Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-23
JAPANESE RELIGION.
Ore of the Embassy Tells What He
t3nOy4s About It.

ELBOTES ADOub H.
From the New York Commercial.
We had long talk with Nakshima, the
Japanese commissioner. He is a gentleman
of superior intelligence, and don't look like
a heather at al.
First we asked HIN abott his religion.
ga am heathen," he said, smiling. 81
don't believe in religion--that is, in the
forms of religion. My religion is to do
GOOD, to be honest"
"What do you think of our Christi" we
asked.
"Humbug-all humbug," he replied.
ssTThst DO you think of Mahommed?
mMohammedis a fraud too, and so are all
those middle men who say they are inspired.
Confucius was a wise nan, but no more in
spired than Socrates. All these men like
Brahma, Buddha, Swedenborg, Brigham
Younz, Joe Smith, aud, in fact, every man
from Moses to brigham z Dung, who has set
himself up as inspired frOin God, is hum
bug"
aWhat kind of religion do you believe
IMP"
"Weu, though 1 am a heather, believe
about as you do"
"Iiow Is that?" We asked, becoming inter
ested.
"You believe IN God-s0 do I, and so
does every nation. We only differ in the
Savior or Christ. Why, the Arabs believe
in Cis same Cod, but take Mohammed as
Savior; 2OO,OGG,O00 of people believe in
Mohammed. and only 6O,0G0,O 600 in Christ,
It is always the same God all over the
world. They may spell it differently, but
it is the same God, with the same attributes,
such as omnipresence, Ubiquity, omnls-
cienee, infinity, pOtentiality, etc. In Greece
they call him TheOs; in France, Dieu; IN
Germany, Godt, IN China, JOsj in Asia,
Brahmin; in America GOd. Many Japanese
believe in the same God which you do, but re-
ceive Buddha as mediator in place OF Christ
Budda vas a good man. lie was modest,
sincere and self-saCfi1cing, but he was not
God. He gave up q life OF ease near the
throne to teach men to be good. lie gave
I'D immense wealth, and went with the
poor. Your Christ made no such sacrifices,
He was poor-a carpenters son. He was
killed because he preached heresies which
The Jews didn't believe. lie went a little
too far, and lost his life, like CraInn5r tand
Latimer, and as 10000 foolish people do in
India every day. ROssel lost his life il
France and John Brown here, for preach
inc what the people didn'5 believe. The
day will come when you will almost EOr-
ship John Brown as the Swiss do William
Tell. DYING for our faith signifies nothing.
Why, sir, 10000 people in India burn and
kill themselves every year for their faith"
"But don't you think a Savior is Geces
sary?"
@No. God can do all the saving or de-
stroying. When you bring man to assist
him, you destroy his greatness-his pOten-
TALLY. These people who claim to be me-
diatoi5 are only religious brokers. God is
too great to ask or permit any one 10 assist
Him. We have the same law Of right and
wrong which you have, and still we don't
believe your Bible ct all. God has given
His law to Us. The Koran, your Bible, the
teachings Of sWsdenbOrs and Brigham
Young all differ, but the doctrines Ct the
philosophers like Justinian, Socrates and
Confucius all agree. That is, they agree
that God is great-and that lie is too great
to have any prophets"
"Don't you believe that Christ came into
the world to save it?n
"NO, sir. He did not come into the world
any more than you did. First, He knew
He was here-a boy like all the Nazarene
boys. His miraculous birth is the fancy Of
the legendary historians. He was put TO
death like John Brown because He went
round breabiHg Jewish laws. After He was
killed, St. Paul and st. Peter established
your church. They made a grand political
center aud established the seven churches
of Asia, none of which stand to-day.
Ephesus and Antioch believe in
Mohammed now. l know Mohammed
was humbug, and of the same
knowledge | know all prophets to be hum
bugs. You call me heather because re-
iecs your church. l call you heather be-
cause you reject my Buddha, He was as
great and pure as ever a man was. More
than that, be gave up riches and station
He taught people 20 work, not to all be-
come idle preachers. While l repeCt Bud
dha, do not think he was inspired, and if
he wasn't then no man ever was"
That is what that heather said, and he
didn't think he was talking sacrilegious.
lie did not think be had said anything rude,
at least no ruder than we are always saying
C,c him