Christianity & Shinto
Gratitude and Worship: Thanksgiving and the Giver
Shinto worship is, at its warm center, gratitude. At the shrine and in the home, followers give thanks and make offerings to the kami for the harvest, for family, for the blessings of this life, and the great festivals (matsuri) are seasons of thanksgiving and joy. Christians share this heart of gratitude, and direct their thanks to the one they call the Father of lights, from whom every good gift comes, whose blessings reach beyond this life into a hope that does not fade. Thanksgiving to the kami for the gifts of this world, or thanksgiving to the one Giver of every good gift, is where the two meet and part.
What Shinto teaches
Shinto is less a set of doctrines than a life of reverence and gratitude. Followers visit the shrine to give thanks and to ask the blessing of the kami on the rice harvest, on a new child, on a marriage or a journey, and the festivals of the year, the matsuri, are communal seasons of thanksgiving and joy. The mood of Shinto worship is gratitude for the gift of life in this world.
What Christians believe
Christians, too, place gratitude at the center of worship, and trace every good thing back to God the Giver.
Where they meet
Both make gratitude the beating heart of worship rather than fear or bargaining; both receive life, food, family, and the turning seasons as gifts to be thankful for; and both gather to give thanks together in joy.
Where they differ
Shinto gives thanks to the many kami, chiefly for the blessings of this present world. Christian thanksgiving rises to one God, the Father of lights from whom every good gift comes (James 1:17), and it reaches past this life into the hope of a world made new and life with God that death cannot end. Thanksgiving to the kami for the gifts of this world, or thanksgiving to the one Giver whose gifts outlast the world, is the honest difference.
Shinto sources: the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters, trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain, 1882, public domain) and Motoori Norinaga’s classic definition of kami; renderings of Japanese terms follow widely published scholarship, which varies, compare others. Bible: King James Version. Every reference on this page was checked against its source.
The word itself
Matsuri (matsuri) → festival, service to the kami → worship as thanksgiving
Matsuri are the festivals and rites of Shinto, seasons of communal thanksgiving and joy in which offerings are made and the blessing of the kami is sought and celebrated. Christians share the heart of grateful worship, and give their thanks to the one God, the Father from whom every good gift comes (James 1:17; Psalm 100:4).
Frequently asked questions
- What is the heart of Shinto worship?
- Gratitude. At the shrine and in the home, Shinto followers give thanks and make offerings to the kami for the harvest, for family, and for the blessings of this life, and the festivals of the year (matsuri) are communal seasons of thanksgiving and joy. Shinto is more a life of reverence and gratitude than a system of doctrine.
- How is Christian thanksgiving similar and different?
- Christians also make gratitude the center of worship (Psalm 100:4), but give thanks to one God, the Father of lights from whom every good gift comes (James 1:17), and their hope reaches beyond this life into a world made new. Thanksgiving to the kami for the gifts of this world, or thanksgiving to the one Giver whose gifts outlast the world, is the difference.
Come and see
Shinto surrounds life with gratitude and a longing to be clean before the sacred. The Gospel tells of the God who makes the heart clean and welcomes us home. The most direct way to know Jesus is to read his words for yourself. There is no pressure here.
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