simplicity is something to
work, walk and talk by; and il will
do to laugh and sing and be merry
by--it is as good to live by as to
die by. Mr.. Olipbatt gives the fol-
lowing graphic description of q ia
panese temple, in which the gods
Of that people arc worshipped
"The temple we visited contained a
number of little shripes witbrspresenta-
lions OF the kamis, together with models
OF ships and other curiosities called Jem-
ma which, however, are only placed there
So donations by grateful worshippers, to
furnish amusement to persons frequent
ing tho temple. The building itself was
devoid Of all architectural pretension aud
OF . slate colour, the interior remarkable
for it's simplicity a. compared with Bud
dhist temples. Its chief external peculi-
arity consisted In q curious ornamental
spire. The Distinguishing feature Of
sintoo temples Is o looking glass, as en-
blematic OF the souls purity. On the
right-hand aide on entering, was n sort Of
font containing water, and opposite to Il a
large bell. An oblone box, laced across
the top with wire, Is conspicuous object
to remind the worshippers Of their duties
Ne alms-givers. The form of worship is
very simple. Church goers commence by
washing themselves In the font !; they then
pray opposite the looking glass, asking
for their necessities, ms we do them chink
few coppers into the wire-covered box,
strike the bell thrice az q signal that IL is
all over aud rctire. Some with n meta
physical turn of mind suppose that God
sees into their hearts as plainly as they do
into the looking glass, and therefore do
not pray at ALL" (voi. Ii. p. s8.)
Only small sect bold this creed in It's
purity, called .Juits the majority, and