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This is not a place to discuss faith vs nonbelief or any of that. Take that shit to Reddit. If you attempt this here, I will hunt you down in real life and make you watch Superbook reruns until you learn better.
This is me mapping a thought process I had the other day. Contains Shinto/Koshinto base, existentialist crises, the ultimate fate of the universe. In the end, I figure out what a god is and what religion is, at least on my own terms, and that's good enough for me.
∘ The word "Kami" can refer to the Abrahamic God, Buddhist Gods, Hindu Gods, etc. It can also be used for the kami/spirits of Shinto.
∘ A kami in Shinto is defined as something that inspires great awe or dread.
∘ All gods are kami but not all kami are gods.
∘ Case in point; Hōsōgami, the kami of smallpox. During outbreaks a couple hundred years ago, it caused immense dread and instilled fear in Japan's populace.
∘ Hōsōgami is slain using vaccines and more modern medicine.
∘ Therefore, Kami can be killed. They are transient and sometimes mortal. Izanami died in childbirth, further proving this point. It is possible for mortals to slay them, as was the case with the vaccines.
∘ Would not even Amaterasu at least be put into eternal sleep once the sun goes cold? She is the kami of our sun, not all suns, so when it goes, she shall go.
∘ In the original Koshinto faith, nature and life and creation itself was revered as the greatest kami of all. Once anything died, it returned to it and became a part of it.
∘ So even other kami such as Amaterasu may too return to it when it's her turn to go.
∘ Though what is a greater form of a creation and nature kami than the entire universe itself? It would fit that it would be everything.
∘ But even the universe will die. Entropy will reach maximum point someday. If even it can die, then everything is transient and impermanent, even gods or kami or creation itself.
∘ It would lead too that entropy would be a kami, as it has inspired countless awe and dread in many. The ultimate fate of our universe causes existential crisis in many who learn about it. We are infinitesimal.
∘ But what lies after entropy? That too is a scary, weird thought. Could that too be a kami? The kami of nothing? Can even a god be made from nothing? Or would our new cycle, should one come to exist, be of no need of gods or kami or spirits? Are we to be free of that? After all, some faiths believe even gods can reach nirvana and obtain this. Sadly, this will remain forever unknowable.
∘ Therefore, things like arguing who's beliefs or nonbeliefs are most correct are moot, as they will all dissipate someday. Variety is good, anyways, while we still have the universe that we do.
∘ However, these are not bad things, to know even gods and everything will die. It would drive one to make an impact and change our fate so that we could know or could live past these things, to change from transient to permanent. That variety of belief and motivation will yield better and more results than just one groupthink.
∘ Things will sort themselves out. Life and the universe and the gods are incredible BECAUSE they're impermanent. It makes nothing weak, only strong and want to survive and leave something behind. See above point. Be good to each other while we can.
∘ Nihilism and positivism will obviously never work for me.
This is me mapping a thought process I had the other day. Contains Shinto/Koshinto base, existentialist crises, the ultimate fate of the universe. In the end, I figure out what a god is and what religion is, at least on my own terms, and that's good enough for me.
∘ The word "Kami" can refer to the Abrahamic God, Buddhist Gods, Hindu Gods, etc. It can also be used for the kami/spirits of Shinto.
∘ A kami in Shinto is defined as something that inspires great awe or dread.
∘ All gods are kami but not all kami are gods.
∘ Case in point; Hōsōgami, the kami of smallpox. During outbreaks a couple hundred years ago, it caused immense dread and instilled fear in Japan's populace.
∘ Hōsōgami is slain using vaccines and more modern medicine.
∘ Therefore, Kami can be killed. They are transient and sometimes mortal. Izanami died in childbirth, further proving this point. It is possible for mortals to slay them, as was the case with the vaccines.
∘ Would not even Amaterasu at least be put into eternal sleep once the sun goes cold? She is the kami of our sun, not all suns, so when it goes, she shall go.
∘ In the original Koshinto faith, nature and life and creation itself was revered as the greatest kami of all. Once anything died, it returned to it and became a part of it.
∘ So even other kami such as Amaterasu may too return to it when it's her turn to go.
∘ Though what is a greater form of a creation and nature kami than the entire universe itself? It would fit that it would be everything.
∘ But even the universe will die. Entropy will reach maximum point someday. If even it can die, then everything is transient and impermanent, even gods or kami or creation itself.
∘ It would lead too that entropy would be a kami, as it has inspired countless awe and dread in many. The ultimate fate of our universe causes existential crisis in many who learn about it. We are infinitesimal.
∘ But what lies after entropy? That too is a scary, weird thought. Could that too be a kami? The kami of nothing? Can even a god be made from nothing? Or would our new cycle, should one come to exist, be of no need of gods or kami or spirits? Are we to be free of that? After all, some faiths believe even gods can reach nirvana and obtain this. Sadly, this will remain forever unknowable.
∘ Therefore, things like arguing who's beliefs or nonbeliefs are most correct are moot, as they will all dissipate someday. Variety is good, anyways, while we still have the universe that we do.
∘ However, these are not bad things, to know even gods and everything will die. It would drive one to make an impact and change our fate so that we could know or could live past these things, to change from transient to permanent. That variety of belief and motivation will yield better and more results than just one groupthink.
∘ Things will sort themselves out. Life and the universe and the gods are incredible BECAUSE they're impermanent. It makes nothing weak, only strong and want to survive and leave something behind. See above point. Be good to each other while we can.
∘ Nihilism and positivism will obviously never work for me.
