Japan and Christianity

Shrykull · Post by **Shrykull** » 2003-01-26 01:12am

I once worked in this book store with this old woman, one day I told her that I didn't like some of the movies coming out now as compared to some of my old favorites, Total Recall (saw that tonight) , Robocop, Terminator 2 etc. (Didn't mention any of those movies but that's what I meant, some of my old favorites basically.When she mentioned she didn't like some of the modern movies today because of their violence I told her about Japan where they watch more TV and more violence where they have less crime. She said back to me that couldn't be the whole case, that she wasn't stupid and when she sees all this violence in entertainment that there is obviously something going on. She preceded to say "This is going to sound ridiculous but suppose in Japan they are all chained up (metaphorically of course)" I was thinking, isn't Japan a lot like China were they dole out harsh punishments and stress things very hardly. that you can't solely say that Japan's low crime rate is due to the weakness of christianity there. I'm not a huge christianity fan either, but I was wondering maybe if we don't know the whole story. Like I remember the old Nissan Altima commericial that says you can put a pair of ski's lengthwise in your trunk, but what they don't tell you is that you'll have to put the bend the back seats forward, Yes, I'm positive morality can exist with or without Christianity (except for the fundies) but I wonder if we just don't know the whole story that there is some mental conditioning in Japan as well.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-01-26 01:22am

Japan does not have harsh justice; it has a duty-oriented society. Your duty to family, your duty to spouse, your duty to father and mother, your duty to country are all very important. The potential for shame is emphasized. It is a form of social conditioning.

America has a rights-based society. Your right to do this, do that, ignore repercussions, avoid responsibility, etc. Your rights vs my rights. Don't tread on me, I have rights, yadda yadda yadda. Many, if not most Americans even conceptualize all forms of morality as mere clashes of rights, ie- "something is immoral if it infringed upon someone else's rights" or "it is not immoral if it does not infringe upon someone's rights".

These differing approaches are taken as articles of faith, but I think a great many Americans do not even realize that it is possible to construct a system of morality without either A) relying entirely on "rights" or B) appealing to divine authority. Frankly, while I do subscribe to the notion of certain rights, I think that the American tendency to casually dismiss the more duty-oriented nature of other cultures is harmful and pointlessly ethnocentric.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-01-26 01:27am

Also, recently Japan's society has not been working as it was supposed to. Jobs for college graduates haven't been as plentiful so the duty ideal where you do your duty in school and are pretty much assured a good job is breaking down.

It also meant that the juvenile crime rate has increased.

Needless to say, it isn't entertainment nor Christianity.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-01-26 01:34am

neoolong wrote:Also, recently Japan's society has not been working as it was supposed to. Jobs for college graduates haven't been as plentiful so the duty ideal where you do your duty in school and are pretty much assured a good job is breaking down.

It also meant that the juvenile crime rate has increased.

Needless to say, it isn't entertainment nor Christianity.

Many people have said that as Japan is more and more "westernized" kids are trying to break out of their restrictive lives and adopt a more "free" western style---meaning a breakdown of the duty-oriented system.

Small note: There's a connection between this breakdown of traditions and anime.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-01-26 01:59am

True. There has been a lot of Western ideals picked up by the kids. But, if you look at the job rates for college graduates in the recent past, it is a step down from further back.

Perhaps, the Westernization may be helped along by the associated negative feelings that comes with that.

TheDarkOne · Post by **TheDarkOne** » 2003-01-26 04:05pm

Have any of you seen 'Bowling for Columbine' I just watched it last night, its pretty good documentary, and tries to address some of the issues that you're talking about here.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-01-26 09:10pm

Perhaps it is possible to have a culture where both duty and rights exist simultaneously to equally high degree.

Myself, I prize my prize my personal freedom more then anything, and I think that personal freedom is the most important thing on earth, but I also know that my personal freedom does not extend to a situation that would endanger the reliance of others on me. For instance, if my boyfriend is living with me in my apartment, getting myself killed would leave him in trouble since hes relying on me. At that point I'm no longer playing with my life but also his, which would be an infringement on his freedoms (unless he said he didnt mind). However, I also refuse to be bound in a situation where I'm responsible for someone against my will.

In that sense I recognize my duty to those who depend on my WITHIN the constraints of personal freedom, but not to the extent where my duty dominates my life and infringes on my freedoms.

I find it odd how many people don't think the same. LOL