well, they say the poors should be happy as their suffering make them closer to god. And so it is in fact a great chance for them to be poor. They will do a little charity and pray for them. Somewhere, poors should thanks the richest for not letting them get richer nor even have a decent life... Common, please, stop believing this is just a lie by the richest to keep a social order overly at their own benefits ; it is a religion for peace and harmony

Japan is also a great answer to Pascal's Wager.

In a nutshell — those who know Pascal's Wager can just skip to the next paragraph — Pascal's Wager is that if you die believing God exists and you're wrong, that's better than dying believing God doesn't exist and being wrong. So if God is real and you chose Atheism, you wagered poorly. The problem with Pascal's Wager is that it only works with one religion. With thousands, it falls apart; as any Atheist will tell you, the difference between us and a Christian is less than 1% — we both don't believe in thousands of gods.

Japan alone has thousands of gods, but it does not have a traditional "creation myth." Like many pagan countries, it has many deities; however, none of them are creators. They're all responsible for little things, or small areas. Pretty much each shrine you see is to a different one.

Getting into anime, as one does when Japan is brought up, Noragami is about a god (higher power, not supreme being, so lowercase "g") who is trying to make a name for himself, so he works for ¥5 (less than 1¢, IIRC) doing odd jobs, trying to gain favour among the local populace. (It's a bit of a comedy as he is indirectly responsible for killing a high school girl, so he escorts her spirit around trying to bring him back. He also has a father/son relationship of sorts with a little boy who can turn into a weapon for him, though it's not really a fighting anime. His last "weapon" was a teenage girl who left his service in the first episode. The whole anime is comedy/satire.

As for Christians in anime, it's rare but there are stories about them, and they tend to stand out. The Colors Within advertises itself as a movie about a girl who can see colours in people's hearts, but that's barely mentioned once or twice. It's more about a Catholic girl in Japan who plays music and some in her church are against it.

Then there's Mother's Rosary, the seventh Sword Art Online book. If this were a standalone anime, it would probably be in my top 5. As it is, it's the last 7 episodes of season 2, so it's kind of difficult to get to if you're not a fan of the series. The girl featured in the story and her religion being Catholicism doesn't seem that important, but it does play into the story and it informs some of her choices. I'm sure they could have made it work had she not been Catholic, but that's the story as told.

I don't think most Japanese people believe in a creator, per se, but again, like pagans, they do have minor gods they pray to for things like the weather, harvest, luck, and whatnot.

Either there is an extra zero or a missing decimal point?

God exists and only accepts those who question his existence because blindingly accepting his existence are not properly utilizing his gift (rational thinking) to mankind.

I win Pascal’s Wager.

Both of the % signs in the reply should be removed as well.

however, none of them are creators

Isn't Izanagi considered a creator god?

Totally missing a decimal point. The numbers are actually a little off, per my search, but the gist of it is correct.

He gave us a brain with which to question, and if he doesn't like it that's on him.

This is a terrible argument… Just look to South Korea for the exact opposite example. 31% Christian, homicide rate at .477 vs Japan’s .229 vs USA’s 5.763, their unhoused population at 2k as well.

And saying % per 100k makes no sense. It’s either x per x people or rate. Not both. Dumb image.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_South_Korea
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate
• https://www.columbiamissourian.com/opinion/local_columnists/south-korea-holds-lessons-about-homelessness/article_e124dea4-4e4c-11ee-ade6-030f131d0753.html
• https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-04-11/in-seouls-piece-rooms-theres-not-even-enough-room-to-lay-down-inside-south-koreas-brutal-housing-crisis#%3A~%3Atext=Seoul%2C+a+city+of+around%2Cforms+of+housing%2C+including+jjokbangs

"% per 100k" caused physical pain in my head.

Yeah don't bother discussing actual Japanese culture with the "as one does" anime guy

God exists and isegais any non-believer into a magic fantasy land as yuri high school girls.

Also a win.

I'm also annoyed that they did the homicide rate as per-capita, but the homelessness numbers are given without comparison to total population

A little correction, ¥5 is about ¢3 US now but, mor3 importantly, ¥5 is kinda of the standard offering people make at shrines so him doing odd jobs for that price is symbolic of his position in a way.

With thousands, it falls apart;

don't you know 07% out of 100k is lower than 05.7k out of 100%

I like this. Christians say God gave us free will. Most Christian churches are opposed to free will. It seems to me that they are wrong about that.

I studied japanese history for a short time in university when I was entertaining the idea of going for a job in the literary world. I distinctly remember a creation myth, with a goddess named Amaterasu.

Dude (God), this is your fuck up. You gave me free will, you made whores, you have me suck at math. You didn't think this will go off the rails?

• Bill Burr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrVCvnJk4go at 08:20

I think the point is more so that they're caring about the wrong thing, not that religion is the factor here.

I got too distracted by the bad math writing to even consider the rest of the point.

O kind missionary, O compassionate missionary, leave China! Come home and convert these Christians.

-Mark Twain (The United States of Lyncherdom, 1901)

How is this an Atheist win?

If it’s 5.7% per 100k, what percent is it per 200k?

The hilarious thing is that any time a Christian says god gave us free will it shows how much they haven't read of their own holy book. Free will is found in exactly zero places in the bible.

Then going on to cite a specific food security stat on one hand, and leave it vague on the other.

I totally believe the numbers favor them, but that's all the more reason to get them right ..

11.4%

102.6% per 1800k

And the Lord said unto them, "Why should I pay for your healthcare? Get a job. And cut that hair, young man, you look like a girl!"

- Armaments, 17:31

07% vs 5.7%? did they misplace a decimal point?

I hope they meant 0.7% otherwise their whole argument flips.

Americans still doing their part in the suicide and homicide rate in Japan.
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240821/p2a/00m/0na/014000c

Even when I was a Christian, I already thought Japan not having been Christianised is the best thing that happened for the country (not that it excuses what feudal Japan did to the Christians though).

Mark Twain is extremely based for his time. He's anti-racist and anti-imperialist when everyone else weren't. If there is a time traveller from the future, I believe he is one.

Omg you’re right!

Brother, what is going on with the numbers???

Gives me Verizon Math flashbacks.

We have a creation myth and how is that anime part at all relevant?

Seems high

Need a whole bunch of sections of the talibangelical bible.

Hypocrisies

Fallacies

The book of Pedophile

The book of Willful Ignorances

What else?

Bless us, and not them. Unless they become like us, or we become like them. In which case you can ignore this verse.

-Equivocations 4:20

Ah yes, the classic ‰~^00^~

Maybe some day as a culture we will have the understanding to acknowledge that Christianity is the problem. Christianity only works if the world perishes, and every day it works to bring that closer.

The other problem is that you wouldn't put a rate into a rate. It should be 7 in 100k without a percent. The percent doesn't need "in 100k"

You know, I bet if those heathens in Japan took a little time to pray to Jesus, they could become a people who destroy themselves too. Makes you think.

because Amarerasu is one of the children of the shinto god Izanagi, hence why idk why someone would claim that japanese dont have a creator god when Izanagi is explicitly a creator god.

They're destroying themselves in different ways.

Yeah, so with a population of 200k, the homicide rate is 11.4%. The real havoc appears when you approach a population of ~2M and 100% homicide rate.

Yeah, I was about to say, the meme paints Japan as all rosy but collapse can be swift, and it's been increasingly stacking a house of cards with its insane xenophobia and disgusting karoshi (death-by-overwork) culture...

Good job on the Tokugawa Shogunate!