World Religions

I was slightly surprised by the Shinto festivals. It is difficult to kind these kind of things worship with all the drinking and vulgarity and goings on. Mostly, however, it is the celebration that compares. Their idea of ritual worship is looser than ours, so actually can be put on the same level as their rituals. For one thing, they mostly take place at shrines, the holy places scattered throughout Japan. They also follow certain traditions, passed down through generations. One could also say their differences are their similarities. Each shrine or town differs in their methods of worship, as well as the manner of their festivals. I have trouble calling drinking and partying religious, but I guess the psychotropic effects of some drugs could qualify as having a religious experience. After all, what better way to thank your God than throw a big party, rather than sit down and have a chat, like prayers. If I were a God, all that reverence and worship stuff would make me uncomfortable, make me feel like something that was better than I actually was. With the partying, it brings me down and allows me tor relate to my followers, get to know them better, and still allow them to celebrate me. I feel a little bigoted talking about me as a God, but thats the gist of what I get.

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