Posted on 10/29/2007 12:06:39 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
Not to "step on anybody's rice bowl" here, but does anyone besides me find this a bit IRONIC??
Here we have a case where we are told by The Pentagon back in the States that military funerals, involving a time-honored tradition of flag-folding, must be "religiously cleansed", and other references for example to Jesus Christ kept out of Chaplains' public comments.
All the while, here in Japan, just one week ago (as in previous years), the US Navy's Commander of Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) and MWR Office officially sanctioned, paid for, or otherwise arranged American sailors to parade through the streets in a SHINTO RELIGION festival carrying a portable Shinto shrine (o-mikoshi).
Here are the photos to prove it:
071021-N-7446H-007 YOKOSUKA, Japan (Oct. 21, 2007) - Sailors carry a Mikoshi through the streets of Yokosuka during the 31st Yokosuka Mikoshi Parade. More than 50 Sailors volunteered to participate in the parade and experience Japanese culture. Mikoshi are portable wooden Shinto shrines hand-carried during local Japanese festivals, or Matsuri. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Derek J. Hurder (RELEASED)
PS, getting hit by a bouncing mikoshi is no fun. You know the drill.
Ha, you can't make this stuff up.
mishkān. Tabernacle. The portable sanctuary constructed by the Israelites in the wilderness described in some detail in Exodus 25-31 and Exodus 35-40. [TWOT 2387c]
From the wiki link in post 1:
A mikoshi (神輿, mikoshi?) is a portable Shinto shrine. Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle of a divine spirit in Japan at the time of a parade of deities. Often, the mikoshi resembles a miniature building, with pillars, walls, a roof, a veranda and a railing. Typical shapes are rectangles, hexagons, and octagons. The body, which stands on two poles (for carrying), is usually lavishly decorated, and the roof might hold a carving of a Phoenix.
During a matsuri, people bear a mikoshi on their shoulders by means of the two poles. They bring the mikoshi from the shrine, carry it around the neighborhoods that worship at the shrine, and in many cases leave it in a designated area, resting on blocks, for a time before returning it to the shrine.<<<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoshi even links to the wiki page for the Ark of the Covenant. Go figure.
And don't forget to click this one...
Israelites Came To Ancient Japan
No kidding. Enjoying their shore duty...
071021-N-7446H-007 YOKOSUKA, Japan (Oct. 21, 2007) - Sailors carry a Mikoshi through the streets of Yokosuka during the 31st Yokosuka Mikoshi Parade. More than 50 Sailors volunteered to participate in the parade and experience Japanese culture. Mikoshi are portable wooden Shinto shrines hand-carried during local Japanese festivals, or Matsuri. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Derek J. Hurder (RELEASED)
Jeremiah 31:10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
See how long it is up before there is a lawsuit to bring it down on behalf of one or two "offended" midshipmen.
This is the patient IRONY and hypocrisy I am trying to point out with this thread, not in denying some Americans some "fun" overseas.
Just hope she's not *staying* with the Kitty Hawk! It would get pretty lonely for you there, gazing upon the George Washington. :-/
Krishna has been around for centuries, longer than any freaking Ama Terasu O Mi Kami. Hindu processions with big wooden carts are very old
I know Shinto/Emperor worship fueled WW2 but I find the Shinto aesthetics very nice and clean. Islam is now our religious enemy and is much less interesting, much less appealing
Exactly correct.
Secular culturists must oppose Judeo/Christian thought because it refutes their world view. No other religion does so.
J/C describes reality. All other religions - including Mohammedanism - are mythologically based and point to reality.
Mythology is not a problem for Marxism, reality is.
Yeah, we looked into it when we took the orders. The crew from the Kitty Hawk will have the option to transfer to the G.W. I’m assuming the Navy factored in the costs of having to move families and all that. It’s probably far cheaper to just do a crew swap.
How do you say "out of candy" in Japanese? lol
Maybe I've missed something in the news, but I haven't seen any problems with individual military members practicing their religion. We have Chaplains. Most retirement or promotion ceremonies that I have attended recently began with a prayer. Folks are free to live and discover their faith.
The problems have been when a superior is perceived as pushing THEIR faith on others in an official capacity.
The Navy wastes more money trying to save money, but you knew that. :-)
I wouldn't mind buying you a beer sometime.
Kingfisher or Asahi Super Dry. Name your poison! LOL
If said to a little kid.
I believe the only time the Bible records the Tabernacle being tossed, somebody got Zotted. (King David then had to take the time needed to get its procession ready the right way.)
View it as PR. I see nothing wrong with it. Personally, I think your Hakama is on a little too tight.
I’ll be sure to drop in on you if I ever visit Nippon. I’ve had friends who lived there so I have a pretty good idea what to expect. Believe it or not I got hung up on natto and have made it at home a few times. The Japanese are mostly logical and reality based but the further south you go in Asia, the greater the dingbat factor. More lies and fantasy
In the forth photo, are those striped red and white “banners” the American Flag our military is carrying? I’m curious because I counted 13 stripes and the top of the banners are out of shot.
Thank you.
When my Dad crossed the equator in WWII heading for the South Pacific and had to participate in the Line-Crossing ceremony, which included paying homage to King Neptune and his court, it did not make him a believer in a Sea God, Davey Jones locker and mermaids - well I’m still hoping for the last one, but I digress, Its a fun time for these guys and they enjoys looking back at the Shinto parade pictures in their cruise book years later.
How dare they touch the shrines.....Allah wants the infidels dead.......ooops wrong religion.
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