Iezja

Ladies, gentlemen, freethinkers, there is a faith that I had dabbled in and I have come to the conclusion that it's more messed up than Christianity.

It's Shintoism.

Shintoists are the most humorless, anal ass kissers you'll ever come across. To a Westerner it looks like nothing more than Japanese paganism, but if you ask some devout sonofabitch about it, they'll tell you its a way of life.

In its beginnings it was older than Buddhism and was probably started by the true Japanese natives, the Ainu. When the Yamato clan came in, they whooped Ainu ass and drove them out, killed them, and now even to this day they all live in Hokkaido, the northern most island. Shinto wasn't called that until the 1800s and in its beginnings, it was just a nature religion, like Wicca.

Now, you add politics, filial piety, and trumped up shit like shrines, seppuku, money for shit like kannushis (Shinto priests) miko (female shrine assistants) and offerings, you gots a Japanese Catholicism.

Shinto has NO dogma. Y'all may think that's a good thing, until you start asking questions. I have gotten strange looks from people whom I asked things about like the ritual of misogi, which is basically a water ritual. I know of America's ONLY Shinto priest who does this misogi thing every day. Outside. Wearing a loincloth. In the freezing cold of January even. People call him Sensei, but I HATE status. He's just a man who pretends he's Japanese (He even has an accent which I have NO idea where it came from) who likes to freeze his balls off every morning. I got weird looks when I said I felt uncomfortable in the shrine. Apparently the Japanese deities (Which are referred to as kami....pronounced like "commie") are the pure, immortal, ancestral parents of the human race. Ok. So why should we bow excessively to these *ahem* Pagan polytheistic gods where somewhere off in Ireland the goddess Maeve is getting shitfaced? If anyone has ever been curious enough to witness a Shinto ritual going on, you'd think it was this close to cult status in its rules and regulations.

Yah. Purity. the kami like purity and anything that ain't pure is bad. What sort of image do you see? I see a static picture of monotony.

One must give offerings to Okamisama (that's anal-ese for the Prime Deity) everyday. Why? Do you like perpetual submission to the Placebo Effect?

Say the Misogi no Oharae (the grand words of purification) morning and night. Do words really matter?

*I do admit that Japanese is a neat language, tho*

Do NOT HAVE DOUBT! Always come to the kami with a bright and clear conscience. (So if you're sick, you can't pray? And as for doubt, so...people should just blindly believe?)

As for "summoning" the kami there's a ^&%^&$^!!! process that goes with that too. Two bows, two claps, and another bow. Any other religion, be it mono or polytheistic doesn't have to do choreography first. Unless you're a holy roller.

And I fucking hate filial piety. Worship youze relatives, or more accurately, ancestors. Why? What is the purpose of paying a tribute to Uncle Fred who was senile?

I belonged to a group online that was made up of a few Shintoists and the moderator was a Shintoist for a couple years. Everyone in that group seemed to be happy all the fucking time. Nobody ever got mad, sad, or depressed. Except me. When a certain figure of Shinto joined the group, the moderator wedged his nose so far up this person's ass, you can't see his face! I have now lost the faith, and now some of the members think there's something wrong with me. I met that "figure of shinto" and I think what he wants more than anything is an epicanthic fold (The extra fold of skin that distinguishes Asian eyes) to add to his lovely masquerade of faith. All that man wants is money. Just like Catholics!

...and that epicanthic fold.

I always thought Shinto priests looked like Morris dancers but they also must have a lack of dignity to dress like that and keep a straight face.

Well, that's my rant so far. I never fit the mold in any faith, so I best be reading Nietzsche or something. I will always be an infidel. If I think of more shit, I'll post it.

I have nothing against the Japanese in any way, I love the food and the music and culture for the most part, but Shinto is just too damn funky.

mongrel

Rants tend to find themselves ~~Elsewhere~~...

Going down.

Mr. Anderson

....so?

Godless Wonder

Eh, I think Scientology is undisputed world champion of messed up beliefs. (Now watch, someone will dispute this... )

Corwin

Shinto isn't polytheistic. It's animistic. (Distinct difference.)

And yes.... Scientology is even more messed up.

Megatron

Nope, no dispute here.

DinoStoned

Nitpick: I believe kami is pronounced as it is spelt, Ka-Mi, not 'commie' . . .
Not going to dispute that Scientology is seriously messed up, though.

Chris Weimer

um, when were the Shinto crusades again? Or the Shinto inquisition? Or even the Shinto "if you don't believe then you're evil" people again? Overall, you're not attacking a religion, you're attacking a culture. Familiar respect is not limited to Shintoism, but to all Eastern thought, including Daoism and Confucianism. As for Kami, (by the way, it has stress... so it's not commie or com`- mie, but Ka`- mi`-- or equal stress if any...) well, they're a lot better than a genocidal baby killer...

Iezja

It's both. What about their "eight million gods" that exist, on Earth and permanently in the heavens?

Poly=more than one.

Iezja

Most of the infidels here are so caught up in Christianity, that there are more weird things out there.