The Japan Times has an excellent article on the current state of Shinto. I find this fascinating since we are currently in a struggle with another militant religion and some parallels can be drawn while keeping a realistic perspective on the differences between militant Islam and Shinto. The real comparison is that Shinto was used as a tool, or even and excuse, to expand military and political agendas through force. Militant Islam is used much the same way to blind followers and even scare them into serving a violent agenda. But, when all is said and done, culture can change, even at a price.
After World War II, the late Emperor Showa changed the state's role in Shinto when -- at the behest of Allied Occupation forces -- he publicly renounced the idea that he was a living god. A new Constitution was enacted that ensured freedom of religion and the separation of church and state.
These days, Shinto pamphlets intended for foreign audiences stress the faith's respect for the environment -- yet Shinto's basic tenets still haven't changed much.
Read the whole article to get a sense of where Shinto is today. Can Islam be reverted back to a religion instead of a battle cry? Consider that this story in the Japan Times is about the dramatic change to Shinto around sixty years ago. As for Islam, we may not know in our lifetime.
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Wretched Human Mirror by Bloodbath