Religion and Japanese Society

Author: Suzuki Nobuhisa
Translator: Nian Jianke
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features:
In recent times, religion has often become a topic of discussion. However, if we take a brief look at history, we can see that regardless of the era, religion has always been a subject of conversation. If you open the social section of old newspapers in a library, you will find that reports on religion are often indispensable. Especially when young people suffer harm due to religion, people immediately ask, "Why isn't religious education conducted in schools?" Although this may be the case, the moment we consider who could teach religion, the situation quickly reaches a stalemate.
When Japan entered the modern era, many people did not understand what religion meant. Therefore, when discussing Christianity, many people began by explaining the relationship between religion and humans. I have followed this example and started by addressing the topic of religion and life.
Secondly, although this is a history of Japanese religion, I have tried to take into account the development of world religious history and place similar phenomena within my scope of vision, using this perspective to grasp the history of religion in Japan. In the future, with the acceleration of internationalization and globalization, this perspective will become even more necessary.