Report on religious traditions Religion is Tenrikyo Free Essay Example, 2000 words

According to Dempsey ( 2013) although there are now followers in many countries, this new religion began in Japan in the mid-19th century, and is based upon revelations to a woman called Nakayama Miki, known to her followers as Oyasama. The exact date of the church’s founding is 10/26/1838, the date on which Miki’s husband Zenbei felt he was complying with the wishes of God by accepting his wife as a shrine, that is he was accepting that God was actually dwelling inside his wife. They had married when Miki was only 13, and she has been described as a perfect and virtuous housewife. The events described took place more than 30 years after their marriage ( Let us reason ministries, 2009). In her 40’s a Shino priest was called to the home to carry out some form of "mystical ritual" in order to cure both Miki and her husband. At this time she went into a trance and had her first revelation. She spoke as if the voice of God was actually speaking through her. We will write a custom essay sample on Report on religious traditions Religion is Tenrikyo or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Tenrikyo Church World Headquarters can be found in the city of Tenri, in central Japan. I tis built around Jiba, the place where, according to ancient tradition humankind was first created by God the Parent and, so, symbolically, and according to the faith of believers, is therefore the ancestral home of all people. According to the doctrine of Tenriko, :- In the beginning, the world was a muddy ocean. Tsukihi, God the Parent, finding this chaos unbearably tasteless, thought of creating human beings in order to see the Joyous Life and thus share in that joy. ( Doctrine of Tenriko, Chapter 3, The Truth of Origin). Many of the elements of belief held by followers can be found under the heading Tenrikyo Fundamentals ( translated by Koji Sato, undated). It includes such important topics as there being no distinction between males and females as both are created by God; the need to have a humble mind; the necessity of passing on the message from one generation to the next; making efforts which fit in actions with what you say, that is religion isn’t just about words or even beliefs, but is about actions, about living out one’s faith. . Tsukihi is one of several names followers give to their god, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto being another name meaning the â€Å"Esteemed Sovereign of the Heavenly Intelligence† (Morrigan 2013). According to ‘Let us reason ministries ( 2009) God first showed himself as Kami (the cretaor) and later as Tsuki-hi. This means the moon/sun God and is said to indicate the way God works all the time, both night and day, rather than being a pagan reference to nature worship.