Faith

OK - Who here saw "The Last Samurai?" Most people, I'd think. If you recall the last few lines of the movie for a moment, they went something like this: "Whatever happened to the American captain? Some say he died of his wounds. Others say that he returned to his own country. But I like to think that he finally found a bit of peace that he could call his own."

Keeping that in mind, I live in a small town (Seya) which is part of a big city (Yokohama) which is part of a big prefecture (Kanagawa) which is just outside Tokyo. Seya is a great place and I like it a lot. It's very peaceful and quiet and has nice scenery and nice people. It's the kind of place one might like to move post-retirement. You might say it's a "bit of peace that [I can] finally call my own." I know that's kind of pompous of me, to treat Seya like it is my own, but on some level, from my point of view, it is. And I care for this place.

However, this week, I chanced to meet two people who were (from a certain point of view) fouling up this nice peace that I had found. They were Americans, of course. Mormon missionaries, they said. That was just what I needed. They are trying to convince a people (the majority of whom do not believe in even a single God) that Mormonism is right for them.

(Before you continue reading, I just want to say that in writing this, I mean no offense to the Mormon religion or anyone affiliated with it. These were just my thoughts at the time, and are chronicled as such.)

Switching gears for a minute, the Japanese have an immensely rich cultural background when it comes to religion. For those who don't know, first there is Shintoism, the native (polytheistic) religion of the Japanese, still practiced in high numbers today. There are also several sects of Buddhism, which was initially brought over from China with Taoism between the fourth and seventh centuries. Though Taoism isn't too big here, Buddhism is, and the sects that are practiced here are Japan-specific. That is, to say, I don't know anywhere else where Rinzai, Shingon, Shugendo, Pure-Land, or Tendai Buddhism is practiced. (Zen is so popular now in America, I can't be sure.) So that's three religions. Catholicism also came over here a long time ago and was popular for awhile, though not nearly as popular as Shintoism or Buddhism. There are also lesser known Japanese-native religions (hint - onmyodo!) that exist. My point is this: Japan has such a variety of options that are not only rich in imagery and composed of a variety of ideas, but that all of these religions have withstood the test of time. All of them were started over two millenia ago.

With such great traditions to choose from, why would they need something like Mormonism? I mean, someone please tell me if there's something I'm missing. I mean, I am a pretty well-versed man when it comes to religion. I know about the whole Joseph Smith thing and that they believe that Jesus came to America when he was finished in Jerusalem (yes, post-Ressurrection). I've even been to Hill Cumorah (the place where Mr. Smith supposedly wrote and hid the Book of Mormon and where it was later unearthed) and witnessed the pageant they hold there every year on the origins of their faith.

However, even knowing all of this, I couldn't take it. What makes it worse is that I didn't get the impression that they were speakers of any degree of Japanese. This means that either they are mostly trying to convert people who either cannot understand them, or can barely understand them. This means that even if they did "increase enrollment" at their church, would these people really *believe?* I think not.

Adding insult to injury, their nametags had the word "Elder" before thier last names. Mind you, these people had no more than five years on me, and even men of twenty-seven are by no means "elders" of any kind. It really infuriated me that they would take such a dignified title for themselves, probably just because it sounded good. I'm doing better now, but I really wanted to fly off the handle and sack one of them.

And then, they told me that they had a recently built church nearby and it would be great to see me there. I said "OK" and waved goodbye like the gentleman I am, but I really wanted to say something along the lines of Eddie Izzard's "Well, I'm not from your country...:" "You know... I'm a bit conflicted. I really do like the idea of having multiple wives, but at the same time, I don't believe in your god."