RE: Lazy Buddhist Japanese success...
Actually I would surmise that God has set into the hearts of men MORAL PRINCIPLES that make for a prosperous life REGARDLESS of how they conceive of Him.
Let us say for the sake of argument that Christianity makes for the closest understanding of who God is and His special revelation for men.
It does not therefore mean that He did not give His GENERAL REVELATION to all men.
Therefore, people anywhere in the world CAN achieve prosperity by following His moral principles as GENERALLY REVEALED.
If the Japanese are successful, it is because they DO follow and obey what has been GENERALLY REVEALED to them regardless of how they view God’s nature.
I agree. Japan's success has baffled me for years in a world where the historically Christian nations are successful. And your conclusion is the only conclusion I have come to. Japan is the only developed nation that is pre-dominantly buddhist. All the other 20+ developed nations in the world are predominently Christian.