A Religion in Death Throes
How Secrecy Undermines the Survival of a Crypto Shin Buddhist Tradition in Japan Today
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4757192 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Clark Chilson (University of Pittsburgh, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 202-210 |
| Publication date | 2010-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religion Compass (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1749-8171 • E-ISSN: 1749-8171 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1749-8171.2009.00208.x |
| OpenAlex | W1966281047 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 9 |
Although we know that religions decline and die, we know little about what causes them to do so. This article introduces a form of underground or crypto Pure Land Buddhism that has been practiced in secret for hundreds of years in Japan but in the past 50 years has declined rapidly and may be nearing extinction. It is argued that one of the factors that is undermining its survival is its secrecy. The article is intended to contribute to our knowledge on what can cause the decline of a religion and to our understanding of secrecy in religion, which scholars have generally regarded as providing religions benefits such as attracting new members, valorizing doctrine, and enhancing authority
Buddhism · Doctrine · Political science · Secrecy · Theology · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · Chinese history and philosophy · Japanese History and Culture · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Religious studies
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,04 |
| Citation span | 1981 - 2012 (32) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |