Why is Japan better than the US?

[DamianWarS]

People often talk about the US getting a special blessing from God and this is because of their Christian heritage, past and present. Yet on a global scale, although the US is ranked in the top it doesn't hit the number one spot. Japan, on the other hand, is currently outranking the US but it actually is considered an unreached nation with something like 2% of the population being Christian. Japan has very little Christian heritage and often has played the bad guys in global affairs. So why does Japan deserve to be blessed over the US or is this country based merit system just silliness we tell each other to feel better?

 

[HTacianas]

People often talk about the US getting a special blessing from God and this is because of their Christian heritage, past and present. Yet on a global scale, although the US is ranked in the top it doesn't hit the number one spot. Japan, on the other hand, is currently outranking the US but it actually is considered an unreached nation with something like 2% of the population being Christian. Japan has very little Christian heritage and often has played the bad guys in global affairs. So why does Japan deserve to be blessed over the US or is this country based merit system just silliness we tell each other to feel better?

The US built modern Japan.

 

[Resha Caner]

I don't believe the U.S. has a special blessing, nor do I believe national economic indicators are a measure of God's favor, nor do I believe many people know where to look for a blessing.

 

[JCFantasy23]

I don't believe the U.S. has a special blessing, nor do I believe national economic indicators are a measure of God's favor, nor do I believe many people know where to look for a blessing.

This. ^ Some of the highest populations of faith, or strength of faith, can be found in poorer and more destitute regions.

I'm sorry to hear Japan is only 2% Christian, though - very low.

 

[chevyontheriver]

People often talk about the US getting a special blessing from God and this is because of their Christian heritage, past and present. Yet on a global scale, although the US is ranked in the top it doesn't hit the number one spot. Japan, on the other hand, is currently outranking the US but it actually is considered an unreached nation with something like 2% of the population being Christian. Japan has very little Christian heritage and often has played the bad guys in global affairs. So why does Japan deserve to be blessed over the US or is this country based merit system just silliness we tell each other to feel better?

Japan is dying by failing to reproduce. So while Japan has some indication of being 'better', there is something profoundly wrong there when childless people die and nobody knows until the stench of the rotting body becomes so overwhelming that the police are called to break down the door of their apartment. Japan is not particularly blessed.

Demography is destiny, and Japan may already have reached the cliff where their population will not be able to recover from population collapse. The future there does not look bright at all. Maybe that 2% of the population has a different attitude about reproduction and will do what they can about it.

 

[DamianWarS]

The US built modern Japan.

Modern Japan is an unreached nation with 2% Christians. What role did the US play (or not play) in this low Gospel penetration? Or is that part not important when building a nation?

 

[Resha Caner]

Modern Japan is an unreached nation with 2% Christians. What role did the US play (or not play) in this low Gospel penetration? Or is that part not important when building a nation?

The American government (mainly MacArthur) made a conscious decision to protect traditional Japanese beliefs during the post-war era.

 

[HTacianas]

Modern Japan is an unreached nation with 2% Christians. What role did the US play (or not play) in this low Gospel penetration? Or is that part not important when building a nation?

The US does not evangelize. The US did however write the Japanese constitution, rebuilt their industries, and allowed them favorable privileges in exporting products to the US. Without all of that and, quite frankly, the reasonable nature of the Japanese, they would not be where they are today.

 

[DamianWarS]

Japan is dying by failing to reproduce. So while Japan has some indication of being 'better', there is something profoundly wrong there when childless people die and nobody knows until the stench of the rotting body becomes so overwhelming that the police are called to break down the door of their apartment. Japan is not particularly blessed.

Demography is destiny, and Japan may already have reached the cliff where their population will not be able to recover from population collapse. The future there does not look bright at all. Maybe that 2% of the population has a different attitude about reproduction and will do what they can about it.

By contrast is the US in active increase or decrease in regards to spiritual health?

 

[FireDragon76]

The American government (mainly MacArthur) made a conscious decision to protect traditional Japanese beliefs during the post-war era.

Separation of Church and State was what MacArthur imposed upon Japan, more or less.

Interestingly enough, MacArthur was an Episcopalian. He seemed to have hoped Japan would willingly adopt Christianity and that would produce closer ties to the US, but he was also a liberal minded person and wasn't about to impose it upon the Japanese people.

The presence of Shin Buddhism in Japan, I believe, serves the spiritual needs of many Japanese people, and is the reason that Christianity has not had much success there. Interestingly enough, Shinran, the founder of the Shin sect, had a life story very similar to Luther, and there are many parallels to the Lutheran or Reformed religion. The Rev. Alfred Bloom actually went to Japan as a Fundamentalist Baptist missionary and ended up becoming a Buddhist himself because he underestimated the spirituality of the Japanese people. He wanted to know how to communicate grace to Japanese people, and he discovered they were familiar with the concept in their native religion.

Japan actually does have a Christian heritage, particularly around the city of Nagasaki. It was the scene of one of the largest martyrdoms in Christian history. The book by Japanese Catholic, Shusaku Endo, Silence, and the associated Martin Scorsese film, deal with this time period and the question of what it means to be a Japanese Christian. It's a very moving but challenging story and particularly resonates with me as a Lutheran.

 

[Silverback]

I don't believe the U.S. has a special blessing, nor do I believe national economic indicators are a measure of God's favor, nor do I believe many people know where to look for a blessing.

Well, that's hard to say. God established human governments, and we are to be subject to them, and we should not speak evil of the ruler of our people.

I believe God has blessed individual nations from time to time, both by miracles, and in a providential way.

However, I do not believe the U.S. has any type of "special" arrangement with God.

I do think there have been times in our history when we have received his blessing, and his chastisement as well.

 

[DamianWarS]

The US does not evangelize. The US did however write the Japanese constitution, rebuilt their industries, and allowed them favorable privileges in exporting products to the US. Without all of that and, quite frankly, the reasonable nature of the Japanese, they would not be where they are today.

I'm missing your point. Does the US have special favour from God or not? Perhaps Japan was some sort of project of the US but they had their own economic gain in doing so and it's not the only nation they have "helped". We cheer when the US helps but when China builds infrastructure in poor nations it's a different sentiment. In the end it seems the Gospel wasn't valuable enough to export but now Japan is considered a better place to live in than the US yet is dominantly un-evangelized.

 

[Resha Caner]

By contrast is the US in active increase or decrease in regards to spiritual health?

Again, nations are political entities. The U.S. doesn't have a "spiritual health" ... Or are you referring to geographic regions, cultures, something like that?

 

[Resha Caner]

Separation of Church and State was what MacArthur imposed upon Japan, more or less.

Kinda. He made a lot of concessions to avoid what he feared would be a blood bath if he pushed too hard. So, it was more a matter of laying the groundwork for an eventual removal of the Emperor to a ceremonial position rather than enforcing it immediately.

 

[Jonaitis]

Actually, Japan isn't as "blessed" as Westerners make it out to be. It is a very secretive nation, very sensitive to showing the public the problem in their society. They pride themselves in many things, but they are afraid of having a bad image from a lot of the societal problems swallowing them under. Suicide rate is one of the greatest epidemics, people don't realize how bad it really is. However, they don't want to address it as much, because it will affect their image. Marriage rates are falling, homelessness is on the rise, more people are living with their parents (hikikomori), etc. There is a lot of cavities that aren't being addressed that will corrode the future generation, all because they are way too proud to talk about it. It is sad, but things are going to get so bad there that everyone will see it.

 

[FireDragon76]

Kinda. He made a lot of concessions to avoid what he feared would be a blood bath if he pushed too hard. So, it was more a matter of laying the groundwork for an eventual removal of the Emperor to a ceremonial position rather than enforcing it immediately.

I actually think that was unjust interference in their religion, and shameful from a human rights standpoint. But at the time no doubt, it was highly popular as most Americans did not care to understand the dynamics of Japanese Meiji politics.

 

[DamianWarS]

Separation of Church and State was what MacArthur imposed upon Japan, more or less.

Interestingly enough, MacArthur was an Episcopalian. He seemed to have hoped Japan would willingly adopt Christianity and that would produce closer ties to the US, but he was also a liberal minded person and wasn't about to impose it upon the Japanese people.

The presence of Shin Buddhism in Japan, I believe, serves the spiritual needs of many Japanese people, and is the reason that Christianity has not had much success there. Interestingly enough, Shinran, the founder of the Shin sect, had a life story very similar to Luther, and there are many parallels to the Lutheran or Reformed religion. The Rev. Alfred Bloom actually went to Japan as a Fundamentalist Baptist missionary and ended up becoming a Buddhist himself because he underestimated the spirituality of the Japanese people. He wanted to know how to communicate grace to Japanese people, and he already discovered they were familiar with the concept in their native religion.

Japan actually does have a Christian heritage, particularly around the city of Nagasaki. It was the scene of one of the largest martyrdoms in Christian history. The book by Japanese Catholic Shusaku Endo, Silence, and the associated Martin Scorsese film, deal with this time period and the question of what it means to be a Japanese Christian. It's a very moving but challenging story and particularly resonates with me as a Lutheran.

Perhaps with Macarthur his role wasn't about evangelism but it is the churches role. Were missionaries barred from the country post-war?

There was also a Christian community in Nagasaki but then a big bomb hit their city (quite close to that community) which just circles back to the OP. Even with this loss and decrease of Christian presence they have rose to be one of the best nations on earth.

 

[DamianWarS]

Actually, Japan isn't as "blessed" as Westerners make it out to be. It is a very secretive nation, very sensitive to showing the public the problem in their society. They pride themselves in many things, but they are afraid of having a bad image from a lot of the societal problems swallowing them under. Suicide rate is one of the greatest epidemics, people don't realize how bad it really is. However, they don't want to address it as much, because it will affect their image. Marriage rates are falling, homelessness is on the rise, more people are living with their parents (hikikomori), etc. There is a lot of cavities that aren't being addressed that will corrode the future generation, all because they are way too proud to talk about it. It is sad, but things are going to get so bad there that everyone will see it.

By contrast which direction is the US headed toward? Are they in denial about their problems too?

 

[FireDragon76]

Actually, Japan isn't as "blessed" as Westerners make it out to be. It is a very secretive nation, very sensitive to showing the public the problem in their society. They pride themselves in many things, but they are afraid of having a bad image from a lot of the societal problems swallowing them under. Suicide rate is one of the greatest epidemics, people don't realize how bad it really is. However, they don't want to address it as much, because it will affect their image. Marriage rates are falling, homelessness is on the rise, more people are living with their parents (hikikomori), etc. There is a lot of cavities that aren't being addressed that will corrode the future generation, all because they are way too proud to talk about it. It is sad, but things are going to get so bad there that everyone will see it.

I don't see it as dire. I see no reason to be down on Asian societies simply because they aren't historically Christian. Asian cultures are remarkably enduring and resilient. Confucius was a brilliant man and he laid the foundations for enduring civic life for thousands of years. He intuitively understood that human beings are fundamentally social in nature, that how we treat one another matters, and that a just society would seek the common good (hence the Confucian ideal of Dàtóng, "Great Harmony", a vision not unlike the Hebrew prophets, who lived around the same time period).

 

[DamianWarS]

Again, nations are political entities. The U.S. doesn't have a "spiritual health" ... Or are you referring to geographic regions, cultures, something like that?

I'm referring to the make up of nations that is used to measure spiritual favour.

Church and state are separate in the US yet there are political moves to win favour from religious bodies, namely conservative Christians, and religious bodies may promote political candidates, something that is illegal in other countries.

If these political moves are said to contribute to spiritual blessing then this has a lot to do with politics.