3 ms·
That's a tiny number compared to Europe.
by jstx1 4y ago
That's a tiny number compared to Europe.
- PaulHoule 4y agoI think it's a problem with what people think "believe in God" means. People in Japan will claim that they don't believe in God but then they participate in daily religious rituals at a higher rate than almost anywhere.
- jqpabc123 4y agoclaim that they don't believe in God They are correct. There is no magical "God" in either Shinto or Buddhism. The rituals they are participating in are mainly cultural --- not "religious" --- at least not in the western sense. https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/a-brief-history-of-shinto-and-buddhism-in-japan/ https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/a-brief-histo...
- PaulHoule 4y agoI know a lot of Americans who would reject Christianity and similar religions but have a pantheistic viewpoint and would say they "believe in God".
- jqpabc123 4y agoI probably qualify as "pantheistic" --- but I don't believe in a personal God who loves me, listens to me and guides my existence. And neither do most other "pantheists". If they do, they are mis-classifying themselves. I believe that truth is stronger than a lie. I believe in doing unto others as they do unto me out of enlightened self interest--- not because of any reward or punishment. It is fundamentally fair and makes the world a better place for everyone. I believe that people who claim to know the unknowable are mainly just fooling themselves.
- hackrnusr 4y agoWhat would you be willing to do to your enemies if you knew that you wouldn't be held accountable for it, for example, because you've received a terminal cancer diagnosis. I spend a lot of time thinking about this question nowadays.
- mrkeen 4y agoYou haven't claimed anything beyond what an atheist claims. What supernatural beliefs do you subscribe to that would make you call yourself pantheistic?
- jqpabc123 4y agoI believe that the universe and god are essentially one and the same. This is the central defining belief of "pantheism".