RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN JAPANESE SCHOOLS

Religious Education in Japanese Schools

Religious Education in Japanese Schools

Introduction

Japanese education before the restoration of 1868 was strongly ethical and religious. Ethical works were considered most worthy the attention of serious men. But in recent years the old classics have been read less and less, and although a good deal of ethics has been taught, the lack of faith on the part of pupils and of sincerity on the part of teachers has robbed it of much of its power. The chief authority of the teacher of ethics in the government schools is the Imperial Rescript on Education, which was issued fifteen years ago. (Bowring, 1993)

Discussion

It is a document of less than a page of an ordinary book, composed of Shinto and Confucian elements, exhorting subjects to loyalty toward their sovereign and to faithfulness toward their fellow countrymen and to readiness to sacrifice for the public good, and all for the sake of shedding still greater luster upon the eternal Imperial House and upon all ancestors.(James,1991) The teaching which is based upon this rescript naturally tends to bolster up the doctrine of the semidivine nature of the Imperial House and of ancestors. This is, of course, done for patriotic and political reasons by not a few publicists and teachers, who themselves hold the doctrine with large reservations. (Kenna, 1994)

On the other hand, leading teachers are trying to put ethics on the purely utilitarian or narrowly rational basis, divorcing ethics entirely from religious sanctions. The result is that many young students are in distress, having been forced to distrust the old religions and being given nothing but stones for bread. This has given rise to widespread despondency and bewilderment.(Bowring,1993) Only a few days ago the minister of education, Mr. Makino, the late minister to Austria, a serious-minded man, issued a special order, calling attention to the present unrest and immorality among students and urging teachers and parents to discourage such tendencies by every means in their power.(Brannen,1993)

One result of this present state of mind is an eagerness to grasp at any straw of hope. This has led to a remarkable popularity for the doctrines of Nietzsche and for mysticism, but their vogue is passing, for they have failed to satisfy men's cravings to aggravate the situation, the former reverence for teachers and for the authority of the classics has weakened, and with it the distinctive virtues of the educated man in former times—humility, gentleness, truthfulness and deference to authority, have noticeably declined.

The inrush of modern civilization, with the accompanying study of science, economics and the work of Mill, Bentham, Huxley and Spencer, has given rise to liberalism in politics, utilitarianism in ethics, and irreverence or indifference toward religion. The slogans of the day are, accordingly, natural law, imperial expansion and trade. Financial success is a word to conjure with, and money-making without either the old contempt for wealth or the altruism of Christian faith is one of the greatest menaces of modern ...