In Japan, Buddhism has been dying out. It used to be a monopoly over all other religions but slowly and slowly more people are dropping out. "But that expression also describes a religion that, by appearing to cater more for the needs of the dead than to those of the living, is loosing its standing in Japanese society". This quote shows that the Japanese feel like the religion is more based on dying then ones own spiritual beliefs. A lot of people like Islam and Christianity because there priests have sermons based on spiritual beliefs. Many Buddhist priests do not do that. "If Japanese Buddhism doesn't act now, it will die out," said Mr. Mori, the 21st head priest at the temple. This quote really shows how serious of a problem this is becoming and really how many people are loosing interest in this religion. Even Buddhists are choosing not to follow the rules of funerals of Buddhism and are going to funeral homes or not even having a funeral instead. "But considering the future, pressing a young person to take over the temple could be cruel," said Mr. Takahashi. He had been training his 23 year old son to become the next priest at the temple, but at this rate the temple might not even exist by the time he becomes priest.
This article connects to what we are doing in class because we are reading the book Siddhartha. In Siddhartha, Buddhism is a huge religion in the book. One way it contrasts it though, is that Buddhism doesn't seem to be dying out yet, but maybe in the future of the book it could.
Work Cited: Onishi, Norimitsu. "In Japan, Buddhism may be dying out". The New York Times. July 14th, 2008 .
4 comments:
This is interesting Sara. It seems like many religions have been saying this sort of thing lately-- that the modern world is pushing religion out. It makes me wonder if there will ever be a time when there is no religion. Or, what new religions will gain popularity as older ones decline.
I think this is a really cool topic. It kind of shocks me that one of the worlds top relgions can just die out in a country, but i spose its possible. It kinda makes me wonder how devout people are in their religions if entire countries can just switch, or, on the other hand, how big the issue must be. Will the dying of Buddhism in Japan cause it to die elsewhere too? That would be very interesting. I wonder if Buddhism disapeared would a new religion form? or would old ones just fill in?
This is very interesting to me because if you are a religious person, your religion is a huge aspect of your life. This could change the lives of a lot of people.
I also love how you took something we are studying and showed us what latest modern news is on it.
Awesome topic!
I can't believe Buddhism is dying out I always thought that it was such a big religion in Asia! It's very interesting that Christianity is growing there. It seems that Christianity is one of the more popular religions in the U.S., and now I am starting to wonder if that will be replaced too! Good connection, I like how you researched Buddhism considering that is what we are currently reading about!
I can understand the sevarity of the religious situation after reading your blog. I liked how you used direct quotes from the work. Using the quotes really reinforced your point. This article makes us wonder what calls us to religions, or makes them popular.
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