Doctrine of a Japanese Christianity

[TheWitheredStriker]

I've been working on a Christian Japan timeline off-site for a little while now, and while I originally started it as a Catholic Japan TL, I recently began exploring the much more rarely explored idea of Japan instead being Protestant. This happened after I read up on the Chinese Rites controversy, as well as on another thread on this board where @theg*ddam*hoi2fan posted the following:

It's also highly likely that Japanese Christianity would end up being quite different to European. IIRC, the Jesuits had attained their success by presenting Christianity in terms that the Japanese would understand, and by the 1600s Kirishtans had quite a few beliefs that were very different to the mainstream: the idea that Adam and Eve were created at the same time rather than Eve being created from Adam; Deusu having multiple names; the kami being angels...

This makes the idea of a Protestant Japan very alluring to me. It's something else than the standard Catholic Japan, and gives a lot of room for experimentation with alternate doctrines.

However, after some digging, I was not able to find a single source corroborating the claims above (i.e. Japanese Christians believing in a different version of Adam and Even, having multiple names for God, etc). I was wondering if anyone more knowledgeable on Japanese history could elaborate on this to me, point out if this is true or not, and perhaps point me towards sources that I could read?

As for which branch of Protestantism this hypothetical Church of Japan would be based on, I did some research of my own and concluded the following:

• Calvinism (Dutch): Out. Calvinism is very doctrinally inflexible IIRC, believing in the absolute authority of the Bible. They also despise idolatry, which was very common in Japan.
  
  
• Lutheranism (HRE/Scandinavia): Out. How would this even get there? Germany was a collection of statelets and the Scandinavian powers had a fairly negligible colonial/naval presence.
  
  
• Anglicanism (Britain): Fit. The English were also in Japan and had major trading contacts, and Anglicanism retains many aspects of Catholicism despite being a Protestant branch with many differences from Catholicism. Anglicanism is also very doctrinally diverse and flexible, and the example of the Church of England allows the emperor of Japan to feasibly be declared the head of the Church of Japan.

Subsequently, out of the three options above, I find an Anglican Japan most likely.

If I've stated anything that is blatantly incorrect or misinterpreted, I will gladly stand corrected.

And lastly, in the event that Japanese Christianity was actually heterodox all along: Is it plausible for Japan to still undergo some sort of Reformation and break from Rome? If so, what could the causes be? And where could the Church of Japan differ in doctrine and customs? I feel like the aforementioned examples of Adam and Eve, multiple names for God, and kami being angels, provided they weren't actually historical, could be reused in this TL as part of the CoJ's doctrine.

 

[pattersonautobody]

My vote is Mormons or wank Russia and the Orthodox. Perhaps Japan keeps losing wars against russia, russia avoids ww1, japanese occupied korea converts to orthodox Christianity instead of presbyterianism inany quarters to flub the npse at japan, and perhaps an alt war puts japan totally under the russian orbit of an atl orthodox russian empire.

 

[Zireael]

For a nice example of alternate Japanese Christianity, look up @Ambassador Huntsman's Nobunaga TL especially the second to latest update.

Personally I have a completely different take to you, since the Dutch are one of the first nations that come into contact with the Japanese, their doctrine is the most likely as a starting point. (Note that I totally expect it to undergo TONS of changes in Japan)

 

[TheWitheredStriker]

My vote is Mormons or wank Russia and the Orthodox. Perhaps Japan keeps losing wars against russia, russia avoids ww1, japanese occupied korea converts to orthodox Christianity instead of presbyterianism inany quarters to flub the npse at japan, and perhaps an alt war puts japan totally under the russian orbit of an atl orthodox russian empire.

That definitely gets my kudos for originality. Nice one!

For a nice example of alternate Japanese Christianity, look up @Ambassador Huntsman's Nobunaga TL especially the second to latest update.

Personally I have a completely different take to you, since the Dutch are one of the first nations that come into contact with the Japanese, their doctrine is the most likely as a starting point. (Note that I totally expect it to undergo TONS of changes in Japan)

I will be sure to give Huntsman's timeline a look. Thank you for the recommendation!

I find it interesting that you subscribe to a Calvinist Japan. Feel free to correct me, but isn't Calvinism rather difficult to use as a "template" for divergent Christianity? I remember reading that the Reformed tradition believes in the absolute authority in the Bible and has little room for doctrinal divergences. And Calvinism is also very opposed to idolatry, which is rather common in Japan.

By comparison, Anglicanism is more doctrinally flexible, retains aspects of Catholicsm, and allows the Emperor of Japan to easily be strung up as the head of the Japanese church. Subsequently, I'm curious how your Calvinist Japan works and takes off. Would you mind telling me more? You have my genuine interest.

 

[Nivek]

've been working on a Christian Japan ti

As a writer, dude you're putting the horse before the cart, Maybe they just developed their own indigenous Nazareism, independent from Rome and Europe? that way the emperor/Yamato family can keep his position as the de jure national leader as the religion head. Plus you fall into the trap of has to be European to be accepted

 

[DanMcCollum]

As a writer, dude you're putting the horse before the cart, Maybe they just developed their own indigenous Nazareism, independent from Rome and Europe? that way the emperor/Yamato family can keep his position as the de jure national leader as the religion head. Plus you fall into the trap of has to be European to be accepted

With an early enough POD, perhaps you could get a branch of the Church of the East gaining traction in Japan. The CoE was active in China between the 7th through 10th centuries and this was a period where Japan was significantly influenced by China (though this declined over time). Perhaps a mission gets established during the earlier part of this era, gains some prestige and influence, and begins to flourish. I highly doubt that it would become the majority faith in Japan at the time, but it could well become one of the mainy faiths and philosophies active at the time, and this would lead to some very fascinating sycranizations between Buddhism and the native faiths of Japan. Eventually, you'd probably see a distinctly Japanese form of Christianity arise; and yes, the Portugese are going to be very shocked when they come around (probably, there's a good period of time when Japan is seen as the kingdom of Prester John by European traders and explorers.

 

[Zireael]

And Calvinism is also very opposed to idolatry, which is rather common in Japan.

By comparison, Anglicanism is more doctrinally flexible, retains aspects of Catholicsm, and allows the Emperor of Japan to easily be strung up as the head of the Japanese church. Subsequently, I'm curious how your Calvinist Japan works and takes off. Would you mind telling me more? You have my genuine interest.

That was one of the first things that would change in Japan IMHO. I'm afraid I can't really say more as I honestly don't know enough about Calvinism and don't have more that you're asking for

To have Japanese have something Anglican-like (which does make a lot of sense IMHO) you'd need to somehow make the English be the first Europeans to get in touch with Japan. And here I really have zero clue how to achieve this...

 

[TheWitheredStriker]

I'm afraid I can't really say more as I honestly don't know enough about Calvinism and don't have more that you're asking for

To have Japanese have something Anglican-like (which does make a lot of sense IMHO) you'd need to somehow make the English be the first Europeans to get in touch with Japan. And here I really have zero clue how to achieve this...

No problem! I actually think it's not terribly difficult to have a more Anglican-influenced Japan. It seems that the English arrived in 1613, which is only four years after the Dutch did (1609). So I actually do think it's pretty workable.

 

[SealTheRealDeal]

I've been working on a Christian Japan timeline off-site for a little while now, and while I originally started it as a Catholic Japan TL, I recently began exploring the much more rarely explored idea of Japan instead being Protestant. This happened after I read up on the Chinese Rites controversy, as well as on another thread on this board where @theg*ddam*hoi2fan posted the following:

This makes the idea of a Protestant Japan very alluring to me. It's something else than the standard Catholic Japan, and gives a lot of room for experimentation with alternate doctrines.

Protestant =/= any divergence from mainstream Catholicism.

While Protestant movements often materialized politically and demographically as local/provincial groups, they weren't at all interested in reviving or preserving local folk spirituality. Quite the opposite, a desire to stamp out the folk elements which had been preserved by the "quasi-pagan" Catholics was a common through-line for the Reformation, and Biblical literalism was the core of "low-church" Protestantism.

Now, the Catholic Church took its own measures to standardize and purify its doctrine during the Counter-Reformation and modern period, but plenty "folk Catholicisms" persist to this day (mostly in Latin America and Africa, though Carlo Levi's Christ Stopped At Eboli recounts his own encounters with such a group in 1930s ITALY).

I think the term you're looking for would be syncretic. Voodoo for instance is a syncretism of West African Vodun and Catholicism. Given that it was already common for Japanese people to engage in a syncretic blend of Buddhism and Shintoism I think a syncretic faith that blends Japanese folk Catholicism with Japan's other major religions is quite likely.

 

[PecuTheGreat]

@TheWitheredStriker

the idea that Adam and Eve were created at the same time rather than Eve being created from Adam; Deusu having multiple names; the kami being angels

These aren't really weird or far off ideas. Genesis 1 essentially has 2 narratives on their creation. If one takes the second one as the dominant narrative it is easy to say they were created at the same time, God having multiple names is essentially accepted by everyone and the Kami being angels is weirder, usually fae are integrated as God's other creatures rather than as Angels but I guess it is reminiscent of Chinese and Silk Road Christians referring to God and Angels as Buddhas. However this last belief is very unlikely to survive given the trend in Europe and Trinitarian Christianity in general is using biblical authority to iron out such beliefs, tho I guess a belief like it did exist in Kongolese Christianity until Portugal delegitmized it when it successfully colonized it and even then, still survives till today in some form.

However all the above weren't a problem in Medieval Catholicism and God having several names was never a problem, counter reformation may try to stamp it out like they tried to do in Kongo but Protestants would be even worse at trying to stamp out those than catholics.

Edit

What is certain under Catholicism is that the church won't endorse those beliefs. Protestantism opens up the possibility of the church endorsing it but a heteroprax and weird branch of the Catholic Church in Japan(like an alternate and successful Kimpa Vinta Antonianism) is more likely to support those beliefs than Protestantism which was historically even more stringent against such beliefs.

 

[PecuTheGreat]

I think the term you're look for would be syncretic. Voodoo for instance is a syncretism of West African Vodun and Catholicism. Given that it was already common for Japanese people to engage in a syncretic blend of Buddhism and Shintoism I think a syncretic faith that blends Japanese folk Catholicism with Japan's other major religions is quite likely

Essentially all the examples of Non-European introduction of Christianity to East Asia, where it most had to accommodate local beliefs avoided syncretism and only inculturated those examples being Jingjiao(or Tang era Madenkha/Church of the East introduction), Yelikewen jiao (Madenkha and Catholicism in China but in this case we're talking of Madenkha) and Korean introduction of Catholicism from China. There were borrowing of terminology and ideas like describing even those border line syncretism like essentially describing Gwanyin's compassionate rescue to replacing her with Jesus but that's stuff that never had true dogma or consistent teaching for developed and not an exchange of christian dogma for buddhist so not syncretism.

 

[Nivek]

Shintoism I think a syncretic faith that blends Japanese folk Catholicism with Japan's other major religions

So a japanese like santeria?

 

[SealTheRealDeal]

So a japanese like santeria?

similar

 

[Ambassador Huntsman]

I've been working on a Christian Japan timeline off-site for a little while now, and while I originally started it as a Catholic Japan TL, I recently began exploring the much more rarely explored idea of Japan instead being Protestant. This happened after I read up on the Chinese Rites controversy, as well as on another thread on this board where @theg*ddam*hoi2fan posted the following:

This makes the idea of a Protestant Japan very alluring to me. It's something else than the standard Catholic Japan, and gives a lot of room for experimentation with alternate doctrines.

However, after some digging, I was not able to find a single source corroborating the claims above (i.e. Japanese Christians believing in a different version of Adam and Even, having multiple names for God, etc). I was wondering if anyone more knowledgeable on Japanese history could elaborate on this to me, point out if this is true or not, and perhaps point me towards sources that I could read?

As for which branch of Protestantism this hypothetical Church of Japan would be based on, I did some research of my own and concluded the following:

• Calvinism (Dutch): Out. Calvinism is very doctrinally inflexible IIRC, believing in the absolute authority of the Bible. They also despise idolatry, which was very common in Japan.
  
  
• Lutheranism (HRE/Scandinavia): Out. How would this even get there? Germany was a collection of statelets and the Scandinavian powers had a fairly negligible colonial/naval presence.
  
  
• Anglicanism (Britain): Fit. The English were also in Japan and had major trading contacts, and Anglicanism retains many aspects of Catholicism despite being a Protestant branch with many differences from Catholicism. Anglicanism is also very doctrinally diverse and flexible, and the example of the Church of England allows the emperor of Japan to feasibly be declared the head of the Church of Japan.

Subsequently, out of the three options above, I find an Anglican Japan most likely.

If I've stated anything that is blatantly incorrect or misinterpreted, I will gladly stand corrected.

And lastly, in the event that Japanese Christianity was actually heterodox all along: Is it plausible for Japan to still undergo some sort of Reformation and break from Rome? If so, what could the causes be? And where could the Church of Japan differ in doctrine and customs? I feel like the aforementioned examples of Adam and Eve, multiple names for God, and kami being angels, provided they weren't actually historical, could be reused in this TL as part of the CoJ's doctrine.

I think an Anglican-like Christianity would emerge but not Anglicanism itself. Anglicanism existed as a response to the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, so amidst a bevy of interactions with both Protestant and Catholic powers there wouldn’t be a need to choose the “compromise” faith. That being said, a moderate Protestant Christianity of a slightly different variety is very feasible.

 

[TheWitheredStriker]

I think an Anglican-like Christianity would emerge but not Anglicanism itself. Anglicanism existed as a response to the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, so amidst a bevy of interactions with both Protestant and Catholic powers there wouldn’t be a need to choose the “compromise” faith. That being said, a moderate Protestant Christianity of a slightly different variety is very feasible.

Interesting perspective, thank you! Would this moderate Protestantism be a new, Japan-specific branch, instead of being a pre-existing one? (Like Anglicanism, Calvinism etc)

 

[Prince di Corsica]

Honestly the problem with Protestantism in this scenario is that it emerged in part as a reaction to the flexibility of Catholicism towards folk beliefs and practices, seeking a "purer" Christianity.

A Japanese Protestantism likely wouldn't be one embracing kami and local customs - it would be one rejecting them and smashing them, taking the OTL iconoclastic tendencies of Japanese Christianity even further.

That being said, it is possible that Japanese Christianity evolves into something so foreign that it breaks with Rome. But in the lines you described I can't see it being a Protestant branch, but a different breakaway group. If even nowadays Mormons and others are separated from Protestants, even if emerged from a Protestant cultural millieu, this would be an even more distinct phenomenon, closer to the Heavenly Kingdom's religion or even older sects like Manicheism or Catharism (in terms of distinctiveness not necessarily tenets)

 

[Ambassador Huntsman]

Interesting perspective, thank you! Would this moderate Protestantism be a new, Japan-specific branch, instead of being a pre-existing one? (Like Anglicanism, Calvinism etc)

It could be a uniquely Japanese branch or it could be a pre-existing doctrinr marginalized in mainline European churches, something like Arminianism. Like a dissident Arminian preacher could in a scenario leave the Dutch Republic and preach in the overseas possessions or something to that effect.

 

[TheWitheredStriker]

It's also highly likely that Japanese Christianity would end up being quite different to European. IIRC, the Jesuits had attained their success by presenting Christianity in terms that the Japanese would understand, and by the 1600s Kirishtans had quite a few beliefs that were very different to the mainstream: the idea that Adam and Eve were created at the same time rather than Eve being created from Adam; Deusu having multiple names; the kami being angels...

Having revisited this premise recently, I was wondering if anyone could source or refute this? I still haven't found any evidence of these claims being true.

 

[kasumigenx]

A Japanese Protestantism likely wouldn't be one embracing kami and local customs - it would be one rejecting them and smashing them, taking the OTL iconoclastic tendencies of Japanese Christianity even further.

If you want Christianity in Japan to be more than 1% and Catholicism to flourish with a WW2 POD you have to make the Japanese surrender in WW2 without the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings since those are the areas that were said to be centers of Christianity particularly, Catholicism in Japan before the war which some people I know mention, granted that it would not make Japan mainstream Christian, it would create a strong Christian community there and I think a flourishing Catholic Minority would jive more with the mainstream culture of Japan and might get more followers than the Protestants who are less compatible with the mainstream culture of Japan.

 

[HyperMuscularDemon]

As @DanMcCollum said, how about Nestorianism? All you need to do is make sure that Nestorian Chinese preachers or missionaries arrive in Japan at some point to preach. Maybe a Tang dynasty that is more open to Christian influences or somehow avoided the 751 Talas battle against the Abbasids could transmit Nestorian Christianity to Japan.