Tokugawa Religion

Rating:
Summary: excellent synthesis of sociology and history
Review: The Thesis is important. The idea that the religious beliefs of the Japanese, a mix of Zen, Buddhism, Shinto, and a bit of Confucianism, created a Protestant like Work ethic in Japan. It is intriguing. The Weber thesis of Western Europe and the North American states that the Protestant religion ground in many a pull yourself up by the bootstraps mentality is a good one. Look at the economic and industrial success of majority Protestant countries vs. majority Catholic countries. Bellah carries this type of idea to the Japanese. The vocabulary of this book is tought. It is not an easy read, but it is informative and it is thought provoking.

Rating:
Summary: Good Thesis, but a Difficult Read
Review: The Thesis is important. The idea that the religious beliefs of the Japanese, a mix of Zen, Buddhism, Shinto, and a bit of Confucianism, created a Protestant like Work ethic in Japan. It is intriguing. The Weber thesis of Western Europe and the North American states that the Protestant religion ground in many a pull yourself up by the bootstraps mentality is a good one. Look at the economic and industrial success of majority Protestant countries vs. majority Catholic countries. Bellah carries this type of idea to the Japanese. The vocabulary of this book is tought. It is not an easy read, but it is informative and it is thought provoking.

Rating:
Summary: excellent synthesis of sociology and history
Review: This text has become a classic in the fields of religion, history, and the social sciences. A great work by our greatest living sociologist of religion.