Religious Field Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religious Field - Research Paper Example However, the research study indicates that many of the Japanese are members of the Shinto cult, and it has become one of the most powerful religious cults in nationwide with many religious believers. The Shinto has their own valuable books that include the Nihongi, which is the Japanese chronicles, and the Kojiki, which is the ancient events chronicles. Shinto, an indigenous faith of the Japanese people remains their main religious conviction beside Buddhism. Thus, the research paper analyzes the way different religious beliefs and practices may contribute to misconceptions, therefore, indicating the way to overcome such misconceptions. Shinto, unlike other religious cults, is one of the religious beliefs and practices, which may be possible to follow. The needs and traditional practices of Shinto rather than Shinto doctrines determine their practices. The Shinto practices takes into considerations four significant aspects including Kami as the integral part for love of nature, purif ication rites or physical cleanliness, tradition and family as well as festival and ceremonies. The Shinto believers have some aspects, which are similar to Buddhism, hence becoming easier for anyone from Buddhist to join and follow their aspects easily. This is because some practices such as death rituals are similar to Buddhist people, but Shinto focus mostly on live events such as honoring Kami, birth and marriage (Kallen, 2002). They have permanent areas for worshipping their Kami that are in the form, of shrines, vast complexes and each of them operates differently from one another. The priesthood in Shinto is taken as a family affair; thus, it passed from parents to their siblings. The people in each shrine dedicate themselves to Kami. The Shinto religious believers’ value varied Shinto texts, which contain the legends and historical events based upon their religion instead of being Holy Scriptures. Some of the Shinto texts are the Jinno Shotoki, Kojiki, the text for re cords of issues in the ancient times, Nihongi, Rokkokushi and many others. This books or Shinto texts create a misunderstanding with other religious beliefs and practices. This is because of the way they present their Shinto practices and their beliefs upon the creation of Japanese. The two significant and valued texts include the Kojiki and Nihongi, which provides the legendary stories about the creation or the existence of the Japanese into their being. The two books explain the way Kami (Shinto gods) created the ancient Japanese (Littleton 2002, p. 34). They reveal about the male and female who-invites (Izanagi and Izanami) respectively and the way they gave birth to the Japanese land. After the death of Izanami, Izanagi made a journey find her, but he found the maggot crawling with her decayed body. The Izanagi fled back to the living land being horrified, and he entered inside the water in order to purify himself. In the process of purification, the Izanagi encountered with the Sun Goddess, who is the greatest Kami while washing the left eye side (Kasulis, 2004). When he started washing the right one, the Moon Kami appeared to him. The Izanagi struggled to maintain peace in the land for many decades, but the Sun Goddess decided to send to them the grandson, Ninigi as their king to govern them (Bowker, 2012). This reveals the way Shinto is unique from other religious scriptures across the globe. For instance, the Christian texts explain the creation story of Adam and Eve