The Invention of a New Religion
The Invention of a New Religion
Book Excerpt
olute fealty of his subjects. Such things as laws and
constitutions are but free gifts on His part, not in any sense
popular rights. Of course, the ministers and officials, high
and low, who carry on His government, are to be regarded not
as public servants, but rather as executants of supreme--one
might say supernatural--authority. Shinto, because connected
with the Imperial Family, is to be alone honoured. Therefore,
the important right of burial, never before possessed by it,
was granted to its priests. Later on, the right of marriage
was granted likewise--an entirely novel departure in a land
where marriage had never been more than a civil contract. Thus
the Shinto priesthood was encouraged to penetrate into the
intimacy of family life, while in another direction it
encroached on the field of ethics by borrowing bits here and
there from Confucian and even from Christian sources. Under a
regime of ostensible religious toleration, the attendance of
officials at certain Shinto services was required, a
FREE EBOOKS AND DEALS
(view all)Popular books in Religion, Essays, Travel, Philosophy
Readers reviews
0.0
LoginSign up
Be the first to review this book
Popular questions
(view all)Books added this week
(view all)
No books found