Is it possible for a African/Black person to convert to Shintoism?

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by shinagawa

Shinto is more undeveloped than other major religions. There might be room for
development because it is undeveloped. It tends to be seemed that there is no
constancy from the person of the monotheism well.

Under developed ~how~?. And by 'constancy' do you mean 'consistency'?

[bELyVIS]

Originally Posted by shinagawa

Shinto is more undeveloped than other major religions. There might be room for
development because it is undeveloped. It tends to be seemed that there is no
constancy from the person of the monotheism well.

Maybe uncommercialized might be a better word. But all organized religion is commercialized to some extent.

[IamAflyingSquid]

Like some have said. in shinto there is no conversion process, you just start practicing.

[IamAflyingSquid]

Originally Posted by Columbine

It's difficult to practice shintoism outside japan, or find shrines because the Kami tend to be connected to specific geographical locations. You can't export the kami of a sacred tree like you can Jesus.

Then again, Shintoism is about one of the most pragmatic religions I've ever come across. There's a great tale of a man who owned a pharmacy who got fed up of the drunks urinating down the alley beside his shop. He got a large rock and some rope that looked like the kind they tie around sacred objects and plonked it in the alley. Lo and behold, people stopped peeing in the ally. Gradually people started leaving coins on the rock. Then they started asking which kami it was for. Ever the entrepreneur, the pharmacist said it was the kami of ear medicine. Now there's a shrine there. Hows that for making the gods work for you?

kami or the divine is everywhere in shinto. It is the omnipresent divine animating force of all things. this is the heart of animistic practice. You dont need the specific kami associated with X oak tree in japan.

[Ronin4hire]

People have to make the distinction between Shintoism and Shinto.

Shintoism being the religion that the Meiji era government invented out of Shinto in order to "modernise". (In their attempt to modernise quickly and compete with the West Japan sought to at first emulate various Western models and took the idea of a monarchy backed up by the legitimacy of a state religion from the Europeans).

Shinto is a pre-modern set of traditions and beliefs but I wouldn't call it a religion.

If I remember correctly, for something to be called a religion by academic standards it has to have a founder, a holy book and a philosophy/ideology.

Shinto has none of that.

The majority of Japan is non-religious but many still observe Shinto traditions and some even have their own personal beliefs which stem from that.

If you ask Japanese people about the religion of Shinto in my experience (and this is backed up by my religious studies teacher that I had in Japan), the Meiji era religion that was created will probably spring to mind rather than the beliefs of their ancestors.

Bottom line.. as I understand it you can only be called Shintoist if you believe the Emperor of Japan to be a God etc.

Having a belief in spirits which the pre-modern Japanese had will not make you a Shintoist in the eyes of Japanese people. It will just make you someone with personal beliefs in spirits.

[IamAflyingSquid]

Originally Posted by Ronin4hire

People have to make the distinction between Shintoism and Shinto.

Shintoism being the religion that the Meiji era government invented out of Shinto in order to "modernise". (In their attempt to modernise quickly and compete with the West Japan sought to at first emulate various Western models and took the idea of a monarchy backed up by the legitimacy of a state religion from the Europeans).

Shinto is a pre-modern set of traditions and beliefs but I wouldn't call it a religion.

If I remember correctly, for something to be called a religion by academic standards it has to have a founder, a holy book and a philosophy/ideology.

Shinto has none of that.

The majority of Japan is non-religious but many still observe Shinto traditions and some even have their own personal beliefs which stem from that.

If you ask Japanese people about the religion of Shinto in my experience (and this is backed up by my religious studies teacher that I had in Japan), the Meiji era religion that was created will probably spring to mind rather than the beliefs of their ancestors.

Bottom line.. as I understand it you can only be called Shintoist if you believe the Emperor of Japan to be a God etc.

Having a belief in spirits which the pre-modern Japanese had will not make you a Shintoist in the eyes of Japanese people. It will just make you someone with personal beliefs in spirits.

Shintoism is essentially Japanese Paganism. Of course it is more complicated than just that as there are other influences in modern shintoism. I agree with you though that shintoism can be many different things, we could be talking about state shinto, folk shinto, sect shinto etc.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Ronin4hire

Bottom line.. as I understand it you can only be called Shintoist if you believe the Emperor of Japan to be a God etc.

No one believes the Emperor is a god anymore, so no one can be a Shintoist?

[Ronin4hire]

Originally Posted by MMM

No one believes the Emperor is a god anymore, so no one can be a Shintoist?

That is correct as far as I understand

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by MMM

Wow. That is quite a judgement to be making.

In Japan such opinions of religion are not considered to be so judgemental.
I know you know that.

I hear much "stronger" (from a western point of view) things said quite often when the topic arises and it's not said with an air of confrontation or negativity even.

That said, I take the "undeveloped" to mean that most people who consider themselves to believe in Shintoism often don't have a solid set of beliefs in common.

Note: As an example, there are heaps of people who consider themselves Shintoist but don't think anything of the Emperor.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by RealJames

In Japan such opinions of religion are not considered to be so judgemental.
I know you know that.

I hear much "stronger" (from a western point of view) things said quite often when the topic arises and it's not said with an air of confrontation or negativity even.

That said, I take the "undeveloped" to mean that most people who consider themselves to believe in Shintoism often don't have a solid set of beliefs in common.

Note: As an example, there are heaps of people who consider themselves Shintoist but don't think anything of the Emperor.

Calling a belief system that has been around for well over 1000 years, "undeveloped" is a judgement and a negative one.

Are you telling me that many Japanese also consider Shinto to be "underdeveloped"? I would be surprised if you could find 5 Japanese that thought Shinto needed some serious work to mature.

Saying a belief system has "room for development" clearly states that the belief system needs to improve and mature. It is implies that the belief system is incomplete.

Come back and look at Shinto in 200 years and it will look essentially the same as it does today.

Like I said, no one believes the Emperor is a god. I do not believe you must believe that to be a practicing Shintoist, just as there are practicing Christians that don't believe Jesus Christ actually rose from the dead and flew into the sky.