Shinto

Shinto Summary:

Shinto Theological Strengths

Shinto emphasizes honesty. Theft and dishonesty are looked down upon and are considered a disgrace.

Shinto stresses respect to parents.

These are practices rather than core theological beliefs. There are no true theological strengths, as we would call them, in Shinto.

Shinto Theological Weaknesses

After the death of a Shinto there is a time of mourning for 49 days.

In Shinto, there is no faith in the concept of the absolute one god who is the creator of both nature and human beings.

Shinto is the only major religion which does not worship or have a conception of a Monotheistic God. All religions except for true, Biblical Christianity are perversions of the truth. They do however; contain some elements of truth left over from an original monotheism. Shinto, on the other hand, has no monotheistic beginning. The early years of Shinto and the Japanese people are shrouded in antiquity.

Shinto is based on mythology rather than Scriptures or Revelation.

The story of the creation of the Japanese people and the island of Japan sounds like a secondhand account of Darwin’s explanation for the beginning of the universe.

Shinto has an evolutionary creation account.

The Japanese were formed out of primal ooze from the pot. During WWII, the Japanese believed they were superior to the white man because of their having less body hair and body odor. The lesser potency of Japanese body odor can be explained by the Japanese diet.

Shinto retains an ardent mythological metanarrative. Japan is probably the most civilized nation which still strongly holds to mythology. The creation account has no basis in fact, science, or logic. 1. It has no historical account to back it up. 2. The theory of evolution has never been proven. 3. The creation account of Shinto is illogical.

Tenri-kyo, a form of Japanese indigenous religion, believes humans are basically good.

It teaches that suffering is produced by negative thoughts of sin and guilt.

This teaching is in opposition to the scriptural truth that all people are basically wicked.

Shinto places a heavy emphasis on agricultural fertility.

What is a good way to approach this religion with the Gospel

Japanese culture, as has already been stated, is very communal.

Unlike religions such as Judaism or Islam, Shinto has none if any similarities with the Gospel. In approaching a Shinto with the Gospel, one must be polite, humble and sincere. Corduan states that there are only 1,000 Shinto’s in all of North America. The chance of running into one of them in a witnessing situation is unlikely. In a street preaching situation in Japan, unlike America, one would need to wear a suit. America in recent years has come to respect those who would “dress down”. Japan is the opposite. Suits are the standard attire for doing anything of worth. Ray Comfort in his video, “In Season, and Out of Season,” in which he and his team preach in major cities around the world, elaborates on this fact.

Unfortunately, the chance of a language barrier is very likely. Whether face to face or through an interpreter, Shinto evangelism should follow the following truths.

1.     Use the Law of God to bring the knowledge of sin. The Bible says in Romans 2:19, “For by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Shinto does not give credence to or speak of the reality or devastation of sin. Aim for the conscience and not the culture. Sometime Christians focus too much on trying to make Christianity fit into the culture. Of course we should not preach while wrapped in the American flag. A model of going through the law could be the following:

The Bible, God’s Word to man says this, and it is true or it is not, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the father but through me.” The Bible tells us that God has given light to every man. That light is the light of conscience. Conscience means, “with knowledge.” When we do wrong, lie, steal, or commit adultery, our conscience accuses us. The Bible speaks of another light. The light of God’s law. Let’s see how your goodness holds up as we look at a few of them.

5. Honor your Father and Mother- Disrespecting parents or rebelling against them is equated with witchcraft. The Bible warns, “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.” Talking bad to or about your parents is a violation of this commandment. Ask yourself the question, “Have I always honored my parents implicitly?” If you have not, you have done wrong.

6. You shall not murder- Jesus said, “If you are angry with your brother without cause you are in danger of judgment.” I John plainly says, “He who hates his brother is a murderer.” Ask yourself, “Have I ever hated another person?” If you have, you have done wrong and are a murderer in God’s eyes.

7. You shall not commit adultery- There might be some of you that have been, or are involved in fornication. If not, check this out. Jesus said, “You have heard it has been said by them of old time, ‘thou shalt not commit adultery.’ But I say unto you that whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.” How is this? God requires truth in the inward parts. He is not just concerned with our words or actions, but what goes on in our minds and hearts. The Bible warns that, “Fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

8. You shall not steal- Think back and try to remember if you have ever stolen something, even if it is small. If you have, that means you are a thief. The value is irrelevant. It could be some money, a baseball card, pocket knife, perfume, makeup, or a bike. The Bible tells us that “thieves will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

9. You shall not bear false witness- One white lie, fib, half-truth or an exaggeration, or a bold-faced lie, makes us a liar. Don’t answer out loud or with the nod of your head, but have you ever told a lie? How many lies does it take to make a liar? Just one. The Bible plainly tells us, “And all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.”

10. You shall not covet- This means desiring what someone else has or being greedy. Coveting is simply being greedy.

(At this point, use yourself as an example.) Say something like,” After these things had been shared with me I realized I was a rebellious, murderer and adulterer at heart, and a lying, greedy thief that had to stand before God on Judgment Day.

(Next, bring the reality of future judgment up.)

Right now if you stood before God and were judged by the Commandments, would you be innocent or guilty? If you are being honest, you will admit the answer is, “Guilty.”

I once heard of a judge who was ruling in a court of law. He was a good, righteous man, always judging according to his conscience, irrespective of who the person in the dock was. One day he looked up to find his own brother standing before him in the dock. He was guilty of a terrible crime. He wanted to say, “This is my brother, I love him – he may go free,” but his conscience wouldn’t allow him to. He brought down the hammer and proclaimed a verdict of guilty. “I fine this man $5,000 even though he is my brother.” Then he took off his wig and gown, came around the dock and put his arm around his brother saying, “Because you are my brother and I love you, I will pay that fine myself.” Thus he satisfied his conscience, the laws of justice, and demonstrated his love at the same time. Comfort p. 120

(Next, relate the Gospel on the human level with relation to how Christ felt.)

There was a similar problem with us. All mankind has sinned against God. God is holy and cannot abide with sin. He must punish it. The Bible says, “But God demonstrates his own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Can you believe it? Think of a person who has used or misused you. What was your reaction to them? It was probably one of anger and revenge. We have sinned against God and despite all our crimes against Him he loved us enough to send his only Son to die a cruel death as payment for the sin of all people. Christ was scourged with a cruel whip and nailed to a rough, splintery, wooden cross until he died of an agonizing death. Forsaken by God and man, Jesus cried out, “MY GOD MY GOD WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME!!” Then he cried out, “TETELESTAI, IT IS FINISHED!!” That meant the fine had been paid. We were in the courtroom of God with mountains of evidence against us. It is as simple as this; we broke The Law, Jesus Paid the Fine. Three days after, he was resurrected, never to die again, as if to let the whole world know that he conquered death and defeated sin’s power over all who would repent and put their faith in Him.

Where we broke God’s Law, Jesus kept it. He never lied, stole, lusted or hated. He was perfect and became the perfect sacrifice for us. The Bible says, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Romans 10:4.

So how to we get saved from the wrath to come? The Bible tells us in Eph. 2:8-9 that there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn eternal life. To say we need to do something to earn God’s favor is to say that Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t good enough. Rom 6:23 says “the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” We must realize this.

Next, Repent. Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you will perish.” Repentance is having a change of direction. You must turn FROM your sin and self and turn TO Jesus.

Put all your Faith and Trust in Him and in Him alone, not yourself. Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Faith is just like sitting down in your chair. It is placing all your trust in it that it won’t let you fall on your rear. Jesus, the One who said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life…” destroyed man’s greatest enemy, the fear of death.

(Point out the “Family Part”)

Some of you might say that you could not become a Christian because you would dishonor your family.

Finally, the distinction between family loyalty and loyalty to Jesus must be stressed. Tell how Jesus stated that our love to our family must be as hate compared to our love towards God. Be loving, be strong, be courageous, be compassionate, and be Christ like.