The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-09-14
CULT TO ORDER
JAPANESE iNvENTiNe NEW &c
lEcTic RELIGION TO HAIR.
MoNlzE WITH NATIONAL
TRAITS. 3
BY We Old Toner.

week, during which churches and
mission buildings were attacked by
the mob, was not directed against
the Christion religion. There is no
mystic fanaticism IN. the Japanese
character, An eminentiy practical
people are the Japs, not bothered by
the metaphysics of religion. They
value faith and creeds for their eff.
fects upon the people. asking whether
or not particular cult will make It's
devotees tractable. Hence no nation
is more tolerant, or catholic, in the
broad sense OF the word than the
Flowery Kingdom
Many of the leading statesmen and
generals of Japan are avowed Chris.
tlans. The first Japanese Parliament
had as many as dozen members
who protested the faith OF the occl.
dent, and the number row is much
larger.
Now the canny Jap proposes to do
to religion what he has already done
to modern civilization--to make II an
electic affair That Is, he proposes
to select from Christianity, from
Buddhism and from Shintoism Just
the points in each that he considers
best suited to the national genius and
combine them into brand new cult
an eclectic religion. To the Mon.
golian race there Is no difficulty about
such q proceeding. The yellow ma.
tions mix their religions easily, the
individual Chinaman, for instance, be.
ing at once a Buddhist, Taoist and
a Confucian. There is nothing incon-
gruous to him in belonging at the
same time to half dozen rival
churches. Caucasians do not mix
their religions; the Mongolians do.
No Oriental faith excludes any other
faith, not even in the same house
hold or in the same man. And the
Oriental can see no reason why he
should not add little Christianity,
lie a new spice. to his religious chop.
suey.
In this new eclectic religion the
Japanese proposes to accept the ethi-
cal teachings of Christ--at least, to
the same extent that white people &C.
cept them. But he will have none
of the metaphysics or the supernatu-
ralism of Christianity. No doctrines
of trinity or of the Godhead of Christ
will he accept. But to show his fair
ness he will discard from the old
Shintoism or Buddhism the miracles
or superstitions they inculcated. The
new religion is to be no mystic sys-
TEN, but thoroughly practical pot
pourri. This tendency is shown by
the japanese convert to Christianity.
who at once proceeds to liberalize his
new faith, whether the missionary
who taught 1t to him approves or
not.
You would be surprised to know
how well informed are the Japanese
about modern religious movements In
America. He knows more about the
Briggs and McGiffert heresy cases,
and about the revision of the Presby.
terrain confession of faith than does
the average American. 1t may aston
ish you, too, to hear that the Jap
anese government has adopted our
Christian Sabbath. at least to the ex-
tent Of making It national holiday.
This was done nearly 80 years ago.
! There are now probably more than
10000 out-and-out Christians in ia.
pan, mostly Professionals. The num-
Der of people there who have been
affected by Christianity, and accept
our religion in part, is vastly great
er. Two hundred years ago there
were 100000 Japanese Christians,
nearly all Jesuits; but the Spanish
and Portuguese members Of that or.
der fighting among themselves pro
voked a pagan persecution which al
most entirely destroyed Christianity
on the islands.
'Shintoism, or "The Way Of the
Gods" is still the state religion, but
that does not prevent its devotees
from being devout Buddhists at the
same time. The Japanese govern
ment does not directly appropriate
money for the support of shintoism.
but the Imperial family go to the tenn.
pies and offer prayers officially.
The Japanese Buddhist does not be-
lieve in one original, supernatural
and eternal God, but in the latest and
newest and freshest "buddha." He
insists on keeping his religion up to
the times. Each Buddhist is his own
priest, for the Jap is growing more
and more democratic, even in his re-