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Old 10-19-2008, 12:19 AM
Atul Y's Avatar
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Default Can you help me out with the Shinto religion?

I've been getting into the Shinto religion and I have even set up my own shrine, but there's a few problems.
-I don't know any of the deities.
-I don't know any prayers or rituals.
-I don't know what exactly to do for the shrine.

Please help. Thanks. No ridiculous answers, by the way.
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Old 10-20-2008, 12:19 AM
DOOMED! We're all doomed!'s Avatar
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It seems to me you have no clue about the religion. there are plenty of websites and books about Shinto.
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Old 10-25-2008, 12:19 AM
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Books are really helpful.
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Old 10-28-2008, 12:19 AM
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Wikipedia has lots of information on Shinto deities.
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Old 10-30-2008, 12:19 AM
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http://www.greatcom.org/resources/areadydefense/ch27/default.htm

Meaning of Shinto

The word Shinto comes from the Chinese word Shen-Tao, which means "the way of the gods." This term was not applied to the religion until the sixth century A.D., when it became necessary in order to distinguish it from Buddhism. A major feature of Shinto is the notion of Jami. Kami is a difficult term to define precisely but it refers basically to the concept of sacred power in both animate and inanimate objects. Ninian Smart elaborates upon the idea of Jami in the following manner:

Shintoism displayed, and still displays, a powerful sense of the presence of gods and spirits in nature. These spirits are called Jami, literally, "superior beings," and it is appropriate to venerate them. The Jami are too numerous to lend themselves to a systematic ordering or stable hierarchy, but among them the sun goddess Amaterasu has long held a central place in Shinto belief.
Sacred Books

Although Shinto does not consider any one volume as the wholly inspired revelation on which its religion is based, two books are considered sacred and have done much to influence the beliefs of the Japanese people. The works are Ko-Jo-ki, the "records of ancient matters," and Nihon-gi, the "chronicles of Japan." They were both composed around A.D. 720 and because they report events occurring some 1300 years earlier in the history of Japan, they are considered late works.
Worship

The basic place for worship in Shinto is at one of the numerous shrines covering the country of Japan. Although many Shintoists have built altars in their homes, the center of worship is the local shrine. Since Shinto has a large number of deities, a systematic worship of all such deities is impossible. The Shinto religious books acknowledge that only a few deities are consistently worshipped, the chief being the sun-goddess, Amaterasu.

The fact that the highest object of worship from whom the divine ancestors arose is a female rather than a male deity makes Shinto unique among the larger world religions.
Shinto and Christianity

The religion of Shinto is in opposition to Christianity. In its purest form it teaches the superiority of the Japanese people and their land above all others on earth and that is diametrically opposed to the teaching of the Bible. According to the Bible, the Jews are God's chosen people through whom He entrusted His words.

Then what advantage has the Jew? or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God (Romans 3:1,2, NASB).

However, though the Jews are God's chosen people, they have never been designated better than any other people (Galatians 3:27) and they have never been taught that they were direct descendants of the gods, as Shinto teaches its people.
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Old 11-03-2008, 11:19 PM
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-I don't know any of the deities.

Shintoists believe that almost every natural object whether animate or inanimate has a divine spark. This spark is called a Kami. Some are, of course, more important than others.

- I don't know any prayers

There is a book of Norito (Shinto prayers) available from Amazon.

- or rituals. I don't know what exactly to do for the shrine.

Shinto rituals are designed to remove the "spiritual dirt" that is picked up from negative thoughts and actions and contamination by unclean substances (such as blood). The rituals are more-or-less individual to each Shinto Shrine and are typically passed down through the priestly family. Individual Shinto families also have their own rituals which may differ from the local shrine's. There really isn't any wrong way as long as you are sincere.

- I don't know what exactly to do for the shrine.

Most Shintoists set up a Kamidana, get an Ofuda (a blessed object where the Kami can alight during worship) from a shrine and pray there. The Ofuda is replaced yearly and the old one is sent back to the shrine. Actually going to a shrine is a fairly rare event for most Shintoists. New Years and a few life-affirming events are when most Shintoists go.
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