Is it ok to be an atheist/agnositc?

[mingo]

atheism during the work(priest maybe excepentional), and respect other religion in your free time..

 

[caster51]

Japan is a polytheism country
ppl who is monotheism sees the atheism Japan.
I was very surprised.

 

[Sukotto]

Personally, I'd rather believe in "the Force".

Jedi 'religion' grows in Australia

 

[Han Chan]

I think that the fact that most of japanese do not believe in in a monotheistic religion with only "one god" and "one truth" in general makes japanese more open to new viewpoints and able to incooperate new ideas into their thinking. Interestingly many japanese belong to more than one religion. In japan the new does not exclude the old.

If you want to explore these questions in direct dialouge with japanese I like to recommend caution - religion is mostly regarded as a private issue, and many japanese find it a bit embarrasing to talk about their own religiosity.

 

[ArmandV]

Who am I to judge whether it is "okay" to be an atheist or agnostic? Whatever floats your boat is my attitude.

 

[ArmandV]

If you want to explore these questions in direct dialouge with japanese I like to recommend caution - religion is mostly regarded as a private issue, and many japanese find it a bit embarrasing to talk about their own religiosity.

Last April, I was with a Japanese ladyfriend and while strolling around Ginza, she brought up the subject of Christianity (due to the ads all over for The DaVinci Code movie) and religion in general. That was probably one of the best conversations we had.

 

[Ma Cherie]

Since I've been learning about Japan for these years, their religion is mostly Shinto and Buddhism, but what's interesting is that these religions had influenced each other. As far as it being okay to be an atheist/agnostic I think Japanese society may be tolerant of this. (Of course I'm just making an assumption so I really don't know.) Or maybe Japanese society is just apathetic towards religious beliefs? Who knows.

 

[zero g]

sure it's o.k.!

 

[Poke-mon master]

I am Japanese, and Christian too. My Coleagues know about it, but have never discussed about it. I believe in Christ, but try not to be or looked as the one who deni other's belief or religion.

 

[caster51]

there is a big fox shrine and torii in my house garden.
it was built 80years ago

I am a typical agnositc Now.
However I belive god or gods.
I have to keep this shrine and ceremony next my parents......
I also believe this one are protecting my family
I thnk shinto is unaware or unmindful of religion in japan
it means japanese are imprinted from baby
it is sometime taboo to talk about own religion truly in public.
It seems that it goes mad.

 

[gaijinalways]

In Japan I would say most people are not very religious, more superstitious. Many Japanese folow the customs more out of fear that it could be true, and often follow Shinto and Buddahist customs (though technically Buddahism is not a religion, more of a philosophy, but for that matter, in my book, so are most religions).

 

[uloocn]

I am a decisive communist and respect all gods known.
I think 'one religion' = superstition, just as GOD is DOG(read from right) and DOG is GOD,too.
有即是无，无即是有。 色即时空，空既是色。(exist is equal to nothing, nothing is equal to Exist. SEX is equal to nothing, nothing is equal to SEX.)

 

[Tollen]

I am a decisive communist and respect all gods known.
I think 'one religion' = superstition, just as GOD is DOG(read from right) and DOG is GOD,too.
窶猫窶伉ｦﾂ青･ﾂ敕卍，ﾂ敕吮?伉ｦﾂ青･窶猫ﾂ。 ﾂ色窶伉ｦ时窶ｹﾃｳﾂ，窶ｹﾃｳﾅ?ﾃｹﾂ青･ﾂ色ﾂ。(exist is equal to nothing, nothing is equal to Exist. SEX is equal to nothing, nothing is equal to SEX.)

hehe don't have aclue what you mean by any of they? aside from highlightin a simple play on word i don't get your point?

lol it's been a while since I looked at this thread... i think though i've become a lot clearer on my original question...

to me (someone who's never been to japan, only wishes to) japan seems to follow traditions and customs... partly for comfort, partly becaus who knows, it might be true hehe but I don't think this seems to greatly influence their work as I see in england. Religion seems to be put away 9-5 and is something shared with family and close friends on weekends...

please correct me if i'm wrong... i'd like to hear a lot more about atheists/shintoists views on the topic lol and any that're half and half

 

[R1S1N6SUN]

Jedi Religion in Japan

Interesting post Sukotto. Point well taken. Japan is one of the most fertile grounds in the world for new religious movements. Something like the Jedi Religion could well take hold here. I don't know how serious anyone would be about it. Maybe as serious as they would be about The Matrix religion Matrixism.
Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos
Their religious symbol means "red"?

 

[MajideSaiaku]

Is it ok to be an atheist/agnositc?

I've never asked permission.

Japan is mostly a secular society, and most Japanese would fall into the category of soft atheist. A lot of Japanese continue their Buddhist and Christian funerals and memorial services out of tradition, there really isn't any actual belief in either religion.

This is spot on, as far as I know.

You get a cookie.

 

[Mars Man]

I just kind of wanted to change the heading post that we always have staring us in the face when the All Things Japanese fora is opened, and point out one matter, namely, (as I have learned by experience) it is not ok to be agnostic nor atheist when attending a funeral held at one of those nice, hold-all-in-one-room-with-chairs-even funeral service places.

Of course they don't rope you and drag you up to pay your final respects according to the teachings of their religious beliefs, but I have clearly seen negative reactions by those working there as ushers.

Freedom from religion is more needed in the fabric of society here. MM

 

[caster51]

Is it ok to be an atheist/agnositc?
I think it is not ok to be an atheist.
most japanese dont notice that they are so religious.
someone says it a traditoion, custom and superstition
it looks like an unconcern or an atheist to the religion
it is an unconcern for Japaese because a life is Shinto
religious things are not able to be cut in our life
someone might say shint is not a religion.lol
there is no car in japan without charms
if you built a house , you would do ground-breaking ceremony.
japanese life patten is connecting with the shinto
all religion is superstition....

 

[Mars Man]

Other than the second sentence, I fully agree with that understanding, caster51 san. I still feel it would benefit society here, if there were more freedom from religion because then there would most probably be a greater understanding that the individual does have more choice in so many activities in the course of living.

 

[Yan]

I wanted to create a new thread about atheist in Japan but I found this one so I decided to post here.

Is there a lot of atheists in Japan?

PS: I'm atheist so I don't have anything against them.

 

[tokapi]

I am not religious,does it make me an atheist :?

 

[Haruspex]

I think he means people who are downright atheists.

 

[Mycernius]

I am not religious,does it make me an atheist :?

If you do not believe in the existance of any deity then you are an atheist. You can be non-religious and still have a belief in a god. Deists are people who do not follow a religion, but believe in a god of some discription.

 

[Yan]

I don't believe in any surnatural thing and in anything who cannot be explained by science or proved except if it's in link with extraterrests or advanced technologies.

 

[caster51]

I don't believe in any surnatural thing and in anything who cannot be explained by science or proved except if it's in link with extraterrests or advanced technologies.

I dont belieave that.
you never pray for anything?

 

[Yan]

I dont belieave that.
you never pray for anything?

When everything goes bad, I just try to change the situation, I don't pray for anything because I know it will not change the situation. I don't think there's a God because he would be omniscient and omnipotent but with omnipotence, he would be able to do anything and even to put a limit to himself so in a way he's not a God.
Anyway, the God is a human creation. In the old Egypt, Egyptians thought that the Sun was a god, clouds were a god, moon was a god and if we go back in the past, we made war because of religion, because the guy had a different religion. I don't see anything good in believing in God because human invented God only because he didn't know how the universe has been created. In a way, the human invented god because he fears what is unknown.
It's kind of hard to explain to you what I think about that in English, sorry.