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A Christian Augustinian Response to the Problem of Evil in the Shinto

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A Christian Augustinian Response to the Problem of Evil in the Shinto LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY A CHRISTIAN AUGUSTINIAN RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM OF EVIL IN THE SHINTO RELIGION WITH REFERENCE TO THE THOUGHT OF MOTOORI NORINAGA A THESIS SUBMITTED TO DR. C.F. SMITH IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS FOR A MASTER OF ARTS IN GLOBAL APOLOGETICS BY DELIA URSULESCU LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA APRIL 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ..................................................................................................................................1 View of Shinto ................................................................................................................2 Short Introduction of Norinaga‟s Ideas ...........................................................................4 Intuitive Feelings and Truth ............................................................................................10 Two Aspects of the Shinto Worldview that Affect Its View of Evil ..........................................13 Interconnectedness of kami, humanity, and nature .........................................................13 Purity-Pollution ................................................................................................................18 Purity ....................................................................................................................19 Pollution ..............................................................................................................22 Evil in Motoori Norinaga‟s Thought ..........................................................................................27 Evil in Shinto Mythology.................................................................................................27 Izanagi‟s Visit to Hades ......................................................................................28 Izanagi‟s Purification Ritual ...............................................................................28 Susanoo Myth .....................................................................................................31 Norinaga‟s Interpretation of The Tale of Genji ...............................................................35 Evil in Norinaga‟s Thought ............................................................................................37 Cause of Evil .......................................................................................................37 Definitions of Evil ...............................................................................................37 Evil as Impurity .......................................................................................37 Evil as Inauspiciousness ..........................................................................38 Evil, an Aspect of the Kami Nature ........................................................39 Removal of Evil ..................................................................................................40 A Christian Response to the Shinto Concept of Evil ..................................................................43 Augustine on Evil ...........................................................................................................43 Evil: Norinaga vs. Augustine ..........................................................................................47 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................62 Bibliography ...............................................................................................................................64 ii INTRODUCTION The perennial human quest for an answer to the existence of evil and its results is of interest to every human being as everyone seems to be affected by pain and suffering. Justin Hayward‟s lyrics reveal the more recent cultural Western articulation of the problem of evil: “Why do we never get an answer/ when we‟re knocking at the door?/ With a thousand million questions/ about hate and death and war?”1 Every culture poses this question in one way or another. As pain, suffering, and evil are indisputable realities for Westerners and seemingly widespread illusions for Easterners, in a sense, every person is influenced by evil (or the illusion of evil). The westerner might complain of the propensity of evil while the oriental of the powerful effects of the illusion of evil. Thus, every Weltanschauung has the responsibility to provide an answer or an explanation to the problem of evil. The origin of evil becomes a significant question for those who struggle to understand metaphysical evil. For the worldviews that deny the reality of evil, there is still a need to explain the origin of its illusion; every worldview must address the challenge of evil. The Shinto and Christian positions recognize the reality of evil and attempt to respond in a coherent, comprehensive manner to the challenge it poses, although their answers differ in many aspects. The essence of Japanese culture, Shinto, is an amalgam of ideas and ways of doing things that presents an optimistic worldview. Given Shinto‟s favorable disposition toward life, the question of evil seems even more acute for this system. How does Shinto explain the reality of evil and maintain its optimistic view of the world? Does it overlook the seriousness and reality 1 Justin Hayward, “Question” (Sydney: Essex Music, 1970). 1 of evil? Does the Shinto position offer a realistic response or an inadequate answer to the problem of evil? This thesis attempts to discover and respond critically to these questions with reference to the thought of Motoori Norinaga, an eighteenth century Shinto scholar, and compare the Shinto view to an Augustinian Christian response. J.W.T. Mason affirmed that we “know far more about the significance of the conceptions of ancient Egypt, dead for thousands of years, than about the significance of Shinto which is the most virile factor in the life of Japan.”2 He points out the considerable deficiency in the area of Shinto studies, though Western scholarship of Shinto has made great advances in the last few decades. Various reasons have been offered to explain the situation, but two in particular have appeared in numerous writings and relate to the nature of Shinto: 1) its intuitive character; and 2) its lack of philosophical sophistication. These Shinto characteristics will become evident as the study progresses. However, before undertaking the task of understanding the Shinto concept of evil, several ideas need to be addressed: 1) the view of Shinto referred to in this paper; 2) a brief introduction to Norinaga‟s ideas; and 3) intuition, the Shinto epistemological approach to truth. I will then explain two foundational aspects of the Shinto worldview, and Norinaga‟s concept of evil, followed by a Christian response. View of Shinto The term “Shinto” covers many different types of religious expressions that developed over the course of Japanese history. From the animistic, primitive form to the official state religion to the various indigenous folk practices, Shinto can signify a range of diffuse beliefs. The constant influx of foreign influences stimulated Shinto adherents to refine or transform their views throughout the years. However, in each case, the old beliefs were not discarded but 2 J.W.T. Mason, The Meaning of Shinto: The Primæval Foundation of Creative Spirit in Modern Japan (Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat Press, 1967), 3. 2 altered. At the same time, this indigenous religion also acted as an agent of transformation on the foreign traditions. In addition, it is significant that most foreign beliefs that survived in Japan were the ones congenial to the indigenous tradition. This syncretistic approach of the Japanese and the continuous exchange of ideas between various systems produced a difficulty in defining Shinto. Employing the analogy of a tree, Robert J. Wargo describes it as the molding and sustaining factor of religious and philosophical thought: Shintoist orientation is like the root system of a tree that has been subjected to massive pruning and shaping by external forces. It is the shape and interlacing network of branches that excite one‟s interest and admiration; but it is the roots— which store and send back up vital nutrients—that underlie the dynamism of growth and revitalize the cultural tree, which otherwise would die from injury to its above-ground parts.3 As Wargo suggests, from an anthropological point-of-view, Shinto refers to the core Japanese roots underpinning the Japanese culture. In the study of various traditions found in Japan, scholars repeatedly describe concepts as “clearly Japanese” or “purely Shintoist.” The frequent interchangeable use of “Japanese” and “Shinto” demonstrate that the latter term refers to some cultural Japanese tendencies and not only to the indigenous religion of the people. These purely Japanese ideas form the basis of Norinaga‟s view of Shinto called “Pure Shinto,” or the “Way of the Gods”—or thus the Nationalist scholars affirm. This is the revived version of ancient Shinto as understood by the proponents of the National Learning movement. As the meaning of Shinto analyzed and referred to in this thesis is “Pure Shinto,” this section will present its core concepts. At the foundation of Pure Shinto lies the belief in the divinity of the emperor and, thus, the reverence for the Imperial House. Always an integral factor of the indigenous religion, belief in the divine origin of the emperor was fully embraced by the nationalists.
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