It has been said that a person is Shinto in the same way that he is Japanese. Identify at least two factors which would explain the close relationship between Shintoism and Japanese nationalism.

Explain at least two ways in which Zoroastrianism acts like a bridge between Eastern and Western religions.

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Shinto became the recognized state religion in the late 19th century. Shinto relates that the emperors of Japan are all descended from the first Emperor and the native Japanese people are descended from the kami or Japanese spirits. Legend explains that Japan is an old country and the people are descended from the original kami. In addition, the Imperial family descending from Amaterasu, who is the "Japanese Shinto sun goddess, ruler of the Plain of Heaven, whose name means 'shining heaven' or 'she who shines in the heavens", making the Imperial family older than the natives and from a line of kami with higher rank. With the creation of State Shinto,

Amaterasu was deemed the most important god, and with her new status was used to authenticate the emperor as ruler and high priest of Shinto. Official doctrine stated that because the Japanese were descendants from the gods, they were the superior people of the world. These beliefs set the political and military path for Japan until 1946 after WWII. Many Japanese still consider Shinto to be the national religion, although it is now different than it was before 1946. Two (2) things which would explain the close relationship between Shintoism and Japanese nationalism are that Japanese people think themselves superior to other races so there government is the best one and should rule the world, in addition, the religion was the government and the government was the religion as the Emperor was ruler of both.

Explain at least two ways in which Zoroastrianism acts like a bridge between Eastern and Western religions.

Zarathushtra, the religion of Zoroastrianism, originated in Persia, which is now Iran and scholars believe it to be the world's first monotheistic faith. Currently there are around 200,000 members but it was once the official religion of the Persian Empire. The first ruler of the Persian Empire, Cyrus the Great, ordained Zoroastrianism as the official religion of his state. In addition, he freed the Jewish people from the Babylonians and when they went back to Jerusalem, they carried the basics of Zoroastrianism beliefs with them that are evident in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam today.

Zoroastrianism remained the official religion for over 1000 years, having significant persuasion on all three (3) world kingdoms. As Christianity and Islam began at this time, both were influenced by Zoroastrianism. For these reasons, it is clear that Zoroastrianism was in part a direct precursor to both Christianity and Islam. The Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths pertaining to God and Satan, the soul, heaven and hell, etc. were all consequential of Zoroastrianism beliefs. Over the past 1500 years, religions have continued to branch off of beliefs that originated in ancient Iran from Zoroastrianism