Religions in Europe and Japan During The Middle Ages

Religion is a major part of the everyday lives of most people and it has changed throughout history, from worshipping idols to Christianity. This report will try to show the differences of different religions that were practiced in Europe and Japan during the Middle Ages, ranging from its importance in society to how it is practiced.

In medieval England, Catholicism was the most powerful, rich and influential religion, as everyone believed that Heaven, Hell and God existed. The people would also learn of the horrors of Hell whenever they went to Church. The Church had total control over everyone and peasants had to pay a tithe which was 10% of everything they earned per year to the Church. Peasant would have very little money so they would mainly pay in seeds, grains and animals. Also, the peasants had to work for nothing on Church land. You also had to pay for baptisms, weddings and burials. Failure to go to church, work on Church land, pay a tithe, be baptised and be buried on holy land was said to make you go to Hell, which was feared by everyone. The Church also didn’t have to pay taxes. This is why Catholicism was so rich and influential as well as having a large effect on people’s lives.

Shinto, however, wasn’t so controlling. It didn’t have dominance over people and there wasn’t any Heaven or Hell in it. Instead, they believed in kami, which are Shinto Gods and that people became kami when they died. Kami would take the shape of things in nature, such as mountains, rivers, trees and rocks. Shinto isn’t a ‘being’ like Catholicism and you don’t have to give it any money. People believed that everyone was good and any evil is caused by evil spirits. The purpose of most Shinto rituals is to keep away evil spirits by prayers, donations to the kami and purification. Shinto is different to most religions as there isn’t heaven or hell, there’s no founder and there’s no primary book. It has been here since prehistoric Japan and children are taught to respect their ancestors, their leaders and the natural features of the world to show gratitude to the kami.

When Confucianism arrived in Japan, it was quickly accepted because it has a very similar philosophy to Shinto. In Confucianism, the Japanese recognized truths that are shown in Shinto, like honesty, fairness, harmony and ancestor worshipping. Confucian principles were adopted but were mainly mixed with Shinto beliefs. Buddhism was probably the most influential non-Japanese religion practiced in Japan. It had a powerful effect on the Japanese and to them, it was an established tradition. The philosophy, especially the part about the elimination of world suffering, was very appealing to the Japanese. Like Confucianism, it has similar traits to Shinto like how it worshipped many gods, how it didn’t offer a ‘creed’ that followers had to believe and how it didn’t concentrate on particular gods. Lastly, it taught something that Shinto lacked: the philosophy of life and death. Buddhism taught how if you were impure when you died, you would go through the process of reincarnation unlike Shintoists who accepted death as the end of existence. People believed in Buddhism with Shinto believed that kami were the spirits that were stuck in the reincarnation cycle. That is why Buddhism went well with Shinto and Confucianism.