I doubt their atheist as in they don't believe in god and reject the whole God concept. Since there are pictures of them at the shinto temple in their shunkan uniform you can bet their shintoist. But as many people have said religion in Japan is literally treated as culture and so many of them aren't as "religious" as others are. I also highly doubt their christian/catholic because if they were, its only natural they would have voiced opinions about god and Jesus or mentioned them at some point which they haven't and they won't of gone into a temple Hong Kong as the bible states not to worship idols of any sort....

no I'm not christian or catholic...

Many Japanese people say they are born Shinto, they marry Christian and die
Buddhist !
Most of my Japanese friends have a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist shrine in
their home "Just to play safe" ! as they say.
Of the Japanese population of 127 million only 1% are Christian.

tonymiller wrote:Of the Japanese population of 127 million only 1% are Christian.

Is that figure based on self-identification?

@All Of Treasures
It is from the last Japanese cenus but over 80% put Shinto and Buddhism as
their religion.

The whole concept of religion in Japan is so vague that if you ask someone what is their religion in Japan, they wouldn't really be able to answer.

This is a country that used to worship the Emperor, persecuted Christians and other faiths, locked themselves up for a couple of centuries, and then some American dudes pretty much just told them "Yeahhh, that ain't gonna fly anymore guys."

So now they are stuck in theological limbo, unsure of what to believe in anymore, and so....

Their culture becomes religion.

I love Japan.

@Paladinoras
I love Japan because they take what they like from other countries but leave what they don't like !

That seems like a sound approach to take! It sounds like a fascinating place. I'd like to go there one day.


Do people of Japanese descent who live in other countries have a lesser or greater sense of religion?

Well that really depends on the individual but with younger families these days according to my mum's friend they don't seem so religious....

They probably don't have a religion, like most of Japan nowadays.

But they did start the worldwide religion of SCANDALism

I think they do have one, but they are provably not really religious, as with most of the Japanese now a days, as Paladinoras said, it is like their culture became their religion.

For example, I am catholic, but more in name then practice maybe, but still...

tenjounokaze wrote:I love the back-and-forth fighting over Mami - so entertaining.

I agree it is very entertaining.

tonymiller wrote:@Paladinoras
I love Japan because they take what they like from other countries but leave what they don't like !

Same here mate

hmmm...

i was just curious about this line in their song Appletachi no Dengon ---> "Tooimukashi ochita adamu to ibu no ringo wa Jukusareteku tabi amai mitsu to himitsu no doku wo masu" and the english translation of that line is
"Adam and Eve's apple that fell long ago Each time it ripens, the sweet nectar and secret poison increase"
the writer of that song is TOMOMI & yuichi..
so.. i was thinking about.. how would they know adam & eve(in the bible of christians) .hmmm.
i am a christian and i think.. they wont know adam and eve if they arent a christian or reading bible..well..it was just my opinion..
i was just curious here..

reine0314 wrote:i was just curious about this line in their song Appletachi no Dengon ---> "Tooimukashi ochita adamu to ibu no ringo wa Jukusareteku tabi amai mitsu to himitsu no doku wo masu" and the english translation of that line is
"Adam and Eve's apple that fell long ago Each time it ripens, the sweet nectar and secret poison increase"
the writer of that song is TOMOMI & yuichi..
so.. i was thinking about.. how would they know adam & eve(in the bible of christians) .hmmm.
i am a christian and i think.. they wont know adam and eve if they arent a christian or reading bible..well..it was just my opinion..
i was just curious here..

On countrary you don't have to christian AND know about the Genesis (Adam and Eve) its not neccessary to even read the bible you just get told by "someone" about Adam and Eve.... I'm buddhist and apart from the fact I go to a catholic school I knew of the story about Adam and Eve.... before hand that is .cool.

Err... I'm not a christian but I knew about bible more or less. Well, there's never wrong to learn what other religion, who knows you might learn something good (or broaden your horizon).

It's funny, I've spend so much time discussing religion in my days but I never ever thought about what the SCANDAL members might believe in. I don't know what I would categorize as, I guess closest would be atheist but technically I could be called a christian since I was baptised and am a member of the church "on paper".

I am not familiar with those christian symbols SCANDAL supposedly abused according too some, but I won't start a discussion about it. Frankly I'm so tired of discussing religion since you know you are not going to make someone else see things your way. It's pointless ranting.

There is this Swedish saying (I'm sure many languages has the same) that "If you want to stay friends with someone, avoid discussing politics and religion."

I do think it's an important topic to talk about, but at the right time and place. And this isn't it, this thread is about SCANDALS beliefs.

I do agree with many here in thinking that SCANDAL most likely aren't religious but they partake in rituals and prayers on occasion to show respect to other people.

Many J-Pop bands wear crosses and Union Jacks just because they want to
look cool.
Most Japanese people I know have a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist one in their
home just to play safe.

But Shark is quite right, Japanese people like many do not like to talk about
their religion or lack of.

I think they are free-thinkers...

Cos as a public figure, it is not wise to open up about religion..i mean like there are religion-haters around the world...and by being free-thinkers, there should be no obligations or anything..

Also when they went HK, I noticed they actually respected the religion/superstitious belief surround the live house (praying to the Gods, cutting the pig, joss sticks)

So this thread I made 2 years ago is still alive. :-/

Anyway, I agree with Bleachnlife, someone doesn't have to be a Christian to know about the Bible. And I myself is a Christian (in paper) but I don't know much about the Bible, except for the things taught at religion subjects at school. I consider myself non-religious and not ashamed to say that I do not go to church ('cause in our country some will think of you differently because you're not going to church). I have my own beliefs.

However, I made this thread out of curiosity, and as I've said before I was asked by a religious friend because she saw the girls wearing a rosary. Fortunately she never asked me again about it because I know she'll be disappointed (and mad perhaps?) like some members did based on the previous comments here. Though I do not regret making this thread; I just wish people would have a logical and calm behavior towards such *cough* sensitive *cough* topics.

@SHARK: That saying is right. But sometimes it's fun to talk about religion and politics (I practically enjoyed discussing this one) when all the parties involved are open-minded.

If anything, you could say Rina is the closest. I say this because as a christian myself I see her as a person whom carries herself much differently than the rest of the girls. I can sense that she has a bit more of a controlled spirit compared to the rest of them. If you want proof here are a few pics I found that show some hints. *Scroll through all the pics ( her clothes)

http://ameblo.jp/scandalblog-4/entry-11464354990.html

I dont' know it could be just me.

hideo34 wrote:If anything, you could say Rina is the closest. I say this because as a christian myself I see her as a person whom carries herself much differently than the rest of the girls. I can sense that she has a bit more of a controlled spirit compared to the rest of them. If you want proof here are a few pics I found that show some hints. *Scroll through all the pics ( her clothes)

http://ameblo.jp/scandalblog-4/entry-11464354990.html

I dont' know it could be just me.

People mature and think differently, and they have to "Christian" to think a certain way. They have never mentioned faith in their blog posts. So we can't say anything for sure...

First off, I'm not Japanese, I'm a Singaporean Chinese. Educated in English syllabus (I grew up reading Christian children stories without knowing Christ), brought up on a mix of "Chinese" and Western values. I was told to follow Chinese customs and never had thought of them as religious. I personally I feel that many Japanese's are like me.

Religion, Culture and Ideology in East Asia differs greatly from "Western" religions and may seem strange to outsiders. Even concept of God or gods are different. Add in modernization to the soup, it gets more strange. Worship and prayer may not even mean the same thing to us as you. Heaven and Sins as seen by Christian/Catholics may or may not exist.

Many Asian religions started off as Ideology, Philosophy and teachings. A way of life. Confucianism from Master Kong, Buddism from Siddhartha Gautama, Taoism from Lao Tzu. They started with little or no metaphysical traits. It teaches things like being kind to people, being filial to your parents etc. These teachings are now part of the culture. Mention Confucianism to a Japanese, he may crook a brow and have no idea what you're talking about, but most of the Japanese values, such as filial piety and respect of parents and elders, were derived from Confucianism. So does these collection of cultural values on its own makes a religion? I personally don't think so.

Customs like going to the temple and "pray" for luck during the New Year, cleaning your ancestor's grave during Obon. Carrying a charm so that they'll do well during the exams. So, during the new year what/who do they "pray" to for luck? What/Who grants your wishes for doing well in your exams. All these concepts are vague. Many just do it because it's part of the custom. Most of these customs has a religious undertone, but much of it is disregarded. When asked, many Japanese may say that they're Buddhist, but when they reached or were 20 years old, they attended the Coming of Age ceremony, which is actually Shinto. And the Shinto "believers" would go clean their ancestor's grave during Obon, which is actually Buddhist. When someone in the family passed away, the remaining family members
chants mantras with the monk, just because it's customary to do so. In this sense, the line between customs and religion is vague.

There are more "serious" religious activities such as daily chanting of mantras. Most Japanese don't actually practice that. So it's just like a person saying that he/she is Christian/Catholic, but have never prayed, go to Church, or said Grace. In this line, most Japanese are actually not practicing "their" religion.

All in all, generally Japanese are not religious. They may have certain beliefs, but well, because it's customary to have those beliefs. But we can't call them Atheist, as many of them do believe in matters of the supernatural. So, I guess we'll have to call them Free-thinkers.

As for our 4 girls. I personally don't think that they're religious, not that it matters.

Flare wrote:First off, I'm not Japanese, I'm a Singaporean Chinese. Educated in English syllabus (I grew up reading Christian children stories without knowing Christ), brought up on a mix of "Chinese" and Western values. I was told to follow Chinese customs and never had thought of them as religious. I personally I feel that many Japanese's are like me.

Religion, Culture and Ideology in East Asia differs greatly from "Western" religions and may seem strange to outsiders. Even concept of God or gods are different. Add in modernization to the soup, it gets more strange. Worship and prayer may not even mean the same thing to us as you. Heaven and Sins as seen by Christian/Catholics may or may not exist.

Many Asian religions started off as Ideology, Philosophy and teachings. A way of life. Confucianism from Master Kong, Buddism from Siddhartha Gautama, Taoism from Lao Tzu. They started with little or no metaphysical traits. It teaches things like being kind to people, being filial to your parents etc. These teachings are now part of the culture. Mention Confucianism to a Japanese, he may crook a brow and have no idea what you're talking about, but most of the Japanese values, such as filial piety and respect of parents and elders, were derived from Confucianism. So does these collection of cultural values on its own makes a religion? I personally don't think so.

Customs like going to the temple and "pray" for luck during the New Year, cleaning your ancestor's grave during Obon. Carrying a charm so that they'll do well during the exams. So, during the new year what/who do they "pray" to for luck? What/Who grants your wishes for doing well in your exams. All these concepts are vague. Many just do it because it's part of the custom. Most of these customs has a religious undertone, but much of it is disregarded. When asked, many Japanese may say that they're Buddhist, but when they reached or were 20 years old, they attended the Coming of Age ceremony, which is actually Shinto. And the Shinto "believers" would go clean their ancestor's grave during Obon, which is actually Buddhist. When someone in the family passed away, the remaining family members
chants mantras with the monk, just because it's customary to do so. In this sense, the line between customs and religion is vague.

There are more "serious" religious activities such as daily chanting of mantras. Most Japanese don't actually practice that. So it's just like a person saying that he/she is Christian/Catholic, but have never prayed, go to Church, or said Grace. In this line, most Japanese are actually not practicing "their" religion.

All in all, generally Japanese are not religious. They may have certain beliefs, but well, because it's customary to have those beliefs. But we can't call them Atheist, as many of them do believe in matters of the supernatural. So, I guess we'll have to call them Free-thinkers.

As for our 4 girls. I personally don't think that they're religious, not that it matters.

Insightful post, but you seem to forget an important detail. What you describe as western religion is actually abrahamic religion, which is actually of middle-eastern origin. Indigenous European religion actually has more of an emphasis on ritual/custom and a polytheism not much unlike hinduism and shinto. The concept of gods in asatru or ancient greek religion is actually more similar to the one in shinto than the abrahamic concept of God.

MDV wrote:
Insightful post, but you seem to forget an important detail. What you describe as western religion is actually abrahamic religion, which is actually of middle-eastern origin. Indigenous European religion actually has more of an emphasis on ritual/custom and a polytheism not much unlike hinduism and shinto. The concept of gods in asatru or ancient greek religion is actually more similar to the one in shinto than the abrahamic concept of God.

Well, actually I'm aware of that, hence the quotes around "Western".
Christianity also a great influence in the history and development of western civilizations.

And well, it's relatively west of the far east that is Eastern Asia.

Jokes aside, I was racking my brains for that word... "Abrahimic". It just didn't come to me when I was writing that post. Thank you!!

i've ever watched documentary videos of SCANDAL's tours...
but there's one scene where they prayed with buddhist style when they''re in Taiwan ( if i'm not mistaken .ehem. )
how do you think guys ? what's their real religion ?
sorry with this weird question and ofc i'm not a racist... .uhuh.
please tell me your opinions, minna !
.please. .please.