(Chinese: shin, god; tao, way)
The original national religion of Japan, with millions of adherents. It has neither dogmas nor sacred writings, and is a compound of pantheism and the worship of ancestors and heroes. It teaches that all nature is controlled by gods, from whom the first emperor sprang; hence the mikado is the descendant of the deity, and is the high-priest. Its moral code can be reduced to these principles: follow the inspiration of your own heart, and obey the emperor. In A.D. 552, Buddhism was united with Shintoism, and the fusion, known as Rio-bu-Shinto, was the national religion until 1868, when a revolution separated the two.
This dictionary contains not only definitions and explanations of every subject in Religion, Scripture, tradition, doctrine, morals, sacraments, rites, customs, devotions and symbolism, but also accounts of the Church in every continent, country, diocese; missions, notable Catholic centers, cities, and places with religious names; religious orders, church societies, sects and false religions. It has brief articles also on historical events and personages, on the Old Testament and New, and on popes, prelates, priests, men and women of distinction, showing what the Church has done for civilization and correcting many errors which have hitherto passed for history.Wikipedia
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