“CONVERTS” TO SHINTOISM.
By W. N. G.
I. L. Atkinson, D. D., a missionary of the American Board, writes to the N. Y. Independent about a press rumor that three Americans and a German had become converts to Shintoism at Nagasaki, Japan. The German consul had been asked to inquire about a young man from his country whose parents had lost track of him, and he in turn requested Dr. Atkinson to assist him. As the name was similar to the name of the German who was said to have been “converted” to the Shinto religion, an inquiry was instituted by letter to the temple authorities. The convert did not prove to be the man for whom inquiry was made, but the mode of conversion was incidentally found out. The men in question have Japanese wives, or housekeepers, who became adherents to the Shinto temple at Nagasaki. Each one was required to pay a fee of fifty sen—twenty-five cents—in consideration of which she was assured that through the influence of the gods thus propitiated she would be protected from sickness and other physical evils, and that the same good influence would be extended to her family. It was said to be necessary, however, that the names of all those included in this general benefit be recorded in the membership book of the temple. In this way the four men were enrolled as converts to the “ancient and celebrated” sect without their knowledge. This manner of conversion will no doubt cause a smile on the countenance of many a Christian who may read of the incident, but it is not quite as bad as a noted means of making “Christians” in our own country. In 1893 our U. S. Supreme Court solemnly declared that “this is a Christian nation,” when less than one-third of the population were even enrolled on the temple records. So with all our boasted “Christian civilization” we can not consistently criticise the superstition of Shintoism.