Brett Robson wrote:

>> And the middle kanji is "shin" not "kami." There is a subtle
>> distinction that is actually quite important. Or do you suppose the
>> word "seishin" for example is a Shinto term? In any event, mushinron
>> is the Japanese equivalent of atheism and,
>
> So we have a subtle distinction that doesn't matter because (as
> you assert) the words are "equivalent" anyway. Pure genius. "In
> any event" seems to mean "What I said is bullshit and completely
> contradicted by the fact that ...".

Yes. And what is wrong with the words being equivalent? My assertion was
that there aren't many more atheists in Japan than there are in the U.S. The
only reason I even brought up the word "mushinron" is because that is the
word you would use when asking Japanese if they are atheist. You seem to
have some twisted concept of what atheist is to begin with, which is why I
thought it would be helpful to set forth what it is you claim most Japanese
are. You claim they are mushinron. I suggest that you ask them if they agree
with you. It's really quite simple.

>> Go out and meet some actual people, learn what atheism really is,
>> then we'll talk.
>>
>
> "Really means" is what you say it means, which of course like
> most of the shit you've written above is completely irrelevant.
> Let dictionaries and accepted usage be damned. The meaning is
> what you say it is.

No, "really means" means "really means." I have no qualms with using
dictionaries at all. No matter which dictionary you choose, the assertion
that most Japanese are atheists is a very heavy load of crap. You are the
one who has taken a relatively straightforward word like atheist and twisted
it so that it means essentially, one who doesn't lead a Brett-approved
spiritual life.

> You make the absurd assertion that Japanese
> are somehow spiritual just like Americans but then have to back
> that up with vague definitions and your (alledged) immense
> experience. On one hand you are trying to assert that Shinto is
> not a religion but the people that follow it are not aethists.

Go back and find the post where I said that Japanese are spiritual just like
Americans. I said there aren't that many more atheists in Japan than there
are in the United States. The kind of spirituality that the Japanese hold is
probably quite different from the American version of spirituality. But then
again, I have never experienced either so I'm not qualified to know for
sure. Whethether they are different or the same, the notion that Japan is
full of atheists is simply absurd.

> "Japanese have some vague idea about people being spirits after
> they die, and that's it.

Which is not the same as, or even really compatible with, atheism.

> Repeating myself does get boring, but that is the only way to
> deal with an idiot like you.
>
> I hope you are good looking. It would be nice if you had one good
> feature.

Ooooh my but we do get nasty when we're cornered don't we? I'm sorry. Have I
hurt your feelings?